Building a Sustainable Practice Model with Jabe Brown

If talking about money makes you squirm, your clinic might be paying the price. We sit down with Jabe Brown, practitioner and founder of Melbourne Functional Medicine, to get real about what it takes to build a sustainable naturopath or functional medicine practice in Australia without burning out or undercharging. We unpack the mindset piece first: the quiet money stories that lead to discounting, overdelivering, and never feeling “ready” to charge properly. Then we move into the practical mechanics that most practitioners were never taught at college, including cash flow vs profit, what “knowing your numbers” actually looks like, and why business skills often matter more than stacking another qualification when your diary is empty. A big focus is the dispensary and supplement side of clinic revenue. We break down markup vs margin in plain language, why small discounts can smash your margin, and how to treat your dispensary as a convenience-driven growth engine that supports patient adherence and your bottom line. Finally, we talk scalability: what to do when you are fully booked, how supply and demand influences pricing, and how models like practitioner plus health coach support can bridge the implementation gap between appointments. If you want a clinic that lasts, this is a grounded roadmap for clinic growth, pricing with confidence, and building systems for retention and referrals. Subscribe, share this with a practitioner mate, and leave a review with the one business change you are committing to next. Shownotes and references are available on the Designs for Health website **Register as a Designs for Health Practitioner** and discover quality practitioner- only supplements at www.designsforhealth.com.au **Follow us on Socials** **Instagram:** Designsforhealthaus **Facebook**: Designsforhealthaus **DISCLAIMER:** The Information provided in the Wellness by Designs podcast is for educational purposes only; the information presented is not intended to be used as medical advice; please seek the advice of a qualified healthcare professional if what you have heard here today raises questions or concerns relating to your health