Living Well Health Center
Entrepreneurs often become so immersed in the daily operations of their businesses that they overlook valuable resources available to help them grow. That was the case for Dr. Richard Takanen, founder and owner of Living Well Health Center in St. Cloud, FL—until he connected with the Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of Central Florida (FSBDC at UCF).
Living Well Health Center is a comprehensive wellness practice best known for its expert chiropractic care led by Dr. Takanen. Its mission, “Helping You Reach Your Full Potential,” reflects a broad spectrum of services including massage therapy, acoustic shock wave treatment, regenerative medicine, medical weight loss, bioidentical hormone therapy, and IV therapies. “What makes us different is we have all kinds of treatments to get people feeling better,” explains Dr. Takanen. “If they come in for chiropractic but they’re not getting the results they want, we have all kinds of different therapies and modalities that help patients reach their full health potential.”
In 2024, a series of setbacks—including two hurricanes within three weeks—hit the business hard. “While we didn’t have physical damage to our office, it cratered and plummeted our patient numbers,” he recalls. “We missed out on almost an entire month’s worth of income.”
That’s when Dr. Takanen discovered the FSBDC wasn’t just for startups. “I really thought it was only for new businesses, but I couldn’t have been more wrong,” he admits. “They’re also there for established businesses. So I reached out to them.”
He began working with FSBDC consultant Maria Cevallos at the center’s new St. Cloud office. Together, they took a deep dive into the business’s operations. “She was very helpful,” says Dr. Takanen. “We broke down how my office runs, who our clientele is, and found where the flaws are in our business. Then we came up with solutions and a game plan to turn things around.”
One key insight was recognizing the practice’s evolution beyond chiropractic care. “We’re able to provide more services and help more people,” he says. “We were able to take some of our resources and some of our marketing to help target new clients instead of just focusing solely on chiropractic.”
With renewed clarity and strategic direction, Living Well Health Center rebounded stronger than ever. Dr. Takanen is now a vocal advocate for the FSBDC. “If I had to think of one word to describe the FSBDC, it would be ‘Helpful’,” he affirms. “They were helpful in so many ways to make our business not only recover from last year but for us to grow this year and have one of our best years on record.”
