The P.T. Entrepreneur Podcast

Latest Episodes:

EP249 | Risk vs Danger Dec 12, 2019

Show notes

I'm sharing a couple of stories to break down something crucial: the difference between risk and danger, especially when you're thinking about betting on yourself in business. One story involves a camera guy who risked it all to chase his music dreams, and the other… well, let's just say it involves my father-in-law and a very angry rattlesnake. There's a big lesson here about calculated chances versus just plain stupid.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

There's a huge difference between calculated risk (like starting a side hustle or your own practice) and actual danger (like trying to bag a wild rattlesnake).
Taking a calculated risk on yourself, even if it doesn't pan out exactly as planned, often leads to no regrets and valuable experience.
The "worst-case scenario" of betting on yourself in business is usually just going back to a regular job, which isn't so bad when you really think about it.

🧠 Pro Tip:

When you're looking at taking a chance on yourself or your business, really analyze the worst-case scenario. Often, you'll find it's a manageable risk, not a true danger, which can give you the confidence to go for it.

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EP248 | What Would I do If I was back In PT school? Dec 10, 2019

Show notes

A PT student asked what I'd do if I were back in school, gunning for my own cash practice. I'm breaking down the exact steps I'd take to set myself up for success from day one.

This episode unpacks the strategic moves I'd make as a PT student aiming for a cash practice. Think getting sales experience as a trainer, building an online client base with digital programming, mastering manual skills for rapport, and making local connections early. This is your blueprint.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

Get a job as a personal trainer to learn sales, time management, and how to sell yourself, ideally at a corporate facility with sales training.
Start digital programming for clients to build an income stream and learn to create change and accountability remotely.
Develop strong manual therapy skills because human touch builds significant rapport and trust with patients, which is crucial for buy-in.
Identify where you want to practice and start building local relationships with gym owners and other practitioners as early as possible.

🧠 Pro Tip:

If you want to open a local service business, start developing relationships in that area years in advance. Knowing people before you open your doors is a massive advantage.

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✅ Use Clare AI to get 2–5 hours/week back on documentation
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EP247 | Improving Your Customer Experience Through Clear Communication Dec 05, 2019

Show notes

Had a patient drop some serious truth bombs on me the other day all about the power of clear communication. We're talking about how spelling out the 'what,' 'why,' and 'what's next' for your patients isn't just good practice, it's how you build a referral machine. If they don't get it, you're losing 'em. This is huge for your clinic and, frankly, any service business.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

Crystal clear communication and setting expectations for patients is non negotiable; it builds massive trust and transforms their experience.
When patients understand their problem, why you're doing what you're doing, and what's next, their anxiety plummets, and they're more likely to stick with the plan and tell their friends.
Being personable is great, but combining it with clear, confident direction and education about their condition is what turns good experiences into remarkable ones that generate word of mouth referrals.

🧠 Pro Tip:

Over communicate the plan and the 'why' behind it. If your patient can't explain it back to their spouse, you haven't been clear enough. Make it so obvious it feels redundant to you; that's when they truly get it and feel confident.

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✅ Join our free 5-Day Challenge to work smarter
✅ Book a free strategy call and get personal help with your SEO + growth plan

EP246 | Indiana State DPT Student Q/A 2019 Dec 03, 2019

Show notes

Ever feel like you were sold a different dream in PT school than the reality of 30 patients a day? You're not alone. If you're thinking about a cash practice, or you're already in it and realizing business is a whole other beast, this one's for you. This episode takes us back to a 2019 Q&A with the sharp DPT students at Indiana State. We hit on everything from my jump from Army PT to starting Athletes Potential, the critical first steps like defining your niche, practical advice on marketing and sales (yes, you need 'em!), how to price your services confidently, and why mastering communication is non-negotiable. Plus, some real talk for students on rotations. Packed with insights if you want to build a practice on your own terms.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

Define Your Niche: Stop trying to be everything to everyone. If you try to be the go-to for everybody, you'll be the go-to for nobody. Pick a specific group you're passionate about serving, like triathletes or youth baseball players. This makes your messaging super clear.
Business Skills are Non-Negotiable: Great clinical skills are table stakes. To succeed, you MUST understand marketing (getting people in the door) and sales (communicating your value so they commit).
Communication Trumps Fancy Techniques: How well you connect, build trust, and articulate the plan of care is often more important than any single manual skill. Words matter, big time.
Price with Confidence: Look at your market, but don't be afraid to charge what you're worth. Pick a number that makes you a little uncomfortable at first. You're either the cheapest or the most expensive; the middle is a tough place to be.

🧠 Pro Tip: If you're a student on a clinical rotation, especially at a cash or performance-based clinic, make yourself indispensable. Show up early, stay late, and always ask, "What can I do to make your day easier?" That attitude will open more doors than you can imagine.

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EP245 | Sometimes You Just Need To Talk To Your Patients Nov 28, 2019

Show notes

I'm diving into something I wish I'd grasped way earlier in my career: the massive power of just talking to your patients. Seriously, sometimes the most profound "treatment" we offer isn't on the table, it's in the conversation. This week, I had a couple of long-term patients where we didn't do any manual work, no exercises. We just talked. And the breakthroughs? Huge. We get so focused on the physical, the diagnosis, the technique, but often the biggest barriers to recovery are stress, job dissatisfaction, or just life stuff. This episode is about recognizing that, listening, and understanding that you're treating a whole human being, not just a sore shoulder. It's about how much their overall well-being, especially their mental state, impacts their physical outcomes.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

Communication is Critical: The communication side of what we do is far more important than many of us realize fresh out of school. Sometimes, simply listening is the most effective intervention.
Stress Kills Gains: People's mental health and stress levels profoundly affect their physical health and the outcomes they get from your care. You can't separate the two.
Be a Health Quarterback: Our role can extend beyond just fixing injuries to being an accountability partner and helping patients navigate their overall health and wellness.
Genuine Care is Palpable: You can't fake genuinely caring about your patients. When they know you're invested in their well-being beyond the session fee, it makes a huge difference.

🧠 Pro Tip: Step back from just focusing on the injury. Ask about their life, what's going on outside the clinic, and truly listen. You're dealing with a human being with a lot on their plate, and acknowledging that can be incredibly powerful.

EP244 | How To Get To 10K A Month By Month 3 In Business Nov 26, 2019

Show notes

I'm laying out a no BS strategy to hit $10,000 a month in revenue by month THREE of your cash practice. Yeah, you heard that right. This isn't theory; it's based on what we've seen work for multiple PTs in our mastermind. I'm breaking down the five common threads these successful early-stage entrepreneurs share. If you're just starting or feel stuck, these are the levers you need to pull. We're talking niche, community, commitment, client experience, and yeah, getting the right help. Forget trying to figure it all out alone for a year; let's talk about getting there faster.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

Have a Specific Niche: Don't be a generalist. Focusing on a specific group (e.g., swimmers, CrossFitters) leads to faster growth because your marketing is targeted and referrals are easier.
Get in the Community: Be genuinely involved where your niche congregates. Coach, compete, show up, and build relationships. You can't fake this.
Go Full-Time (If Possible): If you want to grow quickly, going all-in on your business provides the focus and drive needed. The "burn the ships" strategy often yields faster results.
Create an Amazing Experience: Wow people with your knowledge, clear communication, and genuine care. Help them understand their issue and the path forward. Follow up and make it personal.
Get Help: Investing in mentorship or a business development group accelerates your growth by providing a clear path and accountability, saving you from costly trial and error.

🧠 Pro Tip: Improve your ability to educate and simplify what's happening with somebody's body. If they understand their condition and the plan, they'll have more confidence and get better outcomes. Can they explain it back to you?

EP243 | You Can't Fake Being An Expert Nov 21, 2019

Show notes

Got a quick one for you today, a little story from a patient encounter that really drives home a point I've been hitting on: you can't fake being an expert in a niche. If you want to be the go-to for golfers, runners, CrossFitters, whatever but you better actually be in that world. I had a patient who runs the wellness side of a big country club. They have in-house PTs and chiros, TPI certified even, but she won't send golfers their way. Why? Because those practitioners don't actually play golf. They don't speak the lingo, don't have a passion for the sport. It's obvious they're just chasing clientele. Authenticity matters. You can't just fast track expertise with a certification; you gotta put in the time and be part of the community.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

Authenticity is Non-Negotiable: To be a true expert in a niche, you must be genuinely involved in that community. Certifications alone aren't enough.
People See Through Inauthenticity: Patients and referral sources can easily tell if you're not genuinely part of the niche you claim to serve. Your language, understanding, and passion (or lack thereof) are dead giveaways.
Immersion Builds Real Trust: Actively participating in your chosen niche (e.g., playing golf if you target golfers) builds far more credibility and trust than just holding a certification.
Referral Sources Value True Expertise: People will refer to practitioners they genuinely trust to understand a specific group, even if it means bypassing in-house options. Their own reputation is on the line.

🧠 Pro Tip: If you want to specialize in a niche, don't just get the certifications. Dive deep. Play the sport, join the community, learn the lingo, and live the culture. Genuine understanding and passion are transparent and build trust faster than any credential.

EP242 | The Relationship Between Revenue And Profit Nov 19, 2019

Show notes

We're digging into some basic business finance that's super important: profit and revenue. Sounds simple, but it's easy to misunderstand, especially when you're building your own cash practice. Think of solid financial understanding like a killer offensive line in football. They don't score touchdowns, but they stop bad things from happening. Same in business. Knowing your numbers, the difference between top-line (gross revenue) and bottom-line (net profit), is your bedrock. We'll talk about how your profit picture changes as you scale, why a $250k solo gig is a profitable job but not a business, and the trade-offs when you hire to build something truly passive and sellable. It's about understanding what kind of business you want to build.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

Gross vs. Net: Gross revenue is your top-line income (all the money that comes in). Net profit is your bottom-line (what's left after ALL expenses, including paying yourself). Profit is what truly matters.
The Profitability Shift: When you're solo, your profit margins can be super high. When you hire and scale, your gross revenue goes up, but your net profit percentage typically goes down per dollar because you're paying staff. However, this can lead to passive income.
Job vs. Business: If your clinic makes zero dollars when you're on vacation for two weeks, you have a highly profitable job, not a business. A true business has systems and people that allow it to generate revenue without you doing all the work.
Build for Safety and Scale: Scaling past yourself by hiring staff reduces personal profit margins but creates a more stable, safer, and potentially sellable asset. It moves you from active to passive revenue.

🧠 Pro Tip: Decide what kind of business you want. A high-profit solo "lifestyle" business is fine if that's your intentional choice. But if you want something that can run without you, or that you can sell one day, you need to build systems and a team, understanding the impact on your immediate profit margins for long term gain and stability.

EP241 | Earn The Right To Start A Second Business Nov 14, 2019

Show notes

Dropping another nugget from our Mastermind event, and this is a big one I wish someone had told me when I was starting out: earn the right to start a second project. So many of us, myself included early on, get shiny object syndrome. You start your cash practice, and then you're immediately thinking about online courses, digital products, multiple revenue streams. Here's the deal: splitting your focus like that when your primary business isn't yet self-sufficient is a recipe for slowing yourself down, or worse, mediocrity in both. We talk about the allure of "passive" digital income and why it's often harder than it looks. Before you dive into a second venture, build your first one to a point where it can largely run without you. Focus, build, systemize, then diversify.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

Focus is Your Superpower: Splitting your attention between multiple new ventures significantly slows down progress in all of them.
Earn the Right: Build your primary business (e.g., your cash practice) to a point where it's systemized and can run largely without your day-to-day involvement before starting a second significant business.
Digital Isn't Always Easier: Creating and selling successful digital products often requires massive traffic and isn't the "easy passive income" it's sometimes portrayed to be. It's often harder than a brick-and-mortar business.
One 10X vs. Two 1X: Concentrated effort on one business can yield a 10X outcome. Splitting that effort often results in much less than half the outcome for each.

🧠 Pro Tip: Before you even think about starting that online course or second business, get your primary cash practice to a place where you've significantly reduced your own clinical hours because you've successfully hired and systemized. That freed-up time and stable base is what allows you to then explore other opportunities effectively.

EP240 | Double Down On Your Strengths Nov 12, 2019

Show notes

Still buzzing with excitement and lessons from our recent mastermind event in Atlanta. We're all about tactical, actionable stuff you can implement right away, not just theory. Today, I'm hitting on a big one I saw over and over, especially with newer practice owners: this urge to be a jack-of-all-trades, trying to master multiple niches at once. You're a runner, but you want to be the CrossFit guru. You're a swimmer, but you're eyeing that CrossFit market. My message? Stop. Double down on your strength, that one niche where you have inherent credibility and a real passion. That's where the magic happens, and it doesn't limit you; it actually expands your reach.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

Stop Spreading Yourself Thin: Early on, resist the urge to become a subject matter expert in a dozen different niches.
Double Down on YOUR Niche: Identify that one group you genuinely connect with, have credibility with, and can really help. Then go all in on serving them.
Specialization Breeds Referrals: When you crush it for your core niche, they become your biggest advocates and will send friends and family your way, even if they aren't in that specific niche.
Be the Go-To, Not the Generalist: If you try to be everything to everyone, you end up being the expert for no one. Focus makes you the recognized authority.

🧠 Pro Tip: Once you've identified that niche you love and can dominate, immerse yourself. Join their groups, go to their events, create content specifically for them, both online and in person. Talk their language. Your ideal clients will flock to you.

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