Episodios

  • Ep887 | Why Your Best Month Might Be A Huge Problem For Your Clinic

    Ep887 | Why Your Best Month Might Be A Huge Problem For Your Clinic
    Jan 22 2026
    How Big Clinical Months Can Quietly Wreck Your Cash Flow

    Big months feel like a win. More patients, more prepaid packages, more cash hitting the account. But if you do not understand how to manage that cash, those same big months can put you in a financial bind later in the year.

    In this episode of the PT Entrepreneur Podcast, Danny breaks down why prepaid revenue creates false confidence, how owners accidentally drain their reserves, and the simple rule that keeps your clinic financially stable.

    In This Episode, You'll Learn:
    • Why prepaid services are not the same thing as earned revenue
    • How reactivation campaigns can create future cash flow problems
    • The most common mistake owners make after a big revenue month
    • Why your clinic can look busy but feel broke
    • The minimum cash buffer every clinic should hold
    The Problem With Big Revenue Spikes

    Danny walks through a common scenario. A clinic normally doing $20,000 per month runs a strong reactivation campaign or sees a surge in new patients. That month jumps to $50,000, much of it prepaid.

    On paper, it looks like massive growth. In reality, much of that cash represents services that have not been delivered yet.

    Why Owners Get Burned Later

    The mistake happens when owners take large distributions during those spike months. As patients return to use prepaid visits, monthly collections drop. The clinic suddenly looks like it is underperforming, even though the schedule is full.

    Danny shares that he made this exact mistake early on and had to move personal money back into the business to stabilize cash flow.

    The Rule That Fixes This

    Before distributing extra cash, clinics should hold at least three months of overhead in the business account.

    If your overhead is $12,000 per month, that means keeping $36,000 in cash on hand. Some owners temporarily hold even more after large prepaid months until things normalize.

    Prepaid Does Not Mean Earned

    The mindset shift is simple but critical. Prepaid revenue is not truly earned until the visits happen.

    When you treat prepaid cash like future obligations instead of profit, cash flow becomes predictable instead of stressful.

    Why Time and Clarity Matter

    Cash flow mistakes often come from overwhelm. When owners are buried in documentation and admin work, there is no space to think strategically.

    Claire helps remove that burden so you can stay present with patients and actually manage your business.

    Try Claire free for 7 days

    Next Steps
    • Review your last big month and identify prepaid revenue
    • Calculate three months of overhead and protect that cash
    • Stop tying distributions to single-month spikes
    • Build systems that create clarity instead of chaos

    If you are still working toward going full time in your own clinic, PT Biz offers a free Part Time to Full Time 5-Day Challenge to help you build a clear plan.

    Sign up here:
    https://physicaltherapybiz.com/challenge
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    9 m
  • Ep886 | The 80/20 Clinic Growth Strategy

    Ep886 | The 80/20 Clinic Growth Strategy
    Jan 20 2026
    The 80/20 Principle of Running a Cash-Based PT Clinic In this episode of the PT Entrepreneur Podcast, Dr. Danny Matta breaks down the 80/20 principle for cash-based clinic owners and simplifies what you should track if you want to grow past yourself. Instead of obsessing over dozens of metrics, Danny argues there are three "dollar productive" KPIs that drive almost all clinic growth. He also explains why provider schedules either snowball fast or stall for a year and how to shorten that ramp from 12+ months to around six months with the right focus. In This Episode, You'll Learn: How Claire can save staff clinicians hours each week and translate that time into meaningful revenueWhat the 80/20 principle means inside a cash-based clinicThe concept of "dollar productive activities" and why it mattersThe three KPIs Danny thinks drive the majority of clinic growthWhy the owner should usually handle discovery calls during growth phasesBenchmarks for conversion rates at different stages of scaleWhy recurring services are the "sneaky" variable that stabilizes schedulesHow to get a new provider productive faster so clinic growth compounds Claire: Turn Saved Time Into Revenue Without Burning Out Your Team Danny opens with a simple math breakdown clinic owners can understand quickly. Time is valuable, for you and for your staff clinicians. PT Biz has found that Claire, their AI scribe, saves staff clinicians about six hours per week on average. Even if you only reclaim half of that time and convert it into patient care, that is roughly three additional one-hour visits per week per clinician. Example Danny gives: 3 extra visits per week$200 average visit rate$600 more per week per clinicianRoughly $30,000 per year in additional revenue per clinician The point is not to overload your team. The point is to use technology to remove the documentation burden so you can increase capacity without increasing burnout. Try Claire free for 7 days: https://meetclaire.ai The 80/20 Principle in a Cash Practice The 80/20 principle is the idea that 20% of your actions lead to 80% of your results. Danny applies this directly to clinic growth. When your clinic is small, it is easy to get busy doing "everything" and tracking a long list of numbers. The problem is most of those activities do not move the business. Instead, Danny recommends narrowing your focus to the most "dollar productive" activities. In other words, the actions and metrics that actually drive revenue and schedule utilization. The Goal: Get a Provider Productive Fast Danny frames the big objective clearly. You want to get your own schedule full enough to hire someone. Then you want any provider you hire to get productive as fast as possible. In PT Biz's world, once a provider reaches roughly 80 to 90 visits per month, it tends to snowball into 100+ pretty quickly. But getting to that point can take some clinics over a year. If you can shorten that ramp to six months, your growth compounds. In a year, you might be able to hire two people instead of one, because each provider becomes profitable faster. The Three Dollar-Productive KPIs Danny says there are three key metrics that drive the majority of growth in a cash-based clinic. Each one represents a drop-off point that can either accelerate growth or quietly crush it. 1) New Patient Volume and Discovery Call Conversion Many owners only track "how many evals we have." Danny says you need to go one step back and track conversion from lead to evaluation. There is often a major drop-off between someone becoming a lead and actually booking an evaluation. This is usually happening on discovery calls. Benchmarks Danny shares: During growth, aim for 8 to 10 new patients per provider per monthOnce stable, new patient volume can drop closer to 5 per monthDiscovery call to eval conversion should be 70%+ He also makes a strong recommendation: during growth phases, the owner should handle discovery calls. Why? In many clinics, admins convert around 45% to 50%. Owners often convert 80% to 90% because they carry authority and can handle objections better. Danny gives an example: 20 discovery calls at 50% conversion = 10 evals20 discovery calls at 80% conversion = 16 evals That gap can be the difference between a provider staying empty and a provider getting busy quickly. He also points out that owners sometimes resist this because it feels like a step backward, but the time requirement is smaller than most people assume. If you have 20 calls at 20 minutes each, that is under 10 hours per month and it can dramatically impact growth. 2) Evaluation to Plan of Care Conversion The second KPI is how many evaluations convert into a plan of care. When people do not commit to a plan of care, Danny says many still come back a few times, often around three visits, until symptoms improve and then they disappear. That creates unpredictable revenue and inconsistent schedules. Plan-of-care conversion makes volume and revenue more predictable. ...
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    16 m
  • Ep885 | One More Reason For You To Focus On Longevity

    Ep885 | One More Reason For You To Focus On Longevity
    Jan 15 2026
    Longevity, Cash PT, and Skating Where the Puck Is Going In this episode of the PT Entrepreneur Podcast, Doc Danny talks about why he keeps coming back to one big theme: longevity. He looks at how the market around proactive health, functional medicine, and long-term performance is exploding and why cash-based clinics are perfectly positioned to play a major role. If you want to move beyond "fix the injury and discharge" and build an ongoing longevity offer, this episode lays out the opportunity and the mindset behind it. In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why patient experience is a competitive edge in cash-based practicesHow Claire gives you an operational advantage your patients can actually feelWhy Danny has always tried to "skate where the puck is going" in healthcareHow cash-based PT went from rare to common in a decadeWhy functional medicine and longevity clinics are boomingThe role PTs can play as movement-focused, accountability-driven "quarterbacks"How one training partner's transformation turned into a walking case studyWhy generational health change makes this work bigger than a single patientWays to start building or partnering into a longevity offer inside your clinic Claire: The Patient-Experience Edge in a Cash Practice Danny opens by talking about what really matters in a cash-based clinic: patient experience. When people are paying out of pocket, they notice everything. He makes a simple comparison: While your competitors step out mid-session to catch up on notes, you stay fully engaged.While they stay late at the clinic finishing documentation, you are following up with patients and planning their next visits. That is the competitive edge Claire gives you. Claire is PT Biz's AI scribe, trained specifically for physical therapists. It handles your documentation instantly in the background, so your time and attention stay on your patient, not on your EMR. The result: Better in-room experienceBetter retention and follow-upSmoother, more efficient operations Try Claire free for 7 days: https://meetclaire.ai Skating Where the Puck Is Going Danny has always tried to pay attention to where health and wellness are headed, not just where they are today. Back in 2014, when he and his wife opened Athlete's Potential in Atlanta, cash-based PT clinics were rare. He only knew of one other in the city, but he saw more and more of them popping up on the West Coast, especially in California. That was his signal that a trend was forming. Fast forward more than a decade and there are now dozens of cash-based clinics in Atlanta alone. Many of them are true businesses with teams, multiple locations, and the kind of systems that support seven-figure revenue and even sales to private equity or hospital groups. That bet — skating to where the puck was going — paid off. The Next Wave: Longevity and Proactive Health Now, Danny sees a similar wave building around longevity and proactive healthcare. He shares the story of a training partner he has worked out with for the past couple of years. Together they have tracked: Blood panels year over yearBody composition with tools like InBodySleep and recovery data using wearables like Whoop The changes in that friend's biomarkers, physical capacity, and day-to-day energy have been dramatic. Friends who have known him for years almost do not recognize how much healthier and more capable he is. That kind of transformation is exactly what more people are starting to want. And the broader market is responding. Functional Medicine and Longevity Are Booming Danny points to the rapid growth of functional medicine, lifestyle medicine, and longevity-focused services as a sign this is not a fad. He has seen: Naturopathic and functional medicine clinics expanding quicklyProviders leaving hospital systems to start proactive, integrative practicesHigh-end gyms and programs charging tens of thousands per year for bundled health, testing, training, and recovery When he first looked for a functional medicine provider in Atlanta, there was one very expensive option. Today there are multiple. Even family members of his who were deeply rooted in traditional medical systems have shifted into functional and lifestyle medicine because they want to help people earlier, not just when they show up critically ill. The PT's Role in the Longevity Ecosystem Danny is clear: he is not saying physical therapists should try to become functional medicine doctors. Instead, he sees a natural lane where PTs can win: Movement and musculoskeletal health expertsAccountability partners who help people actually implement changesEducators who can translate research and trends into safe, practical steps He has already tested this in small ways at Athlete's Potential — reviewing blood panels, talking through sleep data, adjusting training, and updating exercise programs over months and years as patients move from "out of pain" to "performing and staying healthy." For some people, that relationship has lasted ...
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    21 m
  • Ep884 | Why Focusing On One Thing Will Change Your Clinic

    Ep884 | Why Focusing On One Thing Will Change Your Clinic
    Jan 13 2026
    The One Thing Filter: How to Make Better Decisions as Your Clinic Grows In this episode of the PT Entrepreneur Podcast, Doc Danny shares a simple but powerful idea for clinic owners: pick one core outcome your business exists to create and use it as a filter for every major decision. As your team grows, choices get more complex — what to say yes to, what to ignore, who to hire, what projects to start. Danny breaks down how to choose your "one thing," why money has to be part of it, and how aligning your team around that filter makes leadership easier and your business more stable. In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why documentation is the #1 satisfaction killer for many clinicians — and how Claire can remove most of itWhy early-stage goals are simple (replace your income) and what changes once you get past survivalThe "what race are you running?" analogy and how it exposes mismatched decisionsHow to decide what you actually want your business to look like long termWhy "no money, no mission" matters, even for mission-driven clinic ownersHow PT Biz landed on its own "one thing": helping clients make more money in their clinicsHow to use a single filter to decide on hires, con-ed, software, space, and new projectsHow to get your whole team making decisions through the same lens instead of waiting on you Claire: Stop Letting Notes Crush Your Day Danny opens by talking about satisfaction surveys in our profession. Over and over, clinicians say the same thing: they hate writing notes. It is the part of the day that makes them want to quit, and it is the last thing they want to do when they get home. Claire is the AI scribe PT Biz built specifically for physical therapists. Think of it like having a meticulous student in the corner, capturing the details and drafting your notes so you can stay locked in on your patient. Trained on physical therapy workflows and languageDrafts notes for you so you are not catching up after hoursHelps you remove most of your documentation time and get your evenings back Try Claire free for 7 days: https://meetclaire.ai From Survival Mode to Strategy Early on, business decisions are simple. Your goal is clear: replace your job income so you can safely support yourself and your family. You are willing to work long hours and say yes to almost anything that moves revenue in the right direction. Once that need is met, the decisions get harder. Do you stay small? Do you grow? How big? What kind of life are you actually trying to build around this business? Danny points out that most owners never slow down to answer those questions. They are "jumping out of the plane and building the parachute on the way down," chasing whatever looks like opportunity without checking if it fits the life they want. What Race Are You Actually Running? To explain the problem, Danny uses an endurance analogy. Training for a 5k is very different from training for a marathon.Training for a 100-mile race is different again — in volume, intensity, nutrition, and time. A lot of owners, he says, are making decisions like they are running a 5k — short-term, fast payoff, quick bursts — when in reality they are trying to run a very long, very hard race. Their decisions and their true goals do not match. Get Clear on the Life You Want First Before you can pick a filter, you have to be honest about what you actually want. What do you want your business to look like 5–10 years from now?How big does it really need to be to support the life you want?What matters more to you: growth, time freedom, leadership, selling someday, or staying clinical? Danny suggests sitting down by yourself, and with your spouse or family if you have one, and talking through the kind of life you are trying to build. You might realize you do not need as big of a practice as you assumed — or that you are thinking too small for what you actually want. No Money, No Mission As mission-driven as PTs are, money still matters. Danny shares a lesson from when his wife ran a military nonprofit in Hawaii. Her boss used to repeat a simple phrase: "No money, no mission." If there is no revenue, there is no staff, no programs, no impact. Your clinic is a for-profit business, but the same rule applies. Without healthy revenue, you: Cannot provide for yourself or your family safelyCannot create good jobs with fair pay and benefitsCannot support your community or give back meaningfully Money is simply an exchange of value and trust. You have to get comfortable with it if you want your mission to survive. PT Biz's "One Thing" Filter At a recent planning retreat, the PT Biz leadership team spent hours wrestling with a single question: "What is the most important thing we do for our clients?" They help people with work–life balance, health, relationships, and dealing with the emotional weight of entrepreneurship. Those things matter. But when they drilled down to the one outcome everything else depends on, the answer was simple: The purpose of PT ...
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    15 m
  • Ep883 | What To Do With A Difficult Staff Clinician

    Ep883 | What To Do With A Difficult Staff Clinician
    Jan 8 2026
    What To Do With a Frustrating Employee In Your Clinic In this episode, Doc Danny breaks down one of the hardest parts of owning a clinic: dealing with a talented but frustrating employee. You know the type. Great with patients, solid outcomes, but sloppy with systems, notes, and follow through. Danny walks through the three real options you have, why "letting it slide" destroys culture, and how to use a performance improvement plan to either turn things around or coach someone out. In This Episode, You'll Learn: The classic pattern of the friendly, high-output clinician who struggles with systemsWhy tolerating mediocrity from one person lowers the standard for your entire teamThe three options you have with a frustrating employee (and the one most owners avoid)How to build and run a simple, effective performance improvement plan (PIP)Why leadership and standards matter more than any one hireHow "coaching people out" protects your culture and your A-playersQuestions to ask yourself about your onboarding, training, and systems Claire: Get Your Attention Back on Patients Danny opens with a reminder of how fast documentation can pull your attention away from patients. As PTs, we pride ourselves on building rapport and relationships, but it is hard to do that when you spend half the session staring at a laptop. Claire, the AI scribe built specifically for physical therapists, lets you give patients 100% of your attention while it writes your notes for you. No more "split attention" between EMR and patientBetter engagement and outcomes because you are actually presentNotes drafted for you based on the session so you can review and finalize Try Claire free for 7 days: https://meetclaire.ai The Talented but Frustrating Employee Danny describes a very familiar pattern in service businesses. You hire someone you like. They are a good culture fit. Patients love them. Outcomes are strong. But behind the scenes, they: Drag their feet on notes and documentationIgnore or half-follow systems and processesShow up a little late, miss small details, or respond slowly to emails and Slack They are not a disaster. They are not a clear liability. But they are not meeting the standard either. That gray area is exactly where most owners get stuck. First, Own Your Part as the Owner Before you blame the employee, Danny challenges you to look in the mirror. Have you: Actually trained them on your EMR, project management tools, and communication systems?Explained why those systems matter (data, tracking, meetings, outcomes, marketing)?Given them clear expectations, examples of "done right," and time to practice? Most owners are busy and rush onboarding. They throw people into the deep end with a few screen-share videos and hope they figure it out. Then they get mad when the systems are not followed. Your Three Options With a Frustrating Employee Once you are honest about your own role, you really have three options: Let it go. Accept that this person is just this way. They are good with patients, weak with systems, and you live with it.Let them go. Fire them for not following processes and creating extra work for others.Create a performance improvement plan. Sit down, define what needs to change, and track progress over a set period. Danny explains why the first option is the most dangerous. When you tolerate one person ignoring standards, everyone else sees it. Your A-players start to wonder why they are working so hard. Support staff quietly resent the extra work. The real standard becomes "we say we care about systems, but we do not enforce them." How to Build a Performance Improvement Plan The go-to approach in Danny's companies is a structured performance improvement plan (PIP). It usually looks like this: Define the specific problems (late notes, missing CRM updates, slow responses, etc.).Clarify why each behavior matters to the business and the team.Decide what is truly necessary for the role and remove anything redundant.Set clear, measurable expectations for the next 4–6 weeks.Meet weekly to review progress, answer questions, and coach them on better workflows.Make it clear this is a non-negotiable standard if they want to keep the role. This is not about punishment. It is about support, clarity, and accountability. The PIP gives the employee a real chance to succeed with your help. What Usually Happens Next Once you run a real PIP, you tend to see one of two outcomes: They turn the corner. With training and clear expectations, they improve their systems work, become more efficient, and turn into a strong long-term hire.They opt out. They resist change, make excuses, and realize this is not a place where they can do whatever they want. They often resign on their own. Either way, you win. You either save a good clinician by giving them structure or you protect your culture by making it clear that standards are real. Leadership, Standards, and A-Players Danny points out that your best people are always watching how you ...
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    15 m
  • Ep882 | Why Your Clinic Isn't Getting More Referrals

    Ep882 | Why Your Clinic Isn't Getting More Referrals
    Jan 6 2026
    How to Turn Patients into Raving Fans (and Referral Machines) In this episode of the PT Entrepreneur Podcast, Doc Danny breaks down why most clinics are stuck in "purgatory" with word of mouth and what separates average clinics from the ones patients can't stop talking about. Using a great chicken joint and a mediocre Italian restaurant as examples, he shows you how clients really think about your business and what has to change if you want more organic referrals in 2026. In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why saving clinician time with an AI scribe like Claire can quietly add $30,000 in revenue per staff PT per yearThe two levers that drive referrals in any service business: outcomes and experienceHow a chain "hot chicken" spot crushed a local restaurant on basic executionWhy "pretty good" is the most dangerous place for your clinic to liveWhat a 9–10 Net Promoter Score really looks like inside a cash practiceHow your space, punctuality, and communication shape patient trustWhy referrals jumped when Danny moved from a subleased gym corner to a standalone spaceA simple way to mystery shop your own clinic and see what patients see Claire: Freeing Up Time and Unlocking Revenue Danny opens by talking about Claire, the AI scribe built for cash-based clinics. On average, Claire is saving staff clinicians six hours a week on documentation. Even if you only recapture half of that time for patient care, that is three extra one-hour visits per clinician per week. 3 extra visits per week at $200 per visit = $600 per weekRoughly $30,000 in additional annual revenue per staff clinician And it all comes from taking notes off their plate and putting that time back into patient care. Try Claire free for 7 days: https://meetclaire.ai Two Restaurants, Two Very Different Referral Stories Danny shares a simple contrast to frame how referrals really work. On the same day, he took his son to Dave's Hot Chicken and later that night took his family to a new Italian restaurant near their house. Dave's Hot Chicken: Friendly staff, simple "honey hack" suggestion, clean space, food that exceeded expectations. He would happily tell people to go there.Local Italian restaurant: No clear host, missing reservation, clunky service, average food at a higher price point. He will not badmouth them, but he is not going to recommend them either. That is exactly how patients think about your clinic. They are either excited to send people, quietly neutral, or actively warning people away. Net Promoter Score and Your Clinic Danny ties this into Net Promoter Score (NPS), a simple question that predicts referrals. "On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to refer a friend or family member to this clinic?" 9–10 = promoters who actively tell people about you0–6 = detractors who may talk negatively7–8 = passives who are neutral and mostly silent Most clinics live in the 6–8 range. Not good enough to be talked about. Not bad enough to be trashed. That is business purgatory. The Two Levers: Outcomes and Experience For a cash-based clinic, your referrals come from two places. Outcomes: Are you actually better than the average in-network option? Do people get results faster and more completely?Experience: What is it like to work with you? Space, punctuality, communication, how you follow up, how individualized things feel. If your space is a noisy gym corner or a rough sublease, you have to make up for that with flawless communication, punctuality, and outcomes. When you eventually level up into a standalone space, the experience finally matches the quality of your care. Danny saw that firsthand when his clinic moved from a subleased gym space to a standalone location. Referrals jumped. Patients openly said they were now more comfortable sending friends and family because the space matched the price and reputation. Are You "Just Okay"? Danny challenges clinic owners to be honest about where they sit. Are you truly a 9 or 10 out of 10 on outcomes and experience?Or are you a 6–8 where people say you are fine but do not talk about you proactively? He suggests a simple exercise. Have a friend or family member your staff does not recognize come through as a "mystery shopper" patient. Let them go through your entire process and give you brutally honest feedback about what felt confusing, clunky, or underwhelming. Getting Obsessive About Excellence Clinics that become referral machines look different on the inside. They: Obsess over outcomes and ongoing clinical improvementObsess over small details in the patient journey, from first inquiry to dischargeAnswer quickly, follow up clearly, and stay ahead of patient questionsFix small frictions in their space and processes every month When you get this right, you build a stable referral base that cushions you from algorithm changes, ad costs, and platform shifts. You still might use marketing, but you are not desperate for it. Want a Clear Path to Go Full Time? If you are still in the early stages of ...
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    15 m
  • Ep881 | I Was Right... 14 Years Later

    Ep881 | I Was Right... 14 Years Later
    Jan 1 2026
    Big Ship or Small Boat: Are You in the Right Organization? In this episode of the PT Entrepreneur Podcast, Doc Danny tells a story from his time as an Army PT in Hawaii and how a denied human performance proposal, that finally got implemented 13 years later, forced him to ask a hard question. Am I on the right ship or do I need to build my own boat? If you feel boxed in by red tape, slow decisions, and limited influence, this one will hit home. In This Episode, You'll Learn: The human performance proposal Danny and a strength coach pitched to their division in 2011–2012Why a project that would save millions and improve readiness still got shut downWhat a general meant when he said "the Army's a big ship and it turns really slowly"How that moment planted the seed for Danny leaving to start his own practiceHow to tell if you are in the wrong organization for your personality and goalsWhy some people thrive in big systems and others feel suffocated by themWhy regret is worse than trying and failing at your own thingWhat to do if you suspect you need to build the job you want instead of waiting for it The Schofield Barracks Story Back in 2011–2012, Danny was the only physical therapist for an entire brigade at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii. Between him, another PT, and a shared strength coach, they were responsible for thousands of soldiers spread across multiple brigades and clinics. Injury rates were driving a constant stream of soldiers into civilian clinics and hurting deployment readiness. Danny and his strength coach friend put together a human performance proposal that would add a handful of contracted providers. The math was simple. A few hundred thousand dollars of contract help could save the Army millions and keep more soldiers ready to deploy. They took the plan to the division commander, a general who was also one of Danny's patients and very supportive of what Danny was doing clinically. Danny walked into the meeting convinced the proposal would be approved. It was denied. "The Army's a Big Ship and It Turns Really Slowly" The next day, the division commander pulled Danny aside and explained his decision. He said he liked the idea, but told him the Army is a big ship and it turns very slowly. That comment stuck. Danny remembers thinking, "If this is such an obvious win and we still can't move, do I even want to be on a ship like this?" More than a decade later, his strength coach friend called to say the division had finally launched a human performance program that looked a lot like their original proposal. "We were right. We finally won," he said. Danny laughed. It took over ten years for the ship to turn. Are You on the Right Ship? The point of the story is not just that the military moves slowly. The point is to help you ask whether you are in the right environment for how you are wired. Big organizations: Move slowly and carry layers of approval and red tapeLimit how much control you have over clinical model, scheduling, and innovationCan be a great fit if you value stability, structure, and predictable paths Entrepreneurship and small clinics: Move quickly and let you act on ideas without begging for permissionGive you direct control over patient experience, offers, and operationsCome with more personal risk and fewer safety nets If you constantly find yourself saying "There is a better way to do this and nobody will listen," that is a sign. If you love solving problems, want to experiment, and are tired of watching your ideas die in meetings, you may not be in the right organization. Don't Wait a Decade for Someone Else to Say Yes Most physical therapists never planned to start a business. The default story is to join a big rehab system or national chain, climb the ladder to clinic director, then maybe move into regional leadership. That can be a great path for the right person. But if you feel like you are on a big ship that turns too slowly, you may need to build the job you actually want instead of hoping someone else creates it for you. Trying and failing at your own thing is almost always better than never trying and sitting with regret later. At some point, you will not have the same window to take a swing. Action Steps If You Feel "Stuck" Check your frustration. Is it about one boss or one clinic, or is it about the whole system?Write down the kind of care you wish you could deliver if nobody told you "no."Run the numbers on what it would take to replace your income in a small cash-based practice.Talk to people who have already left big systems and ask what they would do differently. Need Help Building Your Own Boat? If you suspect you are in the wrong organization and want a concrete plan to go from employed to running your own cash practice, the PT Biz Part Time to Full Time 5-Day Challenge will walk you through: Exactly how much income you need to replaceHow many patients you need to see and at what visit rateThree different paths to go from part time to full timeThe basic...
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    12 m
  • Ep880 | 4 Hard Lessons From 2025 (That Will Make You a Better Clinic Owner in 2026)

    Ep880 | 4 Hard Lessons From 2025 (That Will Make You a Better Clinic Owner in 2026)
    Dec 30 2025
    Four Big Lessons from 2025 for Cash-Based PT Owners In this year-end episode of the PT Entrepreneur Podcast, Dr. Danny Matta shares the four biggest lessons he learned in 2025. From a small revenue dip at PT Biz to the rise of corporate cash clinics, the longevity wave, and why happiness cannot be tied to "winning," Danny breaks down what actually matters for clinic owners who want a sustainable, meaningful business and life. In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why PT Biz saw its first year-over-year revenue decline and what actually caused itThe danger of chasing brand polish while neglecting core sales and marketing fundamentalsWhy corporate and private-equity backed cash and hybrid clinics are coming fastHow to decide if you should stay small and lifestyle-based or grow and competeWhy "health is wealth" is both a mission and a major business opportunityHow to think about long-term performance, longevity, and lifetime value in your clinicWhy happiness cannot be tied only to hitting revenue goals or "winning" in businessHow gratitude, perspective, and boundaries at home change how you lead at work Lesson 1: The Year Revenue Went Backwards For the first time outside of COVID shutdowns, PT Biz saw a year-over-year decline in top-line revenue. It was not a crash, but it was the first dip in an otherwise steady climb. Going into 2025, the team made a big bet: double down on brand and visibility. That meant more clinic tours, more travel, more polished content, stronger YouTube presence, and a much more professional public-facing brand. The upside: the brand looks sharper, more consistent, and more aligned with what PT Biz actually delivers. The downside: attention and effort shifted away from core sales and marketing fundamentals that had been driving client acquisition for years. The brand got better. The KPIs that actually bring in new owners slipped. The lesson: do not starve the fundamentals to fund a big bet. Brand polish is great, but not at the expense of the boring systems that quietly keep your pipeline full. Momentum is effort multiplied by accuracy, and this year the effort was high, but the target was slightly off. Lesson 2: Corporate Cash Clinics Are Coming Regional cash and hybrid groups are already growing in multiple markets. They have strong brands, smart operators, and they are learning how to scale performance-based services across locations. As interest rates fall and borrowing becomes cheaper, larger groups and backers are going to look at cash-based PT the same way they looked at in-network PT years ago: fragmented, profitable, and ripe for consolidation. That creates a fork in the road for small clinic owners: Stay small, stay lifestyle: Keep a lean, owner-operated practice, accept your capacity ceiling, and focus on doing great work with a small team.Grow and compete: Commit to becoming a true business owner, not just a great clinician. That means learning hiring, leadership, cash flow, marketing beyond yourself, and building a place where people want to work long term. Either path can be a win. But "average" business skills will not cut it in crowded markets where well-funded competitors offer better recruiting, benefits, and systems. Lesson 3: Health Is Wealth (and Your Biggest Opportunity) There is a cultural shift happening around health and longevity. People are listening to three-hour podcasts on sleep, VO2 max, and zone 2 training. Functional medicine clinics are everywhere. High-end "longevity programs" are popping up inside luxury gyms. For movement-based, performance-focused cash practices, this is a massive opportunity. Your patients no longer just want to get out of pain. They want to stay strong, independent, and capable for as long as possible. They are looking for a guide who can help them preserve function, strength, and energy for decades, not weeks. This is where you can step in as the long-term quarterback of their health and performance. That might include: Strength and mobility programming designed for longevityClear testing and reassessment around performance and functionCoaching on sleep, recovery, lifestyle, and training hygieneLong-term continuity options and proactive care plans Done right, this dramatically increases lifetime value per client and creates deeper, more rewarding clinical relationships that match why you went into this profession to begin with. Lesson 4: Happiness Is Not Tied to "Winning" For many high achievers, revenue is the scoreboard. Hit the goal and you feel like a winner. Miss it and you feel like a loser. In past years, missing a big target would have poisoned Danny's entire year and bled into family life at home. This year, even with a small revenue decline, he is as content as he has ever been. The difference is perspective. When you zoom out, the "loss" on the scoreboard sits next to: Rebuilt personal health after knee surgery and a return to the activities he lovesA stronger marriage built over nearly two decades togetherHealthy, ...
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