We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sarah King. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sarah below.

Alright, Sarah thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

I think when it comes to being successful in business it’s about customer service. What experience do you want your patients/clients/customers to have? The business owners I surround myself with do this well. They provide an amazing experience and their business thrives. There are always ups and downs in owning a business but first and foremost I wanted to start a clinic where patients received one on one care, elevated care. I wanted everything from their first phone call to last visit to be a pleasant experience. I didn’t want them to feel like a number or that they were rushed. I wanted them to have my full attention during their visit so that they could get the most out of the session.

Previously I was working in a clinic where I would see multiple patients at a time. Due to insurance, billing was always confusing for patients. I had a patient who was frustrated with her bill ask me if I would ever consider treating patients out of their house. She ultimately was frustrated that she never knew how much each session would be so she asked me if paying someone privately would be easier and she would know exactly what she is getting and get more one on one time with a therapist. It got me thinking that I bet a lot of patients wish for a more personalized experience in physical therapy. That was really the turning point that got me to start my business.

Sarah , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I started pursuing physical therapy in high school. I had been encouraged to go into the medical field and liked how versatile physical therapy was. The more time I spent in the field the more it interested me. I enjoyed learning how the body works to function efficiently. As I went through grad school and clinical rotations I was introduced to functional manual therapy. I enjoyed offering a different approach to patients and treating the whole person. I started realizing that the pelvic floor was an area that not many treated at the time. I started completing course work in that and now treat orthopedic issues along with patient who have pelvic floor dysfunction. I think being able to treat the whole person (head to toe) helps set me apart from others in my field. I address patient’s goals and determine what areas of the body are restricting them from doing what they love to do. Some patients come to me with a specific diagnosis but I still address other areas contributing to that area of pain. I like the comprehensive approach. It’s like every patient is a puzzle that I get to figure out and solve.

I started my company because in order to provide that comprehensive approach I really needed one on one time with patients. I wanted patients to feel like they were getting a great value in coming to me for physical therapy. I know for me personally or for my family members I only refer them to others who treat the way I do where they can get one on one care. I think it’s the best! Being able to spend an hour with a therapist learning about what is really going on with your body and how you can best help it heal I think is empowering! I find that my patients are so much more invested in getting better when they get individualized care.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I first opened my business in the fall 2019 in Southlake, Texas. In March of 2020 my husband and I got married and decided with Covid happening we would move to Weatherford (about an hour a way) to be closer to family. Amazingly about half of my patients at the time were driving from that direction so I started splitting my time between Southlake and Weatherford. I would treat patients from my house on the days I was in Weatherford. A lot of life events hit that year and ultimately my business got pushed to the back burner. I finally made the decision to move my business completely to Weatherford just for simplicity but still was not able to spend much time growing the business. During that time, I chose to focus on providing the best care to the patients I had. I really expected my business to slowly die until I had the time to put into it but amazingly by God’s grace it slowly grew. Even though it wasn’t growing the way I expected it was still growing. The past 2 years I’ve been able to put more time into it so it’s grown even more. I think part of being in the medical field teaches you to be adaptable. I can have the perfect plan for a patient but if they come in not doing well or with a new injury I have to throw my plan out and adapt. The year 2020 with my business was a lot like that. Sometimes it’s best to just throw the plan away, roll with it, and just see what happens.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

From the very beginning I wanted to provide an amazing experience for my patients. My goals were to provide great customer service, a comprehensive approach, one on one care, and treatment approaches that they had never had before. I would say that is what has helped grow my business. My patients get great results and enjoy their experience so they tell their friends. I have some physicians who refer patients to me but hands down word of mouth has been the biggest source of growth for my business. I thoroughly enjoy providing great care to patients.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.medellaphysicaltherapy.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/medellaphysicaltherapy/
• Other: Photography: Morgan Gribble Photography

Image Credits
Morgan Gribble Photography