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

Alright, Dr. Josh thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I was a Division 1 Lacrosse Player at Ohio State and heard these words for the first time, “surgery.” I had taken a direct blow to my shoulder from a teammate at practice and felt immediate pain in my shoulder. I was immediately unable to lift my arm, and in the days that followed had an audible “click” in my shoulder. As I went through the diagnostic process, I found out that I had a torn rotator cuff and torn labrum. This is when our team physician communicated to me that I would need to get surgery at the end of the season. He also told me that I could continue playing through the season if I wanted to, and that I would only need to get surgery sooner, if things got worse. This was a significant hit to my psyche, as I had largely felt invincible during my years as an athlete.

So, I did my best through the season, spending time with our team physical therapist, athletic trainer and strength coach, all while going through practices and games. It was an addition to my normal routine, one that I had never encountered before through my 16 years of playing a wide variety (8) of sports. However, what I noticed through the season, was a surprise to me, and may be to you as well.

See my shoulder actually got better. I had less pain. I had improved function. My confidence continued to build. I started to get my identity back. This led to me starting to question the very recommendation that I had received only a few months ago. Did I actually need to get surgery?

When the end of the season came around, I told the physician I didn’t want to get surgery. I could do pretty much everything I wanted to without pain, unless I was shooting as hard as possible, or someone hit me similarly to the original injury. This was enough for me to want a second opinion.

So I came home and saw a new orthopedic and got the news I was hoping to hear. “Why don’t you try physical therapy for the Summer, without playing Lacrosse, and see if you can get back to 100%?” And that is exactly what I intended to do.

However, I immediately was met with a very different experience than what I had at Ohio State. Instead of the warm & engaging atmosphere of the athletic training room, I walked into a very sterile medical environment. A place that had no music, dated equipment and professionals who had no clue how to help me with my Summer Rehab and Workout Packet. This was the epitome of a grudge purchase. I never went back after my second visit and ended up getting guidance on my rehab and workouts over the phone throughout the Summer.

Why was my experience rehabbing at a Division 1 Athletics facility, night and day, to what was provided to individuals in the community? This is when the idea of Rehab 2 Perform was born.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Dr. Josh Funk is a lifelong athlete, one that played 8 sports growing up, was a 3 sport athlete in high school, captain while he was at Ohio State, and former professional lacrosse player. Athletics, and physical activity, are intertwined with his identity, mental psyche and routine. However, he is not unique.

While performance looked one way for him, he realized performance was important to, and looked different for everyone. Human performance was not only tied to physical output, but mental and emotional well-being. Regardless of whether we were talking about a young, competitive athlete, or a former athlete looking to maintain their physicality through the lifespan, individuals need an environment, expertise from a professional, and deliverables in which allow them to maximize themselves.

This is the basic premise of Rehab 2 Perform, a fitness-focused health care company that provides physical therapy, sports rehab, nutrition, concussion care, pregnancy & postpartum care and an array of wellness & recovery services through both in-person and digital options.

Has your business ever had a near-death moment? Would you mind sharing the story?

I remember it all too well, the time I thought that I was going to have to get a second job to support my endeavors as an entrepreneur. I had just skipped myself on payroll for the third straight time and to say that I was getting desperate was an understatement. Prior to cutting the cord on my W2, I had purchased a home and felt confident about my ability to get traction in the first year of business. However, I was sorely mistaken.

This rollercoaster had gone on over the months and came to absolute ground zero. Right as I started to fill out applications for a second job, we hit a tipping point. A few new relationships, some trusted referral sources that invested further into us, and a few community events, all came together and turned into a pivotal moment for the company. We experienced significant growth in the next few months and it put me into a situation where not only was I no longer skipping payroll but I was able to pay myself at a level that was above what I was making at my previous salaried job, all within 18 months of starting Rehab 2 Perform!

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

A grassroots approach that largely centers around relationship building, knowledge sharing and coming up with value adds to the community. We have initiatives in six areas of the community: fitness, business, youth sports, schools, business and tactical/military/veterans. In these areas of the community we form relationships by addressing pain points and/or knowledge gaps that best support the individuals interacting in those communities. This could be through workshops, talks/seminars, educational resources, videos or other forms of media, in addition to potentially supporting events, offerings and other offerings within those respective areas of the community.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://rehab2perform.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjoshfunk/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJoshFunk/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshfunk
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/drjoshfunk
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbncfAvVcDm0iT-vaL5TLNA
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@drjoshfunk?lang=en

Image Credits
Rehab 2 Perform