Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Patrick Reetz. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Patrick, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about how you went about setting up your own practice and if you have any advice for professionals who might be considering starting their own?

I was somewhat pushed into starting my own business by the pandemic. I was working for a home health agency at the time and my hours of work had been reduced. I learned of other physical therapists starting their own mobile PT practice. It seemed do-able. Low overhead and minimal risk to get started as a side-hustle were the main attracting points. Setting up all the legal things, the LLC, business plans, forms– that was the easy, if not tedious part. The real challenge was when I got to the point where my primary job was limiting me from making the side-hustle the full-time job. Quitting the primary job while not having 40 hours of work in my side-hustle was like walking toward a cliff with a blindfold. But I kept hearing the same advice: you have to step back to take a big leap. And those first couple of months where my only income was from the business I built was the scariest. I was fortunate that I had the luxury of slowly growing my own practice while falling back on the day job to pay the bills. But if you want the true autonomy of not working for someone else, there will be a point where you have to leap forward. Having multiple mentors around you, various other professionals, friends with experience, and supportive family members is key to moving forward.

Patrick, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

When I was younger I knew I wanted to work in healthcare. In high school, I discovered the career of physical therapy. I initially loved treating athletes and ankle sprains, but I quickly discovered that there was no match for the feeling when helping an older adult re-learn to walk after a stroke or improve balance in someone with Parkinson’s disease. I have now been a licensed physical therapist for 17 years. My wife and I started our own PT company, Performance and Recovery Physical Therapy in 2020. We provide outpatient-level full-hour physical therapy services in patients’ homes so they don’t need to travel to a clinic. I set up the company to be able to treat the type of patients the way I wanted to treat them in the context of their personal environment. We work with seniors and people with neurologic disabilities so they can get back to doing the things they love to do. We chose to only accept Medicare (about 75% of our caseload) and TriCare (for veterans & families) even though reimbursement rates are lower than our direct-pay rates.
The company currently consists of myself (owner, primary physical therapist), my wife (co-owner, office manager/marketing director), two part-time physical therapists hired last year, and one contracted occupational therapist. We have been expanding steadily and are looking to hire another full-time PT this year.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

It’s a bit of a cliché, but working “on the business” instead of working “in the business” is something I continue to have to integrate. I love working with my patients. There’s nothing better than watching someone walk for the first time after a stroke, stand up for the first time after a brain injury, or tell me they have less surgical pain after I worked on them. It is highly rewarding and the entire basis for my company.
However, I have had to re-wire myself to pay attention to the company as a whole rather than being the one IN the company doing the day-to-day work. Hiring qualified therapists to do the “fun part” is tough. But I know at the end of the day that I am there to mentor them, to support them as a manager, and to create the quality work culture as an owner so that they will succeed.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Making personal connections and showing how I am willing to go above and beyond has paid dividends. Going to support groups, presenting to assisted living facilities, and talking with other business owners has expanded my practice so much more than any facebook or google ad campaign ever could.
It’s one thing to tell a doctor that I treated their patient. It’s a whole other thing to go with them to their doctor appointment to show them how their patient has improved because of my services.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://performanceandrecoverypt.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patrick.reetz.pt
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PerformanceRecoveryPT
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-reetz-1960582a8/

Image Credits
Shi Reetz