Physical Therapist & Entrepreneur - We Got Dr. Matt Talking About Owning His Own Clinic
Why did you decide to start your own business?
Beginning PT school, I was not interested in owning/running a business. But, as I went through PT school, I was drawn to private practices compared to big healthcare companies. I think this because I met several private practice owners in grad school and they seemed like they were so much more passionate and "on fire" for what PT could offer people compared to other professionals I met. Maybe this was because they needed to be motivated and passionate for their businesses to succeed? Or maybe it was because this was just the kind of person these individuals were and they were drawn to an arena that allowed them to connect with and impact people on a greater level.
As I found out more about owning/running a business, I realized how challenging it can be. But, it was at this time that I also discovered the several reasons why I wanted to own a business like this. From a professional perspective, it allows us to work with the active and motivated clients that truly want more out of their healthcare experience and don't want to settle. From a personal and family perspective, this business gives us the ability to live the life we love. It's sappy, but when our two boys are running around in the clinic and lifting their 5 pound barbell and climbing on a box, think box step ups ;), it makes me so happy to see them enjoying movement and fitness even before they really even know what it is. It's so cool to think that we've built this and they also get to enjoy it.
What is your favorite part of owning your business?
Being able to choose the clients we work with. By this, I mean that we get to craft the client experience, marketing and messaging exactly to our ideal clients. From how our physical clinic space looks and feels to our social media to our local marketing events where we connect with people at gyms, everything is aimed at providing the optimal experience for adult and youth athletes. We want to work with active and motivated individuals and therefore we want our practice to show that in every way. Getting to think about this, figure out the nuances of it and connect with people that we truly enjoy is the best part about owning our business.
What advice would you give to someone just starting their own business?
Hustle, because there's no replacement for hard work and doing what you say you're going to do, everytime. The other thing would be to surround yourself with people that are smarter/better than yourself. Having a group of people around you like this will elevate you and your business. This group could be family, friends, team members, mentors and anyone else that you can learn from.
How do you deal with fear and doubt?
Ahh, these are a work in progress. I used to think that these things would go away as we grew and matured in business. They don't. They just take on different forms. The most concrete thing that I use to deal with fear and emotion is preparation. When I feel prepared, I'm more confident and I know I can think clearly and be the best version of myself. That said, there are always situations that we'll be unprepared for (these tend to be the scariest ones for me) and in those cases I try to figure out what is the one thing that needs to be done or changed and do it quickly. Being quick like this goes against my nature, but I've learned to go against this because then the worst case scenario is "failing fast" and then we can try again.
What routines do you follow each day?
The "working" portion of my day can have routine, but it never seems to be exactly the same. I'm a big fan of routine, systems and order, probably (definitely) to a fault. Every morning, I make coffee for myself and Sam. When our boys wake up, we share a breakfast sandwich. This started as me giving them a bite or two and has now evolved into us needing to actually make two breakfast sandwiches some mornings because they're eating more. My bedtime routine is the exact same each night, I just won't bore you with the details of brushing my teeth and setting out my clothes for the next day.
Where do you see your business in five years?
Ooh, this is a fun question! I can picture walking through Evolv in 5 years as though it is a movie playing in my mind. In the simplest form, we're a larger business. We have more team members and therefore we're able to help more people stay fit, healthy and thriving. People aren't quite sure if we're a healthcare, performance or hospitality facility, as a hybrid of these, we're all of them.
