The P.T. Entrepreneur Podcast

Doc Danny shares a CSM recap from Anaheim, including what stood out most and why he's optimistic about where the profession is headed. From the growth of performance-based PT to student conversations about AI and more forward-thinking APTA leadership, this episode highlights positive trends that matter for cash-based and hybrid clinic owners. In This Episode, You'll Learn Key Takeaway CSM showed real momentum in performance-based care, technology adoption, and entrepreneurship. These trends create a better environment for cash-based and hybrid clinics to grow. Technology Spotlight Want to stay fully present with patients instead of stuck in documentation? Try Claire free for 7 days and see how an AI scribe built for physical therapists can reduce documentation time and improve patient experience. Free Resource Want a clear plan to go from part-time to full-time in your cash practice? Join the free 5-Day Challenge. Connect Physical Therapy BizPT Entrepreneur Podcast

Doc Danny breaks down why recurring revenue is the most important dollar you make in a cash-based clinic. He shares a 30% benchmark and three proven recurring revenue models that create stability, improve retention, and reduce the pressure to constantly chase new patients. In This Episode, You'll Learn The 3 Proven Recurring Revenue Models Small Group Training Longevity Membership Care Remote Coaching Key Takeaway Recurring revenue creates stability. Aim for 30%+ of monthly revenue coming from clients who continue working with you after their initial plan of care. Technology Spotlight Want your clinicians fully present instead of stuck in documentation? Try Claire free for 7 days and reduce documentation time instantly while improving patient experience. Free Resource Want a clear plan to go from part-time to full-time in your cash practice? Join the free 5-Day Challenge. Connect Physical Therapy BizPT Entrepreneur Podcast

Episode Summary Doc Danny delivers a hard truth: solo provider success does not equal business mastery. In this episode, he explains why scaling without developing CEO-level skills is dangerous and how clinic owners must evolve beyond clinical competence to build sustainable, secure businesses. In This Episode, You'll Learn Key Takeaway Replacing your income as a solo clinician does not mean you know how to run a business. If you want to scale safely, you must develop CEO-level skills or risk damaging your business, family, and staff. Technology Spotlight Save your staff an average of six hours per week on documentation. Try Claire free for 7 days and increase revenue without increasing burnout. Free Resource Want a clear path from part-time to full-time in your cash practice? Join the free 5-Day Challenge. Connect Physical Therapy BizPT Entrepreneur Podcast

Episode Summary Doc Danny breaks down a major shift in the cash-based business model: moving from visit-based packages to outcome-based offers. After 10 months of testing across dozens of clinics, the data shows higher conversion rates, stronger continuity, and a significant increase in average visit value. In This Episode, You'll Learn Key Takeaway Patients value outcomes and time saved, not session counts. When you sell duration and results instead of visits, compliance improves, continuity increases, and your business becomes more stable. Technology Spotlight Want to stay fully engaged with patients instead of buried in documentation? Try Claire free for 7 days and see how an AI scribe built for physical therapists removes the documentation burden instantly. Free Resource Ready to go from part-time to full-time in your cash practice? Join the free 5-Day Challenge. Connect Physical Therapy BizPT Entrepreneur Podcast

Episode Summary Doc Danny shares the single most beneficial exercise PT Biz ran at their staff retreat: a team SWOT analysis. Learn how to use strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to uncover blind spots, improve hiring, and align your team around smarter decisions. In This Episode, You'll Learn How to Run a SWOT Analysis With Your Team Have everyone write down Strengths. Repeat for Weaknesses. Repeat for Opportunities. Repeat for Threats. Key Takeaway A great team is not built by hiring people exactly like you. You need diverse perspectives to reduce blind spots, balance optimism with risk awareness, and make stronger decisions as you scale. Technology Spotlight Clinicians hate notes for a reason. Want to remove most of your documentation time? Try Claire free for 7 days and see how an AI scribe trained for physical therapists helps you stay present with patients and get your time back. Free Resource Want a clear plan to go from part-time to full-time in your cash practice? Join the free 5-Day Challenge. Connect Physical Therapy BizPT Entrepreneur Podcast

Episode Summary In this episode, Doc Danny shares why cash-based physical therapy entrepreneurship is entering a powerful new phase. From his upcoming presentations at CSM to the broader evolution of the profession, Danny breaks down how business models have changed, why scalability is now real, and what this means for clinicians who want more autonomy, impact, and long-term opportunity. In This Episode, You'll Learn What's Changing in the Profession Entrepreneurship in physical therapy is still a small percentage of the profession, but it's growing fast. More clinicians are choosing self-employment, niche practices, and performance-based models that prioritize one-on-one care, long-term outcomes, and lifestyle flexibility. According to Doc Danny, this shift isn't slowing down. Why This Matters Patients want personalized care. Clinicians want autonomy and fulfillment. Cash-based models sit at the intersection of both. This episode explains why now is a unique moment for physical therapists to build meaningful businesses that create real enterprise value. Technology Spotlight Want to be fully present with your patients instead of stuck in your EMR? Try Claire free for 7 days and see how an AI scribe built specifically for physical therapists can reduce documentation time and improve patient outcomes. Key Takeaway You don't need to have your entire career figured out today. The skills you build as a clinician and business owner are transferable, powerful, and increasingly valuable. Focus on nailing the fundamentals, stay open to opportunity, and let the path evolve. Free Resource Thinking about going full-time in your cash practice? Join the free 5-Day Part-Time to Full-Time Challenge and build a clear, realistic plan to replace your income and take action. Connect Physical Therapy BizPT Entrepreneur Podcast

Episode Summary In this episode, Doc Danny shares a conversation between Rainmaker coach Jaxie Meth and Mastermind member Holly Navarro. Holly walks through how she built a cash-based practice in a narrow niche (dance medicine), found her first treatment space, grew through community workshops, and scaled into hiring and a standalone clinic location. Try Claire (AI Scribe for PTs) Want to save your clinicians hours every week and increase capacity without burning them out? Start a free 7-day trial of Claire . What You'll Learn Key Highlights from Holly's Story Starting point:First space:Workshops as growth engine:Parent follow-up system:Standalone clinic:Hiring:Programs:Workshop Pricing Notes (From the Conversation) Free Resource Want a clear plan to go from part-time to full-time in your cash practice? Join the free 5-Day Challenge. Featured Guest Holly Navarro Elevation Physical Therapy (Dance Medicine) — New Jersey Follow: @elevation.physical.therapy Connect Physical Therapy BizPT Entrepreneur Podcast

Episode Summary Cash-based clinics live and die by clear communication, confidence, and value. In this episode, Doc Danny breaks down four red flags that your staff clinician has a money mindset problem and how it quietly crushes conversions, plan-of-care adherence, retention, and clinic revenue. In This Episode, You'll Learn The 4 Signs Your Staff Clinician Has a Money Mindset Problem They decide what a patient can afford instead of what the patient needs. They apologize for pricing. They downgrade plans without clinical justification. They create stories about a patient's finances. Technology Spotlight Want your clinicians fully present with patients instead of clicking through notes? Try Claire free for 7 days and see how an AI scribe built for physical therapists can reduce documentation time and improve the patient experience. Key Takeaway Your clinician's job is to prescribe the plan that matches the diagnosis and prognosis, not to pre-negotiate on the patient's behalf. When staff confidence rises, conversions rise, retention rises, and the whole clinic scales faster. Free Resource Want to go from part-time to full-time in your cash practice with a clear plan? Join the free 5-Day Challenge. Connect Physical Therapy BizPT Entrepreneur Podcast

The $250,000 Asset Sitting in Your Clinic Right Now Most clinic owners work nonstop to bring in new patients while completely ignoring the most valuable asset they already have. Their past patients. In this episode of the PT Entrepreneur Podcast, Danny explains how past clients can quietly represent hundreds of thousands of dollars in recurring revenue and why most clinics never tap into it. In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why Past Patients Are Your Hidden Asset Most clinics have seen hundreds or even thousands of patients over the years. Many of those patients had great outcomes, trust the providers, and would happily return if given the right reason. Yet most clinics never follow up unless someone gets injured again. The Power of Recurring Revenue Recurring revenue creates stability. It allows owners to plan staffing, manage overhead, and grow without constant stress. Unlike the referral-eval-discharge model pushed by insurance, cash-based clinics can design ongoing services that fit patient needs and provider strengths. A Real-World Example Danny shares how one clinic launched a small group training and movement program by reaching out only to past patients. The first cohort filled immediately. A second group followed shortly after. No ads. No cold outreach. That single program now generates between $200,000 and $250,000 in gross revenue for one clinic, with members staying an average of nearly three years. Why This Works What You Can Offer Recurring services do not have to be complex. They might include: The key is matching what you are good at with what your patients actually want. Create the Time to Think Strategically Many owners never build these programs because they are buried in documentation and admin work. Claire helps remove that burden so you can focus on patients and business growth. Try Claire free for 7 days Next Steps If you are working toward going full time in your own practice, PT Biz offers a free Part Time to Full Time 5-Day Challenge. Sign up here: https://physicaltherapybiz.com/challenge

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: 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 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

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: 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: 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: 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: 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...

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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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 for years, shifting from acute rehab to long-term physical and lifestyle coaching. Blue Ocean: Ongoing Longevity Coaching for the Right People Danny describes this longevity space as a "blue ocean" for the right clinics: He draws a line between evidence-based functional and lifestyle medicine providers and more fringe offerings that are heavy on hype and light on science. A clinical background, understanding of research, and experience with musculoskeletal care give PTs a...

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: 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. 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. 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. 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: 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 Biz is to help clients make more money in their clinics. When their clients make more money: So now every major decision runs through one filter: "Does this help our clients make more money in their clinics?" How a Single Filter Guides Decisions Once that filter was clear, decisions got easier. Examples Danny gives: Hiring:Education and con-ed:Events and guest speakers:New resources and tools: Instead of...

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: 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. 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: 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: 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.Let them go.Create a performance improvement plan. 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: 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.They opt out. 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 handle situations like this. A-players want: When you avoid hard conversations and let someone slide, your A-players lose respect and start looking elsewhere. When you hold the line, they respect you more and see your clinic as a place worth investing their energy. The Hard Work of Real Leadership Leading people is often the limiting factor in whether a clinic ever scales. It is not manual skills. It is not marketing hacks. It is your willingness to: That work is uncomfortable, but it is the difference between a team that drifts into mediocrity and one that grows with you for years. Want Help Navigating This as a Clinic Owner? If you are facing a frustrating employee, wondering how to hold standards, or trying to grow from being the only producer to running a real team, Danny and the PT Biz advisors can help you work through it. Talk through your situation with an advisor: https://vip.physicaltherapybiz.com/discovery-call Try Claire free to buy back documentation time: https://meetclaire.ai Still part time and trying to go full time in your own practice? Join...

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: 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. 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:Local Italian restaurant: 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?" 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:Experience: 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. 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: 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 leaving a job and going all in on your own cash-based practice, PT Biz runs a free Part Time to Full Time 5-Day Challenge that walks you through: Join the free challenge: https://physicaltherapybiz.com/challenge

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 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: Entrepreneurship and small clinics: 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" 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: Join the free challenge: https://physicaltherapybiz.com/challenge Free Your Time With Claire, the AI Scribe If your current job has you charting during sessions or staying late to finish notes, Claire can help. Claire is an AI scribe trained specifically for physical therapists that handles your documentation so you can focus fully on your patients and follow up with them instead of your EMR. Try Claire free for 7 days: https://meetclaire.ai

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: 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:Grow and compete: 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: 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: The lesson: your mood and your identity cannot be chained to one metric inside your business. You can care deeply about your goals, push hard, and still refuse to let a missed target turn you into a miserable person for the people you love. Gratitude is not a fluffy quote. It is a practical tool. When business feels heavy, you can...

Visionary vs. Integrator: The Two Types of Cash-Practice Entrepreneurs Clique away long enough and you lose your patient's attention. That's why Claire, our AI scribe built specifically for physical therapists, handles the documentation so you can focus on the person in front of you. Try it free at MeetClaire.ai. In this episode of the PT Entrepreneur Podcast, Dr. Danny breaks down two personality types that show up again and again inside cash-based practices: the Visionary and the Integrator. He explains why knowing your type gives you an immediate advantage, how it shapes your strengths, and which weaknesses can hold you back from scaling. What You'll Learn Recommended Books For Integrators:How to Win Friends and Influence PeopleFor Visionaries:The Checklist Manifesto Key Takeaways Want Personalized Guidance? If you want help identifying your strengths, gaps, and the clearest path to grow your cash practice, book a free call with a PT Biz senior advisor: 👉 Book Your Discovery Call Try Claire Free Stop staying late to finish your notes. Let Claire write them for you. Start your free 7-day trial

Rainmaker to Mastermind: Kim's Cash Practice Journey Guest Coach: Michael (PT Biz Rainmaker Coach) Guest: Kim (Rainmaker Alum, PT Biz Mastermind Member) Episode Overview In this episode, Danny introduces a live conversation from inside the PT Biz Rainmaker program between coach Michael and Rainmaker alum Kim. Kim started in Rainmaker while she was just getting her practice off the ground. Now she is in the PT Biz Mastermind, actively scaling her clinic. This episode walks through her journey, early fears, mindset hurdles, and what it looks like to go from "Can I really do this?" to building a growing cash practice. What You'll Hear in This Episode Why This Conversation Matters The Rainmaker program is built for physical therapists who are in the earliest phases of their business. Many are still working full time elsewhere while trying to grow their practice on nights and weekends. It is the most mentally stressful stage because: Hearing Kim's story shows that the fear, doubt, and imposter syndrome you feel are normal. More importantly, it shows what is possible on the other side when you get clear guidance, do the work, and stay in the game long enough to make the leap. Inside the Rainmaker and Mastermind Journey Rainmaker Stage:Mastermind Stage: This episode lets you listen in on that transition. You will hear what Kim actually went through while starting and what she is focusing on now as she scales. Who This Episode Is For Ready to Talk About Your Own Practice? Book a Free Discovery Call with PT Biz: Book your discovery callLearn More About PT Biz Programs: physicaltherapybiz.com About PT Entrepreneur Podcast Hosted by Dr. Danny Matta, the PT Entrepreneur Podcast shares real conversations, strategies, and stories from clinicians who are building cash based practices that give them more time and financial freedom.