Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Marc Gregory Guillen, owner of Free Body Physical Therapy, located in Chicago, IL, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We are in the business of helping people get back to doing the things they love. We empower our clients by assisting them in finding their inner strength, both mentally and physically. Our demographic is the adult population 18-95 years old with an acute or chronic complaint of pain or physical limitation looking to understand the root cause of their issue and relief of their symptoms. Many of our clients find us after finding little to no success at other Physical Therapy Chains.
We are well aware of the higher revenue produced by seeing patients at shorter intervals and using physical therapy aids. However, we continue to stick to our model of care, as we know that the best outcomes are generated through seeing patients at the 45-minute interval, one on one, with only a doctorate certified physical therapist.
We have fun! We love to laugh and have fun with our clients. We want our patients to look forward to seeing us and getting a break from the everyday grind. We love to support other businesses and artists. Come check out the mural art on our wall!
Tell us about yourself
I created my own business as a way to do what I love without being pressured to see a specific number of patients a day or treat numerous patients at the same time. Now I get to provide the quality of care I always felt was necessary when treating patients. I look forward to coming to work, as I am making the difference I always envisioned, which allows me to love what I do. Our bigger vision is to provide teaching clinics throughout Latin America to help improve the quality and access to Physical Therapy
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Recognizing the value of an outstanding team has allowed us to help patients that have failed therapy at other clinics and have had success with us. This is an amazing feeling knowing we were able to change someone's life. Preventing someone from having surgery or allowing a mom, for example, to pick up her child without pain is a really big deal in the lives of everyday people.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Taking the leap to start your own business is not necessarily smooth. You are constantly learning, revising, changing, & evolving. It’s a challenging yet very rewarding experience. One of the biggest hurdles was learning how to market effectively. Accepting the fact that your skills and desire to provide quality care are not enough unless people know you are there. Learning to navigate social media and optimizing it to leverage your business is something that takes time to get used to and is a very dynamic landscape.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Start with WHY. Why are you doing this?
- Become obsessed (systems, numbers, reading books, podcasts, etc.).
- Never lose your passion.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Currently, less than 1% of the 220,000 Physical Therapists in the U.S are Fellows. I am proud to be one of the few Fellowship Trained Therapists in Chicago. In addition, I am Latino, with Spanish being my first language. With only 5% of all the Therapists in the USA being Latino, this puts me in a unique position to serve various patients.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.freebodypt.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FreeBodyPhysicalTherapy
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/free_bodypt/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcguillen/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.