Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jessica Cheng, owner of THERAPY X, located in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Therapy X is a multidisciplinary healthcare clinic offering Physiotherapy, Chiropractic, and massage therapy all under one roof. We are expert therapists passionate and somewhat obsessed with building and achieving optimal movement. We believe everyone should be able to live their life doing what they love to do, pain-free. We are big advocates of preventative care. Together with our clients, we create goals that are meaningful to each individual and then build a treatment plan specific to their goals and anatomical needs. Education is a huge part of our treatment as we believe every individual should understand what's going on in their body, so they feel empowered to be an active participant in their rehab journey. Above all else, working with practitioners at Therapy is an enjoyable and fun experience!

Tell us about yourself

After graduation, I landed my first job in my career as a Physiotherapist at one of those large clinics with 9+ locations around British Columbia. Their model was to book a client with me every 15 minutes, and at the end of my 6-hour shift, I would've seen anywhere from 12-14 clients, and I remember coming home every day feeling so drained and unsatisfied. I felt I wasn't doing my clients any justice by seeing a maximum of 5 minutes of face time with me as I bounced between 2 to 3 different rooms treating three other clients. I felt the time constraint really limited my ability to deliver optimal and effective service. I believe in building a strong rapport with each and every one of my clients and anything less than 30-minute follow-ups was unacceptable to me. In short, I left this job after three and half years and started my practice out of my home, treating family and friends until I could figure out what I wanted to do and where to go.

Within 5-6 months, my practice continued to multiply from word of mouth to the point I needed to work out of commercial space, so my home felt like my home again rather than a revolving door of clients coming in and out. I set up a treatment room in South Granville in Vancouver to continue my practice and started dabbling in marketing here and there to see how I could grow my business outside of word of mouth. In 2020, I was pregnant with my first child and desperately needed someone to come on as a locum to take over my growing caseload. This is how I met my now business partner. We ended up working really well together. Our personalities complemented one another, and there was an immediate unspoken trust between us. After my daughter was born, we decided to take Therapy X to the next level and drastically grow together. Fast forward to the current day, my business partner, and I just opened our doors to our brand new brick and mortar clinic in South Granville this week! Our team is incredible.

There is so much knowledge, skills, talent, and amazing personalities all working together, and it's such a beautiful thing to witness a culture of its own already beginning to develop within the first week. I hope our clients feel this camaraderie and energy when they step through our doors. We hand-picked each and every individual on our starting team with the focus on building a safe and empowering space for therapists and clients to experience.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My people! Hands down. This goes for both clients I've had the opportunity to work with as well as my colleagues. Every day I'm humbled and so grateful for those who have come into my life and joined me on this journey. We have only gotten started. I'm so excited to see how this grows in the next 5 to 10 years. I'm sure it'll take on a life of its own.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

The uncertainty and never knowing everything. However, on the flip side, this is also one of my favorite things about being a business owner. I've learned so much that I never would've been able to if I had never taken this on. I've also been able to meet so many interesting and inspirational people from all walks of life. One of my core values is growth, and learning is a large part of that. I'm happiest when I'm challenged, learning, and growing.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Just go for it! If you don't, you'll always be wondering, "what if." For me, at least, this is the worst feeling, that "what if" feeling. At the very least, if it doesn't work out, you can go back to doing what you were doing before you started the business, but you'll never wonder "what if."
  2. Be flexible. In business, nothing is ever a sure thing. Being able to pivot when things pop up out of nowhere will be your strongest asset. Problem solves rather than panic. I once had a mentor say to me while I was going through a challenging time while setting up our clinic, "Jess, control what you can control, and for the things you can't, how can you pivot? What else can you do? Is there another way to get to where you need to be?" This piece of advice has kept me grounded throughout this whole journey of opening our clinic.
  3. Ask. If you never ask, the answer will always be "no."

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.therapyx.ca/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therapyx_clinic/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-cheng-95a91a1aa/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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