Greg :
If you don't have two, you have zero. And I think that a lot of people will not market and do the, like, bootstrap stuff that you did and. And pound the pavement and do those things because they're actually afraid if I do have the success and people start coming, then they're not going to be able to fulfill it. And so I think that's a huge thing. Talk more about overstaffing. This is so huge. This is secrets for success. Welcome to the Secrets for Success podcast.
Greg :
I'm your host, Greg Todd. Thank you, as always, for joining me. We have a special guest today, and, oh, gosh, she's my pool shark, is what I call her. I'll tell you the story behind that here in a second. Gwen Claussen, thank you so much for being on the podcast.
Gwen:
Thanks for having me.
Greg :
All right, so why don't you tell the people a little bit about what you do and the audience that your company helps.
Gwen:
So I own a pediatric occupational therapy practice in St. Clair shores, Michigan. And what's interesting about that is I am not a therapist. I'm just a parent.
Greg :
You're just a parent.
Greg :
Okay.
Gwen:
I'm a parent of a child that was helped by that clinic. Right. Years ago. So I started working there and eventually ended up taking it over.
Greg :
Taking over?
Gwen:
Yeah, because it changed my life. So I wanted to continue helping other people and change their lives.
Greg :
Okay, cool. So this is a pretty amazing story. And I remember when you came into my world. Well, actually, you came into my world from a year prior, but I said, I really want you to be in my top level programs. I want to get close to you because, not just because you're really a cool, amazing person. And she's very sarcastic.
Greg :
Okay.
Greg :
I don't know if you all are going to get that on the podcast. She is heat or be heat.
Greg :
Okay.
Greg :
All right. But one of the big things is there's this thought and there's this notion that in order for you to have a business in any therapy field, you have to be a therapist. And I don't know why people think that, but it's not true. Like, you don't. And you're living proof of it, by the way. It's like 85% of businesses in allied health are not owned by therapists. And so I love the fact that the reason why you got into this is because of basically you being a living, breathing testimonial of it for your son. So are you okay with talking a little bit about your son and the things he was struggling with and kind of how he's been able to manage it, overcome it.
Greg :
So go ahead.
Gwen:
You can do that. He was born premature at 35 weeks. I had preeclampsia. He was born actually relatively healthy. Small jaundice was his only issue, and it was severe. So he was in the hospital for about six days, but that's it. And then he does have a lot of medical issues and still does now, but it was around when he was turning a year old that it was apparent things were really bad, and it was bad for him. He was really unhappy, not able to find comfort with us or in life.
Gwen:
We just didn't really know how to help him. And that is awful. It's your job as a parent to make your kid's life good. And there was nothing we could do to help him. So I was searching and searching and searching and trying to find help for him. But everywhere we went, doctors were just like, oh, he's autistic. This is just his life. This is it.
Gwen:
It's not going to be better for him. You can't help him. No, that's not me. I fix things.
Greg :
We know.
Gwen:
So I ended up finding out about sensory processing disorder and let there are some ots that specialize in that. And I found a clinic that was about an hour away from her house that specialized in sensory processing disorder. So I took him there, and that was the start of our new life, because within probably just a month, things had changed significantly for him and for us. And he was finally happy and starting to be able to relate with us and we could help him more.
Greg :
And you became not only one of their raving customers, but you really kind of locked into the mission that you started to work for them a little bit.
Greg :
Right?
Gwen:
I started working. Well, they do it or we do it still. We see kids about twice a week, two or three times a week for around 30 visits, and then we take a break because you want them to integrate their new skills into their life and maybe not need us anymore or come back if they do need us. So he was on, like, his second or third round, and I realized in that time that we had been coming. They had really been struggling in their admin staff. So he was ending treatment, and I was like, hey, if you're needing help again, fixing things, that's what I do.
Greg :
Go in and fix that.
Gwen:
I can help you. Right? So they ended up hiring me.
Greg :
So were you going an hour?
Gwen:
Yeah.
Greg :
You were driving an hour each.
Greg :
Wow.
Gwen:
So they hired me. I started just working in the front desk, and then eventually took over as office manager, and that eventually turned into practice manager because the owner was wanting to retire since I started. So she didn't really do any of the running the business things, and I was doing all of that.
Greg :
Okay, so then the owner now wants to retire, and was there talks about shutting down the clinic.
Gwen:
So Covid happened. That is what she had been wanting to retire for years, but trying to find someone that would keep going and keep doing sensory integration and not just switch to behavioral based or whatever. But then Covid happened. At that time, I was living in Georgia, not Michigan, and so she was not wanting to come back after Covid. She has a lot of health issues and wanted to retire, and that's hard to come back from. I didn't really like that option because we had to keep going. We had to keep helping people, especially after Covid, because that changed so many kids lives and families lives that they really needed help.
Greg :
So can I say this? I've never really thought about this. I know how Covid has changed my life, my family's life, but my kids are older for that population. What did Covid really do in a negative, I'm assuming all negative for the most part, right. What did it do for families? Because I've never even thought about what did it do for kids who are struggling with sensory integration and. Da da da da da. Can you explain that a little bit?
Gwen:
I think it did a lot of things. It took away socialization, and especially in the, like, elementary. Um, it really did change a lot of what they were exposed to, because you were just home. You couldn't go anywhere for a while. And then even when you could, in Michigan especially, it was shut down longer than it was here in Florida. So kids were out of school for, I think, all of the end of the school year and even most of the beginning of the next year. So it was a long time. So they lost out on exposure to school, exposure to other kids, like playing with kids, learning how to communicate, all the things.
Gwen:
Also, it really increased the screen time that kids had.
Greg :
Right. Which.
Gwen:
That is a whole other issue. So kids were like, they, for a whole year, survived solely on screens, and then you have to try to get them off of it, and they got to do basically whatever they wanted all day long, and then to put them back into a routine or someone else's rules. It's a struggle for a lot of the kids.
Greg :
So now the practice owner of the clinic, what's it called?
Gwen:
Flourishing lives back then, too, it was called sensory systems.
Greg :
Okay, sensory systems clinic. So now she's like, I don't want to come back.
Gwen:
Yeah.
Greg :
Okay.
Greg :
So I'm assuming at this crossroads here, it's either shut it down or this other option. Yeah, talk about it.
Gwen:
So the other option was that I agreed to buy her out by the end of the year and we could get it back up and running.
Greg :
That's what I did, and you did.
Greg :
Okay.
Greg :
So I think this as unique as your story is, I think it's actually not as unique as most people would think. When I look at my career as a physical therapist, and I look at the amount of people that have gone on, that have come to my clinic as a client, as a patient, that have gone on to become physical therapists, I would say maybe, I don't know, like 25 to 30 people have gone on to be physical therapists.
Gwen:
Oh, wow.
Greg :
From being a client of mine at the clinic.
Greg :
Right.
Greg :
Which is really cool. And I'm also thinking of my front desk people, admin, billing. I know I'm not a part of clinic anymore, but the amount of people that we hired that came on because they were clients, that's usually how it is. Now, you don't necessarily hear people taking over businesses like you, but I think that's like a really cool thing that, hey, you know what? I know what this did for my family, and I feel like there's a moral obligation for us to keep this thing going, which is all sounds good, but then to put your money there, say, okay, I'm going to go all in, I'm going to do this.
Greg :
Okay.
Greg :
So if you know me, you know that I hate clutter and I love efficiency and a one stop shop. And that's the reason why I am so excited that SSHC has partnered with Jane app. Jane app is a complete practice management software that does your online booking for clients, schedules your clients, allows your clients to come in, you can do your documentation, take their payments, and everything in between. If you're doing subscription, if you're doing packages, you're doing solution based offers. Jane app holds all those things in their platform, and it's seamless and efficient and it is clean. And I can tell you right now, my clients have said nothing but amazing things about Jane app. What's even better is that it's not just for therapists. They work with so many different healthcare disciplines, from chiropractors, mental health counselors, anyone that has a practice, they can basically take care of you.
Greg :
So I highly recommend for you guys to use Jane app. I actually have a code SSHC1MO that you can use to get a free trial of Jane app. Go check it out.
Greg :
But as you said, you're not an occupational therapist. What were some of your reservations? Can you now give me the juicy stuff? Like, were you scared? Were you an entrepreneur? Like, okay, so you weren't an entrepreneur before. You're not an OT. What were some of your hesitations? Can you.
Gwen:
Yeah. Well, a big one was that I lived in Georgia, not in Michigan, where the clinic is. So that was interesting. A lot of it. I was not being an OT or not being any kind of healthcare professional was really scary, because do I know how to do this? And especially now we're dealing with insurance issues that are hard to navigate, but it's a big risk. I think just getting into a business in general is a risk. But I was concerned about how the staff would take it and if they would want to work for me. Only I was running the business, managing them, whatever, but I didn't have the final say.
Gwen:
And how would they take this change? That was scary. And then how would the community take it? Because the previous business had been operating since 1982, so it was well known in the community.
Greg :
Right.
Gwen:
We had a lot of community partnerships and things, and would they want to work with us without the previous owner? Because she had done all of those things. So it was a lot of change, and with change comes difficulties. But most of that ended up working out just fine.
Greg :
So do you mind giving me some numbers? When the prior owner was there, the amount of visits that you all were seeing when she was the head, like, everybody knew she was the face of the company versus what it is now. Did it go up or down? It went up.
Gwen:
Can I go look it up?
Greg :
Okay.
Gwen:
We're at more than double now.
Greg :
Okay.
Greg :
So the podcast is called secrets for success. And I do believe that there's so many opportunities right now out there for people to acquire other therapy centers. And I know that there's someone that's listening out there that is the next Gwen Claussen, meaning that, oh, my gosh, I would love. I really believe in therapy, whether it's physical therapy, occupational therapy peeds this, but I'm not that. So you had all these objections and thoughts of this person was the face of the community. There was massive respect that they had with the team and the staff. Once I take over, I'm not an OT. No one's going to respect me or want to follow what it is that I say.
Greg :
I'm not an entrepreneur. Who am I to try to do this? So here we are, and it's double. It's not like you don't have your share of problems like we all do with your business. But can you tell me two to three things I don't know that you did that has allowed that to happen? It's not like this happened, like, ten years. This happened just a couple of years ago.
Gwen:
The growth is what you're asking.
Greg :
Yeah, the growth and just keeping it going and staying in business. And not only staying in business and keeping it where it was, but you doubled it.
Gwen:
I would say one of the best things I did was invest in myself. I did a lot of different coaching programs and found you, but I knew that I needed to learn more about business in general, like healthcare. So I did some business coaching in general and some ot specific coaching so that I could really. I didn't want to just make blind decisions. I wanted to have some more education and people to run things by. I did something crazy.
Greg :
Okay.
Greg :
So that's one good thing. All right, thanks for the shout out. What's another mean? I might coach you. And you've had other people like Brandon, right? He's c coach as.
Greg :
Okay.
Greg :
And he's awesome. So that's cool. But how about you being in the community and this person was the face of it? Did you just lose those relationships, or how did you kind of transition those relationships over to you?
Gwen:
The first thing I did before I had even officially taken over was make a phone call to a former therapist and hired her back as our community outreach coordinator.
Greg :
Okay.
Greg :
All right. Awesome.
Gwen:
And she started the very first day of 2021 when I took over, and we hit the ground running, and I had her out reestablishing ourselves with our new name and mission, and we focused on free professional development for schools because they were getting back going after Covid, and we really wanted to build into them. So we did tons of free things just to help the community. And then my next thing I did was not being afraid to hire, so we were always overstaffed so that we could keep taking in more.
Greg :
Right. Okay.
Greg :
All right, we need to stop right there. That is huge. That is huge. One of my coaches, Andy Frasilla, has indoctrinated this into me, and he has said, if you don't have two, you have zero. And I think that a lot of people will not market and do the bootstrap stuff that you did and pound the pavement and do those things because they're actually afraid if I do have the success and people start coming, then they're not going to be able to fulfill it. And so I think that's a huge thing. Talk more about overstaffing. This is so huge.
Gwen:
Well, we wanted to grow, so it really didn't make sense to have a waitlist going. As soon as we got a new therapist, like 50% full, we'd start hiring again.
Greg :
Wow.
Greg :
Okay, you guys, I hope you all are listening to this part. This is so huge. If you truly want to grow, you can't just wait until you're at 100% capacity before you make that move. I also think there's, like, an intentional thing. Like, when I'm showing intention to grow and I'm hiring people, it's almost like things are coming in my way for the blessings to come through. It's almost like a conduit, you know what I mean? Oh, my gosh. That's so important. So I love the fact that you said that.
Greg :
Did you keep all the relationships that you had or did some go away?
Gwen:
We kept them all.
Greg :
You kept them all?
Greg :
Wow.
Greg :
That's awesome.
Gwen:
And we've just added more.
Greg :
You just added more? Wow, that's awesome. That's awesome. Okay, a few more things before we finish up. So insurance sucks, right?
Gwen:
Oh, yeah.
Greg :
Okay.
Greg :
All right. And so let's talk about some of the things and the changes that you've had to make. Like this year, we've been saying, oh, my gosh, you're running into problems at Blue Cross and this and that and whatnot. So what are some of the new ideas that you're trying to piece together to try to offset all these different changes in insurance?
Gwen:
So we are more of a specialty clinic. We do sensory integration and just some things that could be more like wellness based than they are rehabilitative. So we're creating an intensive program for sensory integration specific where we can get the changes we typically see in three to four months, in just like a month. Right. So that way there's meaningful change and more function in the family's life in a much shorter time.
Greg :
Right.
Gwen:
And then we're just looking at what we can do to help more broadly and not so much in the insurance model.
Greg :
Right.
Greg :
I think that's really awesome. One of the things of being an entrepreneur is we are constantly trying to change things. And it's not that we want to change it, it's that we don't have a choice because of what's always going on around us. Something's happening, whether insurance is no longer paying or they're not allowing us to give people the treatment that we need. And I love the fact that you have taken something that's going to typically give the outcome of three to four months, and you're now trying to condense it down and cut it to a third of that time, and it's a new offer. So I think that's fantastic. And I think that shows that you're an entrepreneur. So.
Greg :
Fantastic.
Greg :
All right.
Greg :
Let'S finish up with this. So someone's on the fence of starting a business. They want to do it because they love the healthcare field and they love what people can do, healthcare providers can do for others. Maybe it's because of a personal experience they've had, but they're not a healthcare provider themselves. What would you tell them is a success tip that you were able to do to get you to overcome that?
Gwen:
I think it comes down to what you really want. So as long as you have the actual passion about what you're doing and can believe in yourself at least a little bit, you can do it.
Greg :
You could figure it out. Okay. It just comes down to, I think.
Gwen:
The more if you're deciding to do something that you're actually passionate about, you'll figure it out.
Greg :
Right.
Gwen:
It's harder when you get stuck in a job that you may not like to want to learn how to do something better, but if you actually do care, you could do it.
Greg :
Okay, I have to say this before I finish. I want to honor you. And I've had the pleasure of working with Gwen for over two years now. And what I love is that she's passionate about the people that her company serves. And it's one thing to be passionate about those people and like, okay, I'm passionate about this because this helped my son. It's another thing to be passionate about and say, hey, this helped my son. And I would feel terrible if this couldn't change other families lives.
Greg :
Right? Okay.
Greg :
And all that stuff sounds cute and sounds great, and it sounds lovey dovey, but what you have done is you have immersed yourself. You, to me, are the queen of immersion. No pun intended, because we just finished up an immersion event, but you're the queen of immersion, meaning that, okay, I don't know this, but I can figure this out. Somebody knows it. And whether it's business, whether it's understanding insurance, whether it is understanding the community that you are serving, Gwen, there are so many things that you did that so many other people make excuses on why they couldn't do it. You're in another freaking state, for crying out loud, okay? You're not a healthcare provider, and there's so many other things, and you have been able to truly flourish, no pun intended, given those circumstances. So I just want to honor you for your stick to itiveness, for your passion, and for not using any of those things as excuses, but using them as reasons. And because of that, you're going to help a lot of people that want to get into the healthcare space that are not healthcare providers.
Greg :
So thank you so much. And thank you for being on the secrets for success podcast.
Gwen:
That was easy.
