How an "Introverted" OT Built a Private Practice Without Accepting Insurance
Kyrsten Spurrier, OTR/L, shares her story of how she leverages her involvement in her community to build her private pay practice. And, she does it all while being an introvert.
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Krysten is a wonderful OT who is a alumni of Private Pay MBA. And, in this interview we talk all about how she shows up in her community, how she builds connection as an introvert, how she uses her expertise so she never has to "sell" a client, and the critical role having an email list plays in her private pay practice.
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Transcript:
Doug Vestal:
Really refreshing to hear that you're not having a ton of insurance-based conversations or rejections at this point. And I would, I would, I don't know if you attribute to this, but I attribute it to, you're just very well known for providing high quality services in your community and when that is the case, people want quality services and that's what they're gonna prioritize first. Not the, not the insurance.
Kyrsten Spurrier:
Yeah. It's interesting 'cause I, at the beginning I was having more questions about it and now I would say in the last four to six months I've had more people because they've heard about me from other people. I actually on like their free 15 minute consult call, I ask, do you have any other questions? And they say, no, you're good. You know, I'd love to schedule an appointment and they haven't asked about insurance. And so I actually have to say, and just so you know, I do not take insurance. And they're like, oh yeah, that's totally fine, <laugh>. I'm like, okay, I just wanna be very upfront about that before you come to my office. But they've already kind of processed what that means and the benefits of that. Right.
Doug Vestal:
And I, I think that right there is the, is the dream scenario for, for most OTs that are considering and and I think that's really refreshing for them to hear that once they do the hard work in the beginning and they put themselves out there and they build the reputation, those kind of concerns that maybe are preventing them from even starting a private pay practice actually become very minimal after you get further down the the road. Today I am talking with the amazing OT Kirsten Spurrier and in today's interview you are going to hear all about how Kirsten is using her community involvement to grow her private pay OT practice. She is the owner of the perinatal pelvis in Hillsborough, North Carolina. She started her journey in pelvic health after her own experience with birth trauma and she opened her doors in October of 2021. She strives to help moms feel strong, functional and confident in their bodies while experiencing compassionate and holistic care. She's actually a graduate of private pay M B A, which in her words have allowed her to start and grow her business to what it is today. Enjoy. So Kirsten, I'm so excited that you're here today. Thank you so much for joining me.
Kyrsten Spurrier:
Well thank you so much for having me,
Doug Vestal:
Me. Absolutely. And I want to jump right in because one of the things that I am most impressed about you is that you just have this way of getting out and being very visible in your community and you're constantly doing events and you're constantly meeting with people and just making connections. So can you share with everyone what are the types of things that you're doing in your community?
Kyrsten Spurrier:
Yeah, so basically I did everything that the masterclass told me to do and I started doing nurturing Moms Hillsborough, which I created as a mom community group. 'cause I just got a few patients into my door right when I opened like one or two. And they were, it was coming off of the pandemic and they were kind of like saying I don't have any friends, I don't have any mom friends. This is really isolating. And in our small community there were no moms groups. So I was like, I will start a mom group. It started as more of an educational group. I run it through the app of meetup for me to do classes and get my name out there and provide education to the community. But then it also has evolved into just mom hangout groups too that moms are meeting at parks and stuff like that.
So it has grown to be about like 150 moms in the group that really work and have ideas and work together to bring events to the community. I've also done a lot of vendor events anywhere from focusing on ones that are focused on moms and families to last summer I did a local barbecue event that I was just like, I'm going to be out there and tell people that I am here and in this community. And then kind of like what the masterclass really focuses on of getting into your networking lists and your provider lists and really working that list down into who's your ideal provider that is referring to you. I have spread my wings very extensively on my list and I still am trying to schedule one or two a month with new providers in the area and I've been open for over a year, so.
Doug Vestal:
Wow, that's incredible. And I think it's just a testament that opening and running your own practice is about a lot of different experimentation and getting yourself out there and you seem to really kind of embrace this philosophy of just going for it, putting yourself out there, meeting with as many people as you can, spreading the word about your private pay practice. Is that something that just comes natural to you? And what would you say for someone who, because we get asked this question a lot, who's just looking for a quote unquote formula that that works?
Kyrsten Spurrier:
It did not come naturally to me. I'm actually a very introverted person so I do not normally go up and talk to people. So the networking and just going and being around people more has definitely stretched me as a person. I think there is just this really strong drive to make this work and a strong drive because I have such a passion for it too. It's like I know that moms need this so I am going to tell anybody and everybody that need to hear this that I what I'm doing. I would say in terms of a formula, I think what you guys have created in the masterclass has been amazing. I followed that really to a t but then saying yes to everything, I talked to my, my husband actually started telling me that when I started and he is like, you are not at a point to be picky so you get to say yes to every single opportunity.
And he has really supported me in if I need to go do something late at night or whatever, it's like you put yourself in situations that people see you and you say yes. And it's been interesting of what, where those connections come from because on the connections that the places that I go and I'm like, this is not worth my time sometimes have come out to be the best opportunities and where I get the most patients following me or that a provider is there and it's like, oh, I didn't know that you were here. So it's been very interesting to just go in with that philosophy and see what comes up at the end of it. So
Doug Vestal:
Yeah, and I think it's a, I think it's a good point because I find that many times private pay practice owners can just open their doors and then hope clients kind of find them, you know, it's the whole adage like build it and they will come. But it really takes a lot of active nurturing and I was talking to a private pay M B A student just earlier this week and she said one of the things that she got out of the course was that she thought she was doing all of the follow-up she needed to do, but there was, she was doing this amount of follow-up when really you needed to do this amount of, of follow-up. And that was like a huge sort of mindset shift for her. And that's something I think that you embrace. You know, you say it's not natural, it seems natural to me with hearing about all the things that you, you do and as you said, you don't know where those connections are gonna lead, you know, and so you have to put yourself in those situations to find potential referral sources to find influential people in your community who are gonna be either a client of yours or also a referral source.
Could you talk a little bit about, you know, some of the interactions that you've had that have led to some of the bookings that you've, you've encountered?
Kyrsten Spurrier:
Oh, I would say where are my biggest referral sources? My doulas, which are interest. My, the doulas were hard for me to get into 'cause they're so busy and their timing is really weird because they have births and stuff. So that took me a really long time to really connect with doulas and have relationships with them that they felt sending me patients, but that, that took longer than I expected. 'cause That one you kind of think like, oh that's obvious, but it's harder based off of their schedules. I would say my email lists, I get more long-term patients, like people that see me at a vendor event. I've had people eight months later book with me, which is just crazy that that's just such a long-term thing. And then I would say going into starting my practice, I really did think that I was going to get more providers referring to me.
And I do not have tons of consistent providers. It is word of mouth and making sure that it's like having those relationships with your patients and providing such a valuable product to your patients that they go and tell people about you. So I right now have like this neighborhood in Hillsborough, there's like, I think eight moms and I have four of them coming to my practice right now. So it's just that they all talk and moms talk and the importance of a personal referral goes so much further than a doctor just saying, Hey, you need to go and recognizing the power in that.
Doug Vestal:
Yeah, that's, that's, that's great. And I think a lot of OTs are nervous about two things. So they're nervous about putting themselves out there, right. Doing things, getting out into the public sphere or doing social media. And it comes up a lot with our students. Like they're really nervous about this, this idea of selling, you know, they don't want to sell like, but I found that there's this magical sort of feedback loop where the more you put yourself out there, the more accessible you are, the more value you are providing in your community, the less you actually have to quote unquote sell. Yeah. So what's been your experience with this and what have you found to, to be true?
Kyrsten Spurrier:
Well I, I totally understand like putting your yourself out there is nerve wracking, but it is for everybody. Like it's not like we have this innate skill that this is just something that's natural to everyone. I think I tell this to my patients all the time that you are learning a new skill and learning new skills really as adults is difficult. And so there's a part of you that just has to be like, what's the worst that can happen? Like you are not, at least from my situation, I was not getting patients, I was not getting referrals. So what's the worst that can happen that they don't send me patients still like, whoa, you know, like there's no, there's no difference. The only thing that is like going to make a difference is that if you don't do anything that your business plummets and doesn't take off.
Right? So you almost have like everything to lose and nothing to lose At the same time, in terms of being salesy, I, I didn't, don't ever feel like I'm selling people. I feel like I am showing them really with pelvic floor therapy, like showing them a new way of thinking about it as well as like the passion I have for it. Talking to moms of how every mom deserves to feel strong. Like I feel if you work on what you are giving to people, then you aren't selling really your products. You're selling them on a lifestyle of who they could become. Yeah. And so that's totally different and you're making 'em believe in themselves and that's what my, my patients that write reviews after they say that the most of like, man, I really gained confidence in my body. I really feel stronger. I felt like I could go and do other things because I came and worked on myself. So it becomes such a self-care element to their journey.
Doug Vestal:
That's beautiful. And I, I think that connection of connecting it to the end result that the client has and truly believing in what it is that you're doing, right, that transformation you're giving to, to new moms and that confidence gives you a lot more ability to navigate maybe some of the tricky situations that you may have as a private pay practice owner because you, you know, you're believing in what it is that you're doing and you're seeing the evidence weaken and week out of the impact you're having on, on clients' lives. And that makes some of the other business side talking about insurance, talking about pricing, a lot less emotionally charged because you're operating from a place of, well I know the intrinsic value and the transformation I'm gonna give you so I know this is gonna be be worth it for you.
Kyrsten Spurrier:
Yeah, yeah. Well and I guess I work in a place that there are Iran, there are places that people can go and get Iran and I have very few patients that call me and don't book with me because of insurance. Once I'm able to talk to them and some I have come to the realization of like I will work with you like what kind of price could we work out that I can still give you services because I really believe in my valuable product and I want you to experience that because I'm seeing a valuable customer gives me so many more referrals afterwards. So if I reduce my rates just for for one person, it's going to compound into so many other people. And so that's kind of the philosophy I've taken of not just being like, nope these are my rates, this is all I'm gonna do. But really working with people and meeting 'em where they are.
Doug Vestal:
And I think that's one of the great things for me at least about having your own practice is being able to actually be flexible and to exer exercise that flexibility. 'cause We all want that in other providers that we go to. But many times if you're in a corporate type position, there's not flexibility in terms of how long you are seeing. They're not flexibility in terms of pricing or packaging or you know, even the modalities that are being used. And it's one of the things that we love about private pay practice is like it's your ship. Like if that's a meaningful to you, do it. Like nobody's gonna tell you no, you know, the only person standing in your way is is yourself from doing that.
Kyrsten Spurrier:
Yeah. Well and the other thing I was going to say too of just not being salesy is working on really getting that clear direction of who you are marketing to and like what you are providing. And that took me a little bit of work for sure of really having a clear direction because if you go out there and are like, I don't really know exactly what I'm going to, what I'm doing, that's a lot more difficult to not feel like you're trying to make them sign up for something that's really big.
Doug Vestal:
Right. No, I, I completely agree and I think a lot of OTs that we speak to are nervous about going into private pay because of the insurance question. They think that that's gonna be a huge barrier for a lot of clients and we haven't found that to be true and we haven't found that to be true of our students. And it's really refreshing to hear that you're not having a ton of insurance-based conversations or rejections at this point. And I would, I would, I don't know if you attribute it to this, but I attribute it to, you're just very well known for providing high quality services in your community and when that is the case, people want quality services and that's what they're gonna prioritize first. Not the, not the insurance.
Kyrsten Spurrier:
Yeah, it's interesting 'cause I, at the beginning I was having more questions about it and now I would say in the last four to six months I've had more people because they've heard about me from other people. I actually on like their free 15 minute consult call, I ask, do you have any other questions? And they say, no, you're good. You know, I'd love to schedule an appointment and they haven't asked about insurance and so I actually have to say, and just so you know, I do not take insurance. And they're like, oh yeah, that's totally fine, <laugh>. I'm like, okay, I just wanna be very upfront about that before you come to my office. But they've already kind of processed what that means and the benefits of that. Right.
Doug Vestal:
And I, I think that right there is the, is the dream scenario for, for most OTs that are considering. And and I think that's really refreshing for them to hear that once they do the hard work in the beginning and they put themselves out there and they build the reputation, those kind of concerns that maybe are preventing them from even starting a private pay practice actually become very minimal after you get further down the, the road. You know?
Kyrsten Spurrier:
That's great. Yeah. Yeah. I actually had, yeah, go ahead. I actually had a patient too that she, I did give her more of a sliding scale and she was just at a position that she couldn't do it but she left and she was like, thank you so much for giving me lower rates, but please never reduce your rates. Like if anything you are priced lower because you're providing such a valuable product and like, thank you for working with me but don't think that your value is any less. So that was really cool.
Doug Vestal:
That's awesome. I think that's like a huge validation to get from your, from your clients and to, to hear that. 'cause I know so many people are concerned about rates and concerned about charging, but to be on the flip side as a consumer and be like, actually this was really worth the time and you're probably underpricing your yourself I think is just a, a great testament to what you're doing in your, your community.
Kyrsten Spurrier:
Yeah. Yeah. That's cool.
Doug Vestal:
One of the things I wanted to ask you about is email. So we've worked together on your email and setting it up. So it's kind of like this engine you have working around the clock in the, in the background. And you mentioned it earlier in the call, like it's really a long-term strategy. The lead time on it can be, can be lengthy, but I think it's important to put in place because it is something, it's like your little asset that's constantly working when you're not fielding calls and sometimes people are surprised to hear that a local practice should actually have an email list. So I was just wondering can you describe like your experience with with this?
Kyrsten Spurrier:
Oh well it has been a journey. It is not my favorite thing but it has definitely probably been one of the biggest contributors to having patients follow me and connect with me and end up booking with me. So it is a struggle for me to write newsletters and emails because I'm not a writer. But like I said, I have people signing up and through multiple different ways and I hear back from them six months later and one of 'em was like last summer and she's like, oh yeah you, I got your card and I signed up for your email list and I've been following you for eight months and I just loved everything that you said on your emails. So now I'm pregnant and now I'm gonna come see you. So you just don't know where people are in their life when you, when they sign up for things or when you connect with them.
And I feel like at first you feel as a practitioner you're like, oh well I'm just marketing to the people that are having pelvic floor dysfunction right now and you aren't, you're marketing to your community and so that your community can tell everybody that shares their pelvic floor dysfunction to them that, oh you should go see Kirsten. So it's not a immediate thing. It's a long-term and sometimes it's not even the person that is getting the emails, that person that's getting the emails, their daughter or their sister is having issues and is like, oh, you should go see Kirsten. And that's been the surprising thing. I will say, I, I have done stuff on my website that they sign up for and then we will get onto my emails. But also that has been best thing I do at vendor events is I get the most people through that is I do a giveaway, I get people's emails and I log them into my newsletter. So I would say that's the biggest asset of going to vendor events is to get emails.
Doug Vestal:
Yeah, I I think that that's super important and we talk about it a little bit in the, in the course which is, and you mentioned it, which is that there's people who are ready to book right now. Right. And those are the people who are going to Google and trying to find a pelvic floor therapist, you know, in my area. But then there are people who aren't ready to book right now or they don't quite yet have the, the issue that you're pri providing a solution for. And I think most successful private pay practices are the ones who target those people, the people who aren't necessarily ready to book right now. Because otherwise it's just a game of ranking really high in the search terms for, for your area and having your local Google my Business profile. But doing that long-term strategy as you say of nurturing them so that then when they're ready to, to book when they have the problem or when they're finally fed up enough that they want to take action, you've been the person who's been consistently showing up in their life and so it's no wonder they're gonna call you 'cause you've been the one that's giving them the value for, for the longest.
And I think a lot of times for those clients there really is no other provider they would consider 'cause they've already created that connection with you and that is super, super powerful for your long-term success I think.
Kyrsten Spurrier:
Yeah. Well and then also like looking at your community of what sets you apart too and making sure that's reflecting in your emails. So I have quite a few patients that got on my email list and have had pelvic floor therapy in the past and they finally gave me a chance and booked with me 'cause they could see through my emails that I looked at the body differently and I did things a little differently and it was enough to be like, let me try something different.
Doug Vestal:
Yeah. Find that email. Like we used email a lot in our practice. Other other students of ours use email and I find that people think it's old fashioned to, to send emails and I just want to be like a little bit clear like the types of emails that we're talking about. They're not the types of emails you get from the Gap or you know, these other heavily promotional emails. These are story-based emails. These are emails about educating potential clients about problems they may be having and giving them tips. It's showing up in their email inbox and giving them value in education, not pitching them, you know, a bundle of of services. And it's kind of, I think it makes the OT feel a little bit more natural in, in the sense of sending the emails 'cause it isn't overly promotional and the potential clients really benefit 'cause you're showing up in their inbox and giving value to to them ahead of time. Yeah. Which I think is the best marketing you can do. Give them value, give them some sort of micro res result before they ever even book with you.
Kyrsten Spurrier:
Yeah. Well and I actually just started a whole nother email chain geared towards providers and giving them resources to give out to their patients. 'cause I've been meeting providers and some of them are local, some of them are further away in North Carolina that they don't have any resources. And I was like, well here's the resources because people will drive and I have had people drive to come see me. And so if you are in a town that doesn't have resources, but then like when you're networking with people, be like, Hey, do you wanna get on my email list and I will send you all of these digital things that you can give out to your patients. So I just started that one too.
Doug Vestal:
That's awesome. That's, I think that's gonna catch like wildfire. 'cause I, I think the more you can help providers help their clients, the the more likely they are to, to refer to you. And it's such a easy, simple strategy that most people overlook, which is they approach referral relationships in the sense of like, why I want you to send your clients to me. Mm-Hmm <affirmative>. But I think the healthiest way to establish that referral relationship is like put yourself in the provider provider's shoes. Like what difficulty are they having with their clients right now that you can help them solve? Like how can you be a benefit to them? And that could be a checklist, a guide, resources, you know, and the more you can do that, the more likely it is they're gonna refer to you and so that that new email list is gonna take off. I have no doubt.
Kyrsten Spurrier:
Yeah. I'm excited.
Doug Vestal:
For those OTs out there who want to start their their own private pay practice, what are kind of like the top two or three things that you would recommend they, they focus on?
Kyrsten Spurrier:
So first I would say be supported. I don't think I would've gotten to where I am now without mentors and colleagues supporting me. And I feel like the OTs and even the other people that I'm connecting with that are starting their own practices, it's scary to like pay for mentorship. It's scary to really put both feet in and try it. But that's what it really does take of just having somebody keep you going and keep saying, okay, you did this, now do the next thing. And I would also say, I don't know when Lindsay said this, it was years ago, I don't know what where she said it, but she's in New York. She said that she collaborated with providers to make her better or she collaborated, I don't even remember, but in 2020 I was at a Herman and Wallace course and I had just heard her say that and there was another OT that wanted it to get into pelvic health and we both were not working in pelvic health at the time and we just really wanted to, at some point I did not think I was going to start my own business right away, but I just knew I wanted to do this eventually.
And we both committed to talking about pelvic health and supporting each other, talking about case studies and what courses we should go to next. And it evolved into how to start our own businesses and we kind of both took different paths. We're in different states, but it's been three years and we've talked almost every single week for three years. So it has definitely been that we've been able to see our highs and our lows and what we're struggling with and cheering each other on when we have celebrations. But I don't think I would've stuck with it if I wouldn't have known like, nope, I have a call this week and I have to do like, we gave homework to each other of what we should accomplish every single week. So if you don't have that, I would definitely seek somebody out. Like I know Lindsay has a whole Facebook group of OTs that are wanting to get into this field and really connecting with somebody that will keep you accountable.
I think that's been huge for me. The next one I would say is being visible in your community. And I've said this over and over again, but I'm not just going as a provider. Like, I also like take my kids to parks. I I'm at vendor events, but I'm also taking my family to things in the community and letting my kids play with kids of other moms and striking up conversations. And that's not like, ooh, I'm manipulating my kids. It is just I'm being a part of my community. So they see my face and then saying, oh, I, I see that there's a mom baby group at the library. I'm going to go and talk to the mom baby group there and just insert myself in any little place that I can. And then the last one I would say is really thinking about the whole experience that you want your patients to have.
So walking into my office, you have parking, you have a waiting room, you come in and it looks like a massage room more than a doctor's office. I have a bathroom that is easily accessible to moms. Those things matter. I I have boppy pillows that we put their babies on. I can do almost everything one handed. And I wear babies on me through slings at least once a day. And everybody's amazed. They're like, you, you're gonna hold my baby? I'm like, yes, I'm going to hold your baby. 'cause I know that if your baby is crying, your body and your pelvic floor is not going to relax. So there's no point in you being here if your baby is crying and just anything that you can look at. I write in my planner three months once they've discharged and six months once they've discharged and a year after they've discharged from me to check in with them and just see how they're doing. If they have a random knee surgery, I write down when their knee surgery is and I contact them about that. So it, it does take more effort, but it's like being the best at customer service that you can be.
Doug Vestal:
That's amazing. And that, that is an amazing testament, I think to the service that you're providing to, to your community and thinking through all of those different steps. And I think like that's one of the power of having your own practice is to be able to put those things in place that are, you know, is gonna be really important and impactful to a client that you probably can't do if you're working for someone else or you're working for an insurance-based, you know, clinic where you're not in control of those variables. And I think like it's so freeing that once you have your own business to think through all those things and view everything through that customer service lens that you have, it's no surprise that you're having the success that you are and just can't wait to see what your business does over the next three to five years. And really want to thank you for sharing all of your insights today.
Kyrsten Spurrier:
Well thank you so much. It's been great to be here. Awesome. Thank you.
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