The real problem in OT is a huge portion of our day isn't dedicated to actually serving our clients...

The dirty little secret in Occupational Therapy today is that a lot of what we do doesn’t involve therapy at all.

In fact, you could spend as much as one-third of your day just struggling to meet impossible “productivity standards,” seeing up to five clients at a time while checking all the boxes the hospitals and insurance companies created for you. 

You end up filling out paperwork and answering to third parties who never set foot inside the treatment room INSTEAD of serving the people you’re dedicated to helping the most. 

It’s easy to feel like just another cog in the therapy factory machine... 

And you fight for your clients. You truly do… 

But it’s not easy. 

Because you’re handcuffed by predetermined negotiated rates, a rigged appeals process, and petty bureaucrats who think every case should be limited to just six therapy sessions. 

All these third parties seem to care about is the bottom line—not what’s best for your client. 

And they certainly don’t respect the expertise you bring to the table. 

It shouldn’t be like this… 

Hi, We are Doug and Lindsey Vestal... 

We founded The Functional Pelvis, the first in-home pelvic health practice in New York City run by an Occupational Therapist. 

We built the business from nothing.

Lindsey is the kick-butt OT getting her clients better and Doug is the business strategist working behind the scenes to make the business thrive.

Lindsey scheduled her work around her life (instead of the other way around) and we have grown it into the thriving, profitable practice it is today.

Along the way, Lindsey has helped thousands of private-pay clients get back to living healthier, happier lives...

… and we did it all without ever taking insurance.  

There was a time though, when things didn’t look so rosy. 

For the first three years after OT school, Lindsey jumped from job to job to job. She tried everything: Inpatient rehab, acute rehab and outpatient settings, home health, and skilled nursing facilities. 

And everywhere she went, it was the same story… 

Lindsey spent most of my day worrying about what management and the insurance companies expected, rather than what she knew her clients NEEDED. 

She ran herself ragged... 

Jumping from room to room, skipping lunch to finish my ever-growing documentation backlog and—because she couldn’t give them the attention they deserved—she was seeing little progress in my clients. 

To make matters worse, for all her effort Lindsey was barely making enough to pay the minimum on her ginormous student loan debt. 

And you know what? 

Today Lindsey considers herself one of the lucky ones. Because these days the situation is even worse. 

Business owners have a different (and exciting!) way of looking at the world. So before anything else, we’ve got to shift our way of thinking about how we work.

 By the time you’ve finished Chapter 1, you’ll know for sure whether the private pay model is for you and your new practice. Spoiler alert: it is!

 You'll be fully equipped to attack your entrepreneurial to-do list, take on imposter syndrome full force, and be way more confident in your ability to finally get paid what you're worth.

 You’ll also discover...

• The secret to attracting clients who take you seriously as an expert (and refer their friends to you).
• A counterintuitive approach to time management that'll have your new business fully set up in record time—even if you're working a full-time job and have kids at home.
• The only way to know for sure if you’re really ready to launch your business. 
• The Scarecrow Defense for overcoming imposter syndrome: Placing this small item on your desk each day instantly puts you in control of your business.
• PLUS... how to create a business your clients love so much they won't even LOOK at the competition -- even if there are already a gazillion "experts" in your field.

They didn’t teach you this stuff in OT school!

You’ve just set your brain to “business mode” and now you’re ready to take action… Awesome! 

We're here to help you you’ll roll up your sleeves and take care of all the nitty gritty logistics every business owner has to have in place - plus some of those little things OT’s need that “normal” entrepreneurs don’t have to worry about... like securing an NPI number and liability insurance. 

By the time you’ve finished Chapter 2, you’ll know what to do before you can hang your shingle and welcome your first customer, including… 

• Exactly where to find state business requirements FAST and register your new biz with minimum fuss.
• What’s the deal with taxes? Everything you need to know to get legit and avoid a big tax bill down the road.
• Why OTs, PTs and other health professionals are actually at an advantage over other business owners.  (Psst... it could mean lower taxes and a better retirement plan for you!)
• Use this easy "client-ready" checklist that takes you from zero to full-fledged business owner
• PLUS... Everything you need to get your NPI number, set up a telehealth practice, prevent liability issues, and more!

No need for guesswork. This system covers ALL the bases.

You’ve set your foundation, made everything legit, and now you’re ready to start getting PAID. 

Once you’ve finished Chapter 3, you’ll have all the tips and tools to make your new practice run smoothly from the start, so don’t worry about reinventing the wheel. Instead, you can spend more time growing your brand new business!

Here’s some of what you’ll get your hands on...

• Freedom of Practice Form Treasure Chest: Never worry that you’ve left something out... simply swipe these intake and consent forms, superbill and more and you're good to go!
• The counterintuitive reason LOW rates could actually mean LESS business.
• How to confidently set your rates to get paid your value.
• Client scheduling, intake forms, phone calls, and telehealth appointments all of $6 a month?! Yep, and there's a simple tweak that makes it all 100% HIPAA compliant.
• Website in a Weekend: The five must-haves that turn your new website into a client-getting machine.  

Your OT life is about to get a whole lot more exciting… 

This is where we’ll surprise and delight new clients with unexpectedly smooth onboarding, high-touch follow up, and personal and caring interaction at every point in between. 

Together, we’ll get into real-world scenarios like… 

• A Day in the Life of Your Practice: How many clients you can plan to see in a day and what kind of downtime to plan for.
• “Do you take insurance?” A step-by-step walkthrough of the awkward insurance conversation and how you can flip this dreaded question on its head making price practically irrelevant.
• Your goal on an initial client call (Hint: It's not to get them on your schedule)  Here’s what you really want to accomplish from your very first interaction.
• The simplest way to reduce cancellations and make sure your clients remember to show up for their appointments on time – so you’re not left hanging.
• A simple formula to answer the question “What do you do” so you’re never caught unprepared. 
• PLUS... a proven exercise for establishing boundaries so you'll never lose your new-found time freedom to "squeaky wheel" clients.

Remember, you decided to go the independent route so you could treat your clients like they deserve to be treated.  This is the way.

 By now you’ve accepted a handful of clients, perfected your processes, and truly proven the private pay model works.

Congrats! That means you’re finally in control of your business.

Now it’s time to spread the word and tell the world: 

This private pay thing works.

By the end of Chapter 5 you’ll be armed with all the (non-sleazy) marketing techniques you need to grow from here. We’ll work on building your authority, creating long-term referral relationships, and attracting more ideal clients than you can handle. 

Plus you’ll discover… 

• The #1 marketing mistake new private pay practices make (and the only way you’ll break free from this newbie limitation). 
• You be YOU: How to attract people who resonate with you, your lifestyle, and your personality and style – and purposefully repel those who don't. 
• One simple exercise that'll attract dream clients to you in a flash. 
• How to stop stressing over social: Discover smart social media strategies for Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube that get real customers in the door – without having to post every day.
• How to make it stupid-easy for doctors to refer the best clients to you. 
• The “fly on the wall” method for discovering what your ideal client really wants to hear from you. 

Now is the time to condense all your marketing knowledge into a step-by-step plan that is easy to implement.

Say goodbye to overwhelm and wondering what to focus on.  You'll go deeper into marketing your practice and come away with a completely tailored 90 day marketing plan that not only launches your practice, but builds real relationships in your community to create sustainable and repeatable client inquiries.

Plus you'll discover...

• There's only 4 ways clients will discover your practice.  Focus on just these 4 areas instead of trying to do 131 different things at the same time.
• Over 20 different and authentic strategies to follow up with potential referral sources.
• The exact steps you should take to "launch" your practice from the start.
• A sample 90 day marketing plan + template for you to create your own.
• A fully customized tracker that keeps you laser focused on client inquiries, current clients, discharged clients, and interactions with referral sources.  Staying organized is often the most difficult part.  This tracker will be a game changer for you so that activities, clients, and referral sources aren't slipping through the cracks.

You'll eliminate all overwhelm with marketing with a completely step-by-step plan to follow!

By now you'll see how rewarding it is to be the CEO of your own private pay practice.  You truly get to be in the driver's seat of your business!

By the end of Chapter 6 you'll be incredibly confident to tackle your new CEO role.  We will work on distilling the things that are most important for you to focus on in your business, how to set goals that actually move the needle, how to monitor the health of your business like a seasoned pro, and how to avoid burn-out when you "try to do it all."

Plus you'll discover...

• The RIGHT way to set goals for your business.  This 3 step process will give you clarity but also a detailed action plan to accomplish any of your big goals.
• How to confidently know (and track) if your business is healthy - plus how to course correct if you need to.
• What key performance indicators (KPIs) are and how many we recommend you start with (hint... less is more).
• How to avoid the problem of "doing it all" and what to do instead to value your time.
• The number 1 question to ask yourself when faced with a problem.  Asking this will be the difference between being stuck in analysis paralysis and moving forward.

You'll be well on your way to being the most confident CEO you know!

Plus, You’ll Also Get These Practice-Building Bonuses...

And...You'll Get The “Bold New Business” Guarantee

We believe so strongly in my mission to help more OTs and their clients reap the benefits of private pay that we want to make it as easy as possible for you to give a confident YES.

That’s why I’m offering the “Bold New Business” Guarantee.

Take a full six weeks to access all six chapters of Private Pay MBA. That’s just enough time to get your practice up-and-running (and likely even get your first private-pay client through the door)!

If after completing all the exercises and getting your questions answered, you still don’t feel like you have the tools you need to open your own client-focused, independent, and profitable private pay practice…no worries.

Simply email doug vestal "at" freedom of practice "dot" com with your completed exercises and we’ll hit “delete” on this whole OT-gone-rogue experiment and send your money back with no hard feelings.

You simply can’t lose.