Most of us enter this profession because we are passionate about helping people. We become great clinicians through hard work, persistence and an investment in our continuing education. 

For those of us who accidentally find our way to running a business, the next challenge becomes: how do I transition from clinician to business owner and who can help? 

After graduating in 1996 from the University of South Australia and working both locally and abroad for the first seven years of my physiotherapy career, I opened my first private practice in Adelaide in 2003. I had no business plan, no overdraft account or experience running a business. 

It was a steep learning curve. 

I would see patients by day, do the books by night and do tax statements on the weekend. In 2005 I gained my first mentor, who opened my eyes to the world of business and what the future could look like. 

After a long period of searching and looking at other business models, I committed myself financially to moving forward with my own brand, systems, policies, procedures and, ultimately, my own building in Prospect, South Australia. 

This placed significant stress on our family, both personally and financially, but it was in service of providing the best care for our clients and attracting exemplary staff. Our aim was to strengthen our brand and identity, while decentring myself. 

Through building relationships and sticking to a solid model of care, we expanded to four sites and nearly 40 staff. After selling the business in 2021, I took on an executive role for the company that acquired my business, gaining insights into business success through analysing operations across Australia and New Zealand. 

Running a business was a great challenge but I remained committed to achieving high standards for our clients and staff and being recognised as leaders in our profession. 

The key elements of our model that remain today and have been driven by my previous experience and influences are: 

• provide a high standard of customer service and physiotherapy care • invest in the client so they invest in you; personalise your care
• give clients a plan and address their goals to ensure long-lasting results • look after all aspects of a patient’s care and rehabilitation under one roof
• employ passionate and committed staff who are focused on client outcomes • emphasise evidence-informed practice and continual learning
• do the simple things well. 

Early on, I realised that the business had limited value if it depended on me seeing all the patients. With the support of my business adviser, I set about trying to change that. 

The primary takeaways that assisted me in the transition from clinician to business owner included the following. 

Build a leadership team 

Train senior clinicians and admin leaders to run day-to-day operations. 

Our model focuses on team leaders being the go-to staff member for all clinical and administration issues for each work unit. This included both senior physios and practice management staff. 

My job then became to support the leadership team. Today, those same team leaders are equity partners in the business.

Document everything 

Create standard operating procedures for clinical care, admin processes and marketing. 

Initially we had lengthy and clunky policy and procedure manuals where I documented everything including my treatment approach and philosophy with guiding principles. 

I also included scripts for as many clinical and administrative scenarios as I could think of. 

Later we transferred this to an intranet site for ease of access for all team members and I incorporated video and audio recordings. 

This then assisted induction of new team members and performance management and aided the flow of clinic operations across multiple sites as we grew. 

Invest in technology 

Use a practice management system, telehealth and artificial intelligence tools such as clinical notes to reduce manual workload. The biggest early shift in my business was from paper to paperless notes—something that was daunting initially but seemed second nature after a while. 

The next shift was to move to a cloud-based system. 

This transition was also intimidating at first but I can’t imagine practice without it now. 

Telehealth became an important offering during COVID-19 and recently we have started using AI clinical notes, which is a game changer. 

What’s next? 

Shift your role 

Move from clinician to CEO—focus on strategy, culture and growth. You have heard ‘work more on than in the business’ and ‘get off the tools!’ 

I think this is a very individual decision based on what you enjoy and what you are good at. 

If you are a great clinician who loves treating patients, then stay on the tools and look at other ways you can grow and scale your clinic. 

While I enjoyed being a clinician and still enjoy seeing patients occasionally, it soon became clear that I couldn’t see everyone all the time. 

My greatest impact on clinical outcomes would be through mentoring and supporting team members to deliver the same high-quality care. 

This enabled me to focus on growing, scaling and replicating the model across multiple sites—ultimately extending our footprint and reach and creating greater value in the business. 

Create recurring revenue streams 

Memberships, programs and partnerships make revenue less dependent on your hours. 

We adopted a focus on treatment planning, with robust systems for re-booking and follow-up to ensure that patients followed through and gained the best outcomes from our approach. 

This included setting up a range of services in supervised exercise-based classes to allow continued follow-through based on best practice. 

We also partnered with other organisations such as gym affiliations, sporting clubs and private hospitals, which ensured a steady stream of new referrals that were repeatable year in, year out. 

Outcome 

A business that runs without you is more scalable, more valuable and easier to sell. 

These strategies made it possible for me to sell to Australia’s leading integrated allied health group in 2021, nearly 20 years after I first opened my doors. 

My foundation clinics now generate over 4.5 million in revenue annually and are managed by equity partners and team leaders in partnership with the allied health group. 

At BAC Business Consulting I now help other practice owners achieve similar success. 

Ben Corso MACP is a healthcare executive with over 30 years of experience in allied health, including more than 20 as a business owner and five in national leadership roles. Ben is also an APA Titled Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist. Contact Ben on 0411 774 335 or at ben@bacbusinessconsulting.com.au or visit bacbusinessconsulting.com.au for more information.