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The Transparent Podcast
The Transparent Podcast
Aaron Lewinson - From Music To Therapy
What happens when a musician trades tour dreams for therapy gyms and decides to rebuild children's therapy care from the ground up? We sit down with Aaron Lewinson, founder of Rise and Growth Therapy, for a transparent look at starting an occupational and speech therapy practice that puts kids and clinicians ahead of quotas. From the first LLC paperwork to assembling ziplines and swings, Aaron shares the real choices behind launching a mission-driven clinic.
You can learn more about Rise and Grow Therapy as well as Occupational and Speech Therapy at www.riseandgrowtherapy.com
Hi, my name is Nick Ford, and I am the host of the Transparent Podcast, where we believe in bringing transparency to the world of small business. And this week I'm joined by a guest, Aaron. I will let you introduce yourself.
SPEAKER_01:Hi, I'm Aaron Lewinson. Uh first of all, thank you so much for having me on. Uh, but I'm Aaron Lewinson. I'm the uh owner and founder of Rise and Growth Therapy. Uh, we're a pediatric occupational and speech therapy clinic uh located in Johns Creek, and we have a second location in Marietta.
SPEAKER_00:Awesome. And so how long ago did Rise and Growth Therapy get started?
SPEAKER_01:Um very recent. Um I officially filed for the business in um June of 2025. Uh I decided for sure that I was gonna do it in May. Uh, a few days later, filed. Uh and then the rest is history, it's been um the longest five or six months of my life.
SPEAKER_00:Welcome to the world of small business. We'll unpack some of that here as we go. But but yeah, that you know, the idea behind the podcast was, like I said, bringing transparency to the world of small business and really just letting other people hear from entrepreneurs at different stages, whether it's the you know, startup phase like you're in right now, or had some people with larger companies that have been doing it for a long time, and just letting entrepreneurs hear the pros and cons and uh the wins and ultimately hopefully inspire people to get into entrepreneurship because as I'm sure you've seen, getting away from these massive corporations with all their processes and you know, red tape and letting people help people uh more directly, I think is just awesome. Um and that's why I started my company too, transparent staffing. Just believed in doing things differently than what I'd seen uh working for bigger companies in the past, and so so yeah. Well, so when you think about small business, there's um the last few years, especially I think when COVID happened, there was this like side hustle cut culture. People are like people lost jobs and things, and so it's like, okay, how do I get other streams of income? And you know, some people have different opinions about it, like yes, side hustles are great, or no, they're a distraction, you should go all in on you know your your dream, your entrepreneurship journey. What are your thoughts on that? Do you think you can do the side hustle game while having like a full-time job, or do you need to go all in?
SPEAKER_01:I would say generally, it would be great if you could hold on to a job. However, the reality is the amount of time that it takes to get a business going. I I am I have a hard time saying, oh yeah, it makes sense to keep a full-time job while trying to get started. I know with this business it would be impossible for me. Um, but the income that you can have from a full-time job would make it a little bit easier, especially when you're seeking financing and capital. Um they love business owners that keep a full-time job. So that part makes it better. But the reality of the time, unless you don't like sleeping, uh, it makes a lot of sense to hold on. Uh go all in.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. So you're saying like uh people who give capital, they like if someone has a full-time job because there's more security for the entrepreneur there.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, yeah. A lot of the uh bigger banks that I was um working with, or at least attempting to work with, um they uh value people that have full-time jobs just because it's like, okay, in the event that something doesn't work out or your plan that's gonna be fixed some startup uh period turns into a 12-month startup period, they're much more likely to fund uh those people because they know that you have another source of income. So you're not gonna go destitute and bankrupt. And um, it's just a risk thing. Uh, they they value those who can maintain a full-time job. But at the same time, like I said, sleep is important and you can only run your business if you're alive. So don't do this that way.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I uh I I think that's so true. I think you gotta have your priorities in lane in line. Um, I love this guy, Art Williams. He talks about um, you know, he has this whole speech called the do-it speech. It's actually on my podcast, and you can find on the transparent podcast in Art Williams. But he talks about how you have to put you have to put for him, you have to put faith first, family has to come second, business has to come third. Because if you don't do that long term, the impact of your faith breaking down and your family breaking down, it's ultimately gonna affect your business anyway. So, you know, I think that's super accurate. So but but yeah, so and go ahead, yeah, go ahead.
SPEAKER_01:There's no way um if if you're not able to have the resolve, um and then maintaining relationships through all of this too, um, is one of the most important things, especially at the startup phase. It's a little bit easier once the business is going where um things are predictable. But right now, uh in the startup phase, there's just so much coming at you that if you're not grounded, um faith first makes a lot of sense, and then um maintaining those relationships because you don't want to miss out on the things. Um I love work, work is most of what I do these days, um, but at the same time, you have to other people that care about you.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, absolutely. And I I went through a period where I was so invested in work and was not spending enough time with family, and I made a decision at that time, you know, I'm gonna try to be done every day at 5 30. Um, and just when I decided to do that though, I had it was funny how I started figuring out a way to get stuff done more efficiently.
unknown:Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:And was it I mean, not all the time. There's some things that are like, all right, I have I'm gonna have to work late tonight, but it definitely reduced that when I made just decided that I was gonna be done earlier. And as far as like the side hustle versus full-time business, I think I think it depends a lot on the business, like what you're what you're in. Um and yeah, if like capital is involved, like you're if you're gonna have to invest in like like you have to invest in like real estate space and building stuff out, like I don't know how you could have done that as a side business. I don't I just don't think it probably was possible. Um but other things that are you know maybe are not are less time intensive or you can get a really good operator to run for you or things like that, that's possible. But but what so yeah, but so what got you into the behavioral health industry?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, so um OT and Speech started. Um, I am a musician. Uh that's that's my background. But um after some wonderful events uh that kind of pushed my career from oh yeah, it's it's the natural progression you sign, you're you're gonna release a couple records, you're gonna go on world tours and things like that. It was uh at 18 that kind of all stopped. Uh and it was like, you've aged out now, you're too old for music. Um and um well, I I now know that's not true. Um at the time it was you know devastating, but I was fortunate to have really great mentors that were like, why don't you just try something else for a little bit? Um and I stumbled across a job posting for an occupational speech therapy clinic uh in my hometown of Stone Mountain. And um I was like, I don't know what OT is, but if if it's a simple job, I I think I can do it. Uh so you get me out of the house, which was great. Um and um applied and got the job, and it was an uh incredible experience just getting to see the um work and the benefits of OT and speech and how transformative it can be for children, especially very early on. Early intervention is a big piece of OT and speech. And I wanted to clarify like what OT is because that's a very weird thing. And I mentioned it's yeah, absolutely. Um OT is extremely broad, which is why no one knows what it is. Um, but to simplify it, it's daily occupations for kids, which can be as simple as buttoning buttons and getting dressed. That could be bathroom support, that can be educational uh with handwriting. Um, and then there are a lot of other things that are higher brow, I guess. Um and that's like executive functioning, which is how our brain works. Some people are like PCs and other people are like MacBooks. Um so uh having a Mac OS, but getting slated into a PC world, it's like, okay, well, what do I do? I because nothing makes sense. Um and OT kind of works to work through some of those things on the sensory level uh and then the motor as well. Um, so we get confused with PT sometimes, but it's different.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. Yeah, I um I have a I have a friend that's an O OT assistant. Uh she's working toward becoming an OT, going back to school and stuff, but that's I hadn't been exposed to it as much, but my understanding was what you described as like getting back to daily function, like normal daily function for your age and for you know your stage of life or whatever. Um, yeah, like things like tying your shoes or stuff like that that you should be able to do on your own. So very cool. And yeah, I I imagine early intervention is super important with kids.
SPEAKER_01:Essentially, there's so many kids that end up with issues. I was actually having a conversation earlier today, and you never know how many kids are struggling in school, not because they're not smart or they don't have the intelligence or they're they're bad. No, it's not that they're bad. Sometimes it could be as simple as they can't get sleep because their room isn't optimized for quality sleep. So that could mean like for me, uh as soon as I discovered a weighted blanket, that was like for my life. Uh it's me and my weighted blanket against the world. Um that extra support, um, the extra touch that that provides um is transformative. So then I'm getting better rest. And that same child could receive better rest, and then they're able to focus more. Maybe the temperature of the room is a little too high or too low. Um, all of those things could contribute to lack of sleep. And then that lack of sleep turns into them not focusing because they don't have the energy uh when when class rolls around. Um and then next thing you know, you're getting bad reports or they want to kick you out of school uh when this could have been avoided all, you know, based on sleep. Um and it's very nuanced because there are so many factors that go into being a human being. Uh but it's our job uh with the OTs that I hire and the speech therapists the same to identify issues and then come up with solutions. We don't believe that the kids, there's nothing wrong with the kids. Any way that you are is how you are. The the trouble is sometimes the world doesn't match where the kids are. Um, and and that's a byproduct. The busy world, the internet, um, there's just so much that contributes into a child's life now that didn't exist 20 years ago. Um, and we're trying to bridge the gap and give them the support that they need to have a great life.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, that's that's awesome. Yeah, it's interesting just how healthcare has changed, especially behavioral health. Like there was so much, you know, not that long ago that was just wasn't understood. Like autism. Um, you know, they say that autism is just growing so rapidly, but I part of it, I think, is just identifying it. And I think some things are misdiagnosed as being autism when it's really other issues going on. But um, you know, yeah, it's it's interesting as that as that changes and simple things can can unlock things because like you said, like they may think something's going on, but it could be as simple as I'm not getting enough sleep. So super interesting. It's really cool to hear your passion for that. So uh as far as you know, I've looked into franchises, and the idea of a franchise is appealing because you in my my mind, you get you get the playbook, like you got background support, you've got a successful business plan that's been working and that you're basically purchasing, and then you have hopefully like some marketing support in the background, put logistics, and if you're in like a restaurant or like a I looked into coffee shops, you kind of have like the supply chain stuff set up for you and the software and whatever. But what do you think about you've I know you've going been going through startup on your own and building it, you know, branding and all this. How what do you think the benefits are of doing it on your own versus acquiring a business or maybe joining a franchise?
SPEAKER_01:Oh yeah, I think a franchise when it's all dependent on the industry more than anything else, but I think franchises are great because, like you mentioned, there is a playbook that you're actually getting. So it's not you against the world. Um, um, there are built-in support systems that otherwise don't exist. Um, I've been fortunate to have a really great group of people that I could rely on um that have done things that are similar. Um but developing the model from scratch is something that you have to do if you're not working in a franchise. Um maybe you don't want to do that. Maybe, especially life stage, a lot of people that are looking into franchises, maybe they've worked in an industry and they're like, I love my job, but I want something else that I don't have to be a part of. I just want to be an owner and not an owner operator. Um franchises are provide that in many cases. Like you still have to be active in the business. I know Chick-fil-A is one of those ones where you actually have to be there.
SPEAKER_00:I was gonna bring that up, yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, but there's so many others that it's like, oh yeah, you can kind of just front the money and and and then now you have another stream of income. Um, so those are really great when when possible. There are other times where um starting from scratch kind of is the best thing because when you have industries, especially like healthcare, uh, that are facing so many problems, you don't want to have to deal with guidelines and restrictions. Sometimes you want to do things your own way. You still have to, you know, there's some ethics and code that you have to follow and things like that, but um you do get to kind of do your own thing um when you're not operating under somebody else's brand.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. I had uh an uh another guest on the podcast that's a physical therapist, and um he you know talked about just like when he was in big box physical therapy, there's a certain like guidelines that had to follow, like you're gonna do this many appointments and they're gonna be this long, and here's where you're gonna take them through. And it was like he wasn't able to customize it to the patient. Uh, and and he had to kind of follow those parameters. Whereas now he can do cash pay, and so and then he can do fewer appointments because he know he can spend more time with them and give them more detailed, more specific things curated to the patient versus this you know standard procedure that he had to follow. And so that's like why I think it's so great for especially practitioners to be able to get into into entrepreneurship and own their own business. It it can just be challenging though, because I worked with doctors for years, and doctors sometimes were terrible business people. They never it's interesting, like going through medical school and going through residency and like spending 10 years doing that, they never got taught how to run a business, or really even like personal finance classes or anything like that. Um, and we get a whole other conversation about that. May that may have been to because like the big healthcare systems wanted them to just get plugged into their system, but um, but anyway, it's it's it's interesting. And like you were saying, the franchise model can be super beneficial. Um but you lose some of the control, you lose some of the I guess individuality. Um, and I like the the I I w I knew I wanted to have control over it. To me, if I bought a franchise as my full-time business, I felt like I would be working for someone again in a way. Definitely more flexibility than having a just a job, but you still own the company, but it is different.
SPEAKER_01:So one of the things that uh inspired me with this was um, I like how you said big box therapy. Um, I like to call them therapy factories because that's what it was. Um you get in, you see a ton of kids, especially speech therapy, Medicaid will only accept, uh, sorry, will only allow 30-minute sessions, which is horrible because I mean, and think about it, you're a child and say you have a stuttering uh issue or something with articulation, um, that's not something that can be fixed in 30 minutes one time a week, or even 30 minutes two times a week. That's something that takes a lot of time and planning. And when you have a speech therapist that's forced to um see you give up to 16 kids in an eight-hour day because it's a 30-minute session, so two sessions an hour, um, and for not great reimbursement at that, um, you're really throwing them into the fire and it hurts everyone. Uh, the parents aren't able to ask the questions that they need to ask. The the therapists have to write double the notes for the same amount of time. Um, and then the kids are are uh neglected, honestly, because there just isn't enough time to really uh nurture them. So the approach here was every session is an hour. Um, we want to make sure that the parents are with us because parent education is like a core tenant uh for us. Um so they're in a period of time. Um and then we also do other like webinars and seminars just to add additional support for our families um because we want to give them everything that they need. Home carry over is the most important thing because they're only with us for an hour or two hours a week. Um you're with your parents the majority of the time that you're not in school. So how is how much um can we enable the parents to provide additional care support? Because parents aren't therapists, there's no playbook for any of this stuff. Uh it's neurotypical, neurodiverse. There's no playbook for anything. So we're just trying to what your child needs and give them uh the support that they need.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, and parents need uh they need help. And I I have three fairly normal children, I as far as I know. Um, maybe normal is too broad a term, but they're healthy and uh mentally, you know, uh healthy and whatnot. But I still have challenges like how do we parent them? Like when they disobey, like what's the best way to handle that? And you know, how do I do handle consequences and rule setting and things like that? So I yeah, I imagine including the parents and all that is super important with these kids. So um, but yeah, just the the way the healthcare system works. I I worked with psychiatrists for a long time, and I would place them in facilities when I was doing recruiting with them. And one of them I I worked with was the VA, which VA is probably the biggest example of just like the bureaucracy taking over the actual healthcare delivery. But I had a doctor call me one day, and uh I'd play he didn't work at the VA for three or four months in LA and um is in the LA area, and he was like, Hey Nick, I just can't do this anymore. I'm I'm gonna have to leave this job. And I was like, Well, what's going on? And he was like, Well, I had another patient come in today, and I had an initial intake with them, went over my treatment plan with them and how I was gonna get them better, and all this stuff. And the patient looked at him and was like and said, Well, if you are telling me that you're gonna get me better on paper, then I'm gonna find another psychiatrist. And I was like, Why? And he was like, Because that patient said that if I showed that they were better, they'd have to get a job paying them like$70,000,$80,000 a year because of all the benefits that they were getting from the system. And I was like, Man, so you can't even treat the patient. Like they won't don't want to, they don't really want to be treated. So that's uh it's there's all kinds of different facets of that within healthcare, especially with like payers and insurance and all this stuff. So um yeah, it's it's a it's an interesting dilemma, but uh it's something that you you're working on, which I think is great. So with with rise and grow therapy, how do you what are your biggest challenges with scaling and growing? I know you've that you have two locations already, so with you know only being you know the first six months or so, but how do how do you handle that?
SPEAKER_01:Oh, it's it's a daily struggle, and um oh, definitely crying in the car sometimes. That's just uh the reality of where we are right now. But um the biggest issue isn't even about our business, it comes to the industry as a whole. There's a shortage of therapists, um OT and speech therapists. Um, and a large part of that is more systems. Um college is expensive, grad school is expensive, so that can deter some people that maybe have the heart for it. Um the additional piece is like we were talking about with Medicaid and and insurance, um, when you are constantly faced with restrictions and the people that decided to go into speech therapy or occupational therapy didn't sign up to be scribes, they signed up to to treat. So uh in many cases they have to write these novels to get kids approved. And that's I mean, it's it takes so much time, often they're not compensated for that time. And that can prohibit uh anyone's interest in in continuing the work. So uh burnout is a severe issue, so it's like trying to one end mitigate it, and our model is based around that. Um different from those therapy factories, or um my goal was you never see more than about 28 kids per week, um, no more than seven kids per day because we have hour-long sessions. Um our pricing is is based on um being supportive of the families, uh, and we have a sliding scale to to help with that, but also um it is where it's reasonable for the therapist and they can have a reasonable salary and not feel like, oh my gosh, I'm a master's level professional, but I I um barely making king ends meet. Um I feel like that is just a tragedy. Um, and that's what's hindered our growth, I would say, as far as expediting startup and things like that. Um, another thing is in the state of Georgia, particularly, um, there is a long delay in getting out of state therapists into um having their licensure here. Um very challenging issue uh that's that's kept me up lots of nights. Um but still optimistic about that. But yeah, that's the biggest thing. Um there's no shortage of kids, uh, which is sad. Um, but that's why we we I decided to start this. Um I wanted to meet as many needs as possible um just because I knew sometimes it takes the simple things. Uh some kids are gonna be in therapy forever. A lot of other kids, it may only be a few months that you're with us. Uh and then we have uh caps and gowns for graduation. Like we want a goal. We want you out of here. Like you will call us because you want to say hi, but we don't want you to forever be in therapy, like so many things. We had kids at our old practice, and it's no fault of the therapists, but they come in at two, they're there at nine or ten. Um, and it's partially because of the system. Uh and that system's eating up the kids, um, and then they're not getting the needs that they um that they have met. It's uh it's hurting the the therapists, um where they're getting burnt out and they're not getting compensated as they should be, which uh hurts. I mean, the world is an expensive place right now, so now it's not yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Man, I I go to the grocery store and buy fruits and and vegetables and stuff, mainly fruit. And my kids like, well, buy like two dozen bananas and they're gone in like three days. Like, what are you guys doing? Um, and it's you know, the stuff is so expensive and healthcare is so expensive and insurance. Um so yeah. Well, that's super you know interesting with the the licensure, the licensure stuff. Hopefully that gets changed because you know I know there's some things that tried to help with that with like the interstate licensure compact where like you can get um things approved across state, you know, if you're approved in one state, you can get it approved in another state a lot faster. So hopefully they grow and expand that. Um, because like we gotta get people treated, and like that that's just silly that that's bogging things down. But um as far as you know, I love studying uh successful people. I just think that that's a great way to be successful yourself is you know, study the people who have been the most successful and just kind of trying to model some of what they did. And that's why I have like that Art Williams speech. He owned like one of the largest life insurance companies in the world. Um, and now he's a motivational speaker. And then, you know, other motivational people like Tony Robbins and stuff like that, love listening to that stuff, super inspirational. Um, definitely gets you like fired up in the morning and listening to some of that stuff. But what have you seen from like just studying successful people? Or I know you're friends, you've been friends with other people that have been successful in business. What do you think separates the successful ones from the you know, I don't know, four out of five companies that fail the first five years?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, um, there are a couple of things. Um, and they're all equally important in my eyes. Um, surrounding yourself with the right team. Um, and team doesn't just mean the people that work under you. Um, and I I I'm a big believer on we're all in this together. So uh it's your company just as much as it's mine. Um, but having the right mentors, people that have been there and done that a little bit. Or um, because there's so many things that come at you that you're just not gonna know. Uh, and it's hopefully somebody else who's um advising you has been there, and that's helped me tremendously throughout this process, especially simple things that could get swept under the rug, don't get swept under the rug because I have somebody else who's um having their a second set of eyes look at it and it's like, oh, don't forget about this, don't forget about permitting or or or this or you need to purchase this thing because it's essential for the business. I think about it from the perspective of a mom versus me a single guy with no kids, like, oh yeah, I'm I'm building out the space to be very fun and kid friendly, but I also have to think about other things that um people that are parents would think about a lot more than I would. Um, another thing, a balancing humility and confidence. Um, you have to be confident. Um, I mean, I'm telling you, this will punch you in the face more than most other things. So uh it really takes um a lot of confidence, but not being cocky. Um, you can do no wrong. Because oh no, you're gonna make a lot of mistakes. I've made tons of mistakes and we're we're less than six months in. Um staying humble, um, even with the winds not getting too high or too low. Uh, because it is a roller coaster. Um, this is a a long, it's a marathon. Um, and sometimes it's great when you're sprinting, but then when you run out of energy and now you need to walk, you shouldn't feel badly that, oh yeah, I'm my pace is slower. No, it's just a part of the process. You're just trying to get to the finish line. Um and another really big thing is not being afraid to ask for help. I think the people that fail a lot of the time, and it kind of ties into the um being a little overconfident or having too much hubris, uh, are this business. Um, from the time that I settled on a location in John Street, um I've had nothing but wonderful support from people. And if I've asked, I've gotten wonderful answers and gotten connections to people that are gonna be super influential in the growth of this business. So I honestly, the the reason why I feel confident about this business is because of the people that I've been able to meet. Um and then staff, um, people that I've um been fortunate enough to bring in, um excellent people, like some of the best people I've ever met, um, that have bought into the vision of Rise and Grow. Um, and the people that don't succeed sometimes, um, you can't fail on the um or miss up, mess up on the uh the hiring process.
SPEAKER_00:Um that's huge.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, bad personnel will kill you. And I kind of know from experience it's a story for another day.
SPEAKER_00:Um That's yeah, that's I taught I had a conversation with the CFO not long ago, and he was like, Man, your fees your fees really high for placing this person, and I was like, Well, how expensive is hiring the wrong person? And he was like, Oh, a lot more, a lot more expensive.
SPEAKER_01:So I I can tell you from experience, like when you are starting a and of course every business is a different size, has different needs. Um, so everything is different. But business owners in in this industry in particular, when I make a mistake, I'm not making a oh, it's a couple hundred dollar mistake, it's a tens of thousands of dollars mistake. So want it to be email, right? Um so highly qualified. I care more about the character of the people, and I've been blessed to have really great our clinical director and our CEO of um Salt of the Earth, like some of the most beautiful people I've ever met. Um, but it takes that for a business to succeed. Um, if you have really talented people that have horrible attitudes, it's just like a band. Um, me being a musician. I know when I go into a place and I want to play, and they're really great talented musicians, but if you aren't a good listener, uh or if you uh think that you have to overplay to be to show everybody that you're good, then it's the song's not gonna sound good. And the most important thing is the song. We're here to serve the song. This practice is here to serve the population, so we're all about the other people. Um high character people more than accolades and education and and all of those things.
SPEAKER_00:That's great. Yeah, I think you know, you had a lot of really good points there, and and you know, finding the right people and um you know, I think having the right vision from the beginning. I one of the it's funny, I I had like someone hand me um, you talked about like dealing with like failure and like they're going to make You're gonna make mistakes, but learning from them and moving forward. Um, but someone handed me gave me a card today, and then it they had a Michael Jordan quote, and it said, You've probably heard this before, but I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost more than 300 games 26 times. I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life, and that's why I've succeeded.
unknown:Absolutely.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:So dealing with failure is especially as an entrepreneur, like you're talking about, if you start to get arrogant, you're gonna get hit in the face and get humbled very quickly. Um be confident. There's nothing wrong with being confident, and and being confident comes with the other thing as I say is having goals. I think having clear, achievable, measurable, you know, smart goals. Everyone's heard of like the term smart goals. But you know, that's one of the things there's this guy, Earl Nightingale, he's like a Tony Robbins of another era, and he talks about that his definition of success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal. That's the best definition I've ever heard. And so you have to have that worthy ideal. So if you're not working towards something, then you're not working toward anything. And he one of the one of the analogies he gives is if you set a ship out to sea with no captain and no plan, you know, it's gonna reach its destination one out of a thousand times. But if you if you give it a plan and a captain and it knows where it's going, it's gonna reach its destination 999 times out of a thousand unless something happens. So I think having clear goals is I think that's one of the biggest things that separates successful people. They know where they're going and they continue consistently working toward it.
SPEAKER_01:Um the model came first. Um, so it's all about um what works on all levels. Great for the families, great for the therapists, but then also, you know, it's a business, so we have to make money too. So identifying all of the things that could make that a reality, that was the most important thing. But the model is just a model, that's just on paper. Um, so then being able to make the model and then break the model and then make it again and then break it again, um, so that you're constantly getting better. Um was like that's one of my main goals uh or main roles as as owner of this practice. Um, I work for the therapist, I make sure that their life is as good as it can be. And then the flip side of that is just um supporting the model. Uh so the division is is um always what we're striving towards, just the best quality.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. Right. So when you look at your time now, it's totally different than being an individual contributor, being an owner. So how do you decide where to spend your time? It's it's an ongoing challenge for me.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, oh no. Um last week, for example, uh, we got a shipment in. So we have gym systems that are incredible. They're built by um Sensory Summit, uh Summit Sensory Gym, sorry, um in Colorado. Incredible gym systems. And they're like American Ninja Warriors for kids, basically. So we can attach swings, we can have cargo nets, uh, we can do a zipline. It's it's super cool. So we we have one in the Johns Creek location, and uh we got the shipment for that, and it's mats and column wraps, um, which are the padding for it, um, in our Marietta location. So I went from business meeting, suit and tie to clearing out the space to make room for that gym, then building the gym, then we had to get a chainsaw uh to cut down the pallets that it came in. Um and then I had a event, a dinner um for a Christmas tree event um outside of town that same day. So it's like bam, bam, bam, constantly meeting. I'm shaking hands and kissing babies all the day, uh every day. Um it's it's a balancing act of physical labor, um, and then also relationship building. So relationship building is like the number one thing right now for me. Um just nurturing the relationships. I've been able to meet a lot of incredible people all throughout um Alpharetta, Johns Creek, um, Suwanee and uh coming in Milton. Uh there's so many wonderful people and other business owners. Um, but uh a part of that is saying, how can I support you just as much as you've supported me? Um so just finding those ways and and trying to be as friendly as I can be, just because they've been um incredible. So we're all trying to work towards helping people, uh, whether you're a dietitian or an OBGYN or primary just supporting one another um and being available because it all comes back. So uh that those are the biggest things. Um finances are a real thing for us, especially in the startup phase. So, like as you can imagine, we haven't uh opened doors yet at either location. And this is the transparent podcast, so I feel comfortable saying I've it's it's been you know, I've I'm I'm I've spent a good 70 plus K in getting this going. And um, you know, of course you want the return on investment, but it's also just like wow, okay, this was just an idea. We've built we've done a build out of a space, we've we've hired talent, I'm still seeking out talent. Um, but how can I make this like finish the job? So that's like what I say every day now. It's like, all right, we're almost there, we're at the five-yard line. Really, we're at the one yard line. Um, how can I how can we score a touchdown? Um, so that to me looks like hiring more therapists. Um, we are in the middle of 42 pediatric offices, so we're gonna be boots on the ground marketing very soon. And um, just every mom with a child uh will be there. Uh we want to be the ones that um you see because um we believe that we can provide the best quality care.
SPEAKER_00:Awesome. Well yeah, perfect answer. Yeah, I mean, I think you know, what you're doing is is incredible, and um all the work that's that's and that's another thing I tell like people wanting entrepreneurship is the the buck stops with you, which is great in one end of like, you know, you have control and you can make decisions, but it's also if a gym needs to be built, you're the one rolling your sleeves up and building the gym or putting out the fire. Um you it ultimately falls on you. And whether it's someone else's on your team's responsibility or not, it really comes down back to you. You're you're gonna your team members are a reflection of you and a reflection of your business and your brand.
SPEAKER_01:Um our our clinical director, wonderful guy, very strong guy. He helps. Um would not be possible without I I am a uh uh a man, but I'm a smaller man, so I'm like 120 soaking wet and a good well it's good to especially those kind of projects.
SPEAKER_00:I've tried to do stuff like not that, not that like not like that necessarily, but like I built a shed and like it's I would have loved to do it by myself, but like there's just no way I could and I'm a big strong guy, but you need you needed that second hand. But um, but yeah, so well tell us um you know, as far as like people who are on the fence, I call it I love calling it entrepreneurs, so they're they want to get into entrepreneurship. Uh, what advice would you give them?
SPEAKER_01:Oh, that's a well, first of all, when it comes to the money that this takes, um, marry someone who's rich. Uh that's that's probably the best advice. And I wish I had taken that advice because that would have made my life a lot easier, especially now. Like I mentioned, 7K and and my pockets aren't that deep. I'm 27 years old, so I'm you know, this can only have so much money at this uh like life stage. Um so really it's it's it's about um making sure that you really believe in your vision. Um everybody uh wants to start a business, and it's one thing, oh yeah, I want to sell t-shirts. Um that's a little bit easier, and you can do that, and it doesn't have to be your whole thing that can be like uh we were talking about earlier, side hustle. But when it's something that's gonna be a time commitment, you have to make sure that there's some way or shape or form that there's gonna be a return on investment. Um and I that's what I notice with a lot of um people that I've seen come with a great idea, they have the passion, but they end up failing, it's because okay, how thought out was the the model, how how thought out was the product uh or the survey. Um and also be willing to do market research. Um if the research, yeah. If the research backs up what you believe, um whatever you decide you want to do, then go for it. Um but you have to go all in. Um you have to be courageous because, like I mentioned, there's so many things there along the way, there have been so many days where it's just like, oh no, I messed up my entire life. Um there are gonna be setbacks. So you build the best possible plan, but also no, they're gonna be things that you just it's impossible to cover absolutely every eventuality. There are gonna be things that come up that no one could ever envision, and that's where we find our business right now. But um, through it all, you just have to believe um work out. Um so um a lot of people want to try something, and I was one of those people that was timid um to try, but um being a perfectionist, especially being a musician, everything was like, Oh yeah, I've gotta I've gotta nail this, I've gotta nail this. And this isn't like recording. I I there aren't do-overs necessarily, um, but um it doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to work. Uh and then better over time. Uh and that's the biggest thing.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. And that's another thing, the reason why I started the podcast was like so many people see like a hundred-employee company and are like, I can't do that. But like you you didn't see the guy who bought like his first truck and started cutting down trees, and now he's got this like massive landscaping company or or whatever. And they that guy didn't have it figured out. He did not know how to run a hundred employee company when he started, but he started he started growing and building systems and started expanding, and it it happened uh organically. And I luckily I was one of the people that was you know, I don't know if lucky or lucky or not, but I was much more um jump in jump in full force and figure it out as I go. Um, and then I brought on a partner in my business that was much more of a um let's figure everything out before we do anything. And oh yeah, and and that, you know, anyway, it's it's good to have both. Just have a plan, but be flexible, is what I would say.
SPEAKER_01:There's gonna be things that come up. I um when I was deciding on this, uh didn't mention this before, but when it came to funding, I was trying to buy a house. And if you've seen the Atlanta market before, um home prices are not what they were five or six years ago. The world is a completely different place. So got approved, but they were like, Yeah, it's only for 210. And I was like, Okay, well, I can't buy anything for two. I can't buy a shed for 210.
SPEAKER_00:So barely you fucking buy a land.
SPEAKER_01:Right, you actually you can't, it's it's bad now. So uh I was like, Well, I I can't buy a house, but I can start a business, and um took a lot of courage. And I was like, Oh, but is this gonna what about this? And how am I gonna do that? No, it's like at every step, you just have to keep going. So it's like, okay, I don't have all the money that I need, but I can get started with this and we can work it out as we go. The space, how am I gonna afford to pay for the build out or for this or that and construction and we'll figure it out? And then each level, it's just been figuring it out, and it's honestly a great way to build resilience. Um, kind of throwing yourself and walking up the stairs, but you don't see the stairs that are in front of you. Um I mean, you just have to keep walking and believe that it's gonna work. It's a lot of prayer, a lot of faith. But um I I'm fortunate to to be in a position where it's like, okay, even though things are unsure and and unsteady, um I'm confident that it's gonna be okay. Um, and you have to keep that confidence as long as you can. Um yeah, I feel like that's and I will also say that this figure it out as you go is horrible parenting advice. So don't um don't don't have a plan for how many kids and stuff like that. Like you know, you're gonna figure some things out as you go, but but this is definitely business advice.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, that's funny. Yes, just so true. Well, um thank you so much for being on the podcast and and joining. Um in closing, kind of tell us just where we can find more about you and you know, like your website and locations and stuff like that.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, um, so online we're at www.rise and growth therapy.com. Uh there you can learn a ton more about what we do, what occupational therapy is, what speech therapy is, um, speech and feeding, uh, which is something that is really useful. And sometimes we neglect how simple it is just for us to communicate, like on this podcast. Um, but there's so many things that go into it on the expressive and receptive side. Um, so supporting kids as much as we can. Um, additionally, uh our two locations were at 4245 Johns Creek Parkway and we're in Suite E. Um, that's our Johns Creek location. And then the other location is a 707 Whitlock Um Avenue in Marietta, um, and that's building D34. Um, so um it's a wonderful collaboration with um Happy Camp for Plate Therapy. So if you're looking for a plate therapist, um they're there and we'll have occupational and speech therapy there very soon. Um uh as far as uh starting dates, we're hoping uh late December. Uh I know that's around Christmas time, so it's a little tricky. We may uh have to push until January, but it's um it's been a beautiful process. Um uh outside of that, you can reach out to me directly at Aaron at Rising Growth Therapy.com. Um, and feel free to schedule a visit. We have the space, so I'd love to have people over.
SPEAKER_00:Awesome. Well, thank you so much for uh sharing about your business and your journey, and I'll leave um some information in the show notes so people can find your website and things like that. But uh thanks again so much for being on the podcast, Aaron. I appreciate it.