Founder Profile - Courtney James, PT Prehab
Crisilid is excited to be launching its Founder Profile interview series to spread the work of inspiring entrepreneurs taking on new challenges.
Our first Founder Profile is on Courtney James, founder of PT Prehab.
Q1. Please tell us a little about yourself.
A. Growing up, playing basketball was my life. Starting back in High School, I was looking to pursue an occupation which encompassed my passions: nutrition, psychology, and movement health. That’s when I found Physical Therapy (PT).
While earning my Doctorate in PT, I had the opportunity to teach Anatomy and Physiology to Undergraduates. I learned that having a deep understanding of body structures and their inner workings gives you the power to understand what is happening within your body. This foundation of knowledge helped me to become great at understanding what others are feeling / experiencing within their own bodies (and I continue to teach A&P at both Curry College and Regis College).
After earning my Degree in 2019 from the University of Scranton, I moved back home to Boston and began working in the outpatient orthopedic setting. It was here that I noticed barriers to access for many patients who could benefit from PT but had a high co-pay, lack of insurance, busy schedules, etc. Additionally, and most importantly, I noticed a disconnect in patient understanding about the benefits that PT can provide. Physical therapy isn’t only a service people should access if they are in current pain, it can be beneficial before they have pain or even if they want to work on their body’s movement health in general. It was from recognizing these barriers that my idea for PT Prehab was born.
Q2. What does your business do?
A. PT Prehab provides affordable, cash-based, Telehealth Physical Therapy Services to the everyday person from the comfort of your own home. We advocate for proactive care of musculoskeletal and women’s (pelvic floor) health. Our services are similar to those of in-person Physical Therapy including musculoskeletal evaluations and follow-up appointments, injury-prevention training, and personalized home exercise programs. All clients receive access to our HIPAA-compliant portal where they can communicate directly with their Physical Therapist, view their home exercise programs and log into their virtual sessions via webpage or App.
At PT Prehab, we use an individualistic approach by carefully discussing how your body is feeling, assessing your movement health, and then coming up with a personalized plan. While we all share the same anatomy, everyone’s movement health is vastly different depending on previous experience, current habits, and future goals. We believe that your treatment plan should be straightforward and personalized to your needs and goals whether that is a stronger pelvic floor, return to running, or improving your posture, or beyond, the options are endless.
Q3. What motivated you to start this company?
A. From being a patient myself to a provider on the other side, I see full circle where the disconnect lies between receiving quality care and providing quality services.
As a patient, it is confusing what provider to see (and when), how much it will cost you (even with insurance), how you’re going to find the time (most appointments available in the middle of a workday), and where to even start this process!
As a provider, my time was limited. I was under pressure to bill certain units per insurance reimbursement, scheduling made it difficult to see patients at the right consistency, and I wanted more for my patient’s outcomes!
I found all these barriers frustrating because I know what value Physical Therapy can provide. This frustration turned into motivation for me as it motivated me to envision what a solution could look like.
On a mid-pandemic walk through Cambridge I began to solidify my business plan to provide virtual cash-based PT services. My vision was to create a company where clients could receive affordable Physical Therapy services using the equipment that they have right at home. Additionally, I wanted to create a company where we did not only focus on rehab from an injury, but injury prevention as well (“prehabilitation”). It took time and multiple iterations, but with the help of a talented support system, PT Prehab was born.
Q4. What is something you wish you knew before you started this business?
A. Patience…a more realistic understanding of time.
If you go online and look up entrepreneurial stories, you will find the startup fairytales of those that achieved quick success OR you’ll find a story about a wildly successful company and the story behind the hustle it took to get started is just a brief mention.
The moment after you officially “launch” your company there is HUGE excitement; from just an idea to fruition, your vision is finally here. Whether you spent 1 year or 5 years building the infrastructure of the business, the time it took to build can seem like endeavor enough.
Now you’ve hit “launch” and you recognize areas that need improvement, you address these and refine (this cycle should never end). At the same time, you launch your marketing plan, your sales strategy, your business acumen. Suddenly the building of the business seems glamorous in comparison; you realize you are in the true grind and it requires daily motivation to keep improving and building.
What I think is often overlooked about this progression is just how much time the phase of scaling your business can take (and I don’t mean the day-to-day time because we can anticipate that). I am describing the months, the years, the persistence…the PATIENCE it takes to show up every day trusting that you are building something bigger.
As an owner, the reason I think patience can be so tough is that we believe strongly in our business and want everyone to know about it as of yesterday AND we want our business to succeed.
While this drive can become a huge motivator, it can also become discouraging if you don’t see the kind of immediate growth you were hoping for. This is where I had to reform my understanding of patience and time. I can’t expect for a business to grow exponentially overnight, but I can focus on all of the amazing things we are already accomplishing, many of which weren’t even on my radar a year ago, or all of the clients that have already benefitted from our services who might not have received care otherwise. The reality is that it takes years to build organic growth, it’s important to put time into it and enjoy the journey!
Q5. What is your biggest goal for the next year?
A. We have quite a few goals brewing! Over the next year, we aim to ramp up our community involvement including partnering with like-minded professionals and businesses. Starting Spring 2022, we plan to be more present through hosting workshops at local businesses or gyms. Additionally, in the next year, we plan to take part in community events such as Wellness in the Park days featuring exercise classes, nutrition, health professionals, etc.
Q6. What advice would you give to someone thinking about starting a new business?
A. You don’t need to know how to do everything, but you do need to know yourself well enough to assess what your strengths / weaknesses are. By knowing where the gaps are, you can then seek the complimentary expertise or education. For a personal example, I didn’t know where to begin with the legal aspect of starting a business (nor legalities we have encountered on the way) – that’s where Nancy’s tremendous expertise comes in! (Note, we are very grateful for Courtney’s unsolicited and kind endorsement!)
On this note, one of the great things about having your own business is all the skills you will acquire. I have taught myself photoshop, social media marketing, sales, key business metrics to measure, etc. A lot of these skills I acquired through consistently rolling up my sleeves and others from reading books on the subject or listening to Podcasts…there is a lot of helpful information out there if you seek it!
If you have questions or would like to learn more about PT Prehab, you can contact PT Prehab here. PT Prehab has excellent and informative content on its social media channels. You can find it on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Some of the answers provided were edited for clarity.
