Jason Waz’s Journey From Struggling Clinic Owner to Building the Clinic of the Future

[The following article is a message from Jason Waz to physical therapy owners who are currently in the whirlwind of practice ownership and aren’t sure what to grab ahold of to find level ground.] 

Too many physical therapy owners I meet are overwhelmed with their business.

Whether it’s their patients, their reimbursements, their staff, their revenue, etc., they just aren’t sure what to tackle first. 

They look to successful owners who are booked solid and adding new staff and programs regularly and assume they just caught a lucky break. 

Well, I’m here to tell you that success doesn’t just happen - it comes from taking the right action - visualizing and prioritizing success and then making that part of your DNA. And if I hadn’t figured that out several years ago, I would be broke.

How I Hope This Can Help Practice Owners

They say that “how you do one thing is how you do everything.” So, if your mindset shifts to investing in yourself, it will reward your business, your patients and your future. 

And that’s where I hope this article can help.

To give some perspective, let’s start at the current day. Today, I run NeuPTtech to pay it forward with what I have learned as a practice owner in Tampa, FL.

When I founded NeuPTtech, I did so with a clear mission: To help other physical therapy practice owners overcome the same challenges I faced and to revolutionize the physical therapy industry with cutting-edge technology. 

Our MVP Coaching Program that is currently adding rocket fuel to practices all over the country was a response to many clinic owners asking me, “How do I run a successful, forward thinking clinic?” 

After reflecting on my own journey the past 27 years working in the physical therapy industry, I moved beyond just helping PTs bring essential tech into their patient programs and developed a coaching option for clinic owners who want to leverage the right business models, staffing solutions, technology programs and more to scale their practices and finally achieve the allusive concept of being the visionary of your clinic rather than the day-to-day therapist.

Three Steps That Transformed My Physical Therapy Clinic

Back in 2017, I was circling rock bottom. I was buried in debt, my credit cards were maxed out and I had a young family to support. 

My practice, Competitive Edge Physical Therapy, was hanging by a thread and I didn’t know how I would make payroll each month. My current COO was the only other therapist at the time and she would graciously wait 3-4 weeks for her paycheck so I could rob Peter to pay Paul shifting money around. Every month!

In a desperate bid to save my business, I borrowed $25,000 from a patient with nothing more than an IOU.

With that money, I did three things that changed everything:

1. 1. I hired Brian Gallagher from MEG Business as my business coach. With his advice, I realized I was spending more time working in my business rather than on his business. The idea of a future where I could be proactive rather than reactive lit a fire inside me!
      
      
   2. I bought our first NEUBIE device. After doing research and taking it for a test run with friends, family and patients, I was the first practitioner to bring the NEUBIE into my programs. With the addition of the NEUBIE, my clinicians were able to assess and treat people based on the capacity of their nervous system. Rather than guessing at a treatment plan, we could target the dysfunction with 100% accuracy and tailor the treatment to each individual’s limitations and goals. 
      
      
   3. I adopted a rigorous accountability system for my team and myself. I used principles from “The 4 Disciplines of Execution”, vowing to never, ever be surprised about the money that I needed to live on and grow my business. I talk about this at length in this podcast interview. 

The rest is history.

Those steps started a mindset shift that began to influence my actions against the outcomes I envisioned, which very quickly transformed my practice in powerful ways. 

If you want to dive deeper into my story, I cover this in depth in two recent podcasts:

Achieving Success in My Physical Therapy Business

By the end of 2018, I was debt-free, had paid back my patient and was experiencing very exciting results as I scaled my practice, doubling its size and scope. By the next year, I had doubled it again - a year after that, it doubled again! If you’re keeping track, we doubled 3 times in 4 years!

Now in 2024, my practice continues to grow. Competitive Edge Physical Therapy has even developed a reputation in the field as a center of clinical excellence and has been recognized as one of the fastest-growing businesses in the University of Florida alumni community. 

To this day, my staff and I continue to attend coaching programs and even work alongside Darren Hardy, a world-renowned business coach, so that we can become better today than we were yesterday. 

All of this coaching is not just to further our own goals and vision, but also to provide other practice owners with the very same framework I used to dig out of holes, avoid pitfalls and learn and grow together. 

How MVP Coaching Provides REAL Solutions for Clinic Owners

The MVP Coaching Program was born out of my experience and the realization that many practice owners face similar struggles. What makes our coaching unique is that it’s designed by physical therapists for physical therapists to solve the key operational and programmatic issues that are limiting your success. 

We understand the real-world challenges because we’re living them, and we’ve developed practical, tech-forward programs, protocols and solutions that work.

Our program isn’t about abstract theories or generic business advice. It’s about:

• Leveraging Technology: We integrate advanced technologies like the NEUBIE device and Winback Therapy to enhance patient care and operational efficiency. These tools are not only cutting-edge but also have been proven to drive results within my own practice.
• Hands-On Coaching: Our coaching isn’t just instructional; it’s transformational. We provide one-on-one guidance tailored to your specific needs, coupled with the accountability to help you implement systems that foster action and sustainable growth.
• Real-World Applications: Everything we teach is grounded in the realities of running a physical therapy practice. From improving patient outcomes to retaining staff to streamlining operations, our strategies are tried and tested in our own practices.

About NeuPTtech’s Physical Therapy Coaching Program 

Our MVP Program is about more than just surviving; it’s about thriving. It’s about equipping you with the tools, knowledge and confidence to take your practice to the next level. When you join our program, you’re not just getting a coach; you’re getting a partner who’s been in the trenches and knows what it takes to succeed.

We focus on solving the real problems that keep practice owners up at night:

• Cash Flow Management: We help you develop financial strategies, such as increasing your cash-based income, to ensure you never have to worry about making payroll again.
• Operational Efficiency: We provide standard operating procedures and systems that streamline your physical therapy business, freeing up your time to focus on what matters most—your patients.
• Growth and Expansion: Whether you’re looking to scale your practice or simply stabilize your operations, we give you the roadmap to achieve your goals.

Create a Thriving Physical Therapy Practice with NeuPTtech

Listen, I hear you on your cash flow issue. Your staffing headache. Your insurance woes. Your competitor’s marketing.

I’ve certainly lived it too. 

But I don’t accept it as your ending. And you shouldn’t either.

Another quote that always gives me pause is from the book “Who Not How” by Dan Sullivan: “The definition of hell is: Your last day on Earth, the person you became meets the person you could have become.”

We have so much more within us if we just take ACTION against our goals.

I’ve lived the highs and lows of running a physical therapy practice, and I’ve built NeuPTtech’s MVP Program to be the lifeline I wish I had back in 2017. If you’re ready to stop saying “one day” and start saying “DAY ONE,” I’m here to help you every step of the way. Get out of the “I can’t afford it” mindset and start taking action to run the practice that ignites your passion, serves your goals and rewrites a whole new future for your family.

Let’s transform your practice together. To sign up or learn more about how the MVP Coaching Program can work for you, visit https://neupttech.com/mvp-program.