Scaling a Successful Cash Practice in a Small Town with Dr. Mary Bengoa

[00:00:00] Hey, welcome back to The Aaron LeBauer Show. My name is Dr. Aaron LeBauer and today I have a very special guest, Mary Bengoa. Mary is a physical therapist and cash practice owner from Battle Mountain, Nevada, population 4187. So for all of those of you listening who think your town is too small, make sure you DM me if your town is smaller. We'll give you a plan. But anyways, Mary, thank you for coming on the show today. I really appreciate you taking the time out.

[00:00:30] Yeah, I'm glad to be here and hope I can help you and your listeners. Yeah, absolutely. It's been a little while since I've done an interview. I used to do a lot more, but I have kind of a flow of questions I like to ask. The first one is really like, how did you get into PT and did you ever think you were going to own your own practice when you got started?

[00:00:54] So I actually hurt my knee when I was in high school playing basketball and struggled with it getting well for several years. And I thought I wanted to go into sports medicine type of field. And when I ended up having surgery, I went to an athletic trainer at Boise State who set me up with a home program. I lived on a ranch out in the middle of nowhere. And so there was no PT to go see. So he set me up with some things to work on.

[00:01:23] And during my interaction with him, he asked what I was interested in. And I told him a little bit about my story. And he said, hey, you know, you ought to really think about physical therapy. You can do sports within that and you don't have to be gone on the weekends all the time if you're somebody who wants to have kids and family and all that stuff. And so he sort of changed my trajectory at that point. And as I finished high school, I did an internship with a physical therapy office and loved it. And so then I went off to school.

[00:01:53] I went to Boise State on a rodeo scholarship. And while I was there, I worked at the VA hospital and that turned into something that I did not like for a while. I thought about switching to be an orthopedic doctor at that point because of just the situation at the VA hospital and the mental struggles. And I watched a total knee replacement and said, never mind. I want to talk to people and I want to help them while they're awake.

[00:02:22] And so that got me redirected back to PT. Wow. Right on. Was it the like, what was the hardest part? Like the working in the hospital? Like, was it the patients not getting I mean, my experience with that was working on oncology floor and that was tough for its own reasons. Like, what was the things that were the hardest part for you? It was a very dark environment.

[00:02:47] And I think it takes a little while to adjust to the mental status there with the PTSD that so many of them had. And we worked a lot with amputees and double amputees and those sorts of things. And so their struggles were pretty harsh. Yeah. And I got pretty attached to a few of them who were pretty hardcore kind of people. And you finally get kind of connected with them. And one of them convinced us he was doing much better, went home and he killed himself.

[00:03:17] And that was really hard for me to feel like you get invested in people and think that you're helping. And maybe we helped him hurt himself. And so that took me a bit to realize that that wasn't on me, that we did the best we could. But it did kind of change my outlook for a while. Yeah, that's tough.

[00:03:40] Looking back, what was the lesson for you about that or from that experience? I think I had a couple other people who were very successful. So I had this man who was in his 80s and he ended up being a double amputee. He was a prisoner of war in World War II. He was just an incredible person. And he had an amazing wife. And he wanted to get back to doing his own yard work.

[00:04:06] And so here we had him working on two prosthetic legs and got him back. And he was one of the most positive, encouraging people I'd ever been around. And so to see the other side of what is possible, I think kind of turned around my perspective. Yeah, that's big. Yeah, I mean, I can still picture the people that I worked with in oncology that didn't make it past the weekend. I mean, there's three or four people. And I was like, this isn't for Aaron.

[00:04:35] I was like, I just can't. Someone's else got to do it. But I couldn't handle it. It was like too much. So from there, like PT school, right? And you get out and you just go right into orthopedics. Did you, was there something else that happened along the way to get you there that kind of shaped your career? Like what you wanted to do? For sure. I think life always redirects us. We have a passage that goes a lot of different directions.

[00:05:02] So I love kids and I thought I wanted to do pediatrics. And so I did one of my rotations in pediatrics and I was exhausted mentally, physically, emotionally. It wiped me out. There was just too much. They were, they were pretty severely involved kids. Excuse me. And a lot of them had families that did not do any of the follow-up work with them at home. Didn't take them to the doctors. Didn't put them in the braces they needed.

[00:05:30] And it became something I was very aware of that this was going to be too hard for me emotionally to handle. And I always had the love for the sports stuff. And so I ended up being very lucky, actually. My husband stayed in Winnemucca, Nevada while I went away to PT school. And so we would travel to see each other about once a month. But as soon as I got done with my academic side, I tried to get closer to home to do my rotation.

[00:06:00] So I actually had a cousin of his that was married to a PT who brought me on for an internship. I actually had to beg because he doesn't like taking interns. Anyway, he brought me on and let me practice for him doing my internship on my last rotation at a hospital in Battle Mountain, Nevada. And it was the greatest experience for me.

[00:06:24] He was so good at teaching me so many things, not just about how to treat patients, but, you know, that you can't help everyone. And that there are some people who don't want to get well and some of those things that me, I was a very soft person and would take everything very personally. And so he kind of helped me through all that. But I love the setting. We worked in the hospital. So we took care of the long-term care residents. We took care of ER patients. We took care of acute patients. We did wound care.

[00:06:53] We did orthopedics, but we saw people from babies to till they died in their hundreds. And so I got just a huge range of experience and got to know a ton of people and just kind of fell in love with PT and the variety of getting to do something different every day and not knowing what's coming in your door. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. That's great. What? Let's see. So I think, you know what?

[00:07:20] I want to ask you about my brain is like, I don't want to know about the rodeo. So what was your, did you do barrel racing, something else? I mean, like, I don't know. What'd you do in the road? What'd you do in the rodeo? And I mean, I didn't know that about you. That's cool. I want to hear more. And then I'll get back into the interesting things. Okay. No worries. Uh, yeah, I grew up on a ranch. And so I was horseback my entire youth pretty much. And, um, I loved everything about it.

[00:07:48] So I showed horses through 4-H did horsemanship, did, um, like cow working and dry working and that sort of thing. And then, um, I rodeoed and I did rail racing, pole bending, breakaway roping, and team roping, um, were my events. So pole bending is similar to barrels in that it's, it's a specific pattern that you do. Um, and we didn't grow up with a ton of money.

[00:08:12] And so my dad is very talented in recognizing potential in horses and he found a good deal on something pretty young. And so I started when I was in seventh grade training my own, um, horse to do barrels and poles with. Um, and, um, my freshman year, we had a horrible year running away and making awful runs. And my sophomore year, we made it back to, um, silver state international, um, rodeo.

[00:08:41] And then by my junior year, I was, um, able to compete at nationals and actually qualify for the final round. And so, um, that was pretty cool. And then, uh, senior year, my horse, um, that I trained actually died right before state. And so that kind of ruined things for me. And I called rodeo for just the first year and I knew I wanted to get into PT school. There was a lot of travel involved and, um, it wasn't a real supportive team there. And so I ended up kind of letting it go.

[00:09:09] So since then I've just kept up with, uh, branding cattle at my parents' ranch and riding for fun, but not competitively. Yeah. Cool. That's neat. That's a neat story. I did some horse back riding recently and I was like, I've done some in the past, but the horse wasn't very responsive to, to my directions. And that was a little unnerving. I was like, why? Cause I'm usually all the things I ride, I hold on with my hands, like motorcycles, bicycles. I'm like, I could usually control it with my hands. I can't control this thing with my hands apparently.

[00:09:37] Um, that's funny. So, um, one thing I want to, I want to check in on, um, you said, uh, in PT school, you lived away from, you went to school out of town away from your husband. And how'd you guys manage that? I mean, I had to do something similar, but not the whole time. I'd love to know, like, how'd you guys manage it? And, you know, what were some of the things, like if you were going to, you know, you know, maybe share some advice with some of these younger PTs or people are getting into school

[00:10:05] or spending time apart, like what would be one or two things that, um, you're, that you've learned from your experience? Well, I was lucky because he was very supportive of me going to school and he was good about saying, okay, you go do what you need to do. And I'm going to do what I'm doing. Um, and then we just made it a priority to try and see each other at least once a month. And luckily phone calls help a lot.

[00:10:30] Um, my mom actually got diagnosed with cancer right before I went to PT school. And so I was actually going to go to Montana to school was my first choice. And, um, I got in there right away and it was just seemed like a perfect fit. And then she was going to be going through chemo and radiation. I had a little brother who was 10 years old and I wanted to be able to be home when they needed me, if they needed me.

[00:10:57] Um, and so my husband stayed where my parents were at and then I made sure and came home, you know, as often as I could. And sometimes it was every couple of weeks, but, um, oftentimes he'd come and see me every, you know, at a two week session. And then I would come see him in a two week session. So at least twice a month, we get to see each other and I get to see my family that once a month to kind of stay connected. So I think it was just respecting what everybody was doing and being supportive of that.

[00:11:23] Um, so I just got lucky and got the right person that was willing to do that and wait for me. That's awesome. So how does that, um, I mean, I know that may skip ahead a little bit, but you've got your own business. It's not easy. I mean, he's clearly been supportive of you doing, uh, of opening the business. I think, um, so maybe let me kind of back up and say you started your business, right? And, um, how did that decision come about?

[00:11:53] Like you're in a small town, right? You're working, I think you were working at the hospital, right? Yeah. Or, you know, and it was like, all of a sudden you're like, I got to start my own business. Like what changed, what happened and how'd that kind of, um, like how'd that all come about? So it was kind of a process. I worked at the hospital for 21 years before I left. So, um, when I went to work there within the first few years, my boss was like, you know,

[00:12:19] I want to make you the manager and, um, you're doing great and I'm going to kind of hand things over. And he was very good at delegating and handing stuff off. And I was all for jumping in and doing what I could. And, um, then that plan was developing that he was going to retire, um, in the next few years. And then I would take over, um, his contract cause it was a contract with the hospital. And so that had kind of stayed the plan, but he kept saying, you know, I don't think I'm ready this year. I need one more year.

[00:12:48] I don't think I'm ready type of thing. Um, and so that process got drawn out till we were 21 years in. And at that point when he was going to leave, I wasn't feeling very secure in if the administration was going to want to carry on with a contract, like what he had had, or if it was going to be something where they said, you know, we want to take over the department and I want you to be my employee. And I kind of got spoiled working for him as a contractor because we had a hay farm and

[00:13:18] I could say, Hey, um, the hay is ready and I'm going to have to leave two hours early today, or I'm going to have to take Fridays off for the month of June to do these things. So I had that flexibility. And when my kids had plays or they were in sports, I could always mark out my half day and make sure that I got to all of those things. And so I knew in my mind, I didn't really want to be an employee, um, for someone else. And after doing 21 years already, I felt like, you know, I'm not really in the point where

[00:13:46] I'm going to get a good retirement out of working for a County hospital, um, necessarily. And maybe I would be there long enough, but, um, I just had always dreamed that it was going to be mine and it came with a lot of restrictions. And so at that point I knew I wanted some freedom, um, in what my practice was going to be like. And they talked to my family and said, look, you know, you guys are going to have to not be as spoiled as far as me having time necessarily for a little while.

[00:14:15] And maybe my income is not going to be as good, but long-term my goal is to just have as much time with my family as I can and still do the job that I want to do and do it well. And so they pretty much told me it's time. You've been waiting long enough. You better get in. You're not getting any younger. So they pretty much told me I needed to get going on it. Yeah. Right. Yeah. Um, I mean, to be fair, I'm 51, right? Uh, I'm going to ask you. You started yours a long time ago though.

[00:14:45] I know. I, I, I started, I started my PT clinic when I was 36, but I think there's other people that come out and they're like, Oh, I'm too old. Or I've been in this too long. Or maybe they just been doing the same thing. You know, one way for 21 years, you got to learn something new. Um, and then, uh, I mean, how did you kind of, were some of these things like natural to you or like, how'd you kind of get over the fact that, you know, your back doesn't hurt just because you're older and your business can grow because it doesn't matter.

[00:15:15] You know, my point is it didn't really matter your age, but some people are like, the longer I've been in it, the more salty I become. I don't want to do something new. Like how'd you get past that? Or was that never an issue for you? Uh, I've always loved seeing patients. I just do get a lot of joy out of that. And I want to keep doing that. And when things started changing, where decisions needed to be made at the hospital, when I started talking to my family about it, I started praying a lot about, you know, what direction is it that I'm supposed to be going?

[00:15:44] And, um, please let me know. I'm going to trust what you tell me and some weird things happen. And I don't know if you want to hear the details of those things, but those are, uh, things that kind of made me know in my gut, it was the right thing to do, whether my mind agreed with it or not. And so, um, because of that, when times get hard and I think, gosh, it would be so much easier to just show up at work and see patients and walk away.

[00:16:11] Um, there was that part of me that's reminded that I think God put me on this path and, uh, sometimes I don't understand it, but I work my hardest to do whatever I think he's expecting of me and somehow it all works out. Yeah. Yeah. That's awesome. You know, I think that, I think one of the things is like you had a vision for what you wanted and I think a lot of people don't, it's not that clear. How did, was that, did that come to you? Did you work for that? Did you and your husband or family talk through some of those things?

[00:16:40] Well, honestly, um, until I saw your cash PT blueprint, right? Blueprint was the first thing. Um, and I started watching your videos. There had been a part of me that actually had asked at work, like, can we figure out a way to do some cash PT mixed in with this insurance? Because it's a small town and we know tons of people and they would always call and be like, Hey, I put my rib out. Hey, my pelvis is killing me. Can you just fit me? And they don't want to take time to go to the doctor and get the order and wait for all

[00:17:10] the steps, you know? And so I had mentioned that I wanted to do that because what would happen, um, would be that we would end up just seeing people for free, like, Oh yeah, come in and I'll give you 15 minutes or whatever. Um, and so I had mentioned that, which didn't really go over well admin wise. Um, and so it never really happened, but I did see the pattern of, from the time my career started to where I was at 21 years later, we were seeing so many more people.

[00:17:40] And I never wanted to turn anyone away. Like I'm going to help everybody I can. And if they're dying today, then I'm going to fit you in. But pretty soon you're almost like that hamster on the treadmill, just running ragged, trying to make sure you take care of everybody. But then what I could give them wasn't, was not as good as what I could give them if I had more time. And so I went towards that cash thing, um, trying to see if I could find a way to be accessible to people whenever they wanted care.

[00:18:10] And also half the time that I could really help them because I was recognizing that I give somebody a tune up and put their rib in, but then two weeks later, their ribs back out and we're never addressing the root of the problem. And so, um, that was part of it. And the other part was sometimes through insurance based practice, you know, you're getting people who are referred there that they have to go through you to get their MRI, or they have to go through you to get their pain meds or whatever. And so they're doing it because they have to, not because they want to.

[00:18:40] And then their actions of taking care of themselves and their responsibility for it is not there. And so at some point it's exhausting to work on people who are just going through the motions. Um, and I didn't want that anymore. Yeah. Cause you're putting out a lot of energy and they're not matching it or even coming halfway. They're just like, I'm just sure. Yeah. Give us a little picture about what's your practice like now. How many, what's your like week? Like how many visits patients do you see?

[00:19:08] Um, you know, what kinds of people are you seeing? What's the, I think if you've got an employee with on board as well, like how many people are they seeing? Like what's, what does it look like today if we just like dropped in your practice? So now, um, I worked still five days a week. Um, but I try and have at least half day, if not one full day for admin. Um, and I'm seeing around 25 people per week on my own, um, or what I would call 25 people

[00:19:38] because I do do half hour visits. So I count two half hours as a, as a one person. Um, and I brought Jordan on board actually one year, pretty much. Exactly. From the time I started my practice, she had worked with me as an aid and then as a PT prior. And we had a great relationship and kind of have similar goals and missions. And so she's fit very well into this practice, but she's working, um, three days a week for

[00:20:05] five hour shifts, um, seeing patients and she's seeing 10 to 15 patients a week, um, on her side. And so that's worked out really well. Um, and then we both spend a lot of time outside of that working on our social media posts and really, um, our practice is kind of evolving. So her niche has become more of the health and wellness side. And we've, um, really promoted the FMS, um, program and had some really good takers on that.

[00:20:35] And so now we're developing a little bit more, um, that side of the practice for her. She's got a great nutrition background and, um, we're looking into using the Simeo app and trainerizing some of those things to do more of a health and wellness thing, to expand our reach and, and do more prevention type of stuff. And so we're changing our practice a bit on her side of developing what we offer.

[00:20:59] And then on my side, um, I still kind of, um, like the rib specialist, pelvis specialist. I do a lot of neck and back stuff, um, or my general population. I am developing pelvic health skills and I've got a few people that are coming in for that. I go in February for another level of training in that. And so I'm pretty excited that I feel like rural Nevada is very, very underserved that way. And so I'm adding that into my services.

[00:21:27] And I think that that's gonna be able to help a lot of people. Um, I still do contract for the school system. And so I see kids every other Wednesday, um, for about three hours through the school district. And that ends up being more kind of a community service type of project than, um, really a successful piece of my business. But I run into all the teachers and the administrators and all those things.

[00:21:53] And so I feel like in another way, it's word of mouth and being top of mind and all of those things too. And so, um, I wouldn't say that as a business decision, it's a good decision, but, um, it's just kind of who I am that I haven't learned to let go of some of those community things, even if they're not super lucrative. I remember when we first hopped on a call and chatted about what you wanted, you were like, I don't want to give that up. And I still want to like serve everybody in the community.

[00:22:20] Um, do you guys have like, what, like, what are you doing right now? Do you have any other programs? Like, let's say someone comes in, like, you know, you said you want to help everyone. Like, do you have like sliding scale? Do you have different kinds of programs or something? If someone comes in, uh, that needs something that, you know, people might not think, oh, they can't pay money for cash. You know, what, what kind of other things are you doing besides that? Is there anything? Sure. Well, um, we're, we're pretty flexible.

[00:22:47] We find a way if somebody really needs us, we find a way to make it happen. Um, whether it's trading for their canned goods or having you come and fix my roof or things like that. Um, we're always willing to help people, but I also feel confident in the other therapists that are at the hospital. And so if it's really, truly a financial issue and they need more frequency and more care in that way, then I always am saying, Hey, go see Mike.

[00:23:17] And, um, and I call Mike ahead and say, Hey, you know, this person really needs more therapy than what they can afford and I can't afford to do it all for free. And so we work well together and just kind of communicate what people's needs are. And so we can find a way, but, um, we do tell people who are in that situation. Oftentimes, you know, I'm going to see you and it might be for 50 bucks instead of $200. Um, but I want you to do your stuff at home consistently and, you know, kind of make sure

[00:23:45] that we give them the right guidance. They might not get as much one-on-one care, but we kind of stick with them and make sure that they're getting what they need. And if it's not working, then make sure that they get into the hospital where they can use their insurances or whatever it is that needs to happen. So, yeah, I think like, you know, people, people say, and when I expose myself, do a lot of criticism. Just by doing what I do, but they're like, oh, Aaron, you know, people can't afford it X, Y, and Z. And some of my best clients have been farmers, you know, or, you know, farm workers or people

[00:24:15] that are laborers and use their body. Um, you know, like I had a farmer who he's like, I can't turn my neck. Like he can't drive his tractor because he usually goes like, I think he would go like down and then backwards. He's like, I got to be able to turn. And he couldn't do it. So it's kept him from, you know, harvest. And he was like, I did everything I said, didn't, you know, had no issues with what we charged or anything like that. And then I get the people that drive up and, you know, really nice cars.

[00:24:42] And they're, they complain about, you know, me charging them a no show fee when they were, you know, late three times in a row, you know, have you had like similar experience? Cause you're in more for, I mean, I I'm near the NASCAR hall of fame, but you know, like you're like more remote, different area of the country. Are you having, do you have a similar experience with, um, patients or what people value and why they choose to come see you guys? Yeah. And I think that, you know, I have people who are like dishwashers who will save all

[00:25:12] months to be able to come in and see me. And they don't act like it's a sacrifice for them. They tell me, Oh, thank you so much. You listened to me, care about me. Like, I feel like that connection with people makes them understand that their time with you is valuable. And, you know, as part of our practice, we never want to make somebody feel bad or like they're taking advantage of us. So I recognize those people and I'm going to be sure and give them a discounted fee or whatever I feel like is appropriate at the time, depending on what we can afford.

[00:25:42] Um, because I don't know at the end of the day, if you just always do the right thing, then somehow the rest works itself out. And, um, you know, people say good things about you and they, they tell their friends to go see you when you do those things, when they know that you actually care. And despite their situation, you took time to try and help them. And so that's just how we try and live. And like I said, it might not be as lucrative as some offices, but at the end of the day,

[00:26:08] I just want to be able to be happy about how I spent the day and the choices I made. Yeah, absolutely. And like, I mean, it's not, not lucrative what you're doing. I know that you guys are doing really well. Um, you've had a lot of success. Would you say, I mean, and you've been a PT for 21 years or so, right? Like, but there's new people that come out and they can do it too. But so I get these objections. You're like, oh, Aaron, I'm too old to start a practice. And then we were like, I don't have enough experience. I don't have enough.

[00:26:36] There's always a thing. So I would break that down now. Like if someone is, I know you've seen people a year out of PT school do really well. Like if someone's coming out and they're like, I don't have enough experience to get people good results. Like what are the one or two like clinical pearls or things that you might have to share with them so that they can, you know, do what you're doing too. So on that, I would just say that none of us know everything. We're all still learning or we should be if we're not, you know?

[00:27:06] And so I think there's nothing wrong with putting yourself out there and just showing the patient that you care about them and that you listen to what their complaints are and then not being afraid to reach out to, you know, other PTs and ask for advice and information doing lots of con ed. There's tons of resources now on YouTube and on, you know, anywhere that we didn't have when we first got out of PT school. It was a lot more going to a book and trying to find it.

[00:27:34] And, um, anyway, but, and that was kind of for me working in a rural place. When you see anything that can walk through your door, you're never completely prepared because you would be shocked what would come through our door, you know? And we had a doctor that was from, um, Africa and another one that was from Australia. And he's, they both said, you know, we've worked, worked in these huge cities and we've never seen the variety of, um, problems that people come to us through these doors.

[00:28:02] And so, you know, I can't say that I was a hundred percent great at anything that I did, but I learned a lot about everything when I was in that situation. And it was because it was pretty much trial by fire. They had nowhere else to go. And I was the PT. And so you do what you do. You got to figure out what's wrong with them. You got to figure out how to help them. And if you don't know the answers, you have to go looking. So I feel like, um, you know, there's always somebody willing to help guide you as a new

[00:28:31] PT or even as an old PT. Like I, I reach out my, I'm doing pelvic health and I have a friend that is in Salt Lake that's done women's health for a long time. And I've called her and said, can I FaceTime you? Can we do an appointment? You know, this way. And my patient felt so encouraged that she got like a true expert expert. I learned a lot. She's getting better. Or like you just use whatever resources you can find. And, and, uh, as long as you help people, they're going to come to you, whether you're

[00:28:59] brand new or your middle career or you're in a career. Right. No, I, I totally agree. I think that's great. Thank you. So Mary, you about a year and a half ago, you decided to start your practice. I know you enrolled in the cash PD blueprint and we're working through that. What was the, um, what was like the next like roadblock or challenge or obstacle that like you encountered where you're like, all right, I need to go. I need to go faster. I need some more help.

[00:29:26] Cause then, cause you had at some point a month or so later, um, joined us in our mastermind group. Like what were you experiencing that time where you felt like you could just use a little bit more assistance or help or had questions? So I looked at the blueprint before I decided to leave my job and start the practice. And then I actually, when I decided I was going to start the practice and rented the space and all of that, then I joined the mastermind cause I wanted more guidance.

[00:29:55] So I'm the type of person that I'm not afraid of the work, but I'm afraid of not knowing what the steps are. And so that was a clear path for me to know that there was somebody there to kind of tell me what the steps were. And when I wasn't sure what to do, how to go forward. And so, um, yeah, once I decided to go ahead and go out on my own, then I joined the mastermind, um, actually about three weeks before I started my practice.

[00:30:25] So I felt like they had the skills to, to do it correctly. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. I remember at that time we were, we were on a call and you were like, Hey, Aaron, like as one of your goals, it was like build a, I think it was like build a ranch out or buy some land, build a ranch house. Um, what was the, what was the goal then? And, and what have you got there and what does it look like right now? Cause we've only touched on it.

[00:30:49] So yeah, my husband and I pretty much have, um, just blown up our whole life in the last few years. So we, um, bought a farm and ran that farm for almost 17 years, um, while both of us were working full-time jobs. So in May of 2022, we sold that farm. It was just getting to be too much, um, work for us to do that and keep our regular jobs and stuff.

[00:31:15] And so at that point there was really nowhere that we wanted to go because we both grew up on ranches out in the middle of nowhere and we wanted to have space and peace around us. And so at that point, we, when we sold the farm, we bought a hundred acres of, um, brush ground and we knew we wanted to put a house out there and a shop out there and kind of have our lifestyle, even if we didn't have the farm itself anymore. And so we did that.

[00:31:43] And then, uh, part of this practice, part of my fear of leaving my regular job was that, you know, I'd done it for so long and there's a steady paycheck and there was insurance for me and there were, we knew what to expect. So we wanted to get out to this other place and to build new buildings as, um, extremely expensive now. And so, um, there was that fear in switching to cash base that I wouldn't do well enough

[00:32:11] that we could feel secure and make that decision. So, um, we did it anyways and said somehow it will work if it's supposed to. And so last summer, um, I had met with you and we, um, decided that we're going to go ahead and sign on having a builder come and build a house for us and we should move in in the next like three weeks or so. So, um, it's kind of finally come to full circle and it's helped us get to that home, home.

[00:32:40] That's like our lifetime home for, um, for now. So, yeah, so it's kind of all fallen into place. That's really awesome. Congratulations. That's really great. Yeah. I'll send you pictures when I get it finished. It's still, they're stuck going at this week. So that's cool. And did you build, I think you, did you guys build the workshop first or cause what are you going to, didn't you say you were? Yeah. Like a separate workshop or does that come next?

[00:33:05] So, um, for our business, I would like to have a building where I'm at right now. It's a pretty tight space and there's not much privacy. And so that gets tricky, especially with the public health stuff. Um, and so there's not another great option available for rent, um, right now that we've seen, we kind of keep our eye open. But, um, my year goal next year is by then to actually maybe be able to buy some ground

[00:33:33] and start building a building so that we have the space that we want. That's really comfortable for our patients. So we're going to get settled in our own home, get my last son kind of settled at college and then, then start back on another project. So neat. Right on. So if we look back in that, like the last year and a half, Mary, what are the like two or three, like, um, big things or most important things or most helpful things that you did?

[00:34:01] Like, whether it's like business strategies, marketing, whatever, like where are the things that got you from not having a business, not having clients to having a full schedule with another PT on board? Like, what are the big, like three, like two or three biggest things that you did that, um, made the biggest difference or, um, helped you the most, or that made the biggest impact in your community? I feel like, um, showing up to the calls every week really helped because you can get

[00:34:31] so overwhelmed in the day-to-day, um, activities that you need to do just to see the patients that you're seeing that it's easy to get lost in. How am I going to keep other people coming at my door? Um, and so those weekly calls just kind of help reorient me, um, help me remember it's a business and it's not a charity because sometimes it's easy to just kind of get back into that.

[00:34:57] Oh, I'll just fit you in and we won't worry about it type of thing. And so that helped. Um, and then just listening to you and listening to all the people that showed up to the calls about what they were doing. When you don't know what's possible, you, it's hard to know how to plan. And so hearing their stories, hearing what they were doing helped kind of keep giving me direction. And, you know, like I said, like get on paths and maybe they don't end up where I thought,

[00:35:26] but they keep me moving forward. Um, keep me from feeling like I'm just going in circles type of thing. And so I think the calls were super, super helpful. Um, in the retreats, the same thing, just having those conversations with people and hearing their ideas. And actually when they're ahead of you and their business plan to just see how it's possible to get from where you're at to somewhere else. Um, those were great.

[00:35:53] I think doing that productivity planner, super, super helpful to just, cause I'm one of those people who tries to fit 50 things in a day when really five is all that will fit. So I remember Matt audio telling me, um, at the first retreat, he's like, you said, this is what you want to do. And you put three steps to it, but those three, three steps, I'll have like 10 steps each. So you're not giving yourself time.

[00:36:19] And, you know, and I was like, Oh, that's why I feel so bad about what I'm accomplishing is because I'm putting him in too big of chunks and it's not reasonable. And so I think I learned that from him to, to actually write down every detail of it. And so it's a more manageable thing that you can mark off and see you're progressing. Mm-hmm. Yeah. I, I really, when I went to PT school, I hated the functional, measurable, and timed kind of like goals. I was like, Oh, it's terrible.

[00:36:46] But when, when I, when I look at like business and people who've learned that same thing, they forget about that part. Like we have to have something that like, what's a result I can measure and what's something that's like doable in a, you know, in a week timeframe, you know, like it's like, it's like almost like doesn't click. And I'm just like, remember functional, measurable times. I haven't said that a lot, but I'm like, no, that's really what, you know, Matt was telling you is like, okay, I can do this thing, but I had, there's 10 steps to it. And each step has its own set of steps. Yes.

[00:37:16] Yes. And that way I don't set myself up for failure. Could you possibly fail at anything? Well, uh, I don't know about failure, but at the end of the day, you can be exhausted and not much checked off the list. And so to me, I need that satisfaction of knowing something got checked off the list. Right. Right. Um, Mary, if you were, uh, going to give, uh, like, like one piece of advice to someone

[00:37:42] who's getting started or working on hiring their, you know, first person somewhere in there, like, is there one thing that, uh, you think would be important for them to hear or no? Well, in getting started, just believe you can make it happen. You know, I think if you're doubting it, um, you have no confidence and then nobody has any confidence that you can do it. So believe that you can and write down steps of how you're going to get there.

[00:38:08] And then as far as hiring, I'm super blessed because I know the people that I've hired. I actually have Jordan as a PT working part-time, but I also, um, hired an admin aid person that worked with me for 11 years prior. So I knew she was a hard worker. I knew if I gave her something, she would find a way to get it done. Um, those sorts of things. And then I just recently hired another gal who was a PTA and kind of let her license go and homeschooled and things.

[00:38:38] And she contacted me right when I opened and wanted to come to work for me. And I said, you know, I don't have anything now, but I've gotten to the point where I'm kind of overwhelmed with the social media stuff and all, some of those things. And so I called her and said, look, you have the right knowledge. You're smart, you're capable. And I only have a few hours a week, but would you come and help me? And so she's started helping a little bit and the weight that she's taken off is amazing.

[00:39:04] And honestly, you just get to sit and watch people work and see how great they are at what they're doing. And it just brings me such happiness. And I see them getting to meet their own goals. And that's kind of the other part of when I started this practice. Like I felt like the people around me weren't getting to progress either. And I wanted them to be able to do that. And so I just feel like, just don't be afraid just because nobody's done it before.

[00:39:29] You can do it and just find good people to surround yourself with and they'll be successful for you. That's awesome. That's awesome. And it is like, I hear you saying like, you know, there's something about you that's, that is not only it's your pride fighting for you and your family, but it's like, how do we give other PTs and other people an amazing job and experience as well? Yeah. Yeah. Is there something like, why do you think that, I mean, just, what is it about you that, you know, like is different that these guys haven't, didn't start a practice 10 years ago?

[00:39:58] You know, like, is there a quality that you have or vision or something that you think is different? Probably a couple things. One, I care about people so much that they know I will do anything for them. And, um, so I think that I just have such a strong relationship with some of my past patients that I wanted to offer them the best and they supported me because they know that I'm sincere in that.

[00:40:28] And two, growing up on a ranch out in the middle of nowhere, um, whatever has to get done, you have to figure out how to do, there's nobody to come and rescue you. There's nobody to do it for you. There's not a lot of handholding, like, yes, your parents will support you in doing things, but if they ask you to do something, um, they have other things to do and, um, you, you kind of have to figure it out.

[00:40:52] And so I feel like that's been my greatest life lesson is being raised like that is that whatever gets put in front of you, you just know that even if it's a hard challenge, there's a way out of it and you just kind of need to go forward and follow through until you get it done. And so, um, I think that's, what's a different is just a mindset of how I was raised. Right. It was like being resourceful. Yes, absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. I didn't learn that on a farm. I learned that with a 1969 Vespa scooter.

[00:41:23] See, you still learned it. Yeah. It was like I, in San Francisco, I could take it to the shop and I got to North Carolina and I had to like figure out how to fix the thing on my own. Um, but I think you learned a better way. I mean, you know, like there's a lot more, but, you know, but I think it is, it's like you got what you, you got, you got what you got and you can make some cool things out of it where you can just look at it and go, well, we can't do anything with that. But on a farm, you actually have to do it. I didn't have to fix that scooter. I could have sold it.

[00:41:51] So I think you learned a better lesson, but it was really neat. Um, Mary, thank you so much for joining us. Um, is there anything else that I didn't ask you about that you think is important or I should ask you about? No, but I do just feel like my process with you has been super valuable and it's been such a great thing to have a guide and have, um, your support and just be able to bounce ideas off of you. And, you know, when I joined the program, I was a little like, is he really going to tell

[00:42:21] me everything or is this kind of just a way to get me to subscribe to him? But every time I needed something and asked, you went above and beyond and just sharing whatever information you had. And so I just can't tell you how much I appreciate that. And, uh, I'm grateful for what you've done to help me. Absolutely. You're, you're welcome. It's, I don't know. I, it's my pleasure. And I just have fun coaching people and they go here, Aaron, I did what you, you

[00:42:47] recommended and here's the result or it's not working the way we talked about it. Let's brainstorm it and let's make it work. And it just, you just made it work. So that was great. Right. Yes. Thank you. My oldest son was a really talented athlete. And he, uh, would say if the kids, kids would just, um, trust the coaches blindly, we'd be so much more successful, but they always want to, you know, put their input in and explain why they shouldn't do it that way.

[00:43:16] And I think same thing with you, if we could actually just kind of shut off our own, um, ideas and listen to you that yes, you can get great success. Yeah. I think there's a magic in, um, being able to make decisions and lead, but also turning that into, all right, here's this person that I trust and let me just go do it. You know, their way, the way I see that is there's two places, one in bike riding. When I used to ride bikes, I don't know, maybe you've done a horseback ride and you don't

[00:43:44] know where you are because you didn't lead it. Right. It was like, I would go in these bike rides. I wasn't leading. I knew where I was. And this was before GPS, but it's also, I see that in like, you know, I've read a lot of the Navy SEALs books. These guys are all leaders, but you have to have one person. And it's just in a way of kind of turning off the, the second guessing yourself and saying, okay, I'm not going to second guess myself. Let me just kind of go down this path and see where it leads me. And eventually we end up finding the right place, you know? And then you have to make, I can't do all your decisions for you.

[00:44:13] You got to kind of take some of them yourself. And you've certainly said, Aaron, I'm not going to raise my prices this way. We're going to do it that way. And I was like, absolutely. Let's do it. And you've done incredibly well. So I'm, I'm so like stoked to see how much, uh, your business has grown and you've grown as well. So that's really awesome. Well, thank you. Yeah, absolutely. Well, um, Mary, thanks for joining us. Hey guys, go to, um, go to Google type in, uh, battle mountain, Nevada. It's right near Elko, which I have stopped at gas for racing bikes. It's a small town.

[00:44:44] Um, you can go, don't, uh, you can look for physical therapy there. You'll probably find, um, Mary's clinic. But what I want you guys to know is that, uh, if tall redheaded dude with ADHD can do it and Mary can do it, you know, if you put your mind to it, you can do it too. I mean, it's, um, it's, it works and it helps people and owning a cash practice, I think is one of the hardest, best things that I've done. So, um, thank you guys for listening. We'll see you on the next episode. Mary, thanks again for being here. Thank you. Thank you.