Wrapping Up 2022 with Gratitude
What a whirlwind this pas year has been. Although the journey of starting Imagine Performance Therapy began in the later half of 2021, 2022 was the year things really took off.
Starting in January of 2022, my business was still very much a side gig. I was coaching part time, picking up hours at other already established clinics and starting to lay the foundation of what I wanted Imagine Performance Therapy to be. At the beginning of 2022, I was seeing patients out of a storage closet with no central heat or A/C that was also up a flight of stairs (cannot thank my patient enough for braving the ever changing climate and steps to see me) and borrowing gym space for exercises.
February I did my first official workshop at CrossFit Iron Horse in Fort Worth, TX and had a great turnout, 17 people in attendance at my first workshop! We discussed shoulder mobility and stability as it pertains to overhead pushing and pulling movements commonly encountered in CrossFit! From there, things began to get busy!
March was filled with the CrossFit Open and providing athlete recovery treatments at 3 different gyms in the area, Dissent Athletics, CrossFit Iron Horse and CrossFit Westwood. Throughout March, client volume began to grow and I continued to take up all opportunities to meet with gym owners and their communities, as well as other local Fort Worth businesses.
In April I took the risk of moving my business to a new location. This move was scary but in order for Imagine Performance Therapy to continue to grow, I needed a more accessible space for my clients. We moved about 10-15 minutes up the road to a more central location in Fort Worth. Imagine Performance Therapy gained a private office that allowed for easier access for patients and increased comfort during their visit.
In May, we hit hyper speed! May was my best month since starting the business. I saw the highest number of patients and really started to feel some growing pains. At this point, I accidentally went full time with the business, as I no longer had free time to pick up hours at other businesses. A scary step forward, but a step I will never forget because it meant the business I created was working! At end of May, I took a short hiatus to marry my long time partner in crime (only took us 10 years to tie the knot). I mention this in my business recap, because I cannot stress enough how important it is to have a support system in place when taking on such a lofty task of starting your own business. Tyler has been the best support system I could ask for!
In June, I took on my first intern at Imagine Performance Therapy. DJ was a former patient of mine who needed an internship to wrap up some credits for his undergraduate degrees. DJ spent 5 weeks with us observing group fitness classes and participating in patient treatment sessions. DJ has since been accepted to Hardin Simmons University to pursue his Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree! I could not be more proud of DJ. Throughout June and through July, I had to opportunity to serve as the Fort Worth Vaqueros Team Physical Therapist. I had the opportunity to provide sideline coverage during their home games. I hosted multiple workshops at some of my favorite gyms to work with, Dissent Athletics and Compound Athletics, discussing more mobility and injury prevention tools for shoulders and hips.
August and September I kept grinding. I had the opportunity to attend my first PT Biz Mastermind conference in Atlanta in September. During this time I got to learn from some of the best PT entrepreneurs on how to continue to grow Imagine Performance Therapy. This group has been such a blessing to learn from over the past year. During the fall months, I also starting hosting a monthly mobility class at CrossFit Westwood, which is next door to my office. Members loved staying after Saturday classes to get some extra mobility and learn new tools to keep their bodies feeling 100% during their training. Cannot wait to continue more movement based classed in 2023!
October allowed for more exposure to the greater Fort Worth CrossFit community. I provided a recovery table at Cowtown CrossFits first Annual Cowtown Showdown Competition. I cannot thank the Cowtown community enough for allowing me to be a part of that day. They did a great job hosting their first ever competition and I look forward to next year and participating again!
November I started making plans to hire my first employee for Imagine Performance Therapy. As patient volume picked up and I started to feel the strain of being time poor, I knew it was time to start my search. I officially posted the position in December and was blown away by the number of people interested in working with me! Stay tuned for a proper introduction of my first Imagine Performance Therapy team member at the start of the new year!
As I sit here and soak up the last few days of 2022, I cannot thank the Fort Worth Community and local businesses enough for their support along my journey. As I embarked on solo entrepreneurship, one of the things I am most thankful for is the number of people I have met who have made a lasting impact not only on my business but on my life. There is a lot of fear that goes into starting a business, however I am still in awe of the support I received from complete strangers. I hope that I can return the favor to another in the future!
Now cheers to 2023!
