The P.t. Entrepreneur Podcast

Episode Summary In this episode, Doc Danny shares why cash-based physical therapy entrepreneurship is entering a powerful new phase. From his upcoming presentations at CSM to the broader evolution of the profession, Danny breaks down how business models have changed, why scalability is now real, and what this means for clinicians who want more autonomy, impact, and long-term opportunity. In This Episode, You'll Learn Why distraction during documentation hurts rapport and outcomes, and how AI scribes can fix it What Doc Danny is presenting at CSM and why cash-based models are gaining momentum How starting a clinic inside a gym can lower risk and accelerate early growth Why cash-based practices are more scalable today than ever before How entrepreneurship is becoming a larger part of the physical therapy profession Why specialization and niche expertise benefit both clinicians and patients What clinicians must nail in the early phase of business to build something sustainable How non-traditional career paths

Episode Summary In this episode, Doc Danny shares a conversation between Rainmaker coach Jaxie Meth and Mastermind member Holly Navarro. Holly walks through how she built a cash-based practice in a narrow niche (dance medicine), found her first treatment space, grew through community workshops, and scaled into hiring and a standalone clinic location. Try Claire (AI Scribe for PTs) Want to save your clinicians hours every week and increase capacity without burning them out? Start a free 7-day trial of Claire . What You'll Learn How Holly built a real practice around a "small" niche and why narrow can scale What it looked like to start while life was chaotic and still keep momentum How she landed her first space through a simple conversation and community connection Why workshops and "captured audience" events worked to drive early patient volume How to build workshop follow-up so parents actually see the offer (waivers + email drip) When it makes sense to move from a borrowed space into your own standalone

Episode Summary Cash-based clinics live and die by clear communication, confidence, and value. In this episode, Doc Danny breaks down four red flags that your staff clinician has a money mindset problem and how it quietly crushes conversions, plan-of-care adherence, retention, and clinic revenue. In This Episode, You'll Learn Why money mindset issues are common in healthcare and how they show up in cash-based care How staff clinicians unknowingly make affordability decisions for patients The damage caused by apologizing for pricing and losing authority Why downgrading plans without clinical justification creates hidden revenue loss and burnout How "made-up stories" about a patient's finances sabotage recommendations and outcomes What to coach your staff on so they sell clinically appropriate plans with confidence The 4 Signs Your Staff Clinician Has a Money Mindset Problem They decide what a patient can afford instead of what the patient needs. Making assumptions based on someone's job, car, or appearance

The $250,000 Asset Sitting in Your Clinic Right Now Most clinic owners work nonstop to bring in new patients while completely ignoring the most valuable asset they already have. Their past patients. In this episode of the PT Entrepreneur Podcast, Danny explains how past clients can quietly represent hundreds of thousands of dollars in recurring revenue and why most clinics never tap into it. In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why recurring revenue is the most valuable dollar in your clinic How past patients can generate predictable, stable income The math behind a $250,000 recurring revenue opportunity How one clinic built a six-figure program without ads What to offer past patients so they actually come back Why Past Patients Are Your Hidden Asset Most clinics have seen hundreds or even thousands of patients over the years. Many of those patients had great outcomes, trust the providers, and would happily return if given the right reason. Yet most clinics never follow up unless someone gets injured again. The P

How Big Clinical Months Can Quietly Wreck Your Cash Flow Big months feel like a win. More patients, more prepaid packages, more cash hitting the account. But if you do not understand how to manage that cash, those same big months can put you in a financial bind later in the year. In this episode of the PT Entrepreneur Podcast, Danny breaks down why prepaid revenue creates false confidence, how owners accidentally drain their reserves, and the simple rule that keeps your clinic financially stable. In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why prepaid services are not the same thing as earned revenue How reactivation campaigns can create future cash flow problems The most common mistake owners make after a big revenue month Why your clinic can look busy but feel broke The minimum cash buffer every clinic should hold The Problem With Big Revenue Spikes Danny walks through a common scenario. A clinic normally doing $20,000 per month runs a strong reactivation campaign or sees a surge in new patients. That month jumps to $

The 80/20 Principle of Running a Cash-Based PT Clinic In this episode of the PT Entrepreneur Podcast, Dr. Danny Matta breaks down the 80/20 principle for cash-based clinic owners and simplifies what you should track if you want to grow past yourself. Instead of obsessing over dozens of metrics, Danny argues there are three "dollar productive" KPIs that drive almost all clinic growth. He also explains why provider schedules either snowball fast or stall for a year and how to shorten that ramp from 12+ months to around six months with the right focus. In This Episode, You'll Learn: How Claire can save staff clinicians hours each week and translate that time into meaningful revenue What the 80/20 principle means inside a cash-based clinic The concept of "dollar productive activities" and why it matters The three KPIs Danny thinks drive the majority of clinic growth Why the owner should usually handle discovery calls during growth phases Benchmarks for conversion rates at different stages of scale Why recurring

Longevity, Cash PT, and Skating Where the Puck Is Going In this episode of the PT Entrepreneur Podcast, Doc Danny talks about why he keeps coming back to one big theme: longevity. He looks at how the market around proactive health, functional medicine, and long-term performance is exploding and why cash-based clinics are perfectly positioned to play a major role. If you want to move beyond "fix the injury and discharge" and build an ongoing longevity offer, this episode lays out the opportunity and the mindset behind it. In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why patient experience is a competitive edge in cash-based practices How Claire gives you an operational advantage your patients can actually feel Why Danny has always tried to "skate where the puck is going" in healthcare How cash-based PT went from rare to common in a decade Why functional medicine and longevity clinics are booming The role PTs can play as movement-focused, accountability-driven "quarterbacks" How one training partner's transformation turned

The One Thing Filter: How to Make Better Decisions as Your Clinic Grows In this episode of the PT Entrepreneur Podcast, Doc Danny shares a simple but powerful idea for clinic owners: pick one core outcome your business exists to create and use it as a filter for every major decision. As your team grows, choices get more complex — what to say yes to, what to ignore, who to hire, what projects to start. Danny breaks down how to choose your "one thing," why money has to be part of it, and how aligning your team around that filter makes leadership easier and your business more stable. In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why documentation is the #1 satisfaction killer for many clinicians — and how Claire can remove most of it Why early-stage goals are simple (replace your income) and what changes once you get past survival The "what race are you running?" analogy and how it exposes mismatched decisions How to decide what you actually want your business to look like long term Why "no money, no mission" matters, even fo

What To Do With a Frustrating Employee In Your Clinic In this episode, Doc Danny breaks down one of the hardest parts of owning a clinic: dealing with a talented but frustrating employee. You know the type. Great with patients, solid outcomes, but sloppy with systems, notes, and follow through. Danny walks through the three real options you have, why "letting it slide" destroys culture, and how to use a performance improvement plan to either turn things around or coach someone out. In This Episode, You'll Learn: The classic pattern of the friendly, high-output clinician who struggles with systems Why tolerating mediocrity from one person lowers the standard for your entire team The three options you have with a frustrating employee (and the one most owners avoid) How to build and run a simple, effective performance improvement plan (PIP) Why leadership and standards matter more than any one hire How "coaching people out" protects your culture and your A-players Questions to ask yourself about your onboarding

How to Turn Patients into Raving Fans (and Referral Machines) In this episode of the PT Entrepreneur Podcast, Doc Danny breaks down why most clinics are stuck in "purgatory" with word of mouth and what separates average clinics from the ones patients can't stop talking about. Using a great chicken joint and a mediocre Italian restaurant as examples, he shows you how clients really think about your business and what has to change if you want more organic referrals in 2026. In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why saving clinician time with an AI scribe like Claire can quietly add $30,000 in revenue per staff PT per year The two levers that drive referrals in any service business: outcomes and experience How a chain "hot chicken" spot crushed a local restaurant on basic execution Why "pretty good" is the most dangerous place for your clinic to live What a 9–10 Net Promoter Score really looks like inside a cash practice How your space, punctuality, and communication shape patient trust Why referrals jumped when Danny

Big Ship or Small Boat: Are You in the Right Organization? In this episode of the PT Entrepreneur Podcast, Doc Danny tells a story from his time as an Army PT in Hawaii and how a denied human performance proposal, that finally got implemented 13 years later, forced him to ask a hard question. Am I on the right ship or do I need to build my own boat? If you feel boxed in by red tape, slow decisions, and limited influence, this one will hit home. In This Episode, You'll Learn: The human performance proposal Danny and a strength coach pitched to their division in 2011–2012 Why a project that would save millions and improve readiness still got shut down What a general meant when he said "the Army's a big ship and it turns really slowly" How that moment planted the seed for Danny leaving to start his own practice How to tell if you are in the wrong organization for your personality and goals Why some people thrive in big systems and others feel suffocated by them Why regret is worse than trying and failing at you

Four Big Lessons from 2025 for Cash-Based PT Owners In this year-end episode of the PT Entrepreneur Podcast, Dr. Danny Matta shares the four biggest lessons he learned in 2025. From a small revenue dip at PT Biz to the rise of corporate cash clinics, the longevity wave, and why happiness cannot be tied to "winning," Danny breaks down what actually matters for clinic owners who want a sustainable, meaningful business and life. In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why PT Biz saw its first year-over-year revenue decline and what actually caused it The danger of chasing brand polish while neglecting core sales and marketing fundamentals Why corporate and private-equity backed cash and hybrid clinics are coming fast How to decide if you should stay small and lifestyle-based or grow and compete Why "health is wealth" is both a mission and a major business opportunity How to think about long-term performance, longevity, and lifetime value in your clinic Why happiness cannot be tied only to hitting revenue goals or "winni

Visionary vs. Integrator: The Two Types of Cash-Practice Entrepreneurs Clique away long enough and you lose your patient's attention. That's why Claire, our AI scribe built specifically for physical therapists, handles the documentation so you can focus on the person in front of you. Try it free at MeetClaire.ai. In this episode of the PT Entrepreneur Podcast, Dr. Danny breaks down two personality types that show up again and again inside cash-based practices: the Visionary and the Integrator. He explains why knowing your type gives you an immediate advantage, how it shapes your strengths, and which weaknesses can hold you back from scaling. What You'll Learn The difference between Visionaries and Integrators in a cash practice Why founders naturally lean toward one role—and how to spot yours Where each style excels (and where they struggle) Why early-stage entrepreneurs must build skills outside their comfort zone Two books that can change your trajectory depending on your type How to build momentum by pair

Rainmaker to Mastermind: Kim's Cash Practice Journey Guest Coach: Michael (PT Biz Rainmaker Coach) Guest: Kim (Rainmaker Alum, PT Biz Mastermind Member) Episode Overview In this episode, Danny introduces a live conversation from inside the PT Biz Rainmaker program between coach Michael and Rainmaker alum Kim. Kim started in Rainmaker while she was just getting her practice off the ground. Now she is in the PT Biz Mastermind, actively scaling her clinic. This episode walks through her journey, early fears, mindset hurdles, and what it looks like to go from "Can I really do this?" to building a growing cash practice. What You'll Hear in This Episode How Kim first got started in the Rainmaker program The mindset challenges of the early stages of a cash practice Imposter syndrome and self doubt when you are not full time yet Why the Rainmaker stage is often the hardest mentally Specific struggles Kim faced while starting her clinic What helped her push through and go all in on her practice How her business looks

Money, Happiness, and the Race You're Actually Running as a Clinic Owner Episode Overview In this episode, Danny shares his favorite book of the year — The Art of Spending Money by Morgan Housel — and why it hit so hard as a cash-based business owner. He breaks down how money, attention, and expectations shape your happiness, why comparison quietly wrecks clinic owners, and how to use your business as a vehicle for the life you actually want instead of letting it become your whole identity. Key Topics Covered Why money mindset is such a big problem in the PT profession Why Danny recommends Morgan Housel's books to clinic owners "May I Have Your Attention Please?" – how attention drives happiness The danger of comparing your clinic to someone else's revenue Context you never see behind other people's success "The Happiest People I Know" – business as vehicle vs. business as life Trading time for money vs. protecting what matters most Lifestyle creep and constantly moving the goalposts Defining the race you're

How to Use Gratitude as Fuel in Your Cash-Based PT Journey Episode Overview In this episode, Danny breaks down how gratitude isn't just a feel-good idea – it's a practical performance tool for stressed-out cash-based practice owners, especially those in the early "nights-and-weekends" grind. He explains why the early stage of business is mentally brutal, how gratitude helps you zoom out, and how to use it as fuel instead of living in frustration over goals you haven't hit yet. Key Topics Covered The hardest stage of business: early Rainmaker-phase grind Why your confidence wobbles when you're part time and building on nights/weekends How to reframe "I'm not where I want to be yet" with gratitude Using your "past self" as a perspective check Why high achievers are most vulnerable to frustration and burnout Being grateful beyond revenue: health, family, and relationships Balancing ambition with contentment Gratitude as Fuel, Not Fluff Danny shares a post from PT Biz head coach, Courtney Morse, written to earl

The Momentum Equation: Why Effort Alone Won't Grow Your Cash PT Clinic In this episode, Doc Danny Matta uses a simple physics concept—momentum—to explain why some cash practices take off and others stall out. He breaks down his "business momentum equation" (effort × accuracy), shows why hard work on the wrong things keeps you stuck, and explains how to aim your effort at the right tasks so your clinic actually moves forward. Quick Ask If this episode helps you see your business more clearly, share it with another clinician who's grinding but not gaining traction—and tag @dannymattaPT so he can reshare it. Episode Summary Physics meets practice: Danny borrows the momentum formula (mass × velocity) and adapts it to business. The new equation: In business, momentum = effort × accuracy. Effort isn't the issue: Most cash PT owners work hard; the problem is where that effort goes. Accuracy is the multiplier: Working on the right tasks, in the right order, is what creates real momentum. Wrong work, no progress: You

3 Choices When You're Thinking About Starting a Cash PT Clinic In this episode, Doc Danny Matta breaks down the real decision points for clinicians who are thinking about starting their own cash-based practice. He explains why staying stuck in "research mode" is dangerous, what it actually takes to make the leap, and the three clear paths you can choose—staying employed, going solo, or getting guided support. Quick Ask If this episode helps you get clarity on your next move, share it with another clinician who's on the fence about starting a practice—and tag @dannymattaPT so he can see what resonated with you. Episode Summary Claire math: If Claire saves a staff PT 6 hours/week, even using 3 of those for patient visits at $200/visit can add ~$30k/year in revenue per clinician. Why decisions feel awful: Danny compares making a big move (like starting a clinic) to knowing you're about to throw up—you dread it, but feel better once it's done. The real problem: Most people hide in endless "learning" (podcasts, b

Longevity, Cash PT, and the $8 Trillion Opportunity You Can't Ignore In this episode, Doc Danny Matta breaks down why the global shift toward longevity is one of the biggest opportunities cash-based physical therapists will see in their careers. He shares real-world examples from high-end longevity models, explains why proactive, long-term health programming is exploding, and shows how cash PTs are uniquely positioned to lead this space. Quick Ask If this episode gets your wheels turning about longevity and long-term care, share it with another clinician who needs to hear it—and tag @dannymattaPT so he can reshare it. Episode Summary Patient experience as an edge: While competitors step out mid-session to finish notes, you can stay fully engaged by using Clair, an AI scribe that handles documentation instantly. Operational advantage: Clair gives you more time for follow-ups, planning, and patient touchpoints—leading to better retention and more efficient operations. Danny's background: Staff PT, active duty

The Christmas Tree Lot, the Steak, and Why the Hard Part Is What Makes It Worth It In this episode, Doc Danny Matta shares a story about a Christmas tree lot in Columbus, Georgia, the best steak he's ever eaten, and how hard work—and the struggle that comes with it—makes success and reward deeply meaningful. He connects that experience to clinic ownership, growth, and why building a successful cash practice is supposed to be hard. Quick Ask If this episode helps you reframe the hard parts of business, share it with another clinician who's grinding through a tough season—and tag @dannymattaPT so he can reshare it. Episode Summary Documentation pain: The #1 complaint on satisfaction surveys is clinicians hating to write notes. Clair AI scribe: Clair has been trained specifically for PTs to write high-quality notes, like a meticulous student in the corner capturing everything. Time freedom: Using Clair allows clinicians to reclaim hours of documentation time and spend it with family, hobbies, or simply resting.