The sports therapy business offers a lot of opportunities. In fact, there’s no denying that sports therapy is a rewarding and prosperous industry. As a sports therapist, your job is to help people that have received injuries through various sports-related activities. You’ll work with various people, ranging from sports enthusiasts to athletes.
You’re likely here today because you’re contemplating setting up a business and/or offering your very unique services as a sports therapist. But, as you know, you realize that you don’t want to make any mistakes that could jeopardize your chances of providing a successful service.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the following 7 sports therapy business startup mistakes sports therapists make and how you can avoid making them.
1. Forgetting to Register the Business
Let’s face it: starting a new business working for yourself as a qualified sports therapist is an exciting era in your life. You get to forge a new business, help all kinds of people, and make a comfortable living doing something you love.
The trouble is, however, some new sports therapists forget they need to register their businesses. They might have worked for other people as employees but are new to the concept of registering a business for tax purposes. That is a major mistake.
With that in mind, you must register your sports therapy business sooner rather than later. Otherwise, you could potentially face getting federal fines.
2. Not Organizing Branding
You’re running a business (or want to).as a sports therapist. How will you get new clients? One of the best ways of doing so is by creating a brand for your business and promoting it as much as possible.
For instance, it makes sense to have a logo designed for your business and create a website and social media profiles where your potential clients can contact you. Another idea is to have some business cards printed and hand them out whenever you network with people.
You could make your brand even more professional by getting a virtual business address from somewhere like Physical Address to put on your business cards and website. That way, you won’t need to worry about your home address being publicly visible.
3. Not Promoting Your Brand
The chances are high that you’ll be competing with other sports therapists in your local area or target location. With that in mind, you need to spend some time promoting your brand. Otherwise, you’ll have to get used to a lot of idle time!
You can certainly look at online marketing ideas, such as SEO (search engine optimization) and social networking marketing, to promote your brand and services. But, you can market yourself in other ways, like offering your services in a busy fitness center or gym.
4. Not Creating the Best Treatment Plans
Your clients will understandably have a limited budget, and they want to maximize that to full effect. As a sports therapist, your goal is to create treatment plans that give your clients the best possible chance of recovery.
Never let price be a driving factor when tailoring your treatment plans for each client. Each of those clients comes to you because of your skills and knowledge. Only alter a treatment plan if they bring up the subject of money.
5. Not Having an Accountant
Your clients come to you because you’re an expert in your field. Similarly, if your car doesn’t work as expected, you have a mechanic fix it for you because they’re experts in automotive repairs.
With that in mind, you wouldn’t try to manage all your accounting processes alone; you’d hire an accountant to do that for you. That’s because you pay them for their skills and knowledge. Plus, they’ll often find practical ways to help you pay fewer taxes each year.
6. Not Doing Other Work
Part of the reason you want to or have just started a business as a sports therapist is that you’re combining your passion with your career. The truth is, most sports therapists don’t make a comfortable living from the outset because they’re still establishing their brands.
You still need to support yourself financially, and so it makes sense to do other work alongside your business until you can run your business on a full-time basis. It’s something most startup entrepreneurs do, irrespective of their industries.
7. Not Doing Enough Networking
Lastly, you probably feel going to regular BNI (Business Network International) networking events is “enough” to get your brand out there. The truth is, while it might provide some valuable leads, you need to do more networking.
For example, if you attend networking events with other healthcare professionals, you’d have significantly more client referrals and can forge long-term professional relationships with people you meet each week.