The Business of Allied Health

Barry Nguyen
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  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

Running an allied health clinic is a business — but most of the real lessons are never shared publicly. Behind every clinic are decisions about hiring, pricing, growth, and risk. This series captures honest, unscripted conversations with practitioners actually running clinics — from first-time owners to multi-site operators. No scripts. No polished talking points. Just what it’s really like. This series is hosted and supported by CliniScribe AI.

  1. 8h ago

    The Business of Allied Health - Episode 23: Jordan Gauder

    In this episode of The Business of Allied Health, we are joined by Jordan Gauder, Founder and CEO of Gen Physio, a rapidly growing nationwide provider of in-home allied health services. Jordan shares his incredibly unfiltered and authentic journey of scaling his business, transitioning from a clinical founder to a true CEO, and the hard financial lessons he had to learn along the way.From an embarrassing $55,000 superannuation oversight to fund a custom Range Rover in his twenties, to later trading his luxury car for a Toyota Corolla to support his team during tough NDIS pricing changes, Jordan holds nothing back. We discuss the critical importance of tracking Gross Profit Margins, why being "busy" doesn't always equal profitability, and the mindset shift required to successfully lead a scaling healthcare organization. Supported by CliniScribe AI.Subscribe for more interviews with allied health leaders and clinical business insights!Timestamps:00:00 - Introduction and welcoming Jordan Gauder01:10 - Discovering physiotherapy and early career path03:07 - Identifying the gap in the market for in-home care and starting Gen Physio06:53 - Scaling to $2M revenue and understanding profit vs. volume09:09 - The Range Rover lesson: A $55,000 cash flow wake-up call14:13 - Why Gross Profit Margin is the critical metric for clinic owners15:52 - Making the hard mindset shift from Clinician to CEO19:20 - Navigating NDIS pricing challenges and downsizing to a Corolla21:58 - Future goals and how to connect with Jordan24:35 - Final thoughts on transparency and removing ego in leadership

  2. Aug 15

    The Business of Allied Health - Episode 22: Rob LoPresti

    In this episode of The Business of Allied Health, we sit down with Rob LoPresti, CEO of the Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA). Rob shares his unique career journey, starting as an ICU physiotherapist before moving into high-level education and executive roles, and eventually returning to lead the peak body for the profession. We dive deep into the most pressing issues facing private practice owners today, including the squeeze between rising wages and stagnant funding across schemes like the NDIS and DVA. Rob also provides a behind-the-scenes look at the APA's long-term advocacy strategies, their push for a recognized sustainable hourly rate, and how the newly formed AI advisory group is helping practitioners safely adopt emerging technologies. Whether you are an early-career clinician or an experienced clinic owner, this conversation provides a transparent look into the future of the physiotherapy profession. Supported by CliniScribe AI. 🔔 Subscribe for more interviews with allied health leaders and clinical business insights! Timestamps:00:00 - Introduction & Welcome Rob LoPresti00:38 - From ICU Physio to CEO: Rob's Career Journey04:16 - Leadership Tips & Mentorship for Early Career Clinicians06:10 - The Biggest Challenges for Private Practice Owners (Costs vs. Funding)08:21 - Navigating NDIS Cuts, DVA Fees, and Private Health10:59 - How the APA Delivers Practical Value to Clinics13:29 - Researching the Sustainable Hourly Rate for Physiotherapy17:11 - Safely Adopting AI in Allied Health & The APA AI Advisory Group20:09 - The Reality of Advocacy: What Members Should (and Shouldn't) Expect24:47 - Passing the Baton: The Future of the Physiotherapy Profession

  3. Aug 6

    The Business of Allied Health - Episode 21: Craig Phillips

    How can physiotherapists step up their clinical reasoning to beat the rise of AI-generated exercise programs? In Episode 21 of The Business of Allied Health, we are joined by Craig Phillips, the inventor of Clinical Pilates and founder of DMA Pilates. With over 38 years in the profession, Craig breaks down the specific movement-based classification systems (directional load) that are outperforming standard care in global RCTs. We also discuss the harsh realities of health economics, why physios are massively underfunded by the government, and actionable advice for new grads to avoid the dreaded 5-year burnout. Topics Covered: - The difference between standard Pilates and Clinical Pilates - Moving beyond structure-based classification for chronic pain - The threat of AI "physio bots" and generic protocols - Using heuristics and directional preference in patient assessments - The financial value of conservative care vs. surgical intervention - Why the physiotherapy profession needs to get political Timestamps: 00:00 The Origins of Clinical Pilates 05:38 The Rise of AI Physio 08:49 Groundbreaking Research 15:31 Heuristics in Clinical Reasoning 28:04 Combating the 5-Year Attrition Rate 30:16 The Health Economics of Physio 34:48 Political Advocacy

  4. Aug 1

    The Business of Allied Health - Episode 20: Jason T. Smith

    In Episode 20 of The Business of Allied Health, host Barry Nguyen sits down with Jason T. Smith — founder of Back in Motion. Starting from his garage, Jason built a $100 million physiotherapy empire over two decades before successfully exiting the business. In this episode, Jason shares the untold, behind-the-scenes realities of scaling one of Australia's largest health groups. They discuss the delicate balance between clinical excellence and commercial strategy, the brutal tax of giving up control, and the difference between owning a business and just owning a high-paying clinical job. Jason also reflects on his biggest mistakes, the relational cost of extreme growth, and the harsh realities young ambitious physiotherapists need to hear before trying to build an empire. This episode is proudly supported by CliniScribe AI. KEY TAKEAWAYS: - Clinical vs. Business Excellence: Why being a brilliant clinician isn't enough to scale, and the 60/40 rule that drives a national brand. - The Founder's Tax: The hardest thing founders must surrender to stop being the bottleneck in their own company's growth. - The 3-Month Test: How to determine if you've actually built a true business or simply bought yourself a demanding, self-employed job. - Leadership over Structure: Why Jason believes his biggest mistake was underestimating the power of leadership and culture in the early days. - The Cost of Ambition: A candid look at the burnt bridges, scar tissue, and relational toll that often accompanies a 20-year scaling journey. ABOUT THE GUEST: Jason T. Smith is the founder of Back in Motion Health Group, an author, and a leadership coach. Over a 20-year period, he scaled his practice from a single garage clinic to a massive national franchise before exiting. Today, he focuses on leadership development and mentoring. You can connect with him at jasonsmith.com.au. TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 - Introduction to Jason T. Smith and the Back in Motion story 01:31 - Did Back in Motion scale because of clinical or business excellence? 04:46 - The 60/40 rule of building a national healthcare brand 07:07 - Surrendering control: The hardest compromise for a founder 11:12 - Do you own a true business or just a self-employed job? 14:38 - Jason's biggest mistake: Underestimating leadership and culture 16:49 - The brutal truth for young physios wanting to build an empire 19:15 - Burnt bridges and the relational cost of extreme growth 20:45 - Conclusion and how to connect with Jason

  5. Jul 24

    The Business of Allied Health - Episode 19: Dr Todd Cameron

    In Episode 19 of The Business of Allied Health, host Barry Nguyen sits down with Dr Todd Cameron — a highly respected General Practitioner, serial entrepreneur, and co-founder of Scale My Clinic. With 23 years of practice ownership and multiple successful exits (including a directorship at ASX-listed Zenitas), Todd provides a rare, unfiltered look into the business of healthcare from a GP's perspective. They discuss the honest truth about what GPs think of physiotherapists, the critical mistakes allied health professionals make when trying to secure referrals, and why dropping off a free sushi lunch is no longer an effective strategy. Todd also shares his philosophy on exiting businesses, the dangers of modern telehealth startups bypassing the GP, and the financial realities of renting rooms within medical clinics. KEY TAKEAWAYS: - The "Die With Zero" Philosophy: Why Todd believes clinic owners should exit their businesses before they actually want to. - Building Trust: The exact communication standards GPs expect from allied health professionals to maintain a strong referral relationship. - The Telehealth Threat: Why treating convenience over quality — and bypassing the GP for imaging — creates a dangerous diffusion of accountability in patient care. - A Better Marketing Strategy: How creating 60-second YouTube joint examination videos for GPs is a far more effective referral tool than traditional networking. - Room Rentals: The pros and cons of setting up a physiotherapy satellite clinic inside a GP practice. ABOUT THE GUEST: Dr Todd Cameron is the founder of Modern Medical, GP Hero, and GP Bookkeeper. He currently serves as a business coach for general practice owners through his company, Scale My Clinic, helping them achieve time freedom and profitability. TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 - Introduction to Dr Todd Cameron 01:45 - Todd’s journey from medical graduate to multi-clinic owner 04:35 - Exiting clinics, Zenitas, and founding Scale My Clinic 05:56 - The "Die With Zero" philosophy and knowing when to exit 07:22 - Thoughts on family businesses and intergenerational wealth 09:25 - What GPs really think of physiotherapists 11:16 - How to build (and lose) trust with referring GPs 14:38 - The dangers of telehealth startups bypassing the GP 21:56 - How to effectively market to GPs (why free lunches don't work) 25:54 - A unique referral strategy: Educating GPs with short-form video 27:54 - Do in-house physio room rentals in GP clinics actually work? 32:25 - Conclusion

  6. Jul 17

    The Business of Allied Health - Episode 18: Mick Hughes

    How do you build a globally recognised clinical brand around a single injury? In Episode 18 of The Business of Allied Health, I’m joined by Mick Hughes, an elite sports physiotherapist, clinic owner, and co-founder of the Melbourne ACL Rehabilitation Guide and Learn.Physio. Mick has become one of the most prominent voices in sports medicine by narrowing his focus almost entirely to ACL injuries. In this conversation, Mick pulls back the curtain on what it actually takes to build a specialized regional practice. We discuss the transition from working in professional sport (including the Melbourne Storm) to co-founding a multi-disciplinary sports clinic, the commercial reality of digital products, and the high-stakes lessons learned from clinic partnership expansions.We dive deep into:* Extreme Specialisation – How focusing on a specific, high-intent injury niche drove global organic brand authority and local patient volume.* Digital Leverage – The origin story of the Melbourne ACL Rehab Guide and how to build digital clinical assets that actually scale.* The Professional Sport Illusion – The stark differences between working inside elite sporting clubs versus running a sustainable private practice.* Partnership Expansion Risks – The unscripted commercial and personal lessons learned when expanding a clinic footprint with multiple business partners.* Utilisation & Systems – How elite sports physios protect their clinical energy and optimize day-to-day operations to avoid clinical burnout.Whether you are an aspiring sports therapist or an established clinic owner looking to dominate a local market through hyper-focused branding, Mick’s unfiltered insights are incredibly valuable.Supported by CliniScribe AITimestamps:[00:00:10] Introduction: The power of a clinical niche[00:03:15] From elite professional sports (Melbourne Storm) to private practice[00:06:40] Co-founding the Melbourne ACL Rehabilitation Guide[00:10:20] How hyper-specialisation drives local private practice volume[00:13:45] The commercial reality of digital clinical assets[00:16:55] Expanding clinic locations: Lessons, partnerships, and pitfalls[00:20:40] Managing clinical energy and avoiding practitioner burnout[00:23:15] The most important lesson for building a modern allied health brand[00:26:50] Clinic update and where to connect with Mick

  7. Jul 11

    The Business of Allied Health - Episode 17: Carolyn O'Mahoney

    What happens when a pediatric physio transitions from a solo mobile provider to a multi-clinic owner, to a policy advocate, an AHPRA board member, and finally a health-tech startup founder? In Episode 17 of The Business of Allied Health, I’m joined by Carolyn O’Mahoney, a true multi-hyphenate in the allied health space. Carolyn shares her incredible journey—starting a clinic simply to afford her PD while raising a family as a defense spouse, and ultimately scaling it to 28 staff members across three locations. But her most valuable insights come from her MBA and policy work. Carolyn unpacks the hard data she collected during the NDIS rollout, revealing how the shift to NDIS funding initially decimated clinic profit margins—and how she used her clinic's data to advocate for the entire profession, leading to the approval of billable non-face-to-face time. We dive deep into: * Scaling from Scratch – Building a 28-staff practice starting with just two clients a week in a 3-hour window. * The NDIS Data Reality – The "alarmingly huge" profit erosion that clinics faced early on, and how she helped change the policy. * Exit Strategies – Why she sold to a corporate entity, and the crucial lesson she learned about clinical founders vs. business operators. * The AHPRA Reality – Demystifying the notification process from a board member's perspective (and the #1 thing that saves practitioners). * Wait Once – Her new venture solving the massive "rescheduling revenue leak" that costs clinics hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. If you’re a clinic owner navigating the complexities of NDIS funding, team utilization, or looking to understand the real levers of clinic profitability, you cannot miss this episode. Also streaming now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts! Supported by CliniScribe AI **Timestamps:** [00:00:09] Carolyn's journey: From pediatric neuro physio to AHPRA and startups [00:04:40] Starting a mobile clinic as a defense spouse with 3 hours a week [00:06:47] Scaling to 28 staff and surviving the transition to NDIS [00:08:28] Advocacy: How Carolyn's data helped increase the NDIS hourly rate [00:10:49] Selling her practice to a corporate and pursuing an MBA [00:14:13] The biggest lesson for clinicians exiting their business [00:15:37] The most critical metric for clinic survival (Utilization) [00:19:37] Inside AHPRA: The true purpose of the board and how to avoid trouble [00:22:38] Why she built Wait Once: Solving the massive cost of schedule gaps [00:26:36] Wait Once integrations and future plans

  8. Jul 3

    The Business of Allied Health - Episode 16: Ben Herde

    Do you need a massive loan and a fancy fit-out to start a successful private practice? Not at all. In Episode 16 of The Business of Allied Health, I sit down with Ben Herde, founder of Grand Slam Physio. Ben and his wife Belinda initially built their clinic as a "lean startup" on the mezzanine floor of an indoor tennis center. Their goal? To create a business that supported their lifestyle of traveling on the professional tennis circuit (including the WTA and 2016 Rio Olympics). Today, they run highly successful, purpose-built clinics in the Geelong and Torquay region. We unpack exactly how they transitioned from a humble space into a thriving regional business. We dive deep into: * The Lean Startup – How starting with cheap rent and a minimal setup allowed them to take calculated risks early on. * Spousal Co-Founders – The strict "25-minute commute" boundary they use to separate the business from their marriage and family life. * Niche Domination – How leaning into their deep expertise in tennis physiotherapy drove massive organic growth. * Referrer Management – The simple, consistent communication strategies that built their local network (and how they use CliniScribe AI to automate it). * The "P" Word – Why profit isn't a dirty word in healthcare, and how it enables better patient care, facility upgrades, and staff retention. If you’re a clinic owner looking to build a business that serves your lifestyle rather than consuming it, this episode is packed with practical takeaways. Also streaming now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts! Supported by CliniScribe AI **Timestamps:** [00:00:00] Introduction & the impact of mentorship [00:00:40] The accidental origins of Grand Slam Physio [00:01:34] Rules for running a business with your spouse [00:02:55] Leveraging a specific niche (Tennis) to grow organically [00:03:39] The lean startup approach: Starting on a mezzanine floor [00:04:24] Overcoming early growth challenges and local competition [00:05:29] "Clinical excellence drives commercial success" & managing referrers [00:07:12] Why profit is the ultimate enabler in healthcare [00:08:08] The most important lesson for new clinic owners

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About

Running an allied health clinic is a business — but most of the real lessons are never shared publicly. Behind every clinic are decisions about hiring, pricing, growth, and risk. This series captures honest, unscripted conversations with practitioners actually running clinics — from first-time owners to multi-site operators. No scripts. No polished talking points. Just what it’s really like. This series is hosted and supported by CliniScribe AI.

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