From Mobile PT to an 8-Person Team: How Laurel Boyd Built Athlete's Edge Physical Therapy

What does it take to go from treating patients in their homes after work to running a growing cash-based physical therapy practice with eight team members?

For Laurel Boyd, owner of Athlete's Edge Physical Therapy in Austin, Texas, the journey started with a conversation at a continuing education course.

At the time, Laurel was working in a traditional outpatient orthopedic clinic. She enjoyed treating active patients, but she was already experiencing burnout less than two years into her career.

She wanted more time with patients, better treatment outcomes, and a career that wouldn't leave her physically and mentally exhausted.

What she didn't necessarily want was to become a business owner.

But after learning about the cash-based PT model, Laurel began to see a different path.

She started Athlete's Edge in January 2022 as a mobile practice while maintaining her full-time job.

From there, she moved into a small treatment space inside a fitness facility, hired her first employees, and eventually expanded into a 3,500-square-foot clinic.

Today, Athlete's Edge has eight team members, and Laurel has nearly doubled the business's revenue over the past year.

In this episode of the PT Entrepreneur Podcast, PT Biz head coach Courtney Morse sits down with Laurel to discuss the decisions, challenges, and lessons that shaped that growth.

Her story offers a practical look at how to start a cash-based physical therapy practice, build a referral network, hire your first clinicians, and begin transitioning from treating patients to leading a business.

Why Laurel Boyd Wanted Something Different From Traditional Physical Therapy

Laurel's first job after PT school seemed like a great opportunity.

She was working in sports and orthopedic physical therapy, treating the types of patients she enjoyed helping.

The clinic wasn't even an especially high-volume environment compared with many traditional outpatient settings.

But after approximately 18 months, she was already questioning whether she could sustain that career long-term.

Part of the problem was the physical demands of the job.

Her clinic relied heavily on manual therapy, and there were no technicians helping with patient care.

She was constantly moving between patients, performing hands-on treatment, managing exercises, and handling the physical demands of a busy clinical schedule.

At the same time, she was juggling documentation, home exercise programs, and multiple patients per hour.

Laurel also had her own history of injuries and physical issues.

The work was taking a toll on her body.

And that created a concern many clinicians don't think about early enough.

What happens when the career you've spent years preparing for becomes physically difficult to sustain?

Physical therapy can be incredibly rewarding.

But treating patients all day, every day, for decades isn't necessarily the career path every clinician wants.

Laurel began questioning whether there was a way to continue helping people without accepting the same limitations on her time, income, and physical well-being.

The Conversation That Introduced Laurel to Cash-Based PT

The idea of opening a cash-based physical therapy practice wasn't something Laurel had seriously considered.

That changed during a continuing education course in Austin.

She started talking with another physical therapist who was preparing to leave her hospital outpatient job and open a cash-based practice inside a CrossFit gym in San Antonio.

The clinician mentioned that she planned to charge approximately $200 per hour without relying on insurance reimbursement.

Laurel was skeptical.

She'd heard about cash-based physical therapy before, but wasn't convinced it was a realistic business model.

Still, the conversation caught her attention.

The clinician recommended Danny Matta's book, F** Insurance*.

Laurel listened to the audiobook, and the ideas resonated with many of the frustrations she'd been experiencing.

She wanted to spend more time working individually with patients.

She wanted the freedom to make clinical decisions without the same insurance-related restrictions.

And she wanted greater control over her schedule and earning potential.

For the first time, opening her own practice seemed like a realistic possibility.

But she wasn't ready to quit her job immediately.

Then something happened that accelerated her decision.

How a Corporate Acquisition Accelerated Her Decision

The private practice where Laurel worked was acquired by ATI Physical Therapy.

That changed her outlook.

She had already been exploring the cash-based model, and the acquisition gave her another reason to consider leaving traditional employment.

Rather than immediately resigning and opening a full clinic, she decided to build her business gradually.

She continued working for approximately seven months following the acquisition while developing Athlete's Edge on the side.

During that time, she joined the PT Biz Clinical Rainmaker program.

Her strategy was straightforward.

Start seeing patients in their homes.

Build relationships with potential referral partners.

Generate enough patient demand to justify moving into a physical treatment space.

And eventually transition away from her full-time job.

This is a version of the Part-Time to Full-Time approach we teach at PT Biz.

Instead of taking on a large commercial lease before you have consistent patient demand, you begin with a lower-overhead model.

That gives you an opportunity to validate your services, improve your marketing, and build confidence before making larger financial commitments.

For Laurel, mobile physical therapy provided that starting point.

Starting a Mobile Cash-Based Physical Therapy Practice

Mobile PT gave Laurel an immediate advantage.

She didn't need to lease a clinic.

She didn't need to purchase a large amount of equipment.

And she didn't need to wait until she had the perfect location.

She could begin helping patients using the clinical skills she already had.

Her earliest patients came from a combination of existing professional relationships and referrals.

Some were people she'd treated previously.

Others came through trainers and personal connections who knew the quality of her work.

Laurel also began intentionally building relationships in the Austin fitness community.

She reached out to trainers, gym owners, and other people who worked with the types of clients she wanted to treat.

Her initial mobile clientele included busy, higher-income professionals who valued convenience.

These were people accustomed to having services come to them.

For that demographic, receiving physical therapy at home was an attractive option.

But Laurel wasn't simply trying to build a permanent mobile practice.

She was also using those relationships to establish a patient base in the area where she eventually wanted to open a clinic.

That made her early networking especially valuable.

She wasn't just generating individual appointments.

She was developing relationships that could continue supporting the business after she moved into a physical location.

Why Your First PT Clinic Doesn't Need to Be Perfect

Eventually, Laurel found a treatment space inside a boutique fitness facility.

The business offered personal training and small-group exercise sessions, making it a natural environment for a sports and orthopedic physical therapist.

But the treatment space wasn't exactly what most people picture when they imagine opening a professional clinic.

It didn't have traditional walls or a door.

It had curtains.

Patients also had to walk through a storage closet to reach the treatment area.

Additional curtains were used to conceal the items stored along the way.

It wasn't the most polished patient experience.

But it worked.

Laurel had a dedicated location where she could begin seeing patients without taking on the expense of a large standalone facility.

And because the space was connected to a fitness business, she had opportunities to build relationships with people who were already interested in health and performance.

There's an important lesson here for clinicians who are waiting to start their practices.

You don't need a beautiful clinic to deliver excellent care.

You need an appropriate space, a clear service offering, and patients who value what you provide.

A professional environment matters.

But spending too much money on facilities before establishing patient demand can create unnecessary pressure.

Laurel focused on getting the business started and improving the facility as the practice grew.

How Laurel Built Her Referral Network Through Local Gyms

One of the most important parts of Athlete's Edge's early growth was Laurel's willingness to meet people.

She visited CrossFit gyms, fitness studios, personal training facilities, and other local businesses.

She introduced herself to owners and coaches.

She looked for opportunities to collaborate.

And she tried to identify the people within each organization who had the strongest relationships with members.

Not every connection developed into a meaningful partnership.

Some conversations went nowhere.

Others created occasional referral opportunities.

But one relationship became particularly valuable.

Finding the Right Gym Partnership With Sola CrossFit

Laurel developed a strong relationship with Sola CrossFit in Austin.

The gym's owner, Dave, was receptive to collaborating with her.

Rather than making the relationship complicated, they began creating opportunities for Laurel to provide value to the gym's members.

That included injury screens, educational events, and workshops.

The relationship continued as Athlete's Edge grew.

Even years after her initial outreach, Laurel was still participating in events with the gym.

That consistency matters.

A successful referral partnership isn't necessarily built from one conversation or one injury screening event.

It's built through repeated interactions that establish trust.

When gym owners and coaches see that you're helping their members, they have more reasons to recommend your services.

And when members have positive experiences, those recommendations become easier.

Laurel didn't stop networking after finding one great partner.

She continued developing relationships with other fitness businesses, including Orangetheory coaches and independent trainers.

Some connections eventually led to new opportunities as those professionals changed roles or opened their own businesses.

The lesson is that grassroots marketing can create benefits long after the initial interaction.

A relationship that generates one referral today might become a consistent source of patients several years later.

Why Grassroots Marketing Is a Numbers Game at First

When you're starting a cash-based PT practice, you don't know which relationships will become your strongest referral sources.

That's why early marketing requires consistent outreach.

You might visit ten gyms and discover that only two are genuinely interested in collaborating.

That's fine.

You don't need every gym owner in your city to become a referral partner.

You need to identify the right people and develop meaningful relationships with them.

Laurel learned this through experience.

In the beginning, she was willing to meet with almost anyone who might be a good connection.

As Athlete's Edge became more established, she could become more selective.

She no longer needed to pursue every possible opportunity.

Instead, she could focus on the relationships that were already producing results and aligned with the clinic's goals.

That's a natural progression.

Early in your business, you need activity and exposure.

Later, you need to become more intentional about where you invest your time.

But you can't skip the first stage.

You have to put yourself in the community and create opportunities for people to discover what you do.

From Solo Practitioner to Hiring the First PT

As Athlete's Edge grew, Laurel began facing a different challenge.

She had proven that people were willing to pay for her services.

She had developed referral relationships.

And she had established a physical location.

But the business was still heavily dependent on her personally treating patients.

That created a limit on how much the practice could grow.

To move beyond that ceiling, she needed to begin hiring.

Her first physical therapist joined approximately a year and a half after she started the business.

It was a particularly strong hire because Laurel already knew him professionally.

He was looking for something different from traditional employment and was considering either starting his own cash-based practice or joining a business where he could help build something meaningful.

Laurel saw potential for him to take on leadership responsibilities as the company grew.

He also brought professional relationships and connections that helped the business.

It wasn't simply a matter of hiring another clinician to see patients.

She was bringing in someone who shared the vision for what Athlete's Edge could become.

That distinction becomes increasingly important as your practice grows.

Your first employees have a tremendous influence on the culture, patient experience, and future direction of the business.

Hiring someone with the right clinical skills matters.

But finding someone who also aligns with your values and wants to help build the organization can be even more valuable.

The Difficult Transition From One PT to Multiple Providers

Hiring the first clinician didn't immediately make everything easier.

In fact, Laurel describes the early growth phase as one of the most challenging periods of building Athlete's Edge.

Adding providers created additional payroll expenses before their schedules were completely full.

The clinic needed more patient volume.

Administrative responsibilities increased.

And the existing treatment space became increasingly limiting.

At one point, the business was operating close to break-even for several months while the team worked to build the clinicians' caseloads.

That's a reality many growing cash-based PT owners encounter.

Hiring creates capacity.

But that capacity has to be filled.

And the business needs enough cash flow to support the additional expenses while patient volume catches up.

Laurel eventually moved Athlete's Edge into a roughly 1,000-square-foot location.

The space had one private treatment room and another room that served multiple purposes, including office space, a break area, and eventually an additional treatment area.

It wasn't intended to be the clinic's permanent home.

But it gave the business room to grow without immediately committing to a much larger facility.

Over approximately two years, Laurel added another physical therapist and continued developing the business.

Eventually, Athlete's Edge outgrew that location too.

The next move would take the clinic into a 3,500-square-foot space and create an entirely new set of opportunities and responsibilities.

And that transition would require Laurel to evolve from being the clinician who built the practice into the leader responsible for helping an entire team succeed.

Scaling a Cash-Based PT Practice From One Provider to Eight Team Members

Moving into a larger clinic is exciting.

It also introduces an entirely different set of responsibilities.

For Laurel Boyd, the next stage of Athlete's Edge Physical Therapy meant moving from a smaller, approximately 1,000-square-foot location into a 3,500-square-foot facility in Austin, Texas.

Fortunately, the new space was in the same building.

That made the physical move easier, but the operational challenges were just beginning.

With more room to grow, Laurel could bring additional clinicians onto the team and expand the services Athlete's Edge offered.

Over the following year, the practice added three more physical therapists.

The business eventually grew to eight team members, and revenue nearly doubled over the previous year.

But that growth didn't happen simply because Laurel signed a lease on a larger facility.

It happened because she continued building relationships, recruiting talented clinicians, and developing the systems needed to support a growing organization.

The challenge was learning how to manage a business that was becoming increasingly complex.

How to Recruit Great Physical Therapists Without Relying Only on Job Postings

Finding qualified physical therapists is one of the biggest challenges facing growing clinic owners.

And when you're building a cash-based practice, clinical skills are only part of the equation.

You also need people who understand your treatment philosophy, communicate effectively with patients, and want to contribute to the culture you're creating.

Laurel approached recruiting much like she approached patient acquisition.

She focused on relationships.

Her first physical therapist was someone she already knew professionally.

He shared her vision for the business and wanted an opportunity to help build something rather than simply fill a treatment schedule.

That relationship eventually developed into a leadership opportunity within the clinic.

Her second physical therapist, Emily, came through a patient referral.

The patient knew Emily through church and helped make the connection.

Emily was looking for something different from the traditional high-volume outpatient model.

She joined Athlete's Edge and eventually developed into a pelvic floor specialist, allowing the clinic to serve an additional patient population.

Other hires came through professional connections and relationships within the community.

There's an important lesson here.

Your recruiting strategy doesn't have to begin and end with posting an opening online.

Your patients know other physical therapists.

Your staff members have former classmates and colleagues.

Your professional network includes clinicians who may be unhappy with their current work environment.

And many of those people might be interested in a clinic that offers more autonomy, better patient care, and opportunities for professional development.

Courtney shares a practical recruiting strategy during the episode.

Ask your patients who their favorite physical therapist is outside your clinic.

You might discover an excellent clinician who isn't actively searching for a new job but would be interested in the right opportunity.

The same relationship-building principles that help you attract patients can also help you build your team.

Why Your Clinic Culture Becomes a Recruiting Advantage

As Athlete's Edge grew, Laurel recognized that recruiting wasn't simply about offering competitive compensation.

She wanted to create a workplace where great clinicians genuinely enjoyed working.

That meant developing a culture built around collaboration, professional growth, and shared responsibility.

Instead of expecting every employee to follow her decisions without question, Laurel wanted team members to contribute ideas.

She wanted people to feel comfortable discussing problems.

And she wanted the practice to become somewhere she would personally want to work if she weren't the owner.

That approach can become a meaningful advantage.

A clinician leaving a traditional outpatient clinic may be looking for more than a different salary.

They may want longer appointments, stronger relationships with patients, opportunities to specialize, and a workplace where their opinions matter.

As the owner, you have the ability to create that environment.

And when you do, your existing employees can become some of your strongest recruiting advocates.

They understand the culture.

They know what makes the practice different.

And they can help identify people who would be a good fit.

When Your PT Practice Outgrows Its Systems

Growth creates complexity.

The processes that work when you're treating patients by yourself don't necessarily work when you're managing several clinicians and administrative employees.

Laurel experienced this firsthand.

Athlete's Edge went through multiple periods where the systems supporting the business needed significant improvements.

Information was spread across different spreadsheets and platforms.

Reporting required too much manual work.

And administrative processes weren't always centralized.

As the team grew, those inefficiencies became harder to ignore.

Laurel began focusing on consolidating information and reducing unnecessary administrative work.

One important change was moving to GoHighLevel through The Patch System.

Having the CRM and phone system connected helped simplify communication and patient management.

But implementing new systems also taught Laurel an important leadership lesson.

Just because the owner is comfortable making rapid changes doesn't mean the entire team can adapt at the same speed.

Earlier in the business, Laurel sometimes introduced multiple changes simultaneously.

Her first administrative employee was responsible for much of the technical implementation while Laurel continued treating patients.

That created unnecessary stress.

Looking back, she recognized that even beneficial changes need to be introduced thoughtfully.

Employees need time to learn new processes.

They need clear expectations.

And they need support while adjusting.

A better system isn't necessarily better if your team doesn't have the time or training to use it effectively.

As your practice grows, improving operations becomes less about finding the perfect software and more about creating processes your team can consistently follow.

Why Delegation Is One of the Hardest Skills for PT Clinic Owners

For much of Athlete's Edge's growth, Laurel remained heavily involved in day-to-day operations.

She was treating patients.

Managing employees.

Making decisions.

Handling administrative responsibilities.

And continuing to oversee important parts of the patient acquisition process.

That approach worked when the business was smaller.

But with eight team members, it was becoming unsustainable.

Laurel knew she needed to delegate more.

The problem was that handing off responsibilities often felt harder than simply completing them herself.

This is a common trap for business owners.

You know how to perform a task.

You can finish it quickly.

And teaching someone else might take considerably longer.

So you keep doing it.

But that short-term convenience creates a long-term problem.

Every task you refuse to delegate becomes another responsibility that depends on you.

Eventually, your schedule fills with activities that prevent you from working on the business.

For Laurel, the need to change became especially clear as she prepared for the birth of her first child.

She wanted to take a meaningful maternity leave.

And that meant Athlete's Edge needed to operate without her constant involvement.

How Laurel Decided What to Delegate First

One resource that helped Laurel rethink her responsibilities was The 6 Types of Working Genius by Patrick Lencioni.

The framework examines different types of work and helps people identify which activities give them energy and which drain it.

Laurel began paying attention to the responsibilities she consistently disliked.

Administrative tasks were a major example.

She could complete them, but they weren't activities she particularly enjoyed or felt energized by.

That helped her identify responsibilities that could be transferred to other team members.

One example involved preparing information for weekly and monthly meetings.

Instead of personally gathering metrics and organizing everything, she began handing those responsibilities to an administrative employee.

Another major opportunity involved discovery calls.

Laurel had continued handling them herself because she believed they were an important part of the sales process.

But her coach, Chris Robles, challenged her to reconsider.

Why did she need to be the person taking every discovery call?

She already had an administrative employee who was comfortable speaking with prospective patients.

So Laurel began transferring those calls.

And the results were encouraging.

Her employee performed extremely well, to the point that Laurel began wondering whether she might actually be better at the process.

That's one of the biggest benefits of delegation.

You're not necessarily giving important work to someone less capable.

Sometimes you're giving it to someone whose strengths are better aligned with the responsibility.

Preparing Your PT Practice to Run Without You

Laurel's upcoming maternity leave created a deadline for changes she had been considering for months.

She wanted to be able to step away from the business, especially during the first several weeks after having her daughter.

That meant building confidence in her team and giving employees the authority to manage responsibilities without constantly checking with her.

She planned to remain involved in some leadership activities later in her leave, including certain team meetings and communication.

But her goal was to avoid being pulled back into everyday operations.

She also planned to stay away from regular office responsibilities for approximately three months.

And she was considering an even bigger change.

She didn't intend to return to a regular patient treatment schedule.

That decision represented a major shift in how she viewed her role.

The practice had grown beyond the point where her primary contribution needed to be treating patients.

Her time could potentially create more value through leadership, marketing, business development, and improving the patient experience.

For many clinic owners, that's one of the most difficult transitions in entrepreneurship.

You built the practice because you were a great clinician.

But eventually, growing the practice requires you to develop an entirely different set of skills.

Transitioning From Physical Therapist to CEO

By the time Laurel recorded this episode, she had reduced her clinical schedule to approximately four to ten patients per week.

She still enjoyed treating patients.

But she increasingly recognized the opportunity cost of staying heavily involved in patient care.

Every evaluation created additional responsibilities.

There were home exercise programs to prepare.

Follow-up communication.

Treatment planning.

And other tasks associated with providing high-quality care.

Those responsibilities competed with the time she needed to lead a growing team.

Laurel also recognized that her clinicians were continuing to develop their clinical skills while she was spending more of her energy learning how to operate a business.

Her interests had changed.

Earlier in her career, she imagined owning a sports-focused practice while having someone else manage the business.

Now she genuinely enjoyed business development, leadership, and improving the organization.

Her next goal was to operate more fully in what her coach described as CEO mode.

That meant focusing on the responsibilities that would have the greatest impact on the business.

Sales and marketing.

The customer journey.

Team development.

Operational improvements.

And identifying opportunities for future growth.

This doesn't mean every physical therapy practice owner needs to stop treating patients.

A solo clinician who wants a lifestyle practice may be perfectly happy maintaining a full caseload.

But if your goal is to build a larger business with multiple providers, you eventually need to decide where your time creates the most value.

Trying to be the busiest clinician and the primary leader of a growing organization becomes increasingly difficult.

Building a Business That Supports Your Family Instead of Competing With It

One of Laurel's original motivations for growing Athlete's Edge was creating more flexibility for her future family.

She wanted to build something that could eventually provide time freedom.

But as the business expanded, she noticed how easy it was to become consumed by work.

There were times when personal commitments felt like interruptions.

Spending time with family or friends could feel frustrating because there was always something else she could be doing for the clinic.

That realization concerned her.

She didn't want to spend years building a successful business only to discover that she'd sacrificed the relationships and experiences that made the work worthwhile.

Preparing for motherhood helped clarify those priorities.

She wanted to establish boundaries around her schedule.

She wanted to trust her team.

And she wanted to enjoy the life she was working so hard to create.

This is something every clinic owner should consider.

Financial freedom and time freedom aren't necessarily the same thing.

You can build a profitable practice and still feel trapped by your responsibilities.

Creating genuine flexibility requires systems, delegation, leadership, and a willingness to let other people take ownership.

The goal isn't simply to build a bigger clinic.

It's to build a business that supports the life you want.

Why Leadership Is the Real Skill Behind Scaling a PT Practice

When Courtney asked Laurel about the most valuable lessons she'd learned through Clinical Rainmaker and the PT Biz Mastermind, she emphasized leadership.

Not marketing tactics.

Not pricing.

Not finding the perfect location.

Leadership.

Laurel had learned that building a successful team required more than giving instructions.

She needed to create an environment where employees felt comfortable sharing their ideas and concerns.

One resource that influenced her approach was Radical Candor by Kim Scott.

The book emphasizes direct communication, honest feedback, and caring about the people you lead.

Laurel wanted her employees to feel comfortable bringing problems to her rather than avoiding difficult conversations.

She also recognized that some of the best ideas for improving Athlete's Edge came from her team.

Instead of assuming she always had the right answer, she began involving employees in decisions.

That created opportunities for people to take greater ownership.

And it helped the business become less dependent on Laurel personally managing every detail.

As a clinic owner, your leadership affects much more than employee satisfaction.

It influences retention, recruiting, patient experience, and the long-term stability of the business.

You don't need to become a perfect leader.

But you do need to keep improving.

Technology Spotlight

Documentation continues to be one of the biggest frustrations for physical therapists.

Claire is an AI scribe built specifically for PTs that dramatically reduces documentation time, allowing clinicians to focus on patient care instead of paperwork.

As Laurel's story demonstrates, reducing unnecessary administrative work becomes increasingly important as a practice grows.

Whether you're treating patients yourself or managing a team of clinicians, finding ways to simplify documentation can help create more time for the responsibilities that matter most.

👉 Try Claire free for 7 days

More PT Biz Training

Want more content on building a scalable cash practice?

👉 PT Biz Training YouTube

If you're thinking about starting your own cash-based practice, check out the free PT Biz Part-Time to Full-Time 5-Day Challenge.

You'll learn how to calculate your income replacement goal, determine the patient volume and pricing you need, and create a practical plan for transitioning into full-time ownership.

Already running a clinic?

Visit Physical Therapy Biz to take the free Clinic Growth Blueprint Assessment and identify the most important opportunities for your next stage of growth.

You can also learn more about Laurel's practice at Athlete's Edge Physical Therapy or follow the team on Instagram.

Final Thoughts

Laurel Boyd's journey from mobile physical therapist to owner of an eight-person practice illustrates an important truth about entrepreneurship.

The skills that help you start a successful cash-based PT practice aren't necessarily the same skills that help you scale one.

In the beginning, Laurel needed to find patients, build relationships, and deliver excellent care.

As the business grew, she needed to recruit clinicians, improve systems, delegate responsibilities, and become a stronger leader.

And as she prepared for motherhood, she faced another challenge: creating a business that could operate without her constant involvement.

That's the progression many successful clinic owners eventually experience.

You start by building a job for yourself.

Then you build a team.

And eventually, you have the opportunity to build an organization that can thrive without depending on you for every decision.

If you're currently growing your own cash-based PT practice, consider one question.

What responsibility are you still handling that someone else on your team could eventually do better?

Identify it.

Create a process.

Train the right person.

And begin handing it off.

Because building a scalable practice isn't about becoming responsible for more and more things.

It's about developing the people and systems that allow your business to grow while giving you greater freedom outside of it.