E858 | Why I Reinvested In The Clinic I Sold (And What I'm Building Next)

The Vision Behind the Return

This isn’t nostalgia. It’s strategy.

My vision is to build the largest cash-based clinic group in the U.S., with a long-term goal of reaching multi–8- and even 9-figure revenue. But this isn’t just about growth for the sake of it—it’s about creating a better place for clinicians to work.

I want to prove that you can run a clinic that gives clinicians everything they’ve ever wanted:

• Great income and benefits.

• A balanced schedule.

• A culture that makes them love being clinicians again.

If we can build that, it changes the game for the entire profession.

People First, Always

I’ve learned something after watching hundreds of clinic owners rise and fall:

The best and worst part of your business is the people.

If your vision isn’t big enough for your team to see a future in it, they’ll leave. Growth isn’t just about more patients or more locations—it’s about creating opportunity for the people who help you build it.

That’s why this next phase isn’t about me running day-to-day operations. Athlete’s Potential already has that covered with Jake Swart—one of the most talented and balanced entrepreneurs I’ve ever worked with. My role is to help us scale strategically and sustainably: new spaces, better systems, better opportunities for our staff.

How We’ll Get There

Here’s what scaling smart looks like to me:

• Build standalone spaces that represent our brand and values.

• Redesign compensation so it rewards growth, retention, and results.

• Add recurring revenue models that create stability and predictability.

• Refine acquisition and sales systems to drive consistent, measurable growth.

• Track the right metrics so we know what to scale and when.

This is the kind of operational precision that separates seven-figure clinics from multi-eight-figure groups.

Why It Matters

I’ve heard the criticism: “You’re out of touch because you don’t own a clinic anymore.” Fair question. But now, I’ve got my hands back in the clay—and I’ve never been more connected to what owners experience daily.

We’re not just talking theory anymore. We’re testing everything we teach inside a live, growing business—and we’re putting real money and time on the line to prove it works.

The future of cash-based PT isn’t just solo entrepreneurs grinding it out—it’s groups of aligned clinicians building powerful, people-centered businesses that can compete with and outperform traditional models.

Final Thoughts

Selling Athlete’s Potential was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made. Buying it back might be one of the best.

I’m excited to roll up my sleeves again—to be part of something tangible, to mentor great people, and to create an example of what’s possible when you blend clinical excellence, smart systems, and a big mission.

The journey is coming full circle. But this time, we’re aiming even higher.

“If your vision isn’t big enough for your staff to see themselves in it, they’ll leave. So build something worth staying for.”

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Podcast Transcript

[00:00:00] Hey, Danny Matta here with PT Biz and I just made a massive investment [00:00:05] and I wanna share all the details with you. So [00:00:10] about three years ago, my wife and I sold Athletes' Potential, which is the [00:00:15] clinic that we started together when we moved to Atlanta. After I got out of the Army, [00:00:20] it was a. Very huge part of our life.[00:00:25]

It was a big part of our kids' lives. It really, it's how we identified [00:00:30] ourself in many ways as business owners, small business owners of this, of this clinic. [00:00:35] And along the way we learned a lot about running a business in many [00:00:40] cases, the hard way. Um. At a certain point, we got pretty good at running [00:00:45] businesses, and we started having people reach out to us about how they could do similar things.[00:00:50]

Our goals for that clinic started to change. It [00:00:55] started to be something that we viewed as a convenient. Business that we could [00:01:00] autopilot and really test things that then we could share with the clients we were working with in [00:01:05] PT Biz. And it was great because we were able to tactically test many things and share many things, [00:01:10] um, in, in a very fast pace with the clients that we were working with.

But [00:01:15] at the end of the day. That's not really the vision that we had for that clinic. It's not [00:01:20] really the vision we had for our staff. And we wanted to [00:01:25] create an opportunity for our staff to really be able to be a part of a clinic that was solely [00:01:30] focused on that and growing so they could have better opportunities.

And so that that clinic could, in [00:01:35] the end, really help a lot more people. So three years ago we sold [00:01:40] our clinic to. Our clinic director at the time, Jake Swart, who [00:01:45] was a fantastic clinician, but really we felt [00:01:50] was the right person to carry on the core values of that business and, and ambitious enough to [00:01:55] really go for it and, uh, and grow that business.

And it's been really cool to, [00:02:00] from a distance, you know, really see. What's been going on and I, I see Jake on a [00:02:05] regular basis. You know, I usually see him a couple times a month and, um, it's always just cool [00:02:10] to catch up with, you know, what's going on in the clinic and to visit as a patient. Uh, which [00:02:15] we have, you know, done frequently since we sold, uh, the business.

But [00:02:20] over the last, I would say, you know, six to nine months in particular, [00:02:25] I felt very disconnected from actually running these businesses. [00:02:30] I work with business owners. Every day. You know, really diving into what they're [00:02:35] doing in their businesses and developing systems and talking about finance and [00:02:40] hiring and all the things that go into running clinics.

Um, and I do [00:02:45] love being able to help these clinic owners, but there's an in-person element of work [00:02:50] that I have very much missed. There's a, uh, granular [00:02:55] part of being a part of these businesses that I very much missed and. [00:03:00] In the last, uh, two months, we have been able to [00:03:05] come to terms with the current owner of Athletes' Potential with [00:03:10] a reinvestment in the business to once again be a part of that business in a different [00:03:15] role than ru what we were doing before and actually owning out right and running it.

[00:03:20] Um, and I'm very excited about this. So, you know, my wife and I are going to be, [00:03:25] um. Partners with Jake in athlete's potential once more and really [00:03:30] function and more of a strategic, uh, growth advisor role, but also in the [00:03:35] ability to really get in there with the team and, and get in there with doing things like expanding into standalone [00:03:40] spaces and doing brand redesigns and compensation packages and hiring [00:03:45] and you know, really just scaling the business with all of the things that we have learned over [00:03:50] the last.

A few years in particular, the last three years where we've been solely focused [00:03:55] on PT biz, and at the time I very much believe [00:04:00] that selling our clinic was the right move and it probably wouldn't make sense for me to [00:04:05] get back involved in the business. If I didn't really personally feel very [00:04:10] tied to the mission and the people, which I do, and being in person is a special [00:04:15] thing that I think we take for granted when we're running these businesses.

But I can tell you [00:04:20] this has been my world for a few years. This is my office. This is [00:04:25] where I spend so much time and you know, I'm on. Zoom calls, I'm answering, you [00:04:30] know, client, uh, questions. I am, uh, you know, doing lots of work for that business [00:04:35] that involves me creating content like this or, um, you know, being tied to a computer [00:04:40] in some way.

But the more of that that I do, the more I realize I need some [00:04:45] balance as well, with being face to face and being a part of a brick and mortar business again, especially one that is so unique [00:04:50] as athletes' potential. It's something I'm very, very much looking forward to. And [00:04:55] it's a, it's, it's, it's a role that I, I, I'm very much, I feel like I'm, I'm teed up for, [00:05:00] to be a part of now that I wasn't three years ago.

I mean, the amount of reps I have with the, the businesses over the last [00:05:05] three years in particular, just solely focusing on this, the amount of connections that I've been able to make, the amount of people I've built [00:05:10] to had conversations with and different elements of business that I knew nothing about when we sold [00:05:15] is gonna be incredibly helpful for the role that I'm going to fill within that, within that company.[00:05:20]

Um, so this is something that I wanted to share because. There's, [00:05:25] I think there's a misconception in some ways that just because you sell a business, it means that they're [00:05:30] not good businesses to own. And that wasn't the [00:05:35] case for us. In fact, we had a very, very hard time selling athletes' [00:05:40] potential at all.

In fact, you know, when we told our kids, they literally started crying. Like it was, it was like [00:05:45] we, uh, had put a family pet down or something like, it was sad. We were sad for [00:05:50] months. Our whole family was, and. It's because [00:05:55] it's a very personal thing. It's something that, you know, when, when you, when you start a [00:06:00] business together, a family business and, and you put so much work into that and you, and you get a chance to work [00:06:05] with people that are, um, you know, really making changes, physical changes, mental [00:06:10] changes, they're improving their lives.

It's a very special place. It's a very positive place, you know, and it's, it's a place [00:06:15] that we enjoy going. And I don't even know if you as a business owner with these types of [00:06:20] clinics. You may not have the perspective of that that I do, but I can tell [00:06:25] you that you should be very grateful for that [00:06:30] opportunity.

You should be very grateful to be able to work in a, in a space, in a business where [00:06:35] people are improving. You know, where, where positive things are happening, where people are [00:06:40] trying to get better all the time. Um, that's a, that's a unique place. Most people do not work in [00:06:45] settings like that. And you are, you can build that culture however you want, and that's a pretty cool thing.

[00:06:50] So, you know, for me, I really miss getting my hands dirty in these businesses, being a part of these [00:06:55] businesses. And the other thing too is, you know, I've gotten, [00:07:00] I don't know, I, I've had people question whether, um. If that was the right [00:07:05] move or, or question whether, you know, we are out of touch with, with clinics [00:07:10] because we don't own them anymore.

Which is a, it's a, I think a fair thing to say, but also [00:07:15] inaccurate. I mean, the amount of time that I spend looking at these businesses is just, [00:07:20] it's all I do. It's this is it. So I don't know if I would say that, [00:07:25] you know, we, we don't have a strong idea of how these businesses run just because we're not running.

Monday [00:07:30] morning meetings, you know, um, it's more about the. The [00:07:35] scale side of it that I'm interested in really helping with the things that I've learned as far as [00:07:40] space design, re ne negotiations, compensation, structure plans, you know, different [00:07:45] business models that incorporate recurring revenue, uh, improvements in acquisition [00:07:50] and, uh, sales, um, packaging on the front end, as well as really having a clear idea as to what to [00:07:55] track as well as what the numbers look like to truly scale a business like this.

Like we've, you know, [00:08:00] I, I've been a part of businesses at this point now that I've. That I've owned that are significantly larger [00:08:05] than athlete's potential is. And I really wanna help it get to that point with, [00:08:10] with what it is that I've learned personally. Um, and that doesn't necessarily mean I'm not [00:08:15] seeing patients, right.

That's not happening. I'm not gonna go in and run meetings. That's not my role. Uh, and, and that's [00:08:20] not what I'm, I'm trying to do, but to really help with Jake, you know? Point that business [00:08:25] and drive that business into the right direction for where we have this shared vision is really, really [00:08:30] exciting and something that I'm excited to be able to do again.

And I think, you know, why do you care? Right? [00:08:35] Um, well, I, I'll tell you the way that I look at this. So number one, [00:08:40] me being directly involved, again, it's kind of how all this started to begin with. [00:08:45] Like the PT Entrepreneur podcast. If you go back and you listen, I mean, half of [00:08:50] those episodes, well, I mean not half, many of those episodes.

I'm doing as [00:08:55] I'm driving to my clinic. The audio is terrible. Um, and I, I think you can actually hear those, like [00:09:00] it's in the first, the first hundred or so, maybe 200. A lot of those are me, [00:09:05] uh, driving to my clinic. With mud tires on my truck, so it's [00:09:10] loud and you know, but that's the only time I had to share some of the stuff.

But it was also [00:09:15] top of mind. It was like I was in it, uh, so much. Right. And, you know, being able to share [00:09:20] that in detail as things were happening was, was really, it was cool. And I think it was helpful for people that were going through [00:09:25] similar things or maybe I was just a step ahead of where they're at.

This puts me in a unique position to do something [00:09:30] very similar and really share what we're seeing, but on a much bigger scale because, [00:09:35] um. The goal for this clinic is not just to, you know, keep it where it's at, [00:09:40] like it's, it's well past a seven figure clinic right now. The goal is [00:09:45] to grow it much bigger than that.

The goal is to grow the largest [00:09:50] cash-based clinic group in the entire country. The goal is multiple eight and even [00:09:55] nine figures in revenue in these clinics. And maybe we don't [00:10:00] get there 'cause it's quite ambitious. I sure as hell am looking forward to trying, and I'm [00:10:05] sure as hell is looking forward to sharing what we're finding with our [00:10:10] community at PT Biz and with people that listen to the stuff that we put out and the content that [00:10:15] we have.

You know, this is a, a exciting thing for me to think about. What can we build? [00:10:20] And, you know, when people ask, like I, I, are these truly good [00:10:25] businesses? Uh, we, we've just put our money where our mouth is, where our, where our mouth is with a [00:10:30] significant monetary investment. And time investment into this business.

[00:10:35] I think the future of these businesses is, it, it's massive. You know, we, we [00:10:40] see what's happening right now. The other thing is I still see so many [00:10:45] people that are leaving the profession that are. Even, even [00:10:50] have clinics that they try to start and fail because they don't understand how to run a business.

Or to be [00:10:55] honest, they, they have no business being an entrepreneur. They, they're [00:11:00] not wired correctly for it. They don't know what the pain feels like. They're not willing to take that long enough. They're not [00:11:05] willing to work on themselves personally. And that's okay because, you know, [00:11:10] a friend once told me the only reason to be an entrepreneur is if you can't be employed by somebody else because it is a [00:11:15] crazy decision.

It's a crazy life decision career decision. It's a very difficult thing to do and [00:11:20] there's an incredibly high failure rate as well. So for us, you know, we [00:11:25] see a path where we're gonna be able to create, ideally, a almost utopia [00:11:30] of where these types of clinicians can come, can work at a very high level [00:11:35] with fantastic work life balance, and have opportunities that in some cases may be even better [00:11:40] than starting and growing their, their own clinic, uh, being a part of a, a bigger [00:11:45] group.

And that's a pretty exciting thing to do because. I've now been a part [00:11:50] of, you know, groups that are much bigger as far as consulting is concerned. And it's interesting to see [00:11:55] how the sausage is made and better understand the whole process of how we put these things together. [00:12:00] Um, you know, and, and I've met and had a chance to interact with.

People that are far more [00:12:05] successful than I am over the last few years. And I, I really do look forward to the opportunity of testing [00:12:10] some of these things that, um, you know, that, that, uh, we've had a chance to learn and implement them in real [00:12:15] time in this business model that I think is so special. And, and honestly to get back to actually [00:12:20] being a part of, you know, the journey that people have, um, not just as on the patient side, like [00:12:25] that's amazing, but also it's the people.

You know, like that is, that is [00:12:30] the thing that I think you have to keep in mind as you grow your business. [00:12:35] So the best and worst part of your business is gonna be the people. And that's [00:12:40] ironic in some ways. You know, how can it be the best and the worst? I mean, other [00:12:45] things are like that in life as well, but helping staff.[00:12:50]

Be able to get to a position where they, A, love being a clinician. [00:12:55] Again, B, put themself in a position where they can financially afford a house or pay their [00:13:00] student loans off, or start a family, you know, see a path forward where they can grow within [00:13:05] a business and be a part of this culture. This, this, this [00:13:10] really unique culture that we can grow.

Like the people are what [00:13:15] matters. Like, that's it. And sometimes. You're forced to grow, so your [00:13:20] people have opportunities that are bigger than where they're at. And that's actually what I didn't [00:13:25] understand whenever we sold our clinic, you know, I said, okay, like this is, it's better for us to go focus on this, just solely focus [00:13:30] on that.

And, and absolutely it made a massive difference in that business that, uh, PT Biz has grown, [00:13:35] you know, exponentially since we decided to solely focused on that. And at the same [00:13:40] time, when I look at. You know, athletes potential and the opportunities we have. I want to be able [00:13:45] to provide the same opportunities, the same growth trajectory, the same, um, you [00:13:50] know, company culture that allows people to see that they have a path forward, uh, [00:13:55] to to, to a fantastic income and benefits and be a part of a culture and a mission that's bigger than them and [00:14:00] really feel proud of where they work, but do so in a brick and mortar business again, [00:14:05] and, you know, be a part of that in person with people.

You know, go to [00:14:10] the events that we have, be a part of the Christmas dinner that we have. Like all these things that are so [00:14:15] special when it comes to being a part of a brick and mortar company. That is [00:14:20] what I very much look forward to. Uh, you know, more than anything else, I think the opportunity is massive, but more [00:14:25] than anything, the people are what matter the most.

And I think if you can keep that in mind in your company, because [00:14:30] yes, sometimes are there gonna. Call in sick or you have turnover, somebody leaves and they start a clinic right down the [00:14:35] road and they, you know, somebody doesn't handle your feedback well or whatever. Like, okay, there's, [00:14:40] it's always challenging, no doubt about that.

But keep in mind those people [00:14:45] are what matter the most, and the more that you put them first, the more that you can create opportunities for them. [00:14:50] The more that they're going to pour back into your business and help you achieve the vision that you have. 'cause if your [00:14:55] vision isn't big enough for them to see themself in, they're gonna leave and go do something else.

That's it. [00:15:00] You gotta have a big vision and you gotta put your people first. And I'm really excited really to step back [00:15:05] in and do that again. You know, in person with Jake who I will go ahead [00:15:10] and, you know, give him a shout out. I think I've worked with a lot of entrepreneurs. Uh, in [00:15:15] the clinical space in particular, tons.

And I, I think that, I think [00:15:20] Jake is one of the best that I've seen, just fantastic. Uh, at [00:15:25] what is a really challenging thing to do, which is, you know, growing, growing businesses, being. [00:15:30] Risk tolerant enough, but yet prudent enough to understand, you know, the pace to go [00:15:35] at with businesses, to have a vision big enough that people wanna get behind that, you know, to be creative enough to [00:15:40] solve problems and, and, um, and really put the work in, which can be very hard on you, on [00:15:45] the, you know, health side and, and your, your personal side with your family.

And I've been incredibly [00:15:50] impressed. I wouldn't have taken this opportunity if it wasn't for that more than anything else. [00:15:55] To get a chance to work with somebody that I really respect to work towards something in a business [00:16:00] that we both, you know, very much care about and with people that we really care about.

And, [00:16:05] um, I'm very excited to also share the journey. With, uh, with everybody that listens to this and everybody that we work [00:16:10] with, because if we can crack the code on that, there's gonna be a lot of other people in the [00:16:15] space that are gonna be able to do the same thing. And that's what we hope to be able to do with athletes' potential.

So [00:16:20] that's my big news. I. Sold my practice and then I bought back in a [00:16:25] couple years later. TLDR. There it is, uh, but a lot more to come. I'm very excited [00:16:30] to be a part of this again and to share, uh, much of what we're gonna do with everybody on this as well. So thanks for [00:16:35] listening. Catch you next [00:16:40] time.