December 2016 | Business View Magazine

40 41 decades to get to where we are today. When it comes to franchising, in general, for physical ther- apy, there are a couple of other players out there, but all of these other franchisors for physical therapy still follow the obsolete business model, and are primarily orthopedic-based. Here’s an example of what I’m talking about: If you had back pain, and you were to ask yourself, who treats back pain? You would find that physical therapists treat back pain, in addition to acupuncturists, massage therapists, pain management specialists, ortho- pedic surgeons, etc. But ask yourself, ‘Who treats balance?’ Really, it’s no one. As a franchise model, we don’t really have much competition.” BVM: Has anything occurred recently or in the near-term future that will impact the way you do business? DiMauro: “Because we found the clinical inte- gration between audiology and physical therapy to be so substantial, we are going to begin working with private practice audiologists by helping them add a balance center to their practice. In addition, we are going to be moving, for the first time, into the financier marketplace and assist with start-ups within healthcare. Our model is now at a point where we can begin targeting financiers. So, in 2017, our target demographic begins to extend to include: audiologists, financiers, and other physician specialties. BVM: You mean that a potential franchisee can have little or no background in the medical field, but can still utilize FYZICAL Therapy as an income producer? DiMauro: “Correct, anyone will be able to acquire a franchise and be wildly successful.” BVM: Do you have multiple franchisees or do FYZICAL THERAPY AND BALANCE CENTERS PREFERRED VENDORS n Footmaxx www.footmaxx.com Footmaxx is a complete orthotic lab providing custom orthotics through healthcare professionals worldwide. The company opened for business in October 1994 and maintains direct sales, manufactur- ing, and distribution capability in the United States and Canada, and works with distribution partners and clinicians internationally. Footmaxx devices and products are typically recommended by clinicians to improve function and correct injuries. n Bama Printing www.printbama.com most of your franchisees have one unit? DiMauro: “It’s a mix. We have one that has ten, another with nine, some have four or five, some have one. More often than not, our franchisees are looking for high growth, so they are looking to expand. We do assist them in doing that, and our primary model is via acquisition. We’ve had innumerable franchisees acquire other private practice centers to continue expanding their footprint.” BVM: What are the company’s objectives for the long-term, say five years out? DiMauro: “Without a doubt, we’ll be international. We already consider ourselves a healthcare franchise. As we continue to expand into other specialties, like otolaryngology, neurology, and audiology, there is a strong possibility we will have com- pany-owned operations involved with those specialties. We are on the verge of becoming a very large healthcare organization. We’re growing so rapidly, we continuously need to adjust our plans because we’re frequently achieving our goals much soon- er than anticipated. We’re only in the U.S., today. This is soon to change.” n Care Credit www.carecredit.com