Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Rhonda Roth, Owner of Children in Motion, located in Murray, UT, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Children in Motion is a pediatric therapy clinic located in Murray, UT. We support children and their families in reaching their goals. Whether a child is struggling with sensory processing, self-care skills like dressing, bathing, toileting, or feeding, motor skills like handwriting or outdoor play, or with regulating emotions, we are here to help.

Our customers are children between the ages of 0 to 18 years and their families. We truly believe in supporting our clients and their families to reach their goals. Therefore, we never decide on goals without parental involvement, and all treatment includes the parents in the sessions.

Tell us about yourself

I have been an occupational therapist for the past 16 years. I have worked with children in various settings, including early intervention (ages 0-3), school-based occupational therapy, and in many outpatient and hospital clinics around the western United States. Even before I became an occupational therapist, I knew I wanted to own a clinic. But, back then, I had no idea what that meant or what the meaning of my own clinic would be.

Being a pediatric occupational therapist can be difficult. For 15 years, I worked in many different settings and often became burned out within the first year. My hours were long, the demands of my job were high, and I rarely had good support and mentorship to help me carry the weight of the challenges my clients and their families were facing.

After practicing for 15 years and completing my post-professional clinical doctoral degree (OTD) in occupational therapy, I decided it was finally time to open my own clinic. Before I opened the clinic, I often thought, "I do not have anything that makes my clinic different than what is already out there." So, I put off getting started for a long time.

But, over the past 16 years, my belief in client and family-centered therapy has grown. I truly believe that occupational therapists have the skills to help families work through the most challenging times in their child's life. But I also believe in the power of education, guidance, and support. This goes for our therapists and our clients alike. So, after I started Children in Motion, I realized this is what makes us different! Many clinics do not allow or put emphasis on parents being fully involved in sessions. Most pediatric clinics do not provide mentorship and guidance to their therapists. Many clinics over-work and underpay their therapists. I wanted to build a clinic that went against all the current "norms" for our clients and therapists.

So, Children in Motion provides family-centered therapy. We provide unmatched support through our Therapist in Motion mentorship and onboarding program for all of our therapists for their entire tenure with our clinic. We keep our caseloads low and even pay our therapists for planning and documentation time. This means our therapists have the time and resources to do their jobs and provide the best care to our clients possible.

Seeing how excited our employees are to come to work each day, how excited our children and families are to be at therapy each week, and the amazing relationships that develop throughout the therapeutic process are what motivates me every day to keep going!

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Getting Children in Motion off the ground is my greatest accomplishment so far. No one can prepare you for how challenging business ownership can be. I am learning so much every day. I feel the biggest accomplishment is helping over 50 families in less than a year and our continued expansion of services. We have a lot of new and exciting programs in development, which I believe will change the way pediatric occupational therapy is done in our state!

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

Finding balance is a challenge when you are in the start-up phase. Making time for yourself is so important and making time in your day where you are intentionally not thinking about your business is extremely important. Otherwise, being a business owner can be all-consuming.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Make sure you have a team who supports your vision. This may be family, friends, colleagues, etc. Reach out, share your vision, and get support.
  2. Don't be afraid of making mistakes or failures. Every time I mess up, I remind myself that I am learning a whole new job! I am a confident occupational therapist, but I have never been an entrepreneur before. So, be kind to yourself in the process.
  3. Use your fear to push forward! I often have bouts of feeling like, "wow, what am I doing here!?" Every time I feel this way, I revisit my mission or take a walk around our little clinic, or listen in on therapy sessions my employees are conducting. Every time this reminds me of why I am doing this and why I am trying to change how OT services are done!

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.children-in-motion.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildrenInMotionUtah
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhonda-roth-7b3064135/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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