Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jason Swisher, Owner of Coastal Mobile Therapy, located in Oceanside, CA, USA.

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

Coastal Mobile Therapy is an outpatient-based therapy company that provides mobile services. We come to the home or place of living to provide those services. The place of living can be a single-family home, assisted living, board and care facility, or other remote locations. The overall goal is to help patients improve their function, safety, and independence in the settings where they live. Too often, patients fall through the gap between a hospital or rehab inpatient stay and making it to an outpatient facility to continue getting stronger and safer in their home setting. This is where we come in to provide a stopgap for those additional services that are needed to help with this transition back to home.

Tell us about yourself

After finishing Physical Therapy school at Loma Linda University in 2000, I began working in a rehab setting environment. I learned a lot about different disease processes and how to work with different teams of people, which was very valuable. But after two years, I wanted a new challenge and more flexibility and was ready for a change. A friend of mine was marketing for a Home Health Agency and said that they really needed to add new therapists to the staff and wanted to know if I was interested. So, I took my first case and realized this was the next direction I wanted to go. After working for several months with the agency, I started to put a team together of different therapists that I had worked with in the past and then presented my new "contract" team to the agency. They needed more staffing and were very interested in letting me handle the therapy side of their needs, so it began. That contract company was my first step into a new world of business contracts. This little contract company became Advantage Therapy which grew to have contracts from Loma Linda to Los Angeles, from Orange County to Coachella Valley. After ten years of work in this area, I realized there was a gap between home health and outpatient rehab, and quite often, there were patients who weren't ready or able to make that gap. These patients either preferred to continue with treatment at home or were not able to physically get to an outpatient setting. That's when I decided I wanted to explore more into a gap type of service which evolved into Coastal Mobile Therapy.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I think our biggest accomplishment with Coastal Mobile Therapy is having been able to provide an opportunity to help patients improve lives at home and educate them and their families on the options that are available to them. Also, the opportunity to provide a flexible job schedule environment for our staff so they can have more quality time with their families.

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

Never really being off work! When you run a service business, you are never really done as there are needs that come up every day.

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

First of all, you have to have a passion for being an entrepreneur. You have to understand that you are the only person who can motivate you to push forward.

Secondly, don't let other people dissuade you from going for your dreams. Other people are not living your life and don't have to answer for your choices or needs. Live for yourself!

Lastly, you have to realize and recognize that there are two types of people out there. Some people are entrepreneurial types and motivated and excited to share their thoughts and energy with you. Align yourself with them and motivate and support each other with your ventures. Other people are "worker" types and are comfortable in that context and perform best when given structure and direction. When working with them, find out what motivates them and give them encouragement and the direction they need to be successful, and they will help you be successful!

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Don't ever be afraid to take a chance when you've done your research and know your heart. No one else can make your life great for you but you!

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.coastalmobiletherapy.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-swisher-697abb1a6/

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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