Impact Injury Prevention

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Liz Kiggins, owner of Impact Injury Prevention LLC., located in Fayetteville, NY, USA.

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

I work with the salt of the earth people - the ones on the production floors who use their hands and back to make the products we use and need. Bending, lifting, gripping, pulling and pushing, carrying tasks, they put wear and tear on the body.

And as an Industrial Physical Therapist (PT), my job is to help the workers perform these tasks in the healthiest manner. My customers are their employers, who want to prevent injuries and OSHA recordable, but my business is with the workers on the floor. My days are spent on the ground floor learning job processes and watching how people interact with their essential job functions.

As Physical Therapists who specialize in ergonomics, we combine our expertise in movement and posture and look for risk factors in the work environment that could lead to musculoskeletal stress and strains. We watch how they sit and stand, use tools and machinery and guide them to better mechanics and strategies to reduce muscular fatigue.

Workers come to our Industrial PTs for either home/personal based concerns as well as work-related concerns. We collaborate with safety managers and supervisors on ergonomic risk factors, offering them a biomechanical perspective. I offer ergonomic evaluations, job coaching, early intervention support, and work habit training and recently expanded to include health coaching.

Tell us about yourself

I worked in the outpatient orthopedic office and loved my patient caseload, but I had a poor work-life balance. I also wanted more autonomy in my career but owning a private practice was not the path I wanted to take. My introduction to the industrial setting was the result of finding two leaders in the field that were already doing it and reaching out to them. I worked for them for a few years and then branched out on my own.

I found that the industrial niche has allowed flexibility with my schedule, and the environment is challenging. I like that each company has unique challenges regarding muscle-skeletal risks, as the physical and mental demands of work tasks and production environments can vary. My motivation is high when new projects such as ergonomic risk assessments or developing training workshops come up. I also like when new products are made or new processes are implemented, as I can use my lens as a physical therapist to identify postures or forces that may be risky to the worker and collaborate with employers to counter the risk factors.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

As a business owner, it was when I needed to bring in other physical therapists. I realized I was allowing other professionals who wanted to keep working but not in traditional settings and have more flexibility as well. So while expanding my business is great, the bigger accomplishment to me is mentoring other health professionals and, frankly, having some camaraderie.

I do feel like I am on an island, if you think about it, you drive around town and see outpatient therapy or hospitals, but there are probably very few or none that exclusively work inside industries. This is not something you can do out of school, you need a strong base of orthopedic knowledge and the ability to build a rapport with people outside of the clinic setting. So for me, to be able to support others to accomplish this within my business model is a proud accomplishment.

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

At first, it was getting used to the rejection! But I got over that quick, now it's figuring out how to be marketing, bookkeeper, advertising, human resource, and doing the business all at once. As I grow, I suppose some of these aspects can be delegated out, but for now — I am it. I do have an accountant and a lawyer, and thankfully a really smart friend who knows quickbooks.

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

Use the resources available to you, such as free small business mentors. I used SCORE in the Syracuse area, which provides free mentoring, and you can meet with professionals in whatever area you need mentoring. I went to a meeting, and there in the front was an old patient of mine who is retired but continues to be a marketing strategist mentor for SCORE. He mentored me with my marketing and branding and gave me tips on sales. Remember, I am a health care professional, so promoting myself and my business felt counterintuitive!

Relationships are key; they take time to build but take the extra time to get to know the people within the organization as they may lead to future prospects. So much of my new business is through networking. I don't go to meet and greets, but many people within the companies themselves move around. When they move to new organizations, you want them to think of you as a resource.

Get a good accountant.

Preparation is key even if you don't have the opportunity in front of you. I have taken many continuing education hours on a job analysis and post-offer test development, for example, although I did not have a direct request for this service. However, when it did come up, I was ready and confident enough to say yes.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.impactergonomics.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-kiggins-mpt-cees-43227140/

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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