Inspire | Franchise story
BACK TO THE
FUTURE
How a nurturing nature makes commercial sense for the Back in Motion business.
I
n 2004 physiotherapist Jason Smith took the step of turning his practice into a franchise chain. Starting out in his garage as a single practitioner he looked at creating a community facility and as the business grew, took the decision to employ staff to run six other venues. This proved to him the business model could be run without his close attention, making it an ideal franchise system. So he pressed the go button. Fourteen business outlets were established the year after and today the Back in Motion chain stands at 45 franchisees operating more than 60 outlets. “To be honest, I never intended running a business. I never considered myself commercial. To find myself in a large business responsible for that business, is as much of a surprise to me as anyone else.” The franchise model has adopted a lot of the best ways of retailing and hospitality and the unique approach of physiotherapy, which by its very nature attracts conservative practitioners. So how did the business grow so quickly? “We grew because we brought a unique philosophy to clinical health: results for life. The traditional history of our profession is very reactive – treating an injury or managing pain. “Our wellness driven philosophy means we partner with our patient in a range of services for them. Health is performing at your best, not the absence of pain or injury,” says Smith. Optimal functionality is the aim and a holistic approach is now the focus of the practice. “We don’t position ourselves as a physiotherapy practice.” »
Jason Smith Turning his Victorian based at-home business into the integrative physiotherapy group it is today has seen Jason Smith nominated for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for 2013. He is also a speaker and author. All images: Back in Motion 36| FRANCHISING SEP/OCT 2013
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