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Leslie Presnell
You are listening to the Grow youw Local Business podcast, where local marketing expert and life coach Leslie Presnell shares the strategies and the mindset to help you reach more people in your city and bring in a steady stream of clients. All right, let's dive in. Hello. Hello. I have a very special guest on today. I have my client and student, Dr. Melissa Thompson, who is a pelvic floor physical therapist. And you guys, she has so much experience to share today about growing her local practice. I feel like she has kind of done it all in such a very short time. It feels like we started working together, I don't know, like several years ago at this point, but she was brand new in her practice, living in a very teeny, tiny small town in South Louisiana, which she'll tell you about. And this was a town that she was not from. So she knew no one and she was building up her practice. And she also kind of struggled with no one in her city understanding what she did or really knowing the value of what she did, which is, I know what a lot of people tell me they struggle with, too. But then fast forward, she started getting booked up and really growing her practice and becoming really well known in her community and even among other doctors in her space. And then she moved and she moved to the North Houston area in Texas in a whole different state, and where even more people were doing what she does and similar things. So a whole other issue. But she built her practice back up over the past year or so with her husband, Dr. Patrick Thompson, who I've also gotten to work with as well. And then they had a baby and she's still killing it. And she is still just always learning, trying new things, which is what I love about working with her. And she's just so much fun to watch grow. And I know she's still just getting started, but let's just dive in. I know she just has so much to share. So. Hello. Why don't you just introduce yourself?
Dr. Melissa Thompson
Thank you. Hi, I'm Dr. Melissa. Or I go by Dr. Mel on Instagram, which is funny because no one has ever called me Mel in my life until I created that Instagram hand tool. But yeah, I'm a pelvic floor physical therapist. I started out in traditional physical therapy, working for hospital systems, other private practices, and kind of was never happy with the status quo and how patient care is delivered in high volume clinics. And so I ended up creating my own practice that was 100% pelvic health. And that's where I.
Leslie Presnell
Okay, so what were Some of your biggest struggles. I know I've kind of hinted at a few, but what were some of your biggest struggles? First, starting out, living in this really small town and kind of being like, this outsider person.
Dr. Melissa Thompson
Yeah, I think a lot of themes with my things that I've kind of, like, struggled with have always been centered around, like, mindset things. And so when I moved to Houma, where Patrick is from, I'm like, well, I don't know anybody. Like, people aren't just going to come to me. And then I did, like, the research, and I saw there's, like, zero pelvic therapists, or at least zero that you can find. Like, you can't. When you Google physical therapy and homa or pelvic therapy, like, nothing comes up. You have to drive to New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and people at home don't want to do that. And so it's like over an hour. So a lot of it was like, okay, cool. I'm the only one. Everyone should just, like, book with me. But what I found was a lot of people in the area weren't familiar with the practice of pelvic therapy. A lot of the medical community wasn't familiar. So then I was like, what am I supposed to do now? I'm, like, starting from the ground up. But I really. That was back in 2020, and I. I really was successful using my Instagram as a way to reach local people. And that is actually the majority of where people started reaching out to me. Like, hey, I'm leaking and I'm pregnant. And, you know, my doctor said this is normal. But I saw your post and I was wondering if I should make an appointment. And I just started filling my schedule little by little until I was basically completely booked and started have midwives and OB gynes saying, I don't really know what's going on, but I know you need to see this Dr. Mel girl. And so I started to feel like I was really making a name for myself. And it was really cool to see the impact of being, like, 100% pelvic health and, like, how much it's needed and how much people were really like, no, I need this service.
Leslie Presnell
Yeah. How long do you feel like that took you to go from like, no one here knows me and understands what I'm doing to, like, okay, I feel like I'm kind of making a name for myself now.
Dr. Melissa Thompson
I forgot at this point, but I say it was at least a year, if not longer, before the word of mouth kicked in and before people trusted my instagram so, like, I had been working on Instagram since I opened, but that doesn't mean that, like, the first post, people were like, oh, I need to take care of my leakage. I think it was the traction that I gained. The consistency and the same message over and over, and people feeling like, okay, she's talking about everything I'm dealing with.
Leslie Presnell
Yeah. And I remember talking about this so much with you. And I know I have a podcast on this too, like, about when people in your city don't understand what you do. And I feel like I based that off of you and some other clients that we were working with. But was that just a big part of it? Was like, I just have to educate all of these people about what I'm doing, and I'm just not going to stop until they get it.
Dr. Melissa Thompson
Yeah. I feel like that was the driving factor of, like, all my freebies courses. I just started creating things that I knew people were confused about or asking for. I did a lot of community stuff in Lafayette with another birth center, and I just ended up, like, surrounding myself with, like, a really positive, like, birth community. I mean, I work with more than just, like, prenatal and postpartum, but the birth community was just, like, so nice to be around because I'm like, here are all these practitioners that are like, yes, take action. And it's just like, the. The mood and the vibe is infectious when you're around a lot of different people that care about what you do. And I just kind of, like, ramped up my just repeating my message. And so I would say Instagram was probably the place that I. That I was driving the marketing at that time.
Leslie Presnell
Yeah. So knowing that it took you over a year to really get people to kind of buy into this and building up that, like, know and trust and getting people to come in. Like, how were you talking to yourself throughout that to get yourself to keep going?
Dr. Melissa Thompson
Oh, gosh. I think I was just like, well, this is what I care about. This is what I do. This is what I set my sights on. I'm. I'm not gonna stop. And so I did spend, like, every day working on this. And then, you know, if we fast forward and talk about, like, mom life, I was probably working way too much.
Leslie Presnell
Yeah, we'll get to that. We'll get to that.
Dr. Melissa Thompson
Yeah. Lesson in itself.
Leslie Presnell
Yeah. Okay, so before we skip to mom stuff, so you did, you know, book up your practice in Houma, and it's like, oh, great. And then it was time to move to Texas. So let's Talk a bit about the move. Like, what were some of. Yeah, just tell us what that was like. Like taking this practice and now bringing it to a new city where you didn't know anyone again. Like, what was all of that like, having to build this business back up again.
Dr. Melissa Thompson
Yeah. And I think that a lot of people were confused, like, oh, that's so random. They're moving to Texas. But, you know, we kind of dealt with just feeling like, I don't know, there was something very small townish about houma, and then we didn't want to go back to New Orleans, and we were just, like, up in the air about where we wanted to go. So we researched the north Houston area. We do have some extended family around here. And just the, like, family life, the parks, the schools, the. The. The things, I guess, like, there's just so much to offer here. I mean, there's like, a formula bank you can go and get formula from, and just, like, the resources are at your fingertips, which is really appealing for, like, family life. And so before we got too far into Alma for the long term, we know we needed to make this decision, you know, sooner. And then the adoption is something we were interested in, which Texas adoptions were really good for us. So we ended up opening up a new practice where my husband joined me. As a. Like, a whole, we were both 2pts. So I do the pelvic. He does. He's a fellow with the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy Alphabet. So basically, he can pop and crack every joint. He can exercise you. He can address your injury. That's his niche. So that's like, a whole different clientele from my niche, which is the pelvic. So when we moved, we were like, well, this is going to be so much easier because Houston is huge, you know, a lot more people. A lot more people needing our services. But what we found is now we're dealing with, like, tons of competition, and not just physical therapy competition, but just, like, everybody who can exercise, everybody who can do an adjustment or a manipulation, everybody who can deal with stress, incontinence. And I think that was something that I wasn't used to experiencing, because I was it.
Leslie Presnell
Yep. Yep. Yeah. You went from being a big fish to now being a smaller one.
Dr. Melissa Thompson
Yeah. And that was a humbling feeling of, like, but wait, nobody cares around here. They're just like, great to meet you. I'm gonna meet, like, 87 more birth workers today that say they can heal my diastasis. So, like, why are you special?
Leslie Presnell
Yeah. Okay, so what did you do about that?
Dr. Melissa Thompson
So we took a different approach. We quickly followed a lot of your strategy, like, okay, where are these people that need our services? And they're actually not on Instagram. So some of what I battled with was like, but I work so hard on Instagram, but it's like I kept pumping it into Instagram and I wasn't getting the patients and I was like, okay, I can't keep repeating the same thing. That's not working. So we went to Facebook and Google and that is where people are hanging out. And so interesting. Fully booked now.
Leslie Presnell
So how did you. Because obviously my whole thing is like, let's make you the local go to person. So part of that too had to be you guys seeing what makes us different than everyone else. So how much time did y'all spend on that?
Dr. Melissa Thompson
A lot. And I think that's something we're still refining as we've been here a year and a half. I think we just made a year and a half. And so we're starting to have repeat clients. And looking at them, it's like, okay, that's an ideal avatar. That's an ideal avatar. Like, what is it about these people? And these people have basically they've gone to a ton of other practitioners because there's so many options and they've always got, in their opinion, ho hum. Physical therapy. With Patrick's side of the, of the coin, people are blown away that he can reach, you know, diagnosis and symptom resolution within like three sessions. And that's like unheard of in the area. So I would say that's what makes his niche different. Like people are used to hearing, expecting to spend like 12 weeks, 24 weeks in physical therapy, going two to three times a week and then finding out that Patrick can address that symptom in just a couple of visits is like a no brainer. And then for me, I have that a lot of different value ads that I do with my clients, like messaging to me. I bridge fitness with their pelvic rehab. So people get a lot of like two for ones with me so I can write all of their programming and their workouts and I can address the pelvic floor symptoms at the same time. So they're actually getting so much more than just coming to a session, getting a pelvic floor exam and then going home and then coming back. Repeat. Repeat.
Leslie Presnell
Yeah, yeah. So it really is about finding what are like looking and not like really dwelling on it, but seeing what everybody else is doing. And this is what I'm doing that's different. And then that is what becomes part of your marketing. And this is so funny. I remember not to throw Patrick under the bus here, but I remember working with Patrick, and he had so much to offer and just these amazing things that he could do. And I remember him saying, but, yeah, but I don't want to brag. I don't want, you know, people to think I'm bragging. I'm like, no, you have to. To be talking about this. It's like, this is. This is what's going to set you.
Dr. Melissa Thompson
Apart, you know, in this area. Because there's other people that say they can do the same thing. So then it's like, oh, so then why you and not them? And I think that's what we're constantly working on, making more clear.
Leslie Presnell
Exactly. And sometimes I think when you feel like you're bragging, it, it's just like turning it around because it is truly in service of your client.
Dr. Melissa Thompson
Yeah. They need to know.
Leslie Presnell
Right. Okay, so are you ready to talk about the baby or is there anything else that you want to share about the move or anything that we haven't talked about yet?
Dr. Melissa Thompson
Yeah, I think let's dive in.
Leslie Presnell
Okay, so I'm just gonna let you take it away. Tell us what we need to know.
Dr. Melissa Thompson
Okay. How much time do you have? So we ended up. So as I said earlier, we looked into the adoption laws in Texas as a lot of agencies and a lot of options. And so we decided to start getting serious about adoption here. And a lot of people probably don't know that we struggled with infertility. And I've got all kind of pelvic issues, systemic issues, probably endometriosis. And that was part of our journey and saying, okay, we could keep figuring this out, that's fine. But we also feel called to adopt, which is, like, not a lot of people adopt, probably, but now I've met a lot of people that do. But we ended up June of last year. So almost like slightly over one year ago, we started the application process with an agency where I actually met someone that had adopted their baby with, and so was able to get, like, a personal reference there. And for as long and difficult as the process was of getting everything done, once we got on the list, it was rapid fire. So we started our first application in June. And, like, for those unfamiliar with adoption, like, everything you do, you have to wait six weeks and then do the next thing, and then wait six weeks and then do the next. It's just like, it just like, feels like it's dragging on. We got put on the active list in November, and it was, like, around Thanksgiving where we got our first, like, case to consider. So that's how most adoption companies work these days. So you get to read all about the birth parents, and, you know, this would be the child you're accepting. But if you say, I'm agreeable to that, then the birth mother still has to come back and choose your family. So it's a little bit of, like, a matchmaking. So on our third case, we got matched, which was, like, right after the November. So January 11th, I think we were actually at a wedding in West Texas.
Leslie Presnell
And I remember that. Yeah, yeah.
Dr. Melissa Thompson
We're at the reception, and we got a call that they had selected us to. To have their baby. And we didn't say anything to anyone at the wedding because we felt like we didn't want to. This is not about us at this Builder Thunder. And then they were like, by the way, she's due in 14 days. And we were like, okay, that's fine. We're business owners. We're flexible. We knew we want this so bad that this is part of our reason for being business owners is because it doesn't matter if it happens tomorrow or in six months. We have the ability to arrange our life to accommodate this. So then, you know, we start getting prepared. I start telling all my patients. I'm, like, ridiculously booked at this point. You know, January 26th, is this supposed due date. I can't predict things. Yeah, like canceling people on the 26th, moving them up, and then I find out over the weekend that she's actually being induced at the beginning of the week. So then I have to call everybody again. So we literally spent all of our prep time calling patients, figuring out what to do. What's our next schedule going to be? We have to take care of the people that are already under our care. It was like a Tetris puzzle I never want to do again.
Leslie Presnell
Yep.
Dr. Melissa Thompson
But we made it work all the way to the final hour. I mean, we were at the hospital still doing this until finally I was like, she's in labor. We have to put this away. And it is what it is. It'll be there later. And we just enjoyed the birth from there.
Leslie Presnell
So. Good. Yeah. I was literally on the way to the hospital because. So I had Amelia, like, a month after y'all, and I was in. You know, you would think I would learn from, like, you, cuz I was, like, coaching you through all this. But no, I Didn't. And I was. I went into labor at midnight in the middle of the night, and I still had consults on the book. And so I was like, driving to the hospital, canceling my consult, and then woke up. I. I got to the hospital and I was able to go back to sleep that night. And then the next morning, I'm like, still in labor, sitting on my laptop, like, sending out last minute emails. It was like I had this plan. And I remember you and I both were, like, working on our plans, like, our labor plans or whatever, and it's like it all just goes out the window. I feel like it's like, what are you gonna do? Because you never know, like, when it's gonna happen. You can't really predict it. Even with, with the, with getting induced, it's still like, oh, you just have such a short time to, like, get everything done. So. But anyway, you made it work. So now I feel like motherhood is still like a Tetris puzzle all the time. Right. So, like, what, what, what's been going on now? Like, what changes have you made to your business since being a new mom? Like, how are you still able to best serve your clients, make sure they're getting results, making sure your business continues to grow? Tell us all the things.
Dr. Melissa Thompson
Yeah, that's certainly been a shock to the system. So when Kaden was born, of course I'm still like, oh, my God, I have all this work that I need to do and I'm, like, struggling with. I need to bond with this baby. Like, this is my baby and I've got to work at establishing a bond. I mean, even a biological mom, like, you're still going to bond with the baby in the early days. And, you know, I'm all about the gentle parenting approach, which we don't have to get into all that stuff on here, but a lot of bonding, a lot of skin to skin, a lot of, like, contact naps, a lot of that stuff. And at first I was just like, I have to return all these calls. I have to be available at the clinic, like, have to put the baby down. And I think that around week six, Patrick says that, like, mama Melissa came out and I was like, that is my baby. Don't with him. And like, I wasn't saying that, but he was just like, that's the vibe that you're giving off. And I just started, like, as my patients started to discharge, I started just decreasing my hours and setting more realistic time blocks because we've been on such a adventure with our baby. He has, like, food allergies, and that's a whole thing in itself because the irritability, the fussiness, the. What happened, what's going on? He won't sleep. It just. It just takes so much attention, and I cannot multitask, and so I can't be trying to, like, do something on the computer. And he's right here needing my attention. And so I have gotten to a sweet spot where I see eight to 10 patients a week, which doesn't sound like a lot. It's about a half schedule of what I was doing before, but I feel like I have the mental capacity for that much. I have. I'm actually probably more efficient because these are my times, and that's what it is. I'm fully booked, and I don't really feel like I need to worry about, like, where people are coming from. I don't ever rush to get to the phone because I know that my people will be there. And so I just have kind of accepted that, like, we're not accepted, like, transitioned into, like, these are the things that are important in my life. I do have my patience, but I have to be available for my baby, and that's what I want to do in this time. I feel like, all in all, I've reached, like, the best time blocking and the best, like, mental capacity that I can handle right now. It might change in a year when he's a little older or just gets worse because it's more neat.
Leslie Presnell
Yeah, I was thinking about that, too. I've been on. It's, like, this quest to find the perfect calendar or schedule ever since Emilia was born. And it's like, every week, it just is figuring out, well, that didn't work. Like, I didn't eat lunch all week. Like, you know, and just constantly editing and tweaking and just trying to find my groove. I thought I would figure it out a lot quicker than I did. And so it's like, not beating myself up because I'm such, like, a. I love time management and, like, can nerd out about that all day. But, yeah, I feel like it. It's taken me even a while, too, to finally be like, okay, I only have, like, half a schedule, you know, compared to what I used to have as well, too, before. Before she was born, too. But it's like accepting that, too. I think now, looking back, it's like, if I could have accepted that a lot earlier on, it would have just put me in such a better place, too, to be like, okay, this is what we're working with now, we can just move on. But I think too, you said it's made you, like, more productive or essential as well. And I found that too. Like, I thought I would be less productive, but it's like, because, you know, you have such limited time. I mean, even now, for those listening, we're like, trying to hurry and record this podcast before Kaden wakes up from his nap. I think for me, it's like knowing I only have a certain amount of time. It's like I have to get it done in that time because I don't have all day to come up with a podcast episode. It's like, no, you have to get it done because you have this hour time block. It's like, if it's a day D minus work, that's what we're rolling with this week. Like, it's still going to help somebody, you know?
Dr. Melissa Thompson
Yeah, yeah, exactly. And you know, it took five months before Kaden's naps became consistent. And I know that everybody deals with the naps and the sleep, like, a little bit differently, but, like, when you don't have a schedule, it's just impossible to say. I know that he'll be napping at this, this, and this time. And even now it's like, I've done a lot of research into, like, physiological sleep for infants because, like, this is my life now. And, like, their sleep needs are changing rapidly. So it's like you think you have one schedule and you're like, okay, yeah, this is. This is what it is. And then he's like, hey, Mom, I'm not tired.
Leslie Presnell
Yeah, that's what I would say too. It's like, as soon as we got it down, it's like, then she turned four months and it was like everything was different now. And so it's like, what? As soon as you get one thing down, they're a totally different child.
Dr. Melissa Thompson
Yeah. And so I kind of just surrendered to the fact that, like, I don't know what he's going to want today. Like, it just is what it is. And if he takes a two hour nap, great. I might actually watch Netflix. Yeah. And that's fine.
Leslie Presnell
Yeah. And it's like this week our baby turned into a pterodactyl. So I don't know what I'm working with anymore.
Dr. Melissa Thompson
I had to have some client calls at first. The first, like three months I think was misleading because I was like, yeah, I can feed the baby while I take the call or whatever. Absolutely not. As soon as my attention is not on him, it's like, his posture, he just goes up and then he starts screeching. Thankfully, a lot of the people on the phone are also moms. Yeah, it's still. It's just like, I'm so sorry. Like, I can't. I can't be doing this right.
Leslie Presnell
Yeah, we'll figure it out. Okay. So is there anything else you want to share as far as, like, key takeaways that you have had from the localpreneur Academy specifically or are coaching together?
Dr. Melissa Thompson
When I first did the academy or the bootcamp, at the time, that was like, way back in the beginning, the whole exercise with like, who's your ideal client? I. That was eye opening because I did start to realize that all the people that I was like, why aren't they booking? Or they don't they come one time? And that's it. It's like, they weren't the ideal person that I was trying to reach. So it's saved mentally. That was a big help in saying, like, oh, this is what it means that, like, this is your niche. It's not, hey, everybody needs my service. So I think that was eye opening. And then I think a lot of our personal coaching.
Leslie Presnell
Yeah. I was actually talking. She was actually another pelvic PT earlier this week, and she was like, oh, you, like, help with people with their marketing. I was like, yeah. And also, you know, I know PT struggle with not accepting insurance, so they struggle with their pricing and also keeping their cancellation policy in place and not people pleasing and just setting those boundaries with our clients and not changing their hours when clients can't come into those hours. And she goes, oh, she goes, you do a lot more than marketing. I was like, yeah. I was like, there's a whole lot more that goes into growing your business beyond just the marketing.
Dr. Melissa Thompson
Yeah, sure. Yeah. Because on the marketing side, sometimes I get too many clients and then it's a whole other like.
Leslie Presnell
Yeah.
Dr. Melissa Thompson
A whole thing that if you don't have systems in place to handle that.
Leslie Presnell
Yeah.
Dr. Melissa Thompson
Then your business can just kind of crumble a little bit from your fulfillment being off a little bit.
Leslie Presnell
Yeah. And that's what we deal with now with you is like, how do we deal with this demand? And that's the goal. It's like, we want to build up that local demand, and then we want to make sure you love your business with that local demand and you believe that your clients will be willing to work wait on you, which you mentioned earlier. Your clients are totally willing to wait on you.
Dr. Melissa Thompson
Yes. Every time that I rush to call someone back they're like, I just want to know pricing and insurance.
Leslie Presnell
Yep.
Dr. Melissa Thompson
The people that I'm like, hey, I can call you tomorrow at this time. Thank you so much. And then they, you know, go into their story and, like, how they resonated with what I said on my website, and they were really looking for. For the right fit and they. They saw themselves as the ideal customer versus just like, who's calling me back faster.
Leslie Presnell
Exactly. Yep. For sure. Okay, so one final question so I can get you done before nap time. What would you say to anyone who is on the fence thinking about joining the local Preneur Academy?
Dr. Melissa Thompson
Um, I tell everyone, including all of my pelvic pts, that like, you have to do the foundations, literally. I just started going back through the modules because I was like, I probably just need to start over now that I'm in a different phase. And, like, there's so many things that you think you're doing. Like, I'm doing this, I'm doing that, I'm doing that. But then when you actually go through it, you're like, oh, I'm actually, like, spending my attention on too many things, but not setting goals and not doing each thing in the way that it needs to be done to actually long term and use it as, like, measures of success. So I would say that your stuff really helps with starting from basics and making sure that you build it from there, which I think anybody at any level of business could benefit from. And then the. The lifetime thing is like, unbelievable. I've done other coachings before, and I would say that in most other coachings, you know, whenever you're done with the program, you're just out, you know, and then you're like, yeah. And you're like, but wait, I forgot to take notes on this and that. And I think it's really cool that, like, we can still ask you questions and you can look at stuff and that we still have that resource there for the calls and especially as your business changes all the time.
Leslie Presnell
Yeah. And just thinking, like, you joined in, I don't know, three years ago and how well I know you and your business now and that you just came to the Facebook group this morning and asked a question and it's like, nope, I know Melissa. I know her patterns. And it's like that laser coaching I can give you so fast, it, like, takes no time at all. Just be like, I know exactly what her problem is now let's fix it. I know exactly what she's thinking.
Dr. Melissa Thompson
Yeah. And the reason that I ask is because I already know the answer, but it's like sometimes you just need somebody to say like you don't have to do that. Like, you know to when you hear it from a community of people, it's different than sitting in it all by yourself feeling like an island.
Leslie Presnell
Right? Exactly. Okay, well, thank you so much for being here, Melissa. That was so helpful. I'm going to let you go get in to wake him up from his nap now and we will see you in the Facebook group and in our coaching calls.
Dr. Melissa Thompson
Okay, thank you.
Leslie Presnell
Bye Bye. Hey, if you enjoyed today's episode, I want to invite you to check out my program, the localpreneur again. Academy. This is the only program for small business owners who want to become the local go to in their industry with a steady stream of clients. You can find more information at lesleypresnell. Com and I'll see you inside.
Episode Title: How Dr. Mel Fully Booked Her Practice in a Small Town – and Again in a Big City
Host: Leslie Presnell
Guest: Dr. Melissa Thompson, Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist
Release Date: September 24, 2024
In this insightful episode of Grow Your Local Business, host Leslie Presnell welcomes her client and student, Dr. Melissa Thompson, a pelvic floor physical therapist. Dr. Mel shares her journey of establishing and expanding her practice from a small town in South Louisiana to the bustling North Houston area in Texas. The conversation delves into the challenges of building a niche practice, strategic marketing, balancing professional growth with personal life, and the impact of motherhood on her business operations.
Dr. Mel began her practice in Houma, a small town in South Louisiana, where she faced significant challenges as an outsider unfamiliar with the community. The main hurdles included:
Lack of Awareness: The local population and medical community were largely unaware of pelvic floor therapy.
Mindset Barriers: Overcoming her own doubts and the community's skepticism required a strong mindset.
Effective Use of Instagram: Leveraging social media was pivotal in reaching her local audience and educating them about her services.
Leslie attributes this success to consistent messaging and Dr. Mel’s dedication to educating her community about pelvic health.
After establishing a solid client base in Houma, Dr. Mel and her husband, Dr. Patrick Thompson, decided to move to North Houston, Texas. This transition introduced a new set of challenges:
Increased Competition: Houston’s larger market meant encountering numerous competitors in the physical therapy and pelvic health space.
Shift in Marketing Strategy: Realizing that Instagram alone was insufficient, Dr. Mel expanded her marketing efforts to include Facebook and Google to reach potential clients.
Differentiating Services: Highlighting unique aspects of their practice was essential to stand out.
Leslie emphasizes the importance of identifying and promoting what makes your business unique to attract the right clientele.
Dr. Mel’s personal life underwent significant changes with the adoption of her child, Kaden. This section explores how she managed her business alongside motherhood:
Adoption Journey: The couple faced infertility and decided to adopt, navigating the complex process in Texas.
Adjusting Work Hours: To prioritize bonding with her baby, Dr. Mel reduced her client load and optimized her schedule for better balance.
Managing Time and Efficiency: Motherhood necessitated more efficient time management, leading to higher productivity within limited hours.
Embracing Flexibility: Understanding that motherhood is unpredictable, she adapted by remaining flexible and accepting the ever-changing nature of her schedule.
Leslie shares her own experiences with balancing business and motherhood, highlighting the universal challenges faced by parent-preneurs.
Dr. Mel provides valuable insights from her journey, emphasizing the importance of foundational business strategies and continuous learning:
Defining the Ideal Client: Understanding who your ideal client is can transform your marketing efforts and client retention.
Comprehensive Coaching Benefits: Beyond marketing, coaching provided Dr. Mel with systems and strategies to handle increased demand without compromising service quality.
Community and Support: Engaging with a supportive community and having access to ongoing resources were crucial for sustained growth and problem-solving.
Embracing Your Achievements: Dr. Mel learned to confidently promote her unique services without feeling like she was bragging.
Dr. Melissa Thompson’s journey from establishing a niche pelvic floor therapy practice in a small town to successfully navigating a competitive market in North Houston exemplifies the resilience and strategic thinking necessary for local business growth. Coupled with her experience of balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship, Dr. Mel offers a relatable and inspiring story for localpreneurs aiming to expand their reach and impact.
Leslie Presnell wraps up the episode by encouraging listeners to explore the Localpreneur Academy, highlighting its comprehensive support system designed to help small business owners become the go-to experts in their local markets.
For More Information:
To learn more about growing your local business, visit lesleypresnell.com and explore the Localpreneur Academy for resources and coaching opportunities.
Produced by Grow Your Local Business Podcast