5 years ago I interviewed Amanda Harris (aka Wonder Woman / my wife) about her journey of launching a fledgling Medical Exercise Practice named Re-Kinect, just six months after giving birth to our daughter. In that conversation, she shared her reasons for starting her own company, offered tips for balancing motherhood with owning and operating a business, and predicted how big her venture would grow over the next few years. I recently interviewed her again to get an update on her progress.
Here are some of Amanda’s key accomplishments from the past 5 years:
- Landed a small spot in SUCCESS magazine
- Featured in an article in the Richmond Times Dispatch
- Had an exclusive TV interview with NBC12 WWBT-News
- Was identified as a key resource/provider in Virginia on Cathryn J Ramin’s website, who authored the book; Crooked: Outwitting the Pack Pain Industry and Getting on the Road to Recovery.
She’s also tripled the volume of her practice—cultivating dozens of new strategic partnerships with physicians, physical therapists and other allied health professionals throughout Central Virginia. She’s currently adding more staff, and is poised to open a second location in a few months.
On top of her booming business, Amanda has managed to stay in amazing shape, spend quality time with her family, and even enjoyed 2 vacations last year. Let’s dive into the interview and see how she’s doing it all.
Chris: Transitioning from being a solo practitioner to having multiple employees over the course of 5 years is amazing. And you’ve got plans to open another Re-Kinect practice in a neighboring city. What are the biggest changes you’ve had to make to achieve this level of success?
Amanda: The first change, no question, was putting systems into place to make sure our client and referral communications were consistent across the board. I created templates for correspondence, updates, and general communications between Re-Kinect and our clients and referring physicians. I established a high standard of service among my practitioners—shooting for a greater level of competence that pushed everyone above and beyond their credentials and education, and provided training for them to meet that criteria. Standardizing communications and raising the quality of our service made it far easier for me to scale my business as well.
The second change was more of a shift in mindset. When I started this business, I only thought in terms of how I could personally help a client, or how I would interact with referral partners. At some point, I recognized the need to broaden my focus and pay more attention to how the service we provide could be optimized as a team.
The last change I made was growing the team. This process had been second-nature to me for years as a Regional VP for a wellness company, but as a business owner, my focus, understandably, narrowed down to driving revenue. In time, it became apparent that I needed to spend time nurturing, motivating, mentoring, and leading my team. If they grew as professionals, then my company and its reputation would grow as well.
Chris: I’ve often heard you compare this endeavor to that of a white knuckled rollercoaster ride. What do you do to lessen the severity between the peaks and valleys—both operationally and mentally?
Amanda: It’s healthy to talk about business challenges with a colleague or consultant, or in my case—you—rather than try to figure it all out by myself. Our discussions ground me and give me greater perspectives. When production has dipped, you’ve reminded me that my success is not a fluke, and that I need to hang in there, and trust we’ll eventually be moving in the right direction again. The mental challenge for me has always been my demand for proof that the business would re-gain its momentum, rather than simply “having faith.” To curb this very real anxiety, I’ve developed ways of forecasting those peaks and valleys based on records of past activity. This prepares me for the dips before they even happen. To minimize the revenue dips altogether, I diligently focus on activities that fill my pipeline like meeting with new doctors or presenting to prospective clients on topics they find valuable.
But honestly, having you as my #1 support system has helped me the most. Having a friend, partner, coach, or spouse who is 100% behind you, gives you the fortitude to keep moving forward—especially when you feel beaten down.
Chris: What drives you to work so hard?
Amanda: The biggest reason is the sweet little girl who sits in the back seat of my car. I want to provide the best role model possible for my daughter, and in time, I want to show her, and not just tell her, that it takes a lot of grit and effort to become successful.
I also want medical exercise to be regarded by more healthcare providers as a legitimate option for managing chronic orthopedic and neurologic conditions. I’m getting support and referrals from doctors and physical therapists in my region, but I want to have a hand in my profession becoming more mainstream, nationally. And I think I’m succeeding in that regard by presenting again at Medical Exercise Summit down in Huston.
Chris: Logan calls you Wonder Woman. To say there is a little hero worship is putting it mildly. What do you imagine are some key things she’s learning from watching you?
Amanda: Well—she is fearless, and determined to try just about anything. That was evident when we took her skiing for the first time at age 2 ½, and she stayed on the snow for 3 hours with a huge grin on her face. She’s 6 now, and another example of this fearlessness occurred recently when she took on a 25 foot climbing wall. Even though she fell a half dozen times, each tumble resulted in her climbing even higher during the next attempt.
It is deeply satisfying to witness her tenacity. And as I reflect on your question, I’m guessing she’s probably learned to not give up from watching me. And that does make me proud.
Chris: Where would you like your business to be by January 2020?
Amanda: That’s simple, I want three flourishing locations, with the ability to take off work for 14 consecutive days without having to worry about a thing.
Chris: What can I do to help get you there?
Amanda: More of what you are already doing. You’ve been instrumental in helping with business development, picking up the phone and calling prospective doctors’ offices, helping me land P.R. gigs, etc. But I especially appreciate how you’ve supported me when things have gotten tough, and are always there to give me a high-five me when things are awesome, which is most of the time. Honestly, I’m pretty sure I’d be locked up in a psych ward if you weren’t here for me.
Chris: Ok, now I’m feeling a little flattered.
Amanda: I’m not flattering you. What I said about you is true.
Chris: Thank you for that, Amanda. Do you have any parting words of wisdom for the readers?
Amanda: The famous Napoleon Hill quote comes to mind: “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” Those words continue to ring true throughout my life. Whenever I doubt myself—I slide backwards. When I believe in my abilities and my purpose—I forge ahead with confidence, and eventually achieve my goals.
