Josh Cartagenova is the Co-Founder and CEO of Therapy Source Staffing Solutions, a national staffing agency based in Fort Washington. In 2000, after getting laid off from a marketing job, Josh and his wife stumbled into a business opportunity to employ therapists. Since then Therapy Source has carved out a very intentional niche, filling the need for specialized therapists for public and charter schools nationwide. Josh shares more about his business journey and how he has grown his company to over $30mil in revenue, employing 55 people locally and 2500 therapists in over 40 states. Tune in to find out more about Josh's challenges and obstacles as he manages running a fast-growing business while working with historically slow school administrations with tight budgets.

Key Takeaways:

[1:18] Kevin introduces his guest for this episode — Josh Cartagenova.

[3:09] Kevin does a speed round with Josh.

[8:41] Josh shares a little about his background.

[11:04] Josh and Kevin discuss how the advertising world has changed since 1993.

[12:56] Josh went through four jobs in seven years. He reveals more about his early years of finding himself and where he fit in.

[18:07] In 2000, Josh started an online, high-end product business. What was his experience?

[21:16] What was the early inspiration for Therapy Source?

[24:36] What is in the Therapy Source database?

[26:15] Josh and Kevin discuss how the costs work out for schools and the savings they make by working with Therapy Source.

[27:43] When Josh first started out, how much client education did he have to do, and how has that changed over the years?

[33:33] Online vs. in-person — Which manner of service delivery does Josh prefer or is better? Why?

[37:52] There has been an evolution and growth of online learning in recent years.

[40:19] How big is Josh's market and what is the competition like?

[43:24] What are the threats to Josh's industry in relation to healthcare?

[45:46] What are Josh's greatest hopes and fears for the next five years?

[48:50] What was Josh's experience growing the company with no external investment or partnerships?

[50:43] Looking back at the first 5-10 years, what was Josh's revenue stream like?

[53:34] What does Josh's sales process look like?

[55:31] What are some drivers of growth and revenue in Josh's industry?

[56:49] How do staffing agencies such as Therapy Source get valued?

[58:35] Josh and Kevin discuss some aspects of the hiring and on-boarding process for his employees.

[1:04:47] How does Josh balance his relationship with his wife who also works at the company?

[1:06:28] Who were some of the influencers in Josh's life in the course of his business journey?

[1:11:24] Josh made a shift in his business from 1099 to W2. What was that process like and what impact has it had on his business?

[1:17:00] Josh is moving into staffing solutions in a new industry — the cannabis industry. He shares more about that process.

[1:22:10] Which niche is Josh focusing on in staffing the cannabis industry?

[1:23:43] What are Josh's predictions for the cannabis industry?

[1:26:22] What has been the hardest thing thus far with Josh's new venture?

[1:28:13] What do the next 10 years look like for Josh?

Links:

John Cartagenova

Therapy Source Staffing Solutions

Clean Catch Nail System

Hofstra University

Harmelin Media

Bala Cynwyd's dying main street: Will $100 million save it?, The Inquirer

TheraWeb

ASHA

Khan Academy

Jackson Healthcare

EBSHealthcare

Innovo Staffing

Parents Gone Wild: High Drama Inside D.C.'s Most Elite Private School, The Atlantic

DiSC

Wonderlic Test

Predictive Index

Vistage

Steve Jobs

Gary Vaynerchuk

American Management Association