Guest: Amanda Wiles, OTD, OTR/L

• Email: [email protected] 
• Owner of Pediatric Therapy Partners 
  • Instagram @pediatrictherapypartnersde
  • Facebook @pediatrictherapypartnersde
• Recent graduate of USC’s Post-Professional OTD Program 
• Amanda and I graduated from OT school together at Towson University 
• Professional Development Coordinator for the Sensory Integration and Processing Special Interest Section of AOTA 
  • Check out the other SIS

Topics we Uncorked:

• Amanda’s previous episode of OT Uncorked
  • Listen here or find it on your podcast player 
• Starting a business, from the idea to the first client!
• The post-professional OTD and how it helped her start her business 
• Amanda’s new business - Pediatric Therapy Partners
  • Mobile pediatric practice in Delaware and Maryland
  • Amanda’s core values: 
    • Guided by child interests
    • Driven by collaborative partnerships with families
    • Informed by Research 
  • PTP uses floor time, relationship-based models, and sensory integration as the basis for their interventions
• Some things she considered when starting her business
  • Non-compete agreement - what to consider before leaving your job to start your own practice 
    • Check out this episode of the 40 years and Counting - Building Business Success in Therapy Practices- What Matters Most Podcast for an explanation of the different clauses  
  • Location
  • The “competition” 
  • The “ideal” client 
• Some initial steps she took after developing the basic idea for her business
  • Brainstorming the values and vision for the business 
  • Embedding herself in entrepreneurship resources and content
  • Choosing a name and logo that captures your values
  • Registering the business with the state
  • Enrolling in Passport to Business 
  • Seeking resources from the Small Business Administration 
• What about insurance?
  • Professional liability insurance (insuring YOU as the OT) 
  • General liability insurance (protecting the business for what happens on site) 
  • Client payment: private pay vs insurance 
• Challenge of starting a new business - learning the acronyms! Here are a few to get you started:
  • CAQH = Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare
  • NPI = National Provider Identifier 
• Ready Set Treat 
  • Facebook Academy
  • Ready Set Treat Book  
    • Contains a checklist and timelines for starting a practice 
• Costs of starting a business: what up front costs did she “bootstrap” and what did she outsource?
  • Register the business
  • Design a logo (outsourced)
  • Get state/town/board licensure
  • Purchase HIPAA compliant email, phone, fax, storage services
    • PTP is using G-suite (now called Google Workspace) instead of an EMR
• Copy writing and website design
  • Linked In Learn 
    • Offers training on a wide range of technical and interpersonal skills
    • Amanda used their Wordpress training
  • Frustrations of learning how to make a website!
  • Elementor plugin for Wordpress “drag and drop” 
  • CSS is the acronym of “Cascading Style Sheets” and is a computer language for laying out/structuring web pages
  • Making flyers and social media posts
    • Canva 
  • Stock photos for marketing materials 
    • Adobe Stock Photo (free & subscription) 
    • Pexels (free) 
    • Pixabay (free) 
• The Mentee’s Guide: Making Mentoring Work for You (Book) 
  • Think about your personal vision, seeing yourself in the future
  • Break down the small steps to reach your goal  
  • Reflect on your journey and where you want to be
• How OT theory contributes to her business plan
• Her vision for the future of her business 
  • Students! The future of our profession
• CommunOT Discussion Board within your AOTA SIS 

Wine we Uncorked:

• DIME Red Blend (70% Cab Sav, 30% Merlot) 
  • Santa Barbara, 2016
  • My take: A new favorite! Highly recommend 
    • Pros: Dark, red, rich flavor, well balanced between fruit and spice
    • Cons: None! Love it 
• Available Pinot Grigio  
  • Puglia, Italy
  • Her take: not too sweet, goes well with just about anything 
• Wine Profile Wheel 

Book Recommendations:

• Ready Set Treat: The Official Pocket Guide to Starting Your Solo Private Practice  
• The Mentee’s Guide 
• Crucial Conversations: Tool...