I had been daydreaming about starting a business combining my two professional licenses of OT and massage therapy for a decade, but it always felt like a distant, one day, kind of thing. I imagined everything needed to be pretty close to perfect before I could really take that leap. I forget how I first stumbled across Doug and PPMBA, but I'm so glad I did. He helped me take the leap and made each little step manageable. And he helped me get out of my own way! This course and the coaching calls with Doug saved me countless hours of googling and researching and second guessing. I feel confident the investment in the program catalyzed my business growth and helped me build a caseload considerably faster than I would have been able to do on my own. I love the support and the community and am so grateful to have found it!

I always knew I wanted to start an OT private pay practice so that I could have the freedom to use my clinical skills and knowledge to help clients without thinking about insurance reins. Before taking Doug's course, the biggest challenge was knowing where to start, how to put myself out there, and having the confidence to be able to. Doug goes above and beyond to give you all the tools (and more!) that you need to feel confident in focusing on your specialty area, putting yourself out there in the community in ways that will ACTUALLY impact your practice, and feeling OKAY with the fact that building a business takes time and patience. With consistency and desire, this course is really all you need to set you up for a successful practice. The more you put in, the more you take away! It wasn't until I had Doug's support focusing on my specialty area and using all the tools, including a website template, that calls from ideal clients finally started to come in. I can't thank Doug enough for all the time and energy he puts into helping every single student in this community. He and his course are truly a rare find!

Doug's courses and guidance came at a time when we were stuck and needed answers and support to reach the next level. Having lifetime access to all of the information as we continue to grow will be tremendous. The Q&A sessions were invaluable to have time to ask questions, vent, support one another, and feel connected to a small group of OTs out there in private practice. Doug's leadership style builds confidence even if there are setbacks. Instead of feeling fearful of what went wrong, you will feel empowered to move forward. We are grateful to have found Doug and highly recommend his courses and support to anyone going into private practice, regardless of specialty.

I highly recommend Private Pay MBA for all OTs wanting to start a private practice! I had already started the process to legally get my practice started but I struggled with knowing what to do and in what order to do it. Doug's class address that (and so much more)! Since enrolling in his class, I have received guidance and encouragement to be able to finish setting up my private practice, create a website, make marketing materials, and start offering workshops in my community (and I'm not even done with the class yet!). The online support group with Doug, and other OTs, is also very encouraging and I am being held accountable to my professional goals. This course has helped me get things done! Much THANKS to Doug for all the hard work and time he puts into helping us OTs create our dream jobs!

I wanted flexibility and needed a significantly higher income to help my growing family's needs. I had a fear of money and asking for money. Private Pay MBA is by far the most comprehensive course on how to start a private practice. It's the gift that keeps on giving. I constantly go back and review or learn new things as they are updated. Thank you!!!

Private Pay MBA with Doug Vestal has been just what I was looking for to help get my business going. The lessons hit the points that are needed and go into more depth that I will be coming back to. The weekly group calls really help with being interactive and providing support from others who are trying to do the same things. I can't imagine starting without this investment.

Private Pay MBA is such a wonderful resource. I had no knowledge of anything related to business but knew I wanted to do better for myself. Doug's course and the community he has built is so supportive. Doug dives into the details and makes my dreams seem more attainable.

At first I wondered whether spending money on my private practice was a smart move, especially since I hadn’t opened the doors yet.  But by investing in Private Pay MBA, I was able to save countless hours and focus instead on making important decisions about my business and implementing them confidently.  The course content, Doug’s guidance and the support of my fellow OTs helped to build the momentum I needed and that momentum in turn built up my confidence.  I highly recommend Private Pay MBA to anyone just getting started in private practice–don’t wait to invest in yourself!

I would not be where I am today without Private Pay MBA; it sped up the process, gave me confidence and let me be successful in opening my doors to my cash based business. Prior to this course I was working nights and weekends trying to figure out what the necessary steps were to do my business. It took time and I was always worried that I was missing things. I had a strong desire to open my cash based pelvic health business but didn’t have all the tools in one spot to get me to that point very quickly, PPMBA changed that. After the course I had done the work necessary and my business was able to open within the next month. This course makes you do the work but also gets you to your goals.

Since opening my business I have followed the steps laid out in the course for marketing, MD referrals, and investing in the community with the encouragement that my business plan and management has a solid foundation. I would recommend this course to any OT starting their own business, it has everything that you will need to be successful.

I was initially drawn to Doug and his Private Pay MBA course because of the unique blend of perspectives he offers. While there are other therapists out there with books and resources, Doug stands out by combining the insights of a therapist, his wife, with his own business acumen. This was the missing link for me, as the business side of therapy is rarely covered in traditional educational settings.

From the moment I enrolled, I was filled with excitement rather than concerns. The course exceeded my expectations, particularly during the brainstorming sessions. Doug's ability to generate innovative ideas and strategies was eye-opening. He helped me think outside the box in terms of how to word my services, who to reach out to, and how to disseminate information effectively.

The biggest transformation for me was gaining the confidence and tools to open my own practice. Before taking this course, the idea seemed daunting, but now I feel well-equipped to take that step. What surprised me the most was how comfortable Doug made the entire process. The added bonus was the opportunity to connect with other therapists across the country, which enriched my learning experience.

I would wholeheartedly recommend Doug's Private Pay MBA to any therapist looking to elevate their practice and avoid burnout. The course is not just an investment in your business; it's an investment in yourself.

I would 10000% recommend Private Pay MBA! The course helped me map out and complete the steps needed to start my business.  It can be a huge benefit for others who are even in the very early thought process of starting a business and beneficial to those who've already started a business.
I think the mindset pieces to this course were GOLD in helping me move forward and I now realize the importance of having this mindset.

I wanted to thank you again for creating a Private Pay MBA course for OT's. This is an immeasurable tool in helping me and my business flourish.

Private Pay MBA gets a 10/10 from me! I always had the itch to start my own private pay OT practice because I was feeling burnt out and uninspired in the traditional OT settings but was so intimidated by all hows and whats of starting a business, I felt lost. Before enrolling in Private Pay MBA, my biggest challenge was navigating the intricacies of establishing and running a private pay practice. Where did I start, how do I market myself, do I even have what it takes to run a business or do I just consider myself as a clinician- were all the questions running through my head. Private Pay MBA proved to be a game-changer in overcoming these challenges. The course delivered practical strategies, step-by-step guidance, and overwhelming amounts of support that demystified the process of setting up a private pay practice. It addressed my concerns and provided actionable solutions. The course doesn’t just share theoretical concepts but provides actionable tools and resources. From marketing strategies to step by step checklists, every chapter is designed to empower occupational therapists in establishing and succeeding in their private pay practices. I find myself getting more and more confident in the CEO role and often refer back to the chapters if I need a refresher.

Working with Doug has been a crash course in marketing specific to my business.  Everything we went over I was able to directly apply.  Doug doesn't do the work for you, but rather provides you the expertise and mentorship to confidently develop your own marketing voice.

As an Occupational Therapist specializing in pediatric feeding and swallowing disorders, I had opportunities to work with children with a wide spectrum of unique feeding needs, but sometimes I felt like my patients would do great in the clinic and then go home and struggle to generalize their skills across different environments.

Even when working in a clinic, I have always been the type of therapist to give out my personal phone number to clients and tell them to call me anytime! Some would call me when things came up, but most probably didn't want to bother me.

When I started my private practice, I just fell in love with this model. Being able to join my families in the home and treat feeding challenges in such a naturalistic environment just felt right.

I was really excited to begin this journey, but I didn't have any experience as a business owner. The thoughts and questions were endless.

Then right around that 2-month mark, my imposter syndrome started to set in. I felt like maybe I wasn't enough, maybe I didn't know enough and then an email came in from Doug talking about the imposter monster and how to navigate this challenge.

Deciding to invest in Private Pay MBA was a very short and easy discussion with my husband.

Doug has really excellent lessons within his program that teach how to market and flip the script on the way we think about marketing and our relationship with money.

The weekly calls are also really fantastic, firstly because Doug offers his availability to answer questions and second because of the unique community of other new business owners who are all OTs working through similar challenges. Additionally, Doug has been very responsive to any questions that I have had come up at any given time.

I recommend this program to any OT working through starting a private practice. The information and support have been very valuable and I am so grateful!

I have been an OT for about 6 years and I'm currently at an outpatient facility in San Diego where I see pelvic patients and orthopedic patients. When researching business programs for therapists I was drawn to Private Pay MBA because there are so few programs that are geared specifically towards serving OTs. I find that in any other program that is not specifically for OT we often have to justify our value and the reason for our participation in the program. I was concerned that I would not get the full value of the program because I was unable to participate in most of the virtual sessions due to my work schedule. I was also worried that I would not be on the same schedule as the rest of the cohort in regards to the creation of our businesses. I found that neither of those fears came to fruition. I was able to fully engage in the program without being on the virtual sessions by watching each recording the day after the class. I found great value in the Facebook group, everyone responded quickly with very helpful advice.

I loved that everyone was in different places with their business development. I've learned a ton from this program. The step by step instructions on business formation helped to keep me on track and gave me confidence that I was doing all of the things that I needed to do to have a valid business. I was able to create materials for future workshops and I found it very helpful to have feedback from Doug and the rest of the cohort. I gained so much confidence from this program even though I wasn't able to participate in the live sessions, the encouragement that I got from the cohort online and through the feedback on my materials was invaluable. I was pleasantly surprised that each member of the cohort was at a different stage of their business development but each member was able to participate fully and with good results. I really enjoyed having a 1:1 with Doug at the end of the program, he was able to instill confidence in me about my plans including the timeline for my program and the structure/scope of my business.

I am a new business owner with a mobile pelvic health therapy practice for the perinatal population. I was struggling with confidence in marketing and needed support with prioritizing my business to-do list. I chose Doug’s program, Private Pay MBA, because I felt he understood my struggles in having a positive mindset and staying organized. I trusted that he would be a good coach because of his experience with a similar business. 

I enjoyed the group coaching calls and printable worksheets the most. It was great having homework that helped focus my ideas and I appreciated the accountability of having something to contribute to group calls.

Doug’s feedback on my marketing materials was invaluable. I walked away knowing my best referral sources, new rack cards, and a workshop flyer and outline. I gained momentum from Doug and the group of OTs and have started my new year better than I expected. I have gained new contacts and opportunities with local providers due to the encouragement I received in Private Pay MBA.  With the coaching I received, I’ve been able to establish a relationship with a private pay doctor, will be speaker to their pregnant clients, and received 5 new referrals already within a month of finishing Private Pay MBA.  

I highly recommend working with Doug if you are thinking about starting an OT business or are in the marketing phase and building a caseload.