r/physicaltherapyowners

Did you change your work situation when family planning was on the horizon? And if so how so?
Did you switch to a full time benefit job the year before you thought of having kids? If so how long did you need to work there before maternity benefits kicked in? Or did you just save up for unpaid leave for each child? Did your spouse have the means to financially support your unpaid leave?

My situation:
I’m self employed PT. My current set up is 20-38 hours a week 1099 contractor at an outpatient clinic and 10-20 hours private in home PT and personal training. I take a lot of unpaid vacation and elect higher wages for that flexibility and tax business benefits. However, I do not have benefits. Up until now I’ve loved it but things are getting quite complicated… unsure of the order but in the next 4-12 months I’m getting married and going to start trying right away to conceive (I’m 37). I’ve also postponed a Brostrom ankle surgery that I’m considering doing as well, I’ve put it off because no disability benefits, HCOL area, I live on a 4th floor walk up and I may go out of state for it. Once I’m married I’ll have better medical, someone to help and maybe an elevator lol

The obvious answer would be quit your personal business and go full time at the clinic. But I love my private business, I’ve worked hard to build it up, it brings me joy and is less stressful. There’s a real possibility the clinic will close or change ownership next October. Even if I were to go full time, I’m not even sure if he offers maternity benefits since it’s a small clinic?

I feel kind of sour that as a business owner I don’t have resources for maternity leave, disability or medical. I worked hard to create my situation and now it feels I have to give it all up and go work for a PT mill or something awful if I want to raise a family lol

Thoughts, inputs or experiences will all be appreciated!! It’s really difficult deciding what could be best with so many unknowns

One missed call doesn't seem like a big deal. Most businesses assume they'll just call the person back later.

But when I started paying closer attention to how appointment-based businesses operate, I realized it's rarely just one call.

It's the customer who hangs up and books somewhere else. It's the voicemail that doesn't get returned until the next morning. It's the front desk trying to check someone in while the phone rings three times in the background.

Individually, none of those moments feel like a crisis. Collectively, they become part of how the business is experienced.

I've been reading discussions from business owners across different industries, and one pattern keeps showing up: handling business phone calls isn't just about answering the phone. It's about balancing customer service with the work that's already happening in front of you.

I'm still trying to understand where the tipping point is. At what volume do missed calls become an operational problem instead of just an occasional inconvenience?

That's a question I'm paying more attention to.