Pelvic Health Practice Owner Helps Patients Reclaim Life

It’s not easy to have a profession requiring years of school and experience, and then add another job on top of it. For medical practitioners, starting their own business is a whole new ball game of entrepreneurship.

Founder and Doctor of Physical Therapy Kaydee Zimmern says, “SBDC helped me with a small business start-up. I attended a workshop for this in Milton back in Feb 22'. Jenny Kunz was the presenter. I knew after her presentation I wanted to be paired with her to help me start my business journey.”

Kaydee shares how she had a lot of logistics and legal questions in regards to starting a business, to make sure she was checking all the necessary boxes — from initial business registration to tax details.

“I've always worked for someone else, so I was starting from scratch with my knowledge of starting a business,” she adds. “There were a lot of things I didn't know about running a business, as I've always been on the clinical side of things. It was important to me to be compliant with Florida laws and requirements. I like to be prepared and know what to expect. I wasn't taking out a loan to start, but Jenny did make sure my rough business plan was solid. She listened and provided guidance to make sure I was set up for success.”

Kaydee graduated from Emory University School of Medicine with a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree. She also has her bachelor's in psychology. She’s been a physical therapist for over a decade and has worked in a variety of different settings, she describes.

But her area of specialty is working with patients with pelvic floor dysfunction and Ehlers Danlos Syndrome.

“Prior to opening my own practice, I started an out-patient pelvic floor physical therapy program at the Baptist YMCA location. I always knew I wanted to own a private practice and decided not long after that, it was time to pursue my goals. I invested in a business program that would teach me how to open and run a physical therapy practice. I opened Gulf Coast Pelvic Health in August 2022.

“Anyone who is starting a business — whether they think they have it all together or not —should go through a class or have a session with a consultant from SBDC. The information provided is extremely valuable and made me feel confident I was on the right track. Starting a business, whether from scratch or taking one over is difficult. It's good to have feedback and a safe, comfortable, and judgement-free environment to ask questions regarding business start-up. SBDC can bridge that gap and offer people a path to success.”

Kaydee’s biggest business challenge she explains is a lack of awareness about pelvic floor physical therapy.

“It’s very much a growing specialty in physical therapy over the last 10 years, but a lot of people don’t know it exists. There are a lot of things people think are normal like peeing when you sneeze, which are attributed to aging or after having a baby. People don’t realize they deal with symptoms every day which are common, but not normal, and that there are treatment solutions out there which are conservative like pelvic floor physical therapy. People also may think pelvic floor therapy is just for women who have had babies; we treat far more than that.”

The entrepreneur discusses how it’s a difficult topic sometimes when it comes to our health and something personal. Kaydee is on your side and extremely skilled in pelvic health. She also offers a free consultation, so she can provide all the information you need to achieve optimal results. Kaydee’s practice has a three-step process you can learn more about on her homepage, including all about the practice and the full list of treatable conditions. You’ll also meet with her one-on-one. Taking care of your needs is a priority, she describes, and worth the step to learn how to regain your lifestyle and potential. It’s a rewarding industry to be in.

You can also follow her practice on Facebook and Instagram for more information on the topic, the team, testimonials, specials, and tips.

“As I was going through the process of opening this practice, I had so many questions,” Kaydee concludes in encouragement to other small business owners and health professionals. “I always felt like I was able to reach out to Jenny and get help. I could tell she wanted me to succeed and was invested in the success of my business.”

 

Article contributed by Aly Lawson, MBA, Marketing Communications Associate, Florida SBDC