You may remember a couple of entrepreneurial alumni who previously worked with Diana Trondsen, Market President and Franchise Consultant of FranNet of Houston – Ryan Mann and his fiancé, Olga Torbello. It’s been a little over a year and a half since we last checked in and this dynamic duo have really begun to make some waves in the local market for their FYZICAL franchise operation – a holistic physical therapy and balance clinic. We decided to check in with them to find out how things have been going. Since we last touched base, they’ve opened two locations of their own as the franchisor’s area representatives, with several others in development. And they now have eight sub-franchisees. Below, Ryan and Olga share what they’ve been up to in building their enterprise operation…
On Being FYZICAL’s Area Representatives in the Houston Territory
“Olga and I now have two established FYZICAL locations, with several others in development. With eight new sub-franchisees in our organization, our Area Representative roles have changed from that of a sales role to more of a focus on startup operations. Our territory currently has six clinics in development and eight additional committed to by 2025. With the amount of firsthand experience we’ve gained along the way, we love being able to help the other franchisees in our system get their FYZICAL locations up and running, sharing what’s worked – and what hasn’t – with our two clinics.”
What Factored Into Your Site Selection Decisions? How are Your Locations Performing?
“The two biggest factors for site selection of our FYZICAL locations were demographics and price. As we acquired both of our new clinics, there were a few procedural delays in the transition, due to new ownership. However, the first clinic we acquired – The Woodlands location – is performing above expectations and has been since the beginning. Operationally, we’ve already passed the breakeven point and are now looking to hire our third physical therapist. A few months back, we got our second location – in Katy – launched and we’re right on track according to our ramp-up proforma.”
Tell Us About the Co-op Opportunity for Your Future FYZICAL Locations
“We are excited! What we appreciate about the co-op is the ability to share costs while growing the FYZICAL presence in the greater Houston area. From a pure brand recognition standpoint, we see this as the primary long-term benefit of being the franchisor’s area representatives.”
How Has the Support Factored Into Your Performance?
“Olga and I receive a tremendous amount of support from FYZICAL’s corporate office. They’ve been instrumental with site selection assistance, negotiation, recruiting efforts, insurance credentialing, and various other operational metrics. Having this level of support really allows us to provide the same level of support, assistance, and guidance for our eight sub-franchisees. FYZICAL’s corporate office has their own brokers and sales teams that work leads jointly with us. These days, most of the other franchisees touch base with us weekly, sometimes on several occasions, depending on the need.”
How Has Your Previous Business Experience Helped You With FYZICAL Ownership?
“Olga and I are both able to rely on what we learned during our time in the oil and gas industry. Many things helped us during this transition, especially when it comes to leadership strategies, business development skills, marketing, communication, and presentation skills, budget and goal setting, and implementing the operational processes laid out in the FYZICAL opportunity.”
How Have Your Lives Changed? What Has FYZICAL Ownership Offered You on a Personal Level?
“Our day-to-day lives have been every bit as busy as before, especially in the midst of opening and ramping up our two new clinics simultaneously and conducting routine activities like accounts receivables. The biggest difference with FYZICAL ownership is that 100% of our effort now goes into our own entrepreneurial pursuits, not someone else’s benefit. We definitely saw the immediate impact of our decisions working to our advantage in the FYZICAL business, extending to our employees, patients, partners, and the communities where we operate. This, of course, is very rewarding. And working closely together with Olga has shown me how well do complement one another, perfectly incorporating our different points of view in helping us make the informed decisions we need to make about growth and expansion.”
What’s Been the Most Rewarding and What are Your Future Plans?
“I think the most rewarding aspect is having a positive impact on the communities we serve. It all begins with our patients and watching them recover from their various ailments. It brings joy to our therapists and our staff, which motivates them – and that, of course, extends to us as well. When the doctors who refer these patients hear about it, they’re pleased as well – which helps our business grow so that we can help even more people. To be honest, owning and operating these FYZICAL locations is everything we dreamed it would be. As for the future, we intend to keep growing our two clinics to maximum capacity, which means four-to-five clinicians at each location. We want to help our fellow franchisees do the same thing in their territories. The ultimate goal is to build up the FYZICAL presence in the greater Houston area as the preferred physical therapy option. The way things are going, it seems like we’re well on our way to accomplishing that goal!”
For more information, please visit FYZICAL on the web.