Luck is about spotting opportunities – and acting on them!
Part 2 of the story of Andy McVittie of Process Physio
Name: Andrew McVittie
Business: Process Physio
Location: Preston
Key takeaways:
Luck is about spotting opportunities and then acting on them
Recycle your expertise and experience in new ways – like writing a book
Trust your instincts and believe in yourself
In part 1 of this blog we met entrepreneur Andy McVittie, and heard about how he began his business journey, creating and selling a ghyll scrambling business, built out of his own love for the outdoors and adventure.
In this instalment, we’ll find out more about how he really found his self-belief in his business skills and is now running a successful physio practice, has published his first book and is developing a branded product line.
A ‘proper career’
If you’ve read part 1 of Andy’s story, you’ll recall that he’d spent a few years living in Spain working as a freelance climbing coach. On moving back to Manchester, he decided to retrain as a physiotherapist partly because “I decided it was time for a more stable income and a ‘proper career’” and, more importantly, he felt a vocational pull following his undergraduate sports science degree and an ongoing interest in biomechanics.
After three years training, he joined a private practice with a particular focus on neurology and rehabilitation from brain injuries. However it didn’t take long for Andy’s entrepreneurial side to re-emerge and he began doing additional work helping climbers recover from injury. He says,
“The practice which was employing me was run by really lovely people, and I could see that they were making a good living from it, and I began to think: ‘I could do that – run my own business’”.
Two tipping points
As has often been the case with these Business of Adventure stories, it was the Covid pandemic and lockdown which provided a series of tipping points. First up, like many professionals, Andy and his physio colleagues found that, somewhat to their surprise, it was possible to treat their clients online – it didn’t have to be in person. And that meant the potential to reach a much wider market, especially when they found that clients wanted to continue with online consultations after the pandemic ended.
The second factor was that climbing has been a high-growth sport in recent years, particularly following its inclusion in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. More people are taking part and therefore there is more need for specialist treatment and rehab for injuries. This was exacerbated when, during lockdown, climbers training at home became more prone to overuse injuries.
As a result, Andy’s ‘sideline’ in treating climbers (approved by his employer, we might add!) continued to grow during the pandemic and after. It reached the point where he had to make a choice, and the choice of being his own boss and making his own luck won out over the stability of paid employment, and Process Physiotherapy was born, because “I wanted to feel like I was in control.”
A couple of years later, Andy seems confident that the choice has paid off. He has as much physiotherapy work as he can handle at this point, mostly with climbers. He sees two-thirds of his clients in person, largely at two indoor climbing centres in Cumbria, and the rest are online – some of them overseas.
In addition to the growth in people participating in the sport, he credits this success with having identified a niche in which he has credibility as a climber himself, and good marketing of that niche as an early mover in a specialist sector. Seventy per cent of his clients now find him through word of mouth which is testament to his reputation.
Spotting the next opportunity….
There’s a bit of a theme emerging in our conversation by this point: Andy’s ability to spot opportunities. And the next one he saw was a book to help climbers with self-rehabilitation.
“There was an existing book on the market, but it was a bit out of date and quite academic. Once again, chatting about it with some friends, I thought ‘I could do that’ and write an up to date and accessible guide”.
Not having written a book before this initially felt a bit daunting but, he says, “I kept telling myself all the way along that the way to see it was as me refining my practice, treating it almost as a continuing professional development exercise. I looked in depth at the things I do to help clients, why I do them, why I choose a particular exercise, what my knowledge is of an injury. And then I wrote it down – a kind of recycling of my knowledge really.”
The control theme re-emerges too with the decision to self-publish the book, with the support of a specialist company, because it gave Andy more control over the output and although he had to pay the up-front costs, it enabled him to keep all of the profit. And so “The Self-Rehabbed Climber” was born!
The glowing five-star reviews are testament to the accessibility and practicality of the book. And also to Andy’s desire to make rehab and healing available to those who can’t always afford to pay for private therapy. While it isn’t making him a fortune, it’s becoming a good stream of secondary revenue (“Even when I’m off on holiday the orders are coming in”, he says with a smile.) Not to mention, great marketing and PR for his physio practice thanks to the reviews and shares on social media, so that now he’s fully booked up for treatments several weeks in advance.
… And the next!
We turn the conversation to the future, and it’s clear that other ideas are bubbling away. He’s already begun acting on some of them with the development of some specialist products, such as a finger ring (or flexor pulley splint) to aid injured climbers, and is now investigating distribution through outdoor shops, as well as other possible product developments, and a second book. Somewhat to his surprise, he says “I realise I’m developing my own brand!”
On the physio side, he’s evaluating the potential for a premium service that integrates coaching with physio techniques in order to improve climbers’ style and thereby minimise injuries.
He reflects that “I've gone from not seeing business opportunities to almost seeing too many” and it’s this entrepreneurial mindset that’s helped him see the value of getting business coaching, working with Tanya Meredith Coaching – a good climber herself with a management background.
“The coaching has helped me see things more clearly, focus on my priorities, and think strategically so I’ve got my one year plan, two year plan, and five year plan.”
On the money front, not only does Andy have a rewarding career, he also feels financially secure. By working for himself, he says he can earn more in three days a week working as a physiotherapist than he would do in the NHS working full-time. And this frees him up to meet family responsibilities, pursue his new business ideas – and go climbing!
We wrap up the conversation discussing Andy’s recognition that he is running a ‘real’ business as well as doing work he loves. He no longer sees ‘business’ as something people do in cities behind a desk (although he does concede that he spends a fair amount of time at a computer either seeing patients online, writing, or managing his business).
More importantly, he recognises that, while he has had some luck along the way, achieving business success is also about “spotting your opportunities and acting on them.”
Key business tips:
Consider getting a business coach to help you test your ideas and develop your skills
Think about how you can re-package or ‘recycle’ your existing skill set to develop new services or products
Writing a book is a great way to build your reputation and credibility as well as a potential source of revenue
Take time out to plan your strategy for the next year, or beyond
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