SaltWire: Physiotherapist loves helping people live the life they want
Walking into Zoomers Physiotherapy and Health Solutions gym, giant letters spelling “live the life you love” welcome you into the 1,000-square-foot space.
The physiotherapy clinic, which opened its doors in 2018, provides in-person, in-home and virtual services to its clients, specializing in assisting folks over 50 in maintaining their fitness, and supporting clients who have sustained injuries.
“The giant letters on the wall are the words we live by. We believe that everybody should have the opportunity to continue doing the things they love for as long as possible, and we are here to support them through that journey,” says Laura Lundquist, owner of Zoomers.
“We really consider ourselves part of our clients’ teams and we work as coaches to help them achieve their goals.”
Zoomers offers a full suite of services, from traditional physiotherapy and massage therapy to their GLA:D program, an osteoarthritis educational program, as well as bracing and orthotics services. They also offer Club Z, a unique client experience that brings live online fitness classes into the home.
With the success of her first business, Lundquist thought about expanding but found it challenging to take the next steps needed to open a second location. It was then that she discovered the Greater Heights for Growth program.
In the spring of 2023, after hearing about the suite of programs offered by the Centre for Women in Business from a few colleagues, Lundquist decided to participate in their Greater Heights for Growth offering; a program specifically created for women-identifying and gender diverse entrepreneurs who run businesses over the $1m mark.
“When you go into significant expansion, there’s a lot of uncertainty associated with that, and as a health-care provider, I think most of us are a little bit risk-averse by nature, so I have found it challenging to take action,” explains Lundquist.
“However, the program helped me think through the process and I had the support of the facilitator, which helped me feel confident that I could set myself up for success.”
The Greater Heights of Growth program, delivered by the Centre for Women in Business, and funded in part through the Women’s Entrepreneurship Strategy, offers an opportunity for high growth businesses to build a foundation and infrastructure to support the scaling of profitable growth, with effective cash flow management, innovative incremental drivers of revenue with a talented team and positive culture that is aligned with a clear vision and growth roadmap.
The program combines practical growth strategies with personalized learning experiences to help women entrepreneurs grow their businesses through personalized coaching, peer-to-peer learning, sustainable scaling strategies, and more.
By taking the time to think through and complete a scalable strategic plan – a foundational part of the program – Lundquist found the confidence and honed in on the skills she needed to open her sister clinic, Spring Physiotherapy this April.
“When I started the program, we were really just starting to stabilize after the pandemic, so taking the time to develop a strategy plan helped reinforce the next best steps to opening a sister clinic in Dartmouth,” says Lundquist.
“Through that exercise, I was able to identify it as a priority, and I think that’s probably the reason that we actually have a clinic in Dartmouth today.”
The group-based atmosphere of meeting other women entrepreneurs and learning from each other’s experiences, successes, and challenges, as well as monthly coach calls and one-on-one meetings, is a unique aspect of the program that made it worthwhile for Lundquist.
“I realized a few years ago that although I would consider myself to be a pretty skilled and experienced physiotherapist, I am still a newbie when it comes to business ownership and growth and development,” says Lundquist.
“I really love being in a learning environment where I can get some coaching to sharpen my skills in leading my team and growing the business, and the Greater Heights program really resonated with me and where I wanted to take my business.”
As a business owner, Lundquist knows that entrepreneurship isn’t for the faint of heart. Being a sole business owner can sometimes feel lonely, so having a program that provides a trusted group of women to go to with questions is an invaluable resource.
“I think women entrepreneurs can easily be pulled into lots of different directions, so it’s helpful to be connected with a group of people who are also experiencing similar things in their lives and trying to figure out how to navigate all of those things successfully,” says Lundquist.
Spring Physiotherapy is located in Dartmouth in the CrossCourt Pickleball facility and offers virtual and in-person physiotherapy assessments and services.
“We’re just so excited to be in this location, to be part of that community, and to grow our involvement with them,” says Lundquist.
“Our future plans for the business are to continue growing and developing our services in our Dartmouth location and help even more people continue doing the things they love to do.”
To learn more about Zoomers and Spring Physiotherapy, visit https://www.zoomershealth.ca/
To learn more about the Greater Heights of Growth program, visit https://www.centreforwomeninbusiness.ca/learning/greater-heights-of-growth/