19 - Dana Tostensen of Pursuit Physiotherapy on Clinic Culture, Mentorship, and Sustainable Growth скачать в хорошем качестве

19 - Dana Tostensen of Pursuit Physiotherapy on Clinic Culture, Mentorship, and Sustainable Growth

In this episode of Health of Business, Danielle Boyd sits down with Dana Tostensen, founder of Pursuit Physiotherapy in Victoria, BC, to unpack what it really takes to build a healthy, sustainable physiotherapy clinic. Dana shares his journey from private practice physio to clinic owner, including why he took a gradual approach to ownership, how early missteps shaped his leadership style, and why culture and mentorship have become the foundation of his clinic. They dive into the realities of clinic ownership that no one teaches in school, including marketing, systems, contracts, clinician expectations, and the mental load of entrepreneurship. Dana also breaks down his structured, year-long mentorship program, why unstructured mentorship often fails new grads, and how investing in clinicians ultimately strengthens patient care and clinic sustainability. This conversation is a must-listen for clinic owners, aspiring owners, and physiotherapists who want to understand the long game of building a values-driven healthcare business. In this episode, we cover: • Dana’s path from physio to clinic owner • Why easing into ownership can prevent burnout • Lessons learned from early staffing challenges • Marketing, SEO, and business skills physios never learn in school • Why clinicians, not patients, are the tightest bottleneck in clinics • How culture attracts and retains great practitioners • Designing clinic spaces that support nervous system regulation • Building a structured, evidence-based mentorship program • The emotional cost of ownership and separating self-worth from business outcomes • What a truly healthy business looks like Learn more: Pursuit Physiotherapy https://pursuitphysiotherapy.ca Interested in building or improving your clinic systems? Danielle’s course Business of Physio 101 walks through the foundations of clinic ownership, contracts, systems, and sustainable growth. https://danielleboyd.ca/business-of-p... TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Welcome and why clinic owners feel so isolated 02:05 Dana’s origin story and choosing physio over medicine 05:20 Moving west and landing in Victoria 07:35 Testing the waters before full clinic ownership 10:45 The opportunity that led to starting Pursuit Physiotherapy 14:05 Hiring early and realizing the weight of ownership 18:00 Why straddling two clinics did not work 21:10 Ego, rejection, and learning marketing the hard way 25:10 Business education gaps in physio training 28:30 Contracts, compliance, and questioning inherited systems 33:05 Opening the clinic space and early renovations 37:15 Building systems before scaling the team 41:30 Why the first year is about survival, not profit 45:00 The mental load of entrepreneurship 49:40 Detaching self-worth from business outcomes 54:00 Contractors, expectations, and clinician autonomy 58:20 Why culture is the real competitive advantage 01:02:40 Attracting clinicians in a tight labor market 01:07:00 Community involvement and giving back 01:12:30 Short-term profits vs long-term impact 01:17:10 Dana’s structured mentorship program explained 01:25:10 Teaching confidence instead of certainty 01:31:00 Evidence-based practice and real-world application 01:37:10 Clinic design, nervous system safety, and space psychology 01:44:30 Who clinic ownership is actually for 01:50:20 What defines a healthy business 01:53:20 How to connect with Pursuit Physiotherapy KEYWORDS physiotherapy clinic ownership physio clinic culture physiotherapy mentorship program clinic owner journey private practice physiotherapy physio business systems healthcare entrepreneurship BC physiotherapy Victoria physiotherapy clinic Canadian physiotherapy business new grad physiotherapy mentorship clinic culture and retention sustainable healthcare business Health of Business podcast Danielle Boyd Dana Tostensen Pursuit Physiotherapy