Today we’d like to introduce you to Holly Ross.
Hi Holly, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started my LLC on February 20th of 2020. At first, and still, currently my business name is Building Blocks OT, LLC. My story for starting my own business really starts about a month before my open date. I was an employee of a company, and I was not happy with some policies and procedures. As an occupational therapist in the medical field, my job is to help children & families get more “tools” in their life toolbox so that they can do all the activities that they need to do, want to do, or have to do.
My approach is never to “fix” an individual but to meet them where they’re at and work on developing skills or adaptations that the client wants to participate in their daily life. I would say that my approach to therapy is of a newer mindset amongst the medical community, which needless to say, causes me to have disagreements when companies or certain settings try to restrict my full OT scope in the state of Colorado. So, about a month before my practice opened, I did all the research about becoming an independent contractor. I learned about trade names vs. LLCs and LLC was a better fit for me. When I first opened my business, I contracted out most of my clients with other companies so that they would do my billing for me with insurance.
It wasn’t until about a year later that I decided to expand and take on my own billing, open a new exciting area of OT: aquatic therapy & specialized learn to swim and rebrand my business to Community Aquatics n’ Occupational Engagement (CANOE) ®. My trade name CANOE is not only a registered trademark with USPTO but it is the name most people will see. At this point, my official name is more for paperwork purposes. From there, I am just working away, a driven and hardworking small business owner. From inception, I have hired a business operations manager, who helps with my admin needs, and a contractor for special events.
I am so happy that I am able to pay other individuals and see my business grow at its own pace with the right people that see my vision for CANOE. My business did not come easy, I’ve worked tirelessly 7 days a week between client visits, paperwork, and marketing that I had to make life changes. For example, I view time differently than I used to, please see my interview with Shoutoutcolorado.com for more information on that. In addition to working consistently, I also had to bring my business to a whole virtual platform during the COVID pandemic and then migrate back once COVID was over.
On top of that, I was considered a “new grad” when I started my business, being only licensed for 1.5 years when I opened my business. Overall, opening my own business was the correct choice for me, and despite challenges and red tape, I will continue to pursue my passions and grow CANOE to be a client-centered company that continues to adapt our healthcare-based services to be the most inclusive as possible.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
My business did not come easy, I’ve worked tirelessly 7 days a week between client visits, paperwork, and marketing that I had to make life changes. For example, I view time differently than I used to, please see my interview with Shoutoutcolorado.com for more information on that. In addition to working consistently, I also had to bring my business to a whole virtual platform during the COVID pandemic and then migrate back once COVID was over.
Working 12 hours days, I would become so stressed that I would stress meltdowns, that my fiancé, now husband, helped me calm down and encouraged me to take walks outside during lockdown. On top of that, I was considered a “new grad” when I started my business, being only licensed for 1.5 years when I opened my business. Some of the challenges that I encountered being a young business owner is quite a few nay-sayers that were more senior than me telling me about all the horror stories they have experienced.
I actually started filtering which social media groups and followers I had so that I could avoid the negativity and I also cut ties with professionals that didn’t support or offer healthy criticism. I also consistently battled ageism ideas when trying to do marketing or get resources/funding allocated to my business. Lastly, I’d like to highlight the problems with red tape so to speak.
Handling insurance billing, nonprofit funding, and state-based funding is TOUGH! You have to advocate every day for your services in order to get funding reimbursed or paid in advance. Overall, there have been many obstacles throughout the 3 years I have been in business, and I’m sure they’ll be more. But as my grandmother would say, “One day at a time.”
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
CANOE specializes in occupational therapy services, specialized learn-to-swim programs, and aquatic therapy. Other Items that I specialize in include vision therapy and feeding therapy. I am known for taking any and all clients. There is no such thing as “too much stimming”, “too aggressive”, and “too medically complex”. I take the clients that often get turned down by other providers which are disappointing but this happens more than most people know. My parents and caregivers who have children with these different descriptors, know this story all too well. They often feel defeated as providers have told them, “Well just send them to school, they’ll get fixed there”, or “Well they’ll never be able to hold their breath anyway”.
Just awful phrases that I am baffled that even come out of a provider’s mouth. I am most proud of the fact that I DO NOT discriminate. Taking all different diagnoses and varying abilities is what I do and what is ethical. Another thing that sets me apart from other providers is that I really focus on the quality of care and the client’s goals. It’s not about how many units I can fit into one day, or how many visits can I pack into one week, it’s about taking time during each visit to not only provide therapy but indirect care as well.
Examples of indirect care can include but aren’t limited to letters of advocacy, equipment letters of medical necessity, coordinating care between other providers on the team, and many other items. It takes A LOT of energy to do what I do with the quality that I perform my services with, but it’s worth it.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
This is a tough question. I think there are many characteristics one might need to have their own business and be the type of provider I am. It comes down to two probably, initiative and healthy boundaries. I think I am going to go with the ability to have healthy boundaries. Being a business owner who cares so much about quality, it is easy to feel overwhelmed, ran over, suffocating, and just plain stressed.
I actively work against becoming jaded and complacent in my field. Maintaining healthy boundaries between clients vs. home life is a huge piece. I have 2 phones, one for work, and one for personal. I have strict social media boundaries and do not follow or accept friend requests from clients on my personal social media unless they have been discharged. They can follow my business media, but I maintain strict personal boundaries.
Protecting my personal time and space is key to recharging from emotional and intellectually challenging days.
Sometimes this is hard for incoming clients and outsiders to understand because sometimes it’s viewed as self-fish.
However, I tell people that if I didn’t maintain boundaries then I would be out of business in a year. I could easily see myself becoming jaded and complacent if my boundaries were crossed or merged.
Pricing:
- Insurance-Based Occupational Therapy Services- 60m- Prices Vary
- Private Pay-Based Occupational Therapy Services | Initial Eval $170.00/ Re-Eval $120.00/ Treatment Session $85.00 |
- Learn-To-Swim Private Lessons 30 Minutes: $40 for one | $115 for 3-Pack or 45 Minutes: $50 for one | $145 for 3-Pack
- Aquatic Therapy Program 45 minutes: $55/one session OR $150/3 Pack OR 60 minutes: $75/one session OR $210/3 Pack
- Home Modification Evals & Aquatic Home Programs available – Fill out a request form for plan creation and pricing.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.canoecommunity.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/canoe.community/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/buildingblocksOT.org
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPqiEyentSc&t=25s
Image Credits
Jose Calderon & Holly Ross – CANOE
