Meet Justin Frazier | Doctor of Physical Therapy

We had the good fortune of connecting with Justin Frazier and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Justin, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I honestly felt relatively burnt out working in traditional physical therapy settings and was ready to be done with physical therapy all together. Within insurance-based settings, clinics are limited by insurance on every front – how you operate, what gets approved, how much you get compensated. PT’s are pressured to sustain a high workload in order to keep the clinic profitable, and on top of that there is so much resource from the companies that goes into appeasing the insurance system. The idea of people paying out of pocket for higher-end 1-on-1 physical therapy (without insurance) was a foreign concept to me when I was working within in-network insurance-based settings. It was not until I joined a start up rehab & personal training facility that I realized 1) there are people who see the value in receiving that type of more personalized care, and 2) such a cash-based model provides so much more freedom 1) to the client to receive consistent 1-on-1 treatment with the same clinician based on my best judgement (not insurance), and 2) to myself to be able to give more energy to my clients and my family without being spread so thin.

My goal honestly has never been to be the “best PT” or to build a big business empire. I believe all of that comes to nothing at some point, and in starting the business I told myself that if I am going to do this, I am it has to be about more than just physical therapy for me. Our business is named T48 off of a text which says, “…while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come…for to this end we toil and strive because we have our hope set on the living God…” I don’t need anyone who walks in my clinic to believe that, but for me it is a constant reminder of the bigger picture. It’s not really about just an arm, a leg, a lift, a sport, a “performance” as we commonly think it. For me, the business is simply where I am and there’s a lot of impact that can be had in myself and others if I am willing to fully commit and yield myself to the process.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
T48 Performance is a physical therapy business designed to help active, motivated individuals recover from injury and break through movement-related performance plateaus. We do this through a 1-on-1 approach which means means every client receives hands-on 1-on-1 treatment from the same doctor of physical therapy without being tossed around clinicians or left to do something they don’t understand, wondering why they aren’t getting better. Since most of our population is commonly comprised of Crossfitters, fitness enthusiasts, body builders, runners, and youth sports athletes, most of our interventions are not your common generalized insurance-based regimen that is often times general and hands-off. We also utilize a client portal to provide personalized home-exercise programming so that clients on average require only 1/3 the visits they would in clinic.

The business currently consists of my wife and myself. I would say we are excited for the day when we get to grow past ourselves and create a healthy team culture that we all can benefit from. We are currently 6 months old. As a doctor of physical therapy, you go to school for 7 years, but almost none of that is entrepreneurial training, so we have certainly made our share of course corrections int the process. The first 6 months has been a tight rope of finding the confidence and conviction that what we do really is different and really serves an audience in a way that is not largely available to them. On the other side of the tight rope, the process has required a lot of humility to be able to 1) be teachable, and 2) to have grace in the learning process, trusting that at the end of the day as long as my conscience is clear and I am doing what I know I should be doing and not choosing fear, I have to surrender up the results.

As with any new business, the biggest focus has had to be exposure – being able to get in front of the right people who I believe we can help. I’ve never enjoyed sales and marketing so much. As a PT, I’ve found a more natural bend toward, “here’s what I do, here’s how I think I can help, and at the end of the day the choice is yours as to whether you want to give it a shot,” and that’s all I’ve got for you. However, as a business owner, I’ve realized that if I really think I can help someone, it’s my own pride and comfort that’s often times not willing to continually step into potentially uncomfortable situations to get, quote-un-quote, “my name out there”.

This has been a continual process, and I know anyone in business experiences the waxes and wanes of seeming victories and losses, of hope and discouragement. Even though it’s only been 6 months, I find myself getting simpler and simpler in the process, desiring simply to find the most sustainable, durable, and consistent place in it all, knowing if the heart and mind is established in a firm place, then the circumstances won’t be such an influencer. My goal is not and has never been to be the “best PT” or to build a big business empire. I believe all of that comes to nothing at some point. Our business is named T48 off of a text which says, “…while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come…for to this end we toil and strive because we have our hope set on the living God…” I don’t need anyone who walks in my clinic to believe that, but for me it is a constant reminder of the bigger picture. It’s not really about just an arm, a leg, a lift, a sport, a “performance” as we commonly think it. For me, it’s simply where I am and theres a lot of impact that can be had in myself and others if I am willing to commit and yield to the process.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
LOL!!! I am the worst at these!

I have lived in some active and so-called “fun” places, including Austin and San Antonio, and I have never made an exciting tour guide when friends and family come in. I would consider myself a pretty simple person. My wife and I are definitely home bodies but also enjoy time in our friends’ homes whether that be game nights, movie nights, worship nights, etc. There are very few places that I would call a “must see” but we are very fly by the seat of our pants type. If friends and family rolled into town, I would likely be taking them to dinner with our other friends and family. Outside of that, BJ’s is always a classic, especially after a flag football game with friends. The water gardens is always a nice visit on a Saturday evening. So…all that said, depending upon the friend we would hit the following spots:

– First Watch for a nice brunch
– Enjoy a nice workout either at a crossfit gym or at a local park
– Get a football and throw some routes, maybe find a pick up basketball game somewhere
– Grill out some steaks at home and kick back while watching a football game
– Enjoy a solid power nap!
– Find a friend’s place and gather together to enjoy dinner, some fellowship, maybe a movie

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to shoutout to my friends at Athletix Therapy and Performance Lab in Southlake, TX. When I was on the edge of dropping physical therapy for good, they invited me in, and if it was not for my time with them, I probably would not have launched out into T48 Performance PT. From this side, I would say I value and honor them exponentially more as friends than as professionals. They are some amazing guys with strong, compassionate hearts who really want to see the best inside and out for everyone who is willing to walk through their doors. By this world’s standard, it can be easy at times for business owners to buy into this “scarcity/orphan mentality” which is all about self preservation built on a dog-eat-dog mentality. When the desire came to launch out into T48 Performance, they were fully behind me and very supportive in the process. We still lean on each other for help and support today.

Website: www.t48performancept.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/t48performance/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/T48performance

Image Credits
Crossfit Gallant Iron Den Athletix Therapy and Performance Lab