When I was 10 years old I found a Hustler tucked into a hole in a tree in the woods. I was walking our family dog, Daisy. This day she decided to pee on a tree that just so happened to have this magazine tucked into it. Seriously, as a 10 year old kid, this was better than hitting the lottery!
What happened next might surprise you and prove my theory that sometimes we turn into entrepreneurs but sometimes we are just born entrepreneurs.
After taking the the magazine home, I sat down and tried to decide what to do with it. I knew I had to show my friends. This was a big deal so I had to get the word out. Before I did that, I had an epiphany. I realized that this was valuable, really valuable. Right then and there, I decided to sell it.
As I sat there deciding my best course of action I realized that even my richest 10 year old friends would only probably be able to pull together $5 for this treasure I had found. I also thought that each one of them could easily find or already had a dollar.
That night while everyone was sleeping, I took a pair of scissors and cut out individual pictures from the magazine. When I was done I had about 50 individual pictures and decided that the next day the Hustler sale would start at Pinckney Elementary School.
My first day in business went really well. I sold about 10 pictures, mostly in the bathroom but a couple on the playground after school. The next day was even better. I sold the remaining 40 pictures. In two days I had made $50 off a magazine I just happened to find in the woods.
Now, before I lose you, I realize that I was an elementary school kid peddling pornography. Most people would not lead with this story on their About Me page but I want you to know who I really am. It’s not a pornography kingpin, it’s an entrepreneur.
I have a hard time saying and spelling entrepreneur but that’s what I am in the purest sense of the word. In my words it’s someone who takes risk, starts a business and makes money. Well, that’s what I did starting at age 10 and I’ve been fascinated with business, finance, sales, marketing and entrepreneurship ever since.
Most of you probably know me for my Physical Therapy background. As much as I love being a Physical Therapist, I’m still just an entrepreneur that just happened to go to physical therapy school.
When I left the Army after serving on active duty as a Physical Therapist for 7 years, I decided it was time to go all in. I decided to open a cash based physical therapy practice in the corner of a CrossFit gym called Athletes’ Potential. People told me I was crazy for leaving my stable job with great benefits and decided to open a practice in a gym that didn’t directly accept insurance.
People told me it wouldn’t work. They said even if it did, I would never be able to hire another PT because people would just want to work with me. People telling me I can’t do things is very motivating. I started my practice with a chip on my shoulder and I still have that same feeling today.
Currently, we’ve proved all the doubters wrong. The practice did work and has grown significantly from that first office in a gym. We now have a main office space that’s 1800 sq ft and two other satellite locations in different parts of Atlanta. We have 3 full time PTs and have basically doubled our revenue every year for the past three years. All this as a 100% cash based practice.
People ask me how we accomplished this in such a short period of time. My answer to them is we are obsessed with providing the best healthcare experience people have ever had, we are obsessed with being the best physical therapists in Atlanta and we utilize marketing techniques rarely used in the physical therapy realm.
Two years ago I decided to take on a project with a long time friend of mine. This project is called the Doc and Jock Podcast. Many of you may have heard this podcast and are familiar with our opinions on strength/conditioning topics. What you probably don’t realize is this is an entirely separate business. We grew it from just our mom’s listening to over 50,000 downloads per month in over 80 countries.
We also successfully monetized the podcast with digital information products and big sponsorships like Kill Cliff and Performa Sleep.
Finally, here we are again. Another project, another opportunity to help people and create another business. This is the PT Entrepreneur Podcast and my goal with this podcast/platform is to help people realize their entrepreneurial unique genius. I also want to teach you how to take that unique genius and leverage it into a life you’ve always wanted.
Make more money, have more satisfaction with your work and spend more time with the people you love. America is a land of opportunity. Seriously, that sounds very cliche but in many other countries you may never have had the opportunity to bet on yourself.
I want to inspire you, educate you and coach you along the path you chose as an entrepreneur.
Lastly, I would be remiss if I did not mention my beautiful wife and family. Someone who sells pornography at age 10 can turn into a man who at times it’s difficult to be married to. My wife Ashley is the rock of our family and our two crazy kids, Jack and Maggie, make our lives so much better.
Maggie is bossy and keeps everyone in line like Ashley. Jack tries to talk his friends into giving nerf guns in exchange for bath toys (true story, he’s got the entrepreneur gene as well). Our families are why we take risk, work hard and put ourselves out there. It’s up to us to be successful for them.
I hope you enjoy this platform and get some value out of what I’m putting out.
-Danny