Joining MovementX in a New Market: What It Takes

What if I’m a PT who wants to join MovementX, but I don’t live in one of your current locations?

If you landed on this page, it’s likely because MovementX has not yet entered your market/location, or does not yet have a team on the ground where you live. So how does that work? What does that mean for you?

The Short Answer:

• Yes, you can join MovementX in new markets.
• No, MovementX doesn’t choose to do it lightly.
• Success requires the right builder and the right referral foundation.
• We only expand when we can confidently deliver a 10/10 experience for you.

 

Introduction

We are big fans of transparency at MovementX. Everything from our finances and our compensation philosophy to our hiring practices are available for your review and discussion with our team.

So, we thought it was time to share about why we choose to be in certain markets over others, and what our process is for entering new locations.

Over the years, our approach to hiring providers and establishing Teams in new markets has evolved significantly—it has been a journey, really!

We’ve learned from our failures. We’ve doubled down on our successes. And we’ve established a process for going anywhere new that optimizes the likelihood of success for both the provider and our community.

After all, we believe the best relationships are true partnerships where both parties bring value and heart to the equation.

Here’s the journey we’ve taken, including how we ended up where we are now. If you’re only interested in what it takes for us to go into a new market, skip to the bottom. Otherwise, enjoy the ride!

 

Why We Don’t Expand Everywhere All at Once

When I first co-founded MovementX, I was motivated to work with other talented, dedicated, and passionate people, regardless of where they lived. I wanted to recreate that feeling you get when you have a bunch of positive, fun, and committed individuals in a room, to feel that magic and make it happen every day.

That’s why we set all of our operations up digitally. It quite literally enables us to work with anyone, anywhere, at any time. And I’m proud of the team we have brought together. I’m biased, but I truly think it’s the best team in the industry.

Multiply digital first operations by a predominantly mobile model, and we have the potential to bring MovementX to any community in the country FAST. It just takes the right person, with the right mindsets, and the right amount of dedication and perseverance, and we can make it happen- and early on, we did.

Towards the beginning of MovementX’s journey, we ended up bringing on providers across 18 different states.

Over the course of the years, we saw an interesting pattern develop. The regions that could grow to a critical mass of providers took off and their growth massively accelerated, which led to a better experience for both the providers (more referrals flowing!) and the patients (more regions covered, more options to tap into the diverse skill sets of our provider base).

On the other hand, other markets grew slower. Over time, we learned that different market sizes require different resources and support. We needed to match the support we were offering to both the unique characteristics of each market and the market’s size.

Which brings us to the challenges…

 

What We Learned About Going into New Markets

Any strength overplayed is a weakness.

When we went into too many markets, too quickly, our resources were diluted.

Not only could we not support our new markets in the way they needed, we also couldn’t support our existing markets. Strategically, we wanted and needed to give more to both, and we weren’t big enough to do both at the same time.

Simultaneously, our administrative staff and central leadership got buried in cost and complexity.

You might not realize it, but whenever you either register to do business in your state, or an existing business registers in a new state, there are a host of factors to research, consider, and ultimately pay for (either with your time or money) as an employer. These include but are not limited to:

• Register with the Division of Corporations
• Register with the Secretary of State
• Create an Employer tax account (often with a different division)
• Register with the State Employment Department
• Appropriately report for ‘New Hire’ Reporting
• File for Unemployment Insurance
• Research and set up Worker’s Compensation legal requirements
• Research local (it city) registrations, permits, or tax laws
• File quarterly or annual tax returns
• Set up compliance measures for local state regulations…

…the list goes on and on.

And most of this is required before you even start doing business in a new state.

These are by no means insurmountable hurdles, but it takes time, money, and adds a new layer of complexity to the business, and it’s a much greater investment (of time and money) to get started than we ever anticipated.

Let me be clear: MovementX is not a profit driven business, but as our fundamentals of finance state, profit is fuel for our mission. Without profit, the business cannot survive.

When we decide to go into a new market, we need to be sure the investment we will make into it will create a return that exceeds the costs. It’s just the reality of the capitalistic world we live in.

 

The 5 Things It Takes for MovementX to Enter a New Market

At this point, you might be wondering:

“So what would actually need to be true for MovementX to come to my region?”

Over time, we’ve learned that successful new markets don’t happen by accident. They are built intentionally by providers who combine clinical excellence with ownership, perseverance, and community leadership.

Here are the 5 things we look for:

1. The Right Builder

It all starts with you. We look for someone who cares deeply about building in their region. Someone ready to persevere through the inevitable early challenges of launching in a new geography. Someone energized by the opportunity to bring MovementX’s culture and standards of care into their community.

2. A Real Referral Foundation

Patients are our economic engine, so we need to be able to get patients in the door. We’re not a productivity driven company (see part 1 and part 2 of my take on that convo), but again, profit is fuel for our mission, and we want to be in a position to sustainably expand our impact.

We are most confident entering a new region when you already have relational roots:

• 3-5 warm referral relationships (gyms, physicians, community leaders, or healthcare providers)
• A realistic path to generating 8-12 evaluations per month within your first 90 days

That early traction matters. It allows us to invest responsibly, support you well, and help you build your dream career sustainably.

If you’re unsure where you stand, our Referrer Prep Checklist is a helpful place to start.

3. A Willingness to Build Locally

New markets require initiative and relationship nurturing. Coffee meetings. Community events. Follow-ups. Consistency.

We typically see providers invest significant time in relationship-building during the early months. That effort compounds quickly when done with intention.

Curious to learn more? Download our Basecamp Activity to see how this plays out for you.

4. A Region That Can Sustain the Model

Population density, geography, and demand matter, especially in our mobile-first out-of-network model. We evaluate each region carefully to ensure it has the fundamentals needed for long-term growth. Our aim will be to build multiple teams of 3-6 providers in your region, which helps all of our providers thrive.

5. The Ability to Deliver a 10/10 Provider Experience

This may be the most important factor. We will not enter a new market unless we are confident we can support you operationally, strategically, and culturally at a high level. If we cannot serve you well, we will wait. Because we believe in doing this the right way.

If you read this section and feel energized rather than discouraged (i.e. if building excites you more than it intimidates you) you may be exactly the kind of provider who can help us responsibly expand into new regions. Click here to apply now.

And even if now isn’t the right time, we’re committed to helping you prepare for when it is.

 

Real Stories: 4 MovementX Providers Who Built Something From Scratch

We’ve had the privilege of partnering with several providers who embraced the challenge of launching MovementX in new regions. In fact, all of our current markets were at once non-existent, right?

Each story below is different, but see if you can spot the remarkably similar pattern…

Patrick Dumais in Pittsburgh, PA came in knowing it wouldn’t be easy. He leaned into relationship building early, met with gym owners and local basketball facilities, connected with physicians, and steadily built trust. Within a few months, his patient flow stabilized. And today, he has a growing team around him in Mike Allen, and the region is gaining real momentum.

Stephanie Weyrauch in Billings, MT brought grit and consistency. She committed to showing up for her community again and again. What started as a solo effort has now positioned us to actively look for another amazing PT in that region. The flywheel is turning.

Taylor Morgan in Knoxville, TN took ownership from day one, investing time in local networking, strengthening referral relationships, and focusing on delivering exceptional care. It took roughly 3 months to reach her stride, and today she’s part of a 3-provider team serving that region at a high level.

Romin Ghassemi in Raleigh, NC started one of our strongest and fastest-growing regions. Within a year, he had 1 teammate. Within 2 years, he had five. Today, the Raleigh-Durham region consists of three teams of over nine amazing PTs. Not only does Romin serve as a local Team Captain, he is also our Team Captain Lead, supporting over 9 MovementX Team Captains across the country and helping shape the standard for how we grow responsibly.

These four providers knew it wouldn’t be easy. But they also knew what they wanted… the autonomy, the flexibility, the freedom to practice the way they always believed care should be delivered.

They show what can happen when one commits to building something bigger than themselves.

 

Our Pathway Ahead

At MovementX, we are guided by our mission of helping people move their best, so they live their best. And when I think of our mission, I often think of whether or not our providers are living their best.

I speak with providers every week who are burnt out, frustrated, and ready for change. And it breaks my heart when we find a great provider who we are not yet ready to take on.

Ultimately, we won’t ask you to take the leap into our community if we are not confident we can catch you and serve you well. It’s just not right.

I am fond of saying, “as we get bigger, we get better.” That means more resources, support, infrastructure, and tools to go into new markets.

As we do, we can expand our acceptance criteria, because we are confident both parties will succeed.

It’s my personal mission to get so good that we can support every provider who has the heart, desire, and passion to see success at MovementX.

Even if now’s not the right time, I’d love to commit to this: you do your best to get more prepared, and we’ll do our best as well.

Because together, we can make anything possible and change the profession for the better.