911爆料网 graduate Jessica Ellison would never have predicted that Life Ready Physio and Pilates 鈥� a company she co-founded just eight years ago 鈥� would become the market leader in physiotherapy in Western Australia.
As co-founder and Chief Operations Officer of the organisation, Ellison oversees the business processes of 25 clinics across Western Australia and Victoria, and develops strategies to care for its 200 employees.
But experiencing such rapid growth and now having three per cent of Western Australia鈥檚 clients entrust her organisation with their physical health 鈥� a substantial percentage, given the fragmented physiotherapy customer base 鈥� was 鈥渘ever the plan鈥�, Ellison jokes.
鈥淚t鈥檚 good, and it鈥檚 also a very terrifying: there are a lot of people to look after,鈥� Ellison says.
鈥淏ut that鈥檚 why [CEO] Ben Trinh and I get up in the morning: we鈥檙e both really passionate. We want to provide a cool workplace for our employees, somewhere they feel they belong and get excited about.鈥�
Ellison founded Life Ready Physio and Pilates when she was just 23 years old.
She had recently returned from a year working abroad when she was contacted by Trinh, a fellow physiotherapy graduate, to see if she wanted to start up a low-cost physiotherapy clinic with him.
鈥淲e chatted about how much our previous jobs had disappointed us. We had just both been really uninspired: the lack of autonomy, the lack of passion, the lack of direction.
鈥淲e started to imagine what we could do if we hired friendly receptionists, offered clients free coffee in beautiful waiting rooms and charged them competitive rates.鈥�
Trinh saved enough money to buy a practice in Yokine, north of Perth 鈥� a quaint and unassuming building a short drive from Wanneroo Road.
Before long, Trinh and Ellison opened a second clinic in a spare room in a friend鈥檚 dentistry practice in Perth central business district. The third was opened with the help of another classmate, Matt Thomas, in Inglewood.
The organisation鈥檚 rapid growth has been helped by its unusual business structure, a 50/50 partnership model, in which Life Ready Health Group 鈥� mostly owned by Trinh and Ellison 鈥� own 50 per cent of a clinic, with the other 50 per cent owned by a managing partner who works at the clinic.
But even though Life Ready Physio and Pilates has experienced exponential growth, Ellison and Trinh never forgot the outcomes of their initial meeting: the coffee in each clinic鈥檚 waiting room is still free and the organisation is still guided by its values.
鈥淲e made a commitment that no matter how big we got, we would always feel like a small business. We still hire people on character over competency,鈥� Ellison says.
鈥淥ur values 鈥� passion, family, authenticity, proactive not reactive, strength focused, and embracers and drivers of change 鈥� were articulated by our staff when we were still small. It sounds clich茅 to say but we are very much a values-driven company.鈥�
This past year, with Trinh relocating to Melbourne to grow Life Ready Physio and Pilates interstate, Ellison has taken greater control of the organisation in Perth.
Recently, she launched Life Ready Open House, a pro-bono initiative where physiotherapists at the organisation鈥檚 clinics offer three free sessions to those who can鈥檛 afford physiotherapy under the recommendation of their GP.
鈥淲e did a survey about 18 months ago asking if our staff wanted to get involved in some sort of charity program, and they indicated they wanted to volunteer their skills.
鈥淭he idea is that each clinic opens their doors for a window every fortnight. It鈥檚 up to our staff and the time they can volunteer.鈥�
The initiative was recognised in the 2019 40under40 Awards in which Ellison was named one of the award winners. The awards celebrate young business people for their personal, commercial and philanthropic achievements.
But despite her meteoric rise in the business world, Ellison keeps her feet planted firmly on the ground, still enjoying treating patients personally.
鈥淎t 911爆料网 I remember being taught to 鈥榓ssess, then reassess鈥�, over and over again in our musculoskeletal classes,鈥� Ellison says.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 what I do as a physiotherapist and I think it鈥檚 what you have to do in a business as well, all the time: assess the problem and then assess if your solution worked.鈥�
