Inspired Business

Sometimes a business is inspired: it seems to be a perfect match for a crying market need that was overlooked before. It is run in an exemplary way. It doesn’t happen overnight, but progressively and with serious labor, and then takes off dramatically. This description seems to match “Fit for Work.”

“Fit for Work” was started in 1998 by two occupational therapists, Tom Tobin and Keith Adamson, who noticed how healthcare providers were taking advantage of the system to prolong treatment. Clinics would keep people out of work just because they could, instead of getting them back on their jobs as soon as possible. Tobin and Adamson got a vision for a prevention service, with the goals of reducing on the job injuries, keeping people at their jobs and cutting down on workman comp costs. Great concept, but completely against the grain and the culture of the industry. Their target market was industrial plants and warehouses. Their challenge was to show that it could work, and to design a sustainable model to provide the service effectively.

Tobin and Adamson took a year to plan and pray about it. They each took a contract for a large company: one for HEB and the other for Frito Lay. After a year, they had their “product.” It took almost three years to start to show the impact of their work, on finances and personnel. But their patience paid off. This first referral rapidly generated new opportunities for them.

The next question was the business model. How to price it? They asked themselves two questions: What was the service worth? What were their expectations of returns? The service approach gave them the answer. “Fit for work” positions itself as a solution provider: their expertise allows them to assess the client’s needs and set in place a program of care that will reduce the number of injuries and the workman compensation costs. They based their compensation on the amount of time required to meet the client’s goals, using an hourly rate that is comparable to that of other consultants with a similar level of education and certification.

The last key to the puzzle was: how to invest in growth? They realized that at the core of their performance was the quality of the therapists who would be dispatched on-site. The job is more demanding than a 8-to-5 job at a clinic, and their staff has to work third shift. Finding therapists was difficult. They decided to offer a top-notch health insurance package with their compensation. By carefully hiring, training and retaining good employees, they developed a great tool and a replicable model.

It seems simple. That’s the amazing quality of inspired businesses. That’s why they’re inspiring. Next challenges: How to distill their brand communication to better convey who they are and what they offer, which will help them accelerate their national growth efforts. ©2009, Gerard Migeon Inc., Signal, www.signalarity.com