Developing a Resource Guide for the Texas Occupational Therapy Entrepreneur

This capstone experience aimed to develop a resource guide for the Texas Occupational Therapy (OT) entrepreneur under the mentorship of a Texas OT private practice owner. Private practices in OT bring unique value to the field by providing greater flexibility with treatment approaches and enhanced patient autonomy in plans of care. Unfortunately, small business failure is common in the first year of operation. Occupational Therapy Practitioners (OTPs) who aspire to launch a private practice face many barriers to small business success, primarily due to a lack of training in administrative and business management skills. However, a wealth of small business support resources exists to assist this population. Interviews with various Texas OT entrepreneurs, combined with a survey of this population, provided data highlighting the common challenges of starting an OT small business and identifying valuable resources to include in the guide. This capstone experience revealed that despite the abundance of resources available to the public, they are often difficult to locate. Additionally, it was revealed that pertinent information on the basic requirements for starting a business is also difficult to access for OTPs without a background in business education. This capstone project was created to streamline access to useful resources for the Texas OTP entrepreneurial community and to ensure that all essential steps for starting a business in the OT field are accessible to readers. This project aims to raise awareness of the challenges of launching a small business while empowering OTPs to become successful entrepreneurs.