Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah Martin.
Hannah, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I had been working as a speech-language pathologist in schools for 4 years when I had my first experience working with a student in their home. I left the appointment feeling fulfilled and energized and the initial idea for Open Door Speech Therapy was born that day. I called up another SLP to share about the positive experience and we decided to create a private practice that provides speech and language therapy right to clients’ doors.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
To be honest, it hasn’t been the smoothest of roads. Like I mentioned, I originally created the business with a friend. However, she moved away to be closer to her family and I was nervous to run a business on my own. After all, I went to school to become a speech pathologist. Business classes weren’t really on my radar. At first, I didn’t believe in myself enough because I had never run a business before. So I had to remind myself that everyone starts somewhere and it was okay if I didn’t have all the “business” answers yet. I surrounded myself with supportive people, learned from friends who are entrepreneurs, did my research, and got to work! I wanted to feel confident in both roles, SLP and CEO.
Tell us about your company. What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of as a company? What sets you apart from others?
Open Door Speech Therapy is a private practice that provides speech and language therapy in the comfort of clients’ homes. I am the speech-language pathologist (SLP) and the face of the company. Open Door Speech serves clients that range from Pre-K to high school ages. I work really well with adolescents and have a way of getting them to open up. I think on some level they know that I care and I’m here to help them succeed. My ability to connect with children and teens is something that I am proud of.
I work with clients across the San Diego area with speech sound disorders, language disorders, and social skills deficits. I may be one of the few SLPs to say this, but I love helping kids target the /r/ sound. It’s one of the hardest sounds to produce in English which is why it can be a challenge to treat. But that is one challenge that I love to take on. I get chills every time a client says their sound(s) correctly for the first time! Seeing my clients gain confidence in their communication skills is the reason that I do what I do.
Open Door Speech accepts private pay clients. Some insurance companies don’t cover the cost speech and language services or the coverage may be limited to a set number of sessions. I gladly take on clients who may be turned away from accessing services through insurance. I really wanted to create a service that is easily accessible to parents.
I also wanted to alleviate parents of any stress of getting to and from appointments which is why I provide therapy in clients’ homes. I offer appointments after school hours (weekday afternoons) and on Saturday mornings. It’s been a great experience working in my clients’ homes so far because parents can see exactly what we work on during therapy. I typically wrap up my sessions by providing tips and exercises for parents to do with their kids between sessions. I am all about teamwork and I believe that a collaborative approach between myself and parents really makes a difference.
The most important thing in my speech therapy sessions is that we have fun! I want therapy to be a positive experience for my kids and their parents. I think we all learn better when we are having fun, so why not make therapy a fun experience too!
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Right now I’m working on building my clientele and I’m currently accepting new clients. My business just started this year, so my plan is to grow my practice and trust the timing of it all.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.opendoorspeech.com
- Phone: 6198000963
- Email: info@opendoorspeech.com
- Instagram: @opendoorspeech_sd
- Facebook: @opendoorspeech
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