What does success look like to you?
There’s no one right way to build a career in occupational therapy.
Maybe success means having more time with your family. Maybe it means travelling more, building the caseload you really enjoy, increasing your income or simply having more say over how your working week looks.
Whatever it means to you, we believe your career should support the life you want, not dictate it.
You decide what success looks like. We help you build a business around it.
ActivOT gives you the autonomy of owning your own OT practice, with the systems, support and network behind you. So you can spend less time figuring out the business and more time doing the work you became an OT to do, and living the life you want to live.
There is another way to own your own practice.
There are plenty of reasons OTs choose to subcontract or work independently. You get more control over your time, your caseload and how you work. But there can be a trade-off.
If you're subcontracting, you may be giving away a significant percentage of what you generate. And if you decide to go completely out on your own, you take on everything that comes with running a business: compliance, marketing, referrals, finances, systems and all the other work that happens behind the scenes.
ActivOT offers another option.
You own your own OT practice, but you don't have to build every part of the business from scratch. We've built the systems and infrastructure, and provide the support and network around you, so you can focus more of your time and energy on your clients and your practice.
What sits behind your business
When you own an ActivOT practice, you have a whole network of systems, people and expertise behind you. We take care of the infrastructure that comes with running a business, so you can focus on your clients, your practice and the life you're building around it.
Business systems
Uniform case management, accounting software and the systems that keep your practice running smoothly.
Operational support
Compliance, marketing, referral management and financial support, so you don't have to become an expert in everything that sits behind your clinical work.
Clinical
support
Training, mentoring and access to the knowledge and experience of a national network of 60+ practitioners.
A network that knows OT
People you can learn from, collaborate with and turn to when you have a problem to solve. You're building your own business, but you're never expected to figure everything out alone.
Franchising, rethought for occupational therapists
Business ownership should give you more control over your work, not less.
We know the word “franchise” can come with some baggage. KPIs, geographical territories, competition between franchisees, rigid rules and someone else telling you how to run your business.
That's not how we do things.
ActivOT was built around the idea that OTs should be able to own and shape their own practice without having to do everything alone.
So while you have the backing of a national network, your business remains your business.
There are no targets telling you how much you need to work, what you need to earn or how quickly you need to grow. You decide what success looks like for you.
No KPIs
You aren't restricted to a territory, and you're not competing with other ActivOT practitioners for clients.
No geographical
territories
You're part of a network of 60+ practitioners who share knowledge, resources and experience. There is always someone who has probably faced the problem you're trying to solve.
Collaboration over
competition
You decide what your caseload looks like, how much you work and where you want to take your business. You can develop a focused caseload, work across different areas of OT or shape your practice around the life you want.
Your practice,
your way
Independent practice shouldn't have to mean doing everything independently.
There's no one way to build an ActivOT practice.
Your practice can look different from the next person's. That's the point.
Some franchisees build their caseload around the work they enjoy most. Others prioritise flexibility around family, travel or caring responsibilities. Some are focused on growing their income, while others are focused on creating a sustainable practice that gives them more time outside work.
You decide what you want your practice to make possible.
Why ActivOT exists
It started with one OT asking:
“Surely there has to be a better way?”
Today, that idea has grown into a national network.
-
60+ occupational therapists and allied health professionals
-
5 Australian states
-
10,000+ Australians supported
-
And we're still working towards the same goal:
Giving OTs the opportunity to build a practice that works for their life, without having to build it all alone.
Our founder, Helen Whait, is an OT, business owner and mum of three and establishes ActivOT as a private practice.
Traditional ways of working weren't fitting the life Helen wanted, and she ends up severely burnt out.
Helen invests time and money to build a private practice model that works around her life, building systems to support her.
Helen realises the model she's built could support other OTs and she franchises ActivOT, with the first franchisee signing on in March 2012.
ActivOT is a network 60+ practitioners across 5 states, collectively supporting over 10,000 Australians.
You might be ready to become an ActivOT practitioner if...
-
You're ready for a change.
Maybe the way you're working isn't giving you what you need anymore. You're questioning whether there might be a better way to structure your career and your life. -
You're subcontracting and want more from it.
You value the flexibility of working for yourself, but you're questioning whether giving away a significant percentage of what you generate is the right long-term model. -
You're self-employed and finding it all a bit much.
You love having your own practice, but the business side can take up more time and energy than you expected. You'd like the autonomy without having to figure everything out yourself. -
You know what you want your working life to look like.
Whether that's more time with family, a particular caseload, greater income or simply more control over your week, you're ready to build towards it.
It might not be the right fit if...
-
You're looking for a traditional salaried OT role.
-
You want someone else to set your goals and tell you what success looks like.
-
You're looking for a short-term stopgap rather than building something of your own.
-
You don't want the responsibility that comes with owning a business.
What could your OT career make possible?
You know what matters to you. The question is whether your current way of working is helping you get there.
If you're ready to explore a different way to build your OT career, we'd love to show you what ActivOT could look like for you.