Overview:
Most clinics don’t fail; they stall.
They reach a comfortable size, decent revenue, and a full diary, and then everything gets harder. Margins tighten. Staff costs rise. Insurance work drags profitability down. Growth feels risky, but standing still feels worse.
In this episode, Michael sits down with Steve Hines, founder of Wandsworth Physio, to unpack what actually changes once a clinic moves beyond survival and into scale. From pricing strategy and tiered services to customer experience, technology investment, AI, and the shift toward polyclinic models, this is a candid look at how advanced clinics think defensively as well as offensively.
This isn’t about chasing growth at all costs. It’s about protecting margin, upgrading the offer, and building a clinic that can evolve as the market changes.
Show Notes
- Why most clinics plateau in the middle of the market
- The shift from growth obsession to margin protection
- Pricing strategy beyond annual price rises
- Tiered services and what they reveal about demand
- Moving beyond physio + massage into advanced services
- How technology and AI are actually being used in clinics
- Why customer experience drives retention more than CPD
- When insurance work stops making commercial sense
- Polyclinics, lifetime patient value, and service expansion
- Staff development, autonomy, and scaling leadership
What You’ll Learn
- Why “being busy” is not the same as being profitable
- How successful clinics think about pricing beyond yearly increases
- What actually differentiates high-end clinics from the middle
- How to upgrade your offer without racing to the bottom
- Why customer experience beats clinical excellence alone
- How advanced clinics use technology defensively, not just for growth
- Where AI genuinely saves time, and where it doesn’t
- How to retain staff without aggressive KPIs
- Why polyclinic models are becoming inevitable
- How to think about long-term patient lifetime value
Who This Episode Is For
- Clinic owners stuck at a revenue or growth ceiling
- Founders running “busy but squeezed” practices
- Clinic owners considering tiered pricing or advanced services
- Operators thinking about AI, automation, or admin efficiency
- Anyone exploring expansion, acquisition, or polyclinic models
- Physios transitioning from clinician to business owner
Not for:
- People looking for shortcuts or hacks
- Clinics unwilling to raise standards or prices
- Anyone expecting technology to fix a weak offer
- Owners who want growth without operational change
Guest Details
Steve Hines
Founder, Wandsworth Physio
Steve is a physiotherapist with over 20 years’ experience, including a decade in professional football with Fulham FC. He founded Wandsworth Physio and has grown it into an advanced, multi-service MSK clinic through organic growth, technology investment, and a strong focus on patient experience.
His work spans clinical practice and clinic operations, with an increasing focus on expansion and acquisition.
Clinic: Wandsworth Physio
Location: London, UK
Visit https://hmdg.co.uk for further information.
Follow Michael on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjschumacher100
