Today we’d like to introduce you to Aimee Hicks.
Hi Aimee, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
I was born to be a “helper”. Even as a little girl, was naturally drawn to opportunities to make things better for others. If someone had a problem, I wanted to help solve it. If there was a conflict, I tried to resolve it. My goals were never as grand as to try and change the world. Helping others just made me happy and eventually, it evolved into a career.
I was a sophomore in college when I first learned of Speech-Language Pathology. I instantly knew that this is what I was meant to do. I changed my major, transferred universities at midterm and moved away from my family and small-town life to the big city of Houston to begin the pursuit of my goal to become an SLP. I graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Houston with a major in Communication Science and Disorders and a minor in Psychology. I earned acceptance into U of H’s competitive graduate program where I was awarded my master’s degree in 2002.
One of the things I love about the field of Speech-Language Pathology is the is the wide variety within the field. Throughout my career, I’ve worked in schools, hospitals, nursing homes, home health care, outpatient clinics and telehealth. I’ve provided care across the lifespan from tiny preemies born too early to swallow, to elderly dementia patients needing help to function through devastating cognitive decline. I’ve coached healthy kids to perfect troublesome speech sounds and helped ventilator-dependent toddlers learn to eat and communicate. Despite the great differences in job settings and clientele, there’s a common underlying thread of relationship building and creative problem-solving that I absolutely love. Even after providing thousands of therapy sessions over the years, I’m still as passionate about the work as I was on day 1. Small victories can have a big impact and I love helping my clients achieve their goals.
In 2012 while working for a pediatric home health company, I crossed paths with Wendy Collins-Bucher. Wendy and I both had proven success-records and were often assigned to complex and/or challenging cases. She addressed their Occupational Therapy goals while I worked on communication and/or feeding needs. With much overlap in our caseloads, a similar therapy-style, and a shared passion for our work, we inadvertently became a team. We soon discovered that patients were making remarkable progress under our collaborative and creative approach to their care. Alone we were each skilled and successful in our area of specialty, but together we were an incredible team. As time progressed, we began to share the dream of transitioning from a dynamic duo to leaders of our own company. In 2017, we took a leap and Monkey Business Therapy was born.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The creation of Monkey Business Therapy has definitely been a labor of love. I’m sure that many small business owners would agree that transitioning from a career that you love to building and running a company is a huge leap. It takes much more than a great product or excellent service to make a business successful.
The first challenge was attracting clients. Families have a lot of options for therapy services. As a brand new and very small company, Monkey Business Therapy was competing for business with large well-known clinics and big-name hospital systems. It took time and a lot of effort to get our name out there and create opportunities to demonstrate our core values within the community to earn the trust of potential clients. Little by little, we established a solid customer base and the vision we had for Monkey Business Therapy started to take shape.
Just when the dream becoming a reality and the business was really gaining momentum, the pandemic hit. Figuring out how to safely and effectively provide our services amidst mandates and recommendations that were changing almost daily was overwhelming. Our naturalistic approach is built on a foundation of play and fun. How on earth were we supposed to play with a toddler from a distance of 3-6 feet? How could I teach a child to use their mouth through masks? We closed for 2 weeks to get a plan in place, ensure that our staff would have access to the tools and support they needed and then began to work through the challenges of the “new normal”. We considered each case individually and had discussions with parents to create a plan of attack for the safest, most effective way to proceed based on the child’s needs and medical considerations. For those who could benefit from telehealth, we not only learned how to do it, but it was amazing! For our clients who really needed in-person services, we collaborated with parents to make adjustments in scheduling and/or the location of face-to-face sessions, safety protocols and options for masks/shields. Our small size and lack of the confines of blanket policies necessary for huge corporations was a big advantage. I believe that our thoughtful and individualized response throughout the pandemic was actually a catalyst in the growth and expansion of our company.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Monkey Business Therapy is a boutique-style pediatric therapy clinic providing speech-language, feeding and occupational therapy services and we are all about fun and games! We are very serious about our mission to provide effective and efficient therapy services and achieving optimal outcomes to for our clients. But who says hard work can’t be fun? Silliness can promote great strides. Giggles have great power to reach goals. Our focus on fun is based on the proven fact that children learn best through play and exploration. We strive to cultivate naturally motivating therapy sessions based on the individual interests and needs of every child we see. That may mean incorporating sensory experiences and/or physical games into sessions. Or perhaps using calming strategies or yoga poses may help a child to regulate their emotions and be more mentally available for learning. Having the intuition and flexibility to meet a child where they are at and creatively address their therapy goals while supporting their physical and/or emotional needs is important to us. We provide services in the setting best suited to the child and family, whether it be in our clinic, their home, daycare, ABA center, etc. We have met for sessions at outdoor parks and provided therapy in a tent in the living room. For clients who receive services virtually, we have learned great techniques to maintain a playful atmosphere and create exciting, productive experiences. Regardless of the setting or task at hand, our company culture values creativity and thinking outside of the box. It’s important to us that our clients as well as our team members feel happy and supported so that may each thrive and accomplish great things in the way best suited to their individual needs, interests, and talents; and ideally in a way that doesn’t feel too much like “work”.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Networking is crucial for any entrepreneur. Our business, like many, relies on developing personal relationships and cultivating positive experiences. Monkey Business Therapy takes every opportunity to participate in relevant community events and support other small businesses owners and professionals. We strive to be a community resource and help guide and educate families, even if that means recommending services that we don’t provide or refer to a competitor who may be a better fit for a family’s particular needs. In return, various other businesses and competitors refer to us. We are active in a number of online support and networking groups including groups for special needs services, small business owners, and professional brainstorming/strategy-sharing groups, all of which have provided great opportunities to collaborate and network.
Mentorship has also played a key role in the growth of the company. This has largely been through stepping up to be a mentor for others. I’ve always been happy to share ideas, and provide guidance and mentorship in my areas of expertise. I often partner with universities to host graduate students for clinical rotations. Welcoming these opportunities to support others has enabled us to attract and hire amazing and highly talented staff members in a very competitive job market. No successful professional got to where they are without the support and guidance of those who came before them. I believe we all share the responsibility of shaping the next generation of professionals who will follow us.
Contact Info:
- Email: Aimee@MonkeyBizTherapy.com
- Website: www.MonkeyBizTherapy.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MonkeyBusinessTherapy/
