The Paul Gough Show

Today, in the final of four sessions leading up to PPM 2026, I reveal why the $2 million clinic everyone brags about is the one nobody should actually want to own.I pull back the curtain on the real numbers behind an "impressive" $2 million clinic, and I ask the one question that shows whether you'd buy your own business if it were for sale tomorrowI reveal the new scorecard I use to measure a clinic, and the profit zone that decides whether you're building real wealth or just a bigger headacheI break down the three-engine blueprint I'd use to rebuild a clinic from scratch in 2026, and why most owners are scaling the exact oppositeI share the seven-question test that shows whether your clinic is modern and profitable, and the "pizza in the fridge" mistake that keeps most owners stuckBook your seat now for PPM Live: https://ppmlive26.com/

Today's show is part three of four, as we ramp up for PPM - and I expose why the "obvious" fix for a busy clinic might be the most expensive mistake you can make, and what to check before you make it.I reveal the hidden math behind adding to your team that most clinic owners never run until it's too lateI help uncover the handful of places in your clinic where money is quietly leaking out right now, and what to fix firstBook your seat now for PPM Live: https://ppmlive26.com/

Today, I reveal why a PT sipping an iced matcha latte through a straw during a job interview is the least of your worries as a clinic owner.I show you the real red flags behind "unprofessional" interview behavior — and why it's not actually about the drink I discuss why the location of your own interviews might be secretly sabotaging your ability to hold staff accountable later

Today, I break down the real-world warning signs that you've hired a bad PT, drawing on over 70 hires and 15+ years running a physical therapy business.I point out the subtle red flags — from "it's not my job" to victim-mindset excuses like blaming pay demands on student loans — that separate great employees from bad onesI explain why professionalism doesn't guarantee good hires, and why interview performance often has nothing to do with who someone becomes 90 days into the job

In part two of four during the run-up to PPM, I ask the question every clinic owner avoids: would your best PT actually stay if they had other options? Here's what I covered:The employment deal that used to work, and why it quietly stopped workingThe six things great PTs are evaluating whether they say it out loud or notWhat actually makes people leave (and it's rarely the reason owners think)Book your seat now for PPM Live: https://ppmlive26.com/

In the run-up to PPM, part one of a four-part series, I ask:Are you profitable enough to hire good staff?If not, what needs to change?Book your seat now for PPM Live: https://ppmlive26.com/

Today, I break down three real-world business stories — Starbucks uniforms, Uber layoffs, and UK work-from-home laws — and what they reveal about the fight every clinic owner is now facing.Explains why employee "identity" demands (uniforms, individualism) are colliding with what businesses actually need to survive, using the Starbucks dress-code controversy and the Ed Sheeran opening-act backlash as case studiesBreaks down the "grow and prune" principle behind Uber's layoffs-despite-record-profits story, and argues most PT clinics are overstaffed and under-profitable as a result of avoiding hard staffing decisions

Today, six successful PT clinic owners divulge the mistakes, beliefs, and hard-won lessons that shaped their businesses.Reveals candid confessions on firing top-producing toxic employees, going nearly six figures into debt, and the marketing tactics (newspaper ads, $150K salaries, sales scripts) they once thought were bullshit, but now swear byUncovers why revenue without profit almost sank several of their businesses, and how community — not information — became the real driver of their growth

In today's episode, I am live at the PPM LIVE Official Press Conference.... I hired a luxury hotel in Orlando and invited a select group of very successful PT Clinic Owners, and the PRESS, to ask me some tough questions about the future of the PT Profession. The questions was centered around one big discussion: "Is the PT Profession in Crisis in 2026 - and if so, what do YOU need to do about it?" Ahead of the big event of the Planet Paul community, in Orlando on Nov 13-15, I answer these questions:Why are PT clinics generating more revenue than ever while owners are taking home less money?How can a $2 million clinic be a worse business than a $1 million clinic?What is a respectable profit margin for a PT clinic in 2026—and how vulnerable is an owner operating at just 5–10%?Why should clinic owners pay themselves a $150,000 salary before calculating profit?Are insurance companies really the problem, or are clinic owners using them as an excuse to maintain an outdated business model?How vulnerable is a clinic that still relies primarily on doctors and word of mouth for new patients?Why are clinic owners posting constantly on social media but still failing to generate predictable new patients?Is the traditional insurance-based PT clinic genuinely dying—or is that just a provocative claim?Is the inability to pay a great PT $150,000 actually a staffing problem—or a profitability problem?Why can one clinic pay exceptional PTs well and still make a 25% profit while another cannot afford an additional $10,000 in salary?Is it true that nobody wants to work anymore—or have the expectations of employees and business owners simply changed?When does a difficult employee become a toxic employee, and how much can keeping the wrong person cost your clinic?Why do otherwise successful clinic owners tolerate toxic staff for so long?What should you do when your highest-producing PT is also the person poisoning your culture?Will AI genuinely allow PT clinics to operate with fewer employees—or is it all just industry hype?And so much more...Not got your ticket for the biggest marketing and sales super conference for PTs in Private Practice? Go here to get it: www.PPMLIVE26.com