Physical Therapy

Growth with Intention: Inside One Franchisee's Strategic and Cultural Framework for Success


Chris Correnti of FYZICAL Franklin engineered rapid growth through strategy, discipline, and culture.
Growth with Intention: Inside One Franchisee's Strategic and Cultural Framework for Success
20:50

Behind FYZICAL’s growing national presence are leaders who understand that success isn’t accidental; it’s engineered. With decades of experience leading performance for brands like Gillette, Staples, and Panera Bread, Owner Chris Correnti of FYZICAL Franklin brings a disciplined approach to growth rooted in systems, strategy, and culture.

In just 90 days, Correnti’s Franklin clinic reached full scheduling capacity with a single provider—powered by intentional marketing, disciplined intake processes, and a patient-first philosophy that delivered a 99.9% conversion rate from evaluations to care and less than 10% cancellations. His leadership blends operational precision with human connection, proving that scalable success depends as much on people as it does on process. From refining the marketing funnel to building alignment across his team, Correnti’s framework for growth is as measurable as it is meaningful—driving sustainable success, one patient at a time.

Vision & Foundation

Where Corporate Insight Meets Entrepreneurial Excellence 

Q: After scaling some of the nation’s most recognized brands, what inspired you to bring that experience into FYZICAL, and how has it shaped your strategy for building FYZICAL Franklin?

Chris Correnti FYZICAL FranklinChris: The biggest focus I have is based on my background. I worked for Gillette, Staples, and Panera Bread, and I launched businesses within businesses. Everything from the ground up, from hiring the first employee and scaling from zero to 100 employees, to generating $120 million in revenue. I did that a few times, and then I took some other businesses doing $700 to $800 million and grew them to a billion and a half.

It’s about creating the processes and procedures that can scale.  

Q: When you talk about building processes and procedures that enable scalability, how does that come to life in practice?

Chris: You have these core foundations that you build around, and they get to the point where they become super systemic. That allows you to get predictable outcomes. And when you start getting to the point of predictable outcomes, you can manage your business to a whole new level.

That’s been my focus here from a marketing standpoint—have a strategy, have a plan, have an execution, but work on things that drive annuity sales. Repeatable, predictable type sales. It’s allowed me to focus my time and energy on other places, because it’s become not robotic, just predictable.

"Have a strategy, have a plan, have an execution, but work on things that drive annuity sales. Repeatable, predictable type sales." 

- Chris Correnti, FYZICAL Owner

Q: Before diving into specific marketing tactics, how did you approach selecting your location, and what strategic role does it play in your overall marketing approach?

Chris: I was very purposeful about what kind of location I wanted to be in and what it was going to drive for me.

I’m in a downtown location, and a lot of people will say, “Downtowns are not as robust as they were in the past.” I’m next to a post office. The amount of foot traffic going to the post office is ridiculous. Because of that, I invested heavily in signage. That’s part of my marketing that creates awareness, and everything is about impressions—how many impressions can I create out there?

So signage and location are one component of it, because I’m a strong believer that, from a marketing standpoint, when we go out and touch our target market, we need to touch them five, six, seven times before they react to it. That’s how we’re leaving impressions: it’s the local signage, it’s digital, it’s social, it’s earned media, it’s unearned media. And a lot of that is one-to-one marketing with the end-user community.

Strategy & Systems

Translating Process Into Performance

Q: You’ve seen remarkable traction in just a few months. What’s been most instrumental in fueling that momentum?

FYZICAL Franklin InteriorI started marketing with the physician world in the first month. I’ve been open for four months and haven’t met with any of the physicians in the past three months. The reason is I haven’t had to. I have so much volume coming in from one-to-one marketing right now that if I go out and meet with physicians, it will bring in even more volume than I can handle being limited to a single clinician on staff. I don’t want to disappoint those doctors. Am I tracking everything? Yes—I know where every patient is coming from. We have two more clinicians coming on board in November. It has taken four months to find, hire, and onboard additional staff.

Because it's a lot of one-to-one marketing, many of the physicians our patients leverage are not local. They’re 30–45 minutes away, and they're dictating to their physicians who they’re going to.

First, we’re raising awareness—letting people know we’re out here and available for them. Then we’re driving consideration by making them aware of exactly what we do and how we do it. And then the last one is conversion. So, in a sense, why would they want to pick us before they pick someone else?

"First we're raising awareness...then we're driving consideration...and the last one is conversion. Why would [patients] want to pick us before they pick someone else?"

-Chris Correnti, FYZICAL Owner

Marketing Momentum

Harnessing Video, Community, and the Power of Advocacy

Q: You’ve built a truly dynamic local marketing engine that's clearly driving awareness. What’s been most effective in translating that visibility into results?

Chris: I can’t stress enough how powerful videos have been for us, especially on Facebook. Not only can people tangibly understand what we’re doing here—what a fall-free environment looks like—but it piques their interest. When they share it, the compounding power of that creates real advocacy and momentum, generating even more impressions.

We’ve leaned heavily into Facebook and focused on the senior community through presentations and local outreach. I did a local radio ad, and we compounded that by putting it on our Facebook site, shared it with others, and they shared it. I also wrote an article for a local magazine; they polished it up, it hit mailboxes, and generated 10 evals within days.

My point is, it’s not just one lever to pull—they all work together: signage, digital, social, local community. It’s doing all these different things. The one thing we’re not doing is visiting the doctors, only because we’re trying to control the volume from one-to-one. As our new clinicians come on board and our capacity grows, physician visits become a bigger part of our marketing plan.

Balancing Growth & Patient Experience

Scaling Success Without Sacrificing Care

Q: You reached full capacity in 90 days with a lean clinical team—proof of strong demand and effective marketing. What challenges have come with managing that kind of rapid growth?

Chris: Our biggest challenge right now is that we’re out of capacity. I know I’m not alone—a lot of people are challenged to find help. 

So, we have to throttle how much business can come in here because we’re booking people out three weeks, and we’ve only been open four months. 

Q: With so many new patients discovering FYZICAL, how have you approached clarifying what sets your clinic apart and communicating the full scope of your care?

Chris: A lot of people see FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers, and they’re not 100% sure what it is. So, when you think about the marketing funnel—awareness, consideration, conversion—the awareness is there, but not everyone knows what we do.

When we put out these pieces, we have to include some educational content as well.

Right now, we’re about 55% balance and 45% ortho, which surprises a lot of people. We’re known for serving the senior community, and the advocacy that comes from it is amazing—patients come in for balance, stay for ortho, and refer family and friends.

We were 100% balance in the beginning, but as more balance patients came in, it organically grew into ortho.

Operational Excellence

Systemizing Success: From First Touchpoint to Last Appointment

Q: Your marketing systems are producing predictable growth. How have you built similar structure into your in-clinic processes to convert and retain patients?

FYZICAL Franklin InteriorChris: Over the past two months, we’ve had less than 10% cancellations, and our conversion from evals to clinic is 99.9%.

Intake for us starts the first time someone contacts us. We set the stage early—whether it’s me, our PT, or our CCS, we all follow a set process. We ask, “Why are you calling us? How did you hear about us? What are you looking to have done?” and verify benefits right there on the phone.

We’re upfront about costs and let them know scheduling is tight. We’re pressure-testing them as much as they’re pressure-testing us because we’re at capacity, and to be honest, the patient becomes more invested because of that. All paperwork is completed ahead of time, so when they come here, there are no surprises—they know what to expect from the evaluation and plan of care.

"Intake for us starts the first time someone contacts us. We set the stage early. We ask, “Why are you calling us? How did you hear about us? What are you looking to have done?” and verify benefits right there on the phone."

-Chris Correnti, FYZICAL Owner

One of the biggest things we do is book two weeks of appointments when scheduling their initial eval. If someone’s waiting two weeks for that first visit and we don’t pre-book, the schedule could fill up for another two or three weeks out.

By securing those appointments upfront, everyone’s committed from the start—and there are fewer surprises. Balance screenings were a great way to get started and raise awareness, but when we transitioned from free balance screenings to strictly evals, that change, combined with our pre-qualification process, significantly reduced cancellations.

Leadership & Team Development

Building Alignment Through Shared Language and Purpose

Q: You’ve built a clear operational framework, but culture is what brings it to life. How did you align your team around a shared purpose and create real buy-in behind the vision?

Chris: This is hugely important. There needs to be a common language used throughout the clinic. We all have our personal style, and I want people to be comfortable with that, but there should be consistent messaging that patients hear about what’s important.

We always say, “Focus on what matters.” One of the first things we ask patients is, “What are your goals?” From there, we talk about expectations, and almost organically, we get buy-in and commitment from them. That’s something we had to learn.

In the beginning, we were kind of buckshot—taking anyone who came in. Cancellations were too high, and the wrong patients were coming in; there wasn't much commitment, which caused some frustration among the team. Once we identified who we wanted to be, who we wanted to serve, and how we could provide real value, everything changed. Our passion came through, and it became contagious; the patient would become passionate, wanted to come in, get better, and tell others. Among the team, a common language from a communications standpoint is super important.

Q: You’ve emphasized communication and understanding roles within the team. How did you turn that philosophy into a structured, consistent experience for every patient who walks through your doors?

Chris: I’m playing the role of sales and marketing here, but I’m going to be opening additional locations. As leads come in from Facebook, I hand them off to our CCS. Her ability to have a conversation with patients—profiling, understanding their needs, and capturing accurate information upfront—is critical. Our physical therapist and Clinical Director also understand that process, so when a patient comes in, it's a natural handoff, and we’re building off each other.

There’s nothing more frustrating for a patient, a customer, a guest, or anyone than being asked the same question by five different people within an organization. When a patient comes in, we ask questions that build off of each other and approach it by asking ourselves, "How do we build off of that?" 

When a patient comes in, we know foundationally what is going on because we've captured that. Our Clinical Director or physical therapist asks, "How do I build off of that during an evaluation, and again during the plan of care?"

"When a patient comes in, we know foundationally what is going on because we've captured that. Our Clinical Director or physical therapist asks, "How do I build off of that during an evaluation, and again during the plan of care?"

- Chris Correnti, FYZICAL Owner

Understanding each other's roles is something we've talked about here as a team. By knowing each other's roles, we're building off each other.

It's a common language: understanding each other's roles and doing it with passion, sincerity, and truth. 

Q: What’s your approach to maintaining balance between patient outcomes, team fulfillment, and business success—and ensuring one doesn’t come at the expense of the others?

FYZICAL Franklin InteriorChris: We have what we call the three-legged stool in our facility. If one leg falls out, the stool falls. The three legs are: the patients—treat them great, listen to them, and understand what they need; the teammaking sure they’re in a good place with coaching, development, and that they enjoy coming to work, because when they do enjoy coming to work, they treat our patients great; and the business—the economics, the four-wall economics. We need to understand where we get the greatest value and manage toward that so we can pay our team competitively and serve our patients well. The top of the stool is the culture we want to have here.

Q: Growth often comes with growing pains. How are you helping your team navigate those changes while continuing to refine your systems and strengthen your culture?

Chris: As we bring in additional help—and it will happen, it has to happen—the question becomes how our process needs to adjust. Everything from scheduling to the rhythm within the four walls to how things move from one area to another. I’m comfortable saying there will be a few bumps along the way, but what’s important is carving out time as a team to ask, "What worked today? What didn’t? What can we learn and adjust?"

We’re going to have growing pains, and it’s all about open communication. No one’s going to get it right every time, but we’re here for each other. Creating that type of culture is super important—so no one feels like, “I messed up.” We’re here as a group, as a team, helping each other adapt. Every new hire has to come in with that same perspective.

From a marketing standpoint, we’ll continue building our presence across social media, digital channels, and community outreach. As more help comes in, we’ll engage more actively with the physician community—that’s the next evolution.

Growth Mindset & Evolution

Converting Awareness into Measurable Growth

Q: What’s your philosophy for driving sustainable growth, especially when it comes to identifying which audiences and channels deliver the best return?

Chris: I really enjoy being part of this model and part of this space. From a sales and marketing perspective, I’m fortunate to have worked for some very large companies that followed best practices. Social and digital are powerful levers when executed correctly; you just have to know what success looks like.

Impressions are key. At the top of the funnel, it’s all about awareness: casting a wide net and creating those impressions so you can work people down the funnel. You need a lot of lines in the water. As you start seeing who’s coming in, you can identify trends and decide if there’s a large enough addressable market to go after more of those folks.

"Impressions are key. At the top of the funnel, it’s all about awareness: casting a wide net and creating those impressions so you can work people down the funnel."

- Chris Correnti, FYZICAL Owner

For me, the senior community here is large and underserved. They’ve shown huge appreciation for what we do, so I’ve leaned hard into that. It started as balance, evolved into ortho, and as more people outside the senior community discovered us, their eyes were opened to what we could do. So now we're raising awareness surrounding that. 

Not every Facebook lead will convert to a patient. Some people are pressure-testing or don’t realize what they’re doing, but in my world, the conversion rate we see is very acceptable—well over 15%, close to 20%. That’s a phenomenal number. Others might say, “That means 80% didn’t convert,” but I see it as throwing a lot of lines in the water and figuring out what works. 

Q: You’ve already achieved impressive growth, but you’re clearly still focused on evolving and refining. How would you describe where FYZICAL Franklin is today, and what’s fueling your momentum moving forward?

Chris: We have a long way to go. We have a lot more work to do. We’re in the early stages. There are many other FYZICAL locations that have had more success than we have had, and we can learn from them. This community has been great about cross-pollinating and sharing.

We’re in the first inning, but I think we’re off to a good start. John Caprine, owner of Underdog Media, Brent Sucher, FYZICAL’s Digital Marketing Director, and everyone in FYZICAL’s marketing department have been great partners. The willingness of everyone to evolve is what’s going to allow us to have success. 

Connection & Culture

Building Trust, One Conversation at a Time 

Q: You’ve built a culture around purpose and genuine connection. How do you and your team make every patient feel heard and valued while maintaining such consistency across the clinic?

FYZICAL Franklin ExteriorChris: I just had a conversation with a patient, who spoke with another patient who said how much they enjoy coming here and how purposeful we are. They said it didn’t feel rigid or scripted—it felt natural and organic. It’s important that the team knows what we’re trying to achieve and can voice it themselves, but they need to understand what matters and how to incorporate it.

When a patient is considering us, we focus on listening. God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason. Once they commit, we start educating them. Before each session, we ask, “How are you feeling?” and at the end, “How do you think today went?” That two-way communication builds buy-in and gives us feedback we can act on.

"When a patient is considering us, we focus on listening. God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason."

- Chris Correnti, FYZICAL Owner

There are too many other PT locations outside of the FYZICAL network where patients feel like a number. Get them in, get them out, and hit your metrics. The biggest feedback we hear from our patient community is that there’s a connection here. They say, "Oh, other locations are nice, but there’s no connection there." We’re conscious about creating that connection. It doesn't take too much of your time. It's just, "How do you do it organically?"

Q: You’ve built a clinic culture that clearly resonates with patients on a personal level. From a leadership standpoint, what goes into creating an atmosphere where genuine connection drives both healing and advocacy?

Chris: We had some patients we discharged the other day who were actually upset—one was crying because she said she’d miss coming here. She told us, “I just love to chit-chat. I love the social.” We’ve heard that from a lot of people, not just seniors—it’s the environment we’ve built here. That doesn’t happen by accident; you have to work at it.

All of that is part of marketing for me. You have to be conscious and so purposeful about it. The team is so busy executing day in and day out that I see my role as a friendly reminder of, “How do we engage?” When engagement becomes contagious—when everyone’s interacting the same way, asking how someone’s day was, helping them to and from their car—it’s amazing how word of mouth spreads. That advocacy becomes one of our strongest marketing tools. It's awesome.

Thank you for your time.

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