Erin Vollmer is a pediatric speech-language pathologist and co-founder of TherapyWorks, the only national teletherapy provider that connects parents with experienced pediatric therapists for speech, occupational, physical therapies, and social work services. Erin received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in speech-language pathology from Marquette University. In late 2017, motivated by their desire to make high-quality therapy more accessible, Erin teamed up with her good friend, Michelle Worth, to launch TherapyWorks. Erin lives in the northern suburbs of Chicago with her husband and four kids.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

Sure! I am originally from Traverse City, Michigan. I was inspired to study Speech-Language Pathology by my uncle, my dad’s twin brother, who had cerebral palsy. He communicated by pointing to letters on a board, one at a time, to spell out words. It seemed so laborious and frustrating for him. I wondered if there was a way to help him, and others in the same position, find an easier way to communicate their thoughts and ideas to the world.

I received both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Marquette University and moved to Chicago shortly thereafter. I’ve worked in the Chicago area for almost 20 years, in a variety of settings including schools, clinics, and private practice. I started my own practice when I had my oldest son, 16 years ago. I wanted to be home with him but didn’t want to leave the career I loved. Having my own practice enabled me to do both. A desire to offer that flexibility to other pediatric therapists was part of the inspiration behind TherapyWorks.

What inspired you to start your business?

In late 2017, I teamed up with my good friend, Michelle Worth, to launch TherapyWorks. Michelle is a finance executive and mother of a child that received speech and occupational therapies at a young age. The idea for TherapyWorks came from Michelle’s experience searching for quality therapy for her son and my experience as a therapist, knowing that there were many very experienced pediatric therapists that would love the opportunity to treat private clients but didn’t (yet) have the platform. 

Where is your business based? 

TherapyWorks is based in Chicago, IL.  

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

The first days and weeks of TherapyWorks involved a lot of brainstorming sessions and research. We scheduled meetings with anyone and everyone we knew in the industry and spoke to dozens of parents of children that receive pediatric therapies. Taking time to gather feedback and advice was instrumental in setting us on a path to success. 

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

TherapyWorks most effective marketing channel is word of mouth. When parents are searching for a pediatric therapist for their child, they need to feel confident that they’re choosing someone reputable. As we grow and prove ourselves through successful therapy, parents are happy to share their experiences with others. 

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

One of TherapyWorks biggest challenges came with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to March 2020, TherapyWorks provided in-home pediatric therapies in Illinois and Ohio. When the Pandemic hit and it wasn’t safe to continue in-person therapy, we worried that our clients would regress without therapy. We knew we would have to give teletherapy a try. Most of our pediatric therapists had never provided therapy virtually. We had a whirlwind few weeks of setting up our teletherapy platform and training our therapists. We were able to turn it around quickly and we were excited that the outcome was incredibly positive; our clients continued to make gains and build on the progress they made prior to the pandemic.

At that point, we decided to permanently shift to teletherapy. We made that decision for a couple of reasons. First, insurance companies began covering telehealth, making it much more doable for so many families. Secondly, teletherapy had proven to be successful for our therapists and clients. While research always supported teletherapy, we now had first-hand experience supporting its success.

Teletherapy enabled our increased access to specialized therapists that would be a “good fit” for each child given that the therapist could now connect virtually, from anywhere. We felt that we were better able to deliver on our original goal of providing families with access to high-quality therapy while creating a flexible work option for pediatric therapists. 

How do you stay focused? 

As a mom of four kids and co-founder of a company sometimes I feel like my brain is going to explode. Michelle and I have a “no feeling guilty” rule. When we need to step away from work to focus on kids, family, and friends, we try very hard to avoid feeling guilty. Having this work/life balance helps us come back to the table refreshed, focused, and ready to go.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?  

There are a couple of ways in which we distinguish ourselves from the competition. First, we work very hard to place each child with a therapist that has the expertise, experience, and personality that will work best for them. By being thoughtful about the match, we find that therapy is incredibly successful. Secondly, we prioritize and seek out feedback and we learn from it. We truly want to provide the best possible experience for parents and the children we treat.  

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

Our most effective marketing strategy is to maintain a strong reputation by providing high-quality therapy and a seamless experience for parents. When parents and children are happy, they tend to tell others about us.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Advice that resonated with me as an entrepreneur is from Katia Beauchamp of BirchBox. When speaking to a group of female founders she mentioned that the most important thing is to “stay in the game.” It’s simple but important advice, especially for us, given that we’ve had to pivot and adapt to new situations. I never want to be the one to throw in the towel when things get tough. If something doesn’t work, we figure out why, learn from it and adapt.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

My favorite app is Trello. It keeps me organized. I wouldn’t know what to do next without it!

Of course, the TherapyWorks blog is my favorite blog! Our therapists are contributors and I love learning from them. 

My favorite book is Mindset by Carol Dweck. It changed the way I parent and approach my day-to-day life. Mindset defines the benefits of a growth mindset; believing that your ability to achieve can be strengthened by hard work and commitment.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

TherapyWorks was lucky enough to be a part of the WiSTEM accelerator program through Chicago’s 1871. Having the support and resources of the 1871 and WiSTEM community was incredible for us. Our connections and relationships with other founders (especially female founders) have set us up for success.

Who is your business role model? Why?

My business role model is my co-founder, Michelle Worth. Michelle is incredibly smart, savvy, and has an insane ability to connect with people. I feel very lucky to have her as my business partner and I learn from her every day. She’ll kill me for saying this but she has a photographic memory. She’ll deny it but it’s true.  

How do you balance work and life?

Having a better work/ life balance is my New Year’s resolution every year. My husband and kids keep me grounded. I don’t want to miss out on spending time with them so I try my best to put my phone down and turn off my computer as much as possible.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

I love to paint. To me, it is incredibly relaxing and meditative. I can completely lose track of time while painting. These days I don’t have much time to dedicate to it but I try to work it into my weekend schedule whenever I can.

What do you have planned for the next six months?

TherapyWorks has some exciting partnerships and announcements ahead of us over the next few months! We hope to continue to bring awareness to our business and provide more and more families with high-quality therapy. 

How can our readers connect with you?

You can find us at TherapyWorks.com or on Instagram and Facebook. I also love to connect through LinkedIn.