Trisha Cashmere didn’t plan to run a physiotherapy business.
After training as a physio, she moved into commercial law and spent a decade there before stepping in to help her husband’s single clinic in Penrith during a challenging time for their family.
What followed wasn’t rapid scaling or aggressive growth. Instead, she deliberately built The Healthy Body Company into 4 clinics across Sydney, with a team of about 20 physiotherapists – and unusually strong staff retention in an industry known for burnout.
Her approach is simple: invest in people first.
Here are 6 lessons from how she built it.
Lesson 1
Your people are the business – treat them accordingly
Ask Trisha what she does as CEO, and the answer is immediate: team.
About 40% of her working week is spent on people – one-on-ones, development plans, and conversations about both professional and personal goals.
“The people are my business,” she says. “If I don’t have the people, I don’t have the business.”
In an industry where turnover is the norm, her team stays. Many physiotherapists have been with her for three to five years or more. Some have even become part-owners of clinics.
One location was opened specifically to support the growth of a long-term team member.
Retention, in this case, isn’t luck – it’s design.
Lesson 2
Build the environment you wished you had
Before running a business, Trisha worked across multiple physiotherapy settings and saw the same pattern: capable people with no support to grow.
“There’s nothing more frustrating than knowing you could be great at something but not having the tools – or anyone backing you.”
Her experience in law was the opposite – demanding, but deeply developmental. So, when she returned to physiotherapy, she built that same environment.
New graduates go through a structured first year that includes:
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weekly mentoring
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regular peer reviews
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cross-clinic knowledge sharing.
The result is noticeable. Her graduates often realise they’re operating at a higher level than peers elsewhere – and that awareness becomes a powerful reason to stay.
Lesson 3
Let your team’s diversity become your specialisation
Many clinics choose a niche and build around it.
Trisha did the opposite.
Instead of defining a single specialty, she allows each physiotherapist to pursue their own interests and strengths. The business becomes a collection of micro-specialisations.
“The specialisation is the diversity of the team,” she explains.
That means:
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one physio focuses on post-natal recovery
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another works primarily with older patients
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another develops programs for athletes.
This approach keeps the team engaged and allows the business to serve a broader community – without forcing anyone into a box.
Lesson 4
Don’t optimise to the bone – slack is a feature, not waste
Trisha is clear: she doesn’t run the business to maximise profit. She runs it to be sustainable.
Her team targets around 55 appointments per physiotherapist per week, well below the theoretical maximum. That buffer creates:
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less burnout
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easier coverage when someone is away
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greater resilience when things go wrong.
“When you run everything too lean, one thing breaks and the whole system falls over.”
Choosing a slightly lower margin in exchange for stability isn’t inefficiency – it’s insurance.
Lesson 5
Hire slowly – the right fit is decided at the start
Trisha is intentionally direct in job interviews.
Candidates get a clear picture of expectations, the team’s investment in them and what the role actually requires. Then they’re asked to step away and come back the next day with a decision.
Some say no – and that’s a good outcome.
“The longevity of someone’s time with us is determined right at the beginning.”
When a bad hire affects not just performance but team culture, patience in hiring becomes essential. Getting the right person is always cheaper than managing the wrong one out.
Lesson 6
Make your clients the hero of your story
At The Healthy Body Company, client experience isn’t a department – it’s embedded in everything.
Some team members are part-owners, which naturally increases accountability. But beyond ownership, there’s a shared philosophy: the client is the hero of the story.
That mindset shows up in small, consistent moments:
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a warm, attentive first phone call
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a welcoming experience when someone walks through the door
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thoughtful handling of delays or disruptions
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physios collaborating in real time to improve patient outcomes.
Behind the scenes, the team constantly shares knowledge – whether it’s discussing a complex case in person or across clinics via group communication.
The result is something clients feel immediately: a sense that everyone in the business is genuinely invested in their outcome.
Final thoughts
Most businesses try to scale by optimising systems, margins or marketing.
Trisha Cashmere took a different path. She built depth instead of efficiency. She invested where others cut. And she treated people – both her team and her clients – as the core asset, not a cost.
That choice is what made growth possible.
And we know – as valuers of businesses in many different industries – that investing in people, teams and culture has the added benefit of building a sustainable business, and usually sustainable earnings, which contributes to underwriting business value.
Tune in to Let's Talk Business
Trisha was one of the first guests on our Let's Talk Business podcast - you can watch our full conversation here. For more great insights from business leaders, subscribe to our YouTube channel.
