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everybody John Schumacher here with new wave healthcare
where health professionals com to learn business and learn marketing
today my guest is Larry got men and larry is the co creator
up the rehab their X ap and
mobile application that helps physical therapists easily put together
home exercise programs on the fly on their iPad
so it's a cool app and that's what we're here to discuss today
is applications in in particular the process the you have to go through in
order to you
create an app from your idea to actually bring it to the market
and my guest Larry today has done that successfully in is doing very very well
in the physical therapy application market
so Larry thank you so much for your time today go ahead and just start out by
just telling us a little bit about your personal
background and then able to jump into your
business absolutely thank you John for having me
a pleasure to be on with you on this show
and yeah I am i kno currently living in New Jersey with my family
two kids my life a originally from Brooklyn New York
and now I work in the city and New York City
for hospital as well as doing a
part-time home care and seeing patients within their home
and yeah that's about it Anne
started this app I'm
recently and I'm the idea came
couple years back it took a little time for me to
develop it and
relief finds that spark
and I finally went through with it as well as
I have couple partners as well and
now free up their ex's now available
that's awesome and south and by the late text saw that and took action and
and it's really neat so to tell our listeners a little bit about
the actual functionality of the app and why it's so
hopeful for physical therapists absolutely
rehab Terex it its basically
a program application for the iPad
on and it allows the user to generate
a quick and easy but personalized
exercise on the go it's it's for you
for the therapist you there a PT or OT
as well as some doctors are using it orthopedists
and athletic trainers are using it as well on
and you're basically creating a personalized exercise program
up for your patient on and it takes
seconds to create you could email it to them
which isn't a nice functional functionality RB
on the app because a lot of people are now online
mobile devices and they're able to
take these exercise programs with them on the go
and so makes it nice and combo convenient
for patience clients and that are
always moving around 10 whether it's at their job
I on vacation anywhere they might be though always have it with them
I'm as long as they have a smartphone red
Rhianna mobile apartment you know industry halter's below an operating it
therapy app
your you're in a good place and has an awesome your
your taken action and rockin on it that's so how
how is um how's your Apple different than others a few other routes that that
you know I think allow home exercise programs me as their specific features
that
that you'd the company feeler separated you from from the others ur
where you at sana absolutely that was a
you know one of the biggest things when when you're trying to get into the
ap world you need to distinct yourself from the others
and we did a lot of market research we look through all of the
and Apple Store the App Store
on aP's regarding exercises as well as Google Play
and you kinda have to find
that piece that really stands you
out up from the rest and I
the there weren't many ap sell out there even though they
they have the exercise component on
will they weren't indep and they also didn't have that
emailing capability there are some
a ap South there that have that video component
what we tried to do establish is
to creates and ap that is easy-to-use
at therapist on often have a lot of time at the end of their sessions to
you know come up with an exercise program so they need something quick and
therapy app
and being at their best that's what I sounds
the most a the most useful
part a bit is that you want something that you can quickly
create I'll for your patience so
usability the we have over 250 exercise is better
illustrated as well as on have
easy to read instructions for the patients
that email component is big a a lot of them
just have that credits component where we have that email condone it
I also having the ability to view it as a PDF file
a on your smartphone after so if the patient has received
your email with the exercise programs they can just do it
a right on their smartphone so that no
being able to take it on the go is the premise on the app its
right its rehab their ex exercises on the go
right right and did %um no hippos a big part
have kinda what we do is therapist that we need to be mindful that we're
innovating in new technology
that was that something you had a adult dig into in learn about first before you
did the email component
yeah absolutely I didn't know we had I'm
attorneys on staff that kinda reviewed
I'm and the terms think I A
when you're putting an app onto the App Store you have to have a
terms and conditions component to it and so
we definitely we had a attorneys on staff to
kinda make sure everything was I
all the i's are dotted and t's crossed on
each each at is made a specifically for one
a therapist basically when the therapist downloads it
its on their iPad and its
each really made for that one person like to use it
and so when you establish a when you download it
you're actually putting your profile you're entering your data
I'm your personal data what you wants
the your email to me and so
I
basically the onus is on the
a the actual user to make sure that the passcode
a is on the iPad right for when you say on staff with your lawyers and did you
decide to hire somebody to
to look it over for you is that what you meant correct okay perfect
yet so let's talk a little bit about am you talked a little bit already about
market research but how did you come up with the idea were you inspired by
aka frustration that you're having within your own practice serves her
how did you do that yeah absolutely and an I am
part-time a home care therapist and even though
the app can be applicable to any setting
I'll wear truly started was what I was and home care setting I
felt like I always had to you wat
a day or two before my patient can get an exercise program and I like to
provide my patience with
a their own a you know homework
so to speak after an initial either al or even after several sessions
on so there wasn't really anything out there I had to
get back to my home-based or to my other job
where we had access to on exercise programs
and create one but by that time it was three days later
and I oftentimes d computer-based
I programs don't have that email capability so it's really your printing
out
a forms eight now you have to travel back to after a couple days
and then the patient receives their homework assignments so
I felt frustrated you're right in that sense
and you know it it kept pestering and I think it was
and it got to the point where I was I was looking through the App Store
through I I currently own only an iPad so I don't have the Droid
based system but so I would look through
the App Store and there was really nothing out there
that took the place a a computer-based program
with then you know hospital or up
and or clinic and converted it to
on the go and so that's where can take em up
that's good you're on its the reminder to us all the to look for problems mean
often new innovations in new things come from
problems that we face in our own careers our own profession so
instead of shying away from problems we often need to be looking at them and
saying okay what can we do about this sim
you know the mobile application market is just it's a booming market so there's
that helps her fixed perfect platform to start solving problems on and that's
kinda way you
sounds like you did so kudos to you
definitely thank you head cut to China in a talk about a little bit touch a
little bit more on how you did your market research
I basically we went through different
within the App Store or if you're going through Google Play you're basically
in the search box year you're picking keywords
a that's how ap operating when you enter public key words and then you have
different aP's pop-up that have those keywords associated with them so
or you know I would put an physical therapy
I'm exercises a me
let's say physiotherapy for those that are in
all linens and Australia I'm
occupational therapy because our app
not only now is convenient for
physical therapist but also occupational therapist so we just want to go through
the goddam it make sure that
we work overlooking anything I am really put in a thorough
search so any keywords whether it's
my app or if you're thinking up creating your own apt for
any other a health care Associated
I'm ap you that's what you want to look for you want to look
for specific keywords right
rights he is going to iTunes pump it your pension a keyword look and see what
the competition's got out there in
and decide where you might be able to do something different
did you did you subscribe to other app sticking to check out what they were
doing or did you just go ahead and
saw that there really wasn't something you're looking for and just when after
eight er
I know absolutely have to a subscribe to
other app see you need to a look
through your competition you you have to
I even if it cost money you need to purchase the app's
and make sure that I
you want to create a nap that stands out
and you wanna were take the flaws
%uh different maps and make it
positive in your I and there are a lot of great aP's out there so you also want
to look at the positives
%uh other APs I'm and
and that's what we did right perfect so to you check out the competition got
your ideas together and said you know what I think there's a few places to
improve on what's out there
and Sen so then what did you do i mean it you're excited you had this idea
you did some market research I on iTunes
I mean did you how did you get the process started from there
so I we sat down
a you wanna know figure out what
I what features your app particularly
your app want a what you want in your app
I put it down on paper kinda
see what the functionality is ugh
your apt and then you wanna simultaneously kinda
a research different developers
I neck and unless you're going to develop it yourself
you need to hire developers I'm better
trained per and so that's exactly what we did we
ouija again when he went on Google
research to different app developers
I'm whether it it was within the United States
there're don't forget app developers
are can be in-house and they can outsource as well
so I'm you have to decide
what's who what would you prefer what is it
that's the most important to you I'll
and for us at least it was to have that
face to face time with our developers so
and in the end we chose developers that were in New York City
I they didn't outsource everything was done
and house we had really easy access to them
if we needed a meeting I'm it was easily set up so
you have to weigh the pros and cons it could be a little bit more expensive
on C have to figure that into your budget
I doing the in house where it's it's
outsourced generally feel you'll find the
pricing a to be a little bit a
less right for that it okay
yes oem to you outsource everything again like a lot of people are doing and
chose to go in the house because he felt more comfortable communicating
you know directly with people and that they weren't gonna be sending it off to
some people you part
comfortable with their didn't didn't know how to get a hold of the most
therapy app
exactly we definitely and in meeting with them
and the the one piece that we are comfortable with because
we were able to meet with them in New York City even if it were
team let's say in Florida or in california
they'll be a little harder to actually have face to face time so we
you know we chose a team in New York City very happy with them
and the way everything turned out hollings easily take to
to to create something like that bike from start to finish I guess it could
very bad habit for you or was it a long process the you had a
go through in order to mean what it look like to take a long time in
what was their back and forth like that you're re constantly communicating with
these guys in
out how did that go yeah absolutely I'm
in from inception from the idea
a when I truly put my mind to it and we
we went for it I was in June of 2012
I but no with
everything going on just preparing researching
the the preliminary research a whether or not
who there are such caps out there and then doing
other I research and finding the development team
once we found the development team which was I believe in New
November %uh 2012 it took from that
to shabby where middle of February
to come out on me on the App Store
so I would say around green
three-and-a-half months I'm so it is
fairly mean its quick
three months is fairly quick abut a
we put and a lot of time a and again
face to face time meeting with them I discussing over the Internet
on skype and phone calls
emails on it it was a
pretty extensive process but it was truly
ok great great experience on
definitely worthwhile rancher learning experience to do so
um deep would you say that's part of the success you pat is because you took so
much time cuz I know sometimes they say a word
you don't get it done in and get runnin that's kinda what I tend to do is gonna
run really fast but did you feel that was
because you took your time because you did the research that that helped you
at this point well I mean
in in a way yes a but also
wanna my regrets is that we didn't do this
earlier because the product we feel so strongly about our product
and we've gotten such positive feedback
on rehab iraq's and a lot of people are using it
all over the world I Australia's our number to market
and in some ways I feel like we should have. done this
even earlier I'm so that it would help
but I'm because we started it now and
just going through all of that a research
preliminary research dealing with the development team
I'm it was it was such an ni process to go through
with my partners on that yeah I'm
I'm just excited about it it's only been 10 months
out on the market and it's got really positive reviews
and to so cool yeah
happy for you that's a that's a neat thing to see your creation
actually come to life in people were bitten inter using it in its just the
best feeling in the world you know it's health-related
I'll tell you the they need process was actually
going through every stage with the development team
because you get to learn how an app is created
I'll you know there are three stages to creating an app
it's basically the wire framing where
I you its a a basic skeleton I'll
the functionality of your app and
a not including the collar school and and and the layout that comes next
so you're basically creating
just the functionality piece howie the
and the the user I'm
experience so to speak you're creating and then
once that process is done I'll we have several meetings
I'm what then the whole design
portion of it comes into place here choosing which callers
you want to put into the apt on the way out
things like that and so it's really neat
after the design phase comes the actual build
and so you're seeing it right in front of your eyes
come to light and you're going back and forth obviously
on a on a weekly basis as the beta testing is going on
so you're seeing it before the public sees it gonna
circle souls like air watching a small baby growers up for grabs at perhaps a
little
absolute it's really fun so a or some other
you hate you into this process I mean what were some of the challenges the
that you faced going through this whole app creation
process well I feel like being new
and in creating a an app for the first time
you're always going to have challenges but it's the dedication that you have
the team members they have I mean I can't say
enough how important team members are too
and the communication between us and the goals
that we set prior to creating such an app
on so yeah I your you're giving up the the work but it's
it's a hundred percent all the time year researching
you're making sure your not overlooking anything and it really does
take teen effort into creating something like that
so at it so if you're buying it when he tell us a little bit about
the your team in in who you had to get put together if you don't mind
now that a lot of people tend to want it he go it alone I know that's one of my
things as I was wanted to get everything done myself in it it does get training
and you have to have a life but you have to
the power of Atty must be considered as their team can be huge so
so skinny with you might share share sure you know you
for you partnered where there what you had to do in order to
the team that you're saying like what is that team look like where the members in
their roles and all that stuff yeah
absolutely so I besides myself
we have Tracy Malzieu is a
great-great therapist and friends
and I she
does exactly what I do we we pretty much share
in all I'll be work as well as
a stott had our who is currently up
a senior at Maryland University also studying
a in the healthcare field and he happens to be my brother-in-law
so he he definitely played a big part
in terms of the internet aspect the social media aspect
I he has that that young
a mindset so to speak so
I I would say a lot of the work
has been moved on with that Tracy and I and Scott
has definitely put in his a his
whole internet social media aspect to it
I as well as we needed aid I'm
an artist as well to do all the drawings for us
I'm and I was Alan an hour and she's an amazing
artist a and we are so happy to you
have her on board with us and
she put in incredible network I'm to create all the images for us
as well as a our attorneys and I'm
development team yeltsin
that happen that's awesome to give them a plug
its to dole's two bowls
a dot com they were the team that we used
that was the they were spectacular the developers
yeah the actual developers so it's two bowls dot com
yet to hyped and bowls
sounds good an awesome well at so how did you
me get get a pretty good a team that's awesome the early recruit that many
people into your vision
and everything he did you guys start out knowing each other how did you put that
together
well quite pretty much know everybody on my team I
had Tracy come on board a who I
currently work with at and new york %uh a
hospital and obviously
Scott is my brother-in-law man my
mother-in-law is Ellen had an hour she was the artist
and two balls we actually you know researched and and
you know down them to keep it in the family then that's awesome absolutely
its good peeps around me before he started so they're like well I'll tell
you if you if you have in the family
you know they're gonna give you 100 percent
yep and hopefully you can trust them right absolutely
at Oklahoma heartedly her
so so that's awesome annex thanks for gonna painting the picture their cousin
a lot of people are wondering how do I get a team right away
what do I need in those kinda things are important and that night that paints a
pretty good picture Esther
as to what you needed in what you can either to make your vision
happen what about to he added you shared so you gotta built
you outsource that you with these is there was a two bowls dot com
you know these guys created a nice after you in it was ready to go
a cue release did how did you spread the word about
their about your apt is obviously there's so much out there if you don't
start making noise and getting attention that just know it's gonna find it
absolutely so before it even came out we
I we started doing a lot in the social media
I outlets so Facebook was was huge
LinkedIn I so we
we started a re at their expenditure on Facebook
and before the app was on iTunes
we started marketing it so that we can start raising
awareness to it I'm trying to
hyping it up as well I'll let the public know
what's coming out soon and
you know when it came out obviously I'll
with last again on Facebook Linkedin as well as
we we had we hosted in bed a a launch party so to speak
and we invited therapists
you know that we know around the New York City area
both PT Zanotti is I wells family
you know just a get that support and
yeah it was a big event was edit was well received
and he
had that's pretty much what we did to start I mean
obviously we're doing a lot more and now
guy email blasts are pretty big
I mean compiling different email addresses from
a was schools I'm
different PT programs OT programs and just
blasting them yep as a year
you doing to be deleted facebook he said he did Facebook Ads heated summer that
that's right you hosted an event where you
you basically show the world what you gonna do
yeah and then I'm and then you also blasted just what he called the email a
few PT schools to kinda bring awareness to
to you what the professors their ordeal exit exactly two
the professors to their clinical coordinators
up the schools and we we actually emailed every single school
in-country I'm notifying them that
its coming out to our it is out and
we had a couple promotions you know associated with 10
we put the app on sale I initially just two
one let the public know I
and a yesterday just emailing
on LinkedIn as well yep I'm
and week on in October we actually
wait to our first conference a
the E&Y PTA conference which is 20
New York Chapter ami American Physical Therapy Association they host
a conference every single year and we got a table there
promoted our product it was so well received
I'm a lot of positive feedback I'm
any been their I'm there are a lot of students
therapist at come to that conference
and they've been you know a felt
that it would help them within their clinical experience
within their learning I'm at school
and actually we just found out that
a lot of schools now are providing their therapists with
iPad's %uh upon enrollment
and so that's a nice way
to to get students involved as well
where they can start learning how to create
exercise programs a and
and then create them while they're on their clinical affiliations
love it has cost them the you don't have to
so cool you have your your see you doing right now to meet you
created a product brings value and then your
standing up on the rooftops and shouting about it you know you got the haps
people forget about that second part sometimes is a you
the it's it's such in noisy world these days
in social media you know marketing its just it's getting tougher and tougher to
stand out and and
I think what you did was brilliant especially the mailing the
the schools and a lot of people would forget
to do that so I thank you yeah that's that's a it's awesome and said that
the marketing piece is definitely a huge
aspect love you know you can have a great
ap great product but if people don't see it or don't know about it
that thats that's where you may have an issue and that's why
marketing it is is
huge real meaning it's huge so what what would you do differently
it's knowing what you know now it can you went back to it to book their the
beginning at your journey and me and said to the Larry back then Mike
wary you should not do this what would that be
in all honesty I I would say because and like I said earlier
you me the app is it
we feel the app is so huge and its so
needed within our rehab community that
I I have that regret I had this idea
a long time ago and in the the problem II never went through with it until
last June and I i will. wish that I had done this
a lot sooner because they feel like it it would
Eden well received and it would even be that much better
no perfect get started right don't wait too long to get all ready to go America
absolutely the whole has to be perfect syndrome or otherwise it's
it's not gonna suck world little scared to criticism is the human tendency it
you know so we want to make sure that that thing is absolutely perfect in
when it wants a piece a jock but you don't want ever now you
lot launched version near 7.2
in the beginning either you know you're right you gotta start with your chance
you have a 1.08
it starred you know building from there in you can always add stuff later so
exactly yeah exactly that's perfect
I am yes 0 there is a question I I'll wrap up here in just a minute but soon
you know what do you what do you think that one of the biggest changes that's
therapy app
healthcare I feel
with this whole mobile healthcare
goon I what's really changing out there is the way
the provider and the patient are communicating
a nowadays I mean yeah
you could be texting with here with your patient emailing back and forth
right now a these tablets
are are growing and growing growing they
the app's that are currently out on the market
are getting that much more specific I
in terms of both profession based
I'm whether it's healthful within your
health care industry a or any other
you know time management but they're becoming so much more specific
and that much better and it's only going to improve
and has the years go on and
yet its it's the relationship between the provider and the
and patient really now that's going to be affected
I'm where your got your always connected
doe yep that's changing the way everybody interacts the mean it's it's
amazing like
it's just technologies certainly soccer place people but it definitely i'll
you know in brings them together and helps make things more efficient it's
gonna be a key piece to healthcare going forward lorraine has no
even for example I at the hospital level
I believe eighty percent doctors now currently use tablets
within their day-to-day business whether it's note writing
I me I'm there are so many medical
ap Sao terrible for two reference I'm so yeah I mean that's
the way but the future no now the way for the now to you know it's like
I so Larry dicks so much for
your time today was a wonderful interview go Madhuri
tidbits and knowledge for for our audience that anybody out there is
thinking about starting an app
you know we got some good pearls rate here today I'm
let's just finish up teller tell our viewers where you can't where we can
find out a little more about you where they can contact you and get all the UN
and learn more about
about what you're up to sure thank you so much for having us
having me on on the program and it's definitely been my pleasure
providing my experience sharing my experience
I you can find rehab Terex in the App Store
it's under rehab Terex exercises on the go
you can even type in rehab I in the search bar and we should pop up
I as well as our website WWW dot
rehab Iraq Stock com I
or on Facebook Like us on facebook: a
and you'll get updates on at
teacher teacher updates for the app and and
anything else within the physical therapy profession
a as well as we have a youtube video
and echoes over how to use
rehab iraq's so show start to finish
it's a it's only a two minute video but it basically takes you through
the how to ovary have Terex
perfect perfect all right larry thank you so much for your time today was
is a pleasure to have you on the show pleasures all mine John thank you
thank you in thank you everybody for watching the show who is it has been a
pleasure having Larry on sharing his wisdom in his expertise is he's gone
along this journey
I if you want to check out anything mentioned in this interview: as always
you can go to New Wave health care doc com
forward slash interview slash Larry got min
for all of the resources to Larry's information or any other resource
mentioned during this interview today our next interview will be
January 6 30 take a little bit over Christmas break
gonna have a little turkey in a little fun with the family so our next
interview will be
January 6 we having another great discussion with another
entrepreneur in the health care industry so we will see you then have a wonderful
Christmas
and take care
good