From Idea to Reality: Victoria’s Journey Building King Speech Therapy Services

As King Speech Therapy Services celebrates its 6-year anniversary, we sat down with clinic owner Victoria to reflect on the journey from starting a small private practice during COVID to growing into the clinic it is today. In this interview, Victoria shares the inspiration behind the practice, the challenges and milestones along the way, and her hopes for the future of serving children and families in the community.

What inspired you to start your own private practice, and what do you remember most about the beginning of the clinic?

“I started building King Speech Therapy Services during the start of COVID in May of 2020. When everything shut down, I invested in a program online called Start Your Private Practice which mentored and provided a community for SLPs interested in starting their own practice. I had always been interested in being a business owner and eventually starting a "brick-and-mortar" clinic. The course I took provided the steps to get the business started. By July of 2020 - 6 years ago now - my business was officially approved by the state. I was excited to get started! First, I began seeing clients in their homes which was highly desired at the time since most services weren’t being offered in person. All of my first clients were through word of mouth - children of people I'd worked with, went to church with, or played softball with.”

Did you imagine the clinic would grow into what it is today? How has it evolved over the past 6 years?

“Having a physical location was my end goal and what I had imagined it would become. I wasn’t sure how I would get there, especially with how big of a financial investment it can be, but I built it slowly each year (while keeping my "day job") before making the leap.

Over the past 6 years it went from me going into the homes seeing just a couple clients while I was still working full-time in the schools, hiring a couple of part-time therapists , and then starting a contract with a local school district. Although I wasn't as passionate being in the school-setting, using my skills there helped me move onto my next goal which was renting a small room from another local business - The Adaptive Athlete. If you are in the Upland, CA area, you need to check them out! They have gymnastics, sensory classes, and more! Anyways, I think having a physical location helped me market the services I offered by becoming more known in the community. I participated in events and talked to many parents who were searching for services. We eventually outgrew the small room and moved to our first office space with multiple rooms and a waiting area. We started accepting insurance and connecting with local pediatricians which is what really launched our ability to grow over the past couple of years.”

What has been one of the most meaningful or rewarding moments since opening the clinic?

“I feel like I can’t really pinpoint a specific moment, but I think getting positive feedback from parents who express their gratitude during their journey. We've also "graduated" a handful of clients this past year - I think that's the most rewarding of moments when you work with a child that comes in multiple times a week to work on their goals and then they finally meet them after years of hard work. I always like to remind them of where they started and how proud they should be! Since one of my specialties is working with children with speech sound disorders, it is extremely rewarding to grow a child to a point where they can be fully understood by others, especially when they initially started at a point where they were rarely understood. Parents will look back at videos they took of their child and notice the difference from when they first started - which is great to do because sometimes we don't notice the small day-to-day changes. Parents are such a big part of the process too — they have to work hard by getting their child to therapy and then practice toward their goals at home - it's a lot of work but it is SO worth it! Nothing beats being able to communicate with others.”

What do you hope families and children feel when they come to the clinic?

“My goal is that they feel comfortable, safe, and heard. It’s also really important to me to help grow a child’s confidence because having difficulties communicating can really change how you express and assert yourself around others.

I want to help change how they view themselves so they can feel confident and empowered to say things or try hard things, even when it’s difficult. I want to encourage them to attempt those hard things, be okay with failure at times, but ultimately deal with adversity to reach their goals. Because of my sports background, I work similarly like a coach. I push my clients along the way while showing them that they can do hard things.”

What keeps you motivated and passionate about this work after all these years?

“First, the field of speech pathology seems to be never ending with what can be learned. We can work with people of all different ages, stages, and needs - there's really never a dull or boring moment. Also, knowing that we can make such a big difference in a child’s and family’s life really is the motivation. Communication is everything that we do — it gets our needs met, our wants met, helps us share our ideas and thoughts — everything revolves around communication.

Making communication accessible for a child helps families learn their child’s personality, what they love, what they don’t love, and who they are. I think it’s motivating for us to continue working with these children and their families to make sure they have the voice they deserve so they can share who they are with the world.”

What does reaching this 6-year anniversary mean to you personally and professionally?

“Personally, when I see that number, it’s shocking that it’s been that long. I think, ‘Wow, I can’t believe it’s been six years - sometimes it feels like we just started this process.’ A lot of businesses in general fail within the first few years, so I know that I’ve definitely put a lot of 'blood, sweat, and tears' into keeping the business going. The difference that we can make as a team is motivating and makes putting the time and effort into creating a business that helps and serves people in our community worth it.

Professionally, I have learned a lot in the last six years from a clinical and business perspective. We now offer new services like feeding therapy and myofunctional therapy. I'm constantly wanting to be a better clinician myself while training our team of clinicians. It's an honor to be known in the community and by other local doctors, dentists, teachers, etc. ”

What are your hopes or goals for the future of the clinic, and is there anything you would like to say to the families and community who have supported you along the way?

“I think my goal and hope is that we continue to impact our community in a positive way by making services accessible through accepting insurance and continuing to find ways to see more kids and positively impact more lives. I also hope we continue growing in providing quality feeding therapy and myofunctional therapy - services that can be challenging to find. I want to continue expanding those services and helping children improve in those areas because they are so important. So much of our lives revolves around feeding and meals, so being able to help families navigate those challenges is really meaningful.

What I would like to say to the families and community who have supported us along the way is: thank you for trusting us with your children. As a parent, I know it can sometimes feel scary or vulnerable to ask for help and trust someone else with your child’s care. We are truly grateful for the trust and support families have given us over the years, and it’s an honor to be part of each child’s journey.”