“Tommy,” a student said, “do you still believe the exercise physiologist’s future is among the entrepreneurs?” Excellent question Joe. Short answer is Yes. Let me do some thinking about it, and I will get back to you. So, what do I know now that I didn’t them? Admittedly, the answer is the same, but not as long as I thought it might be.

From what I’ve read, banks have trimmed their loan portfolios. This is due in part a result of the tight margins created by the interest rate cuts. Everyone is short of cash, including venture capital funds. Does this mean that there are no opportunities for healthcare professionals as entrepreneurs? I don’t think so.

From my perspective, the idea of owning your healthcare clinic isn’t about getting rich. It is more about independence and the opportunity to make more money than when working for a fitness club or a cardiac rehab job. Success isn’t just about money, although obviously important. It is about a paradigm shift from meaningless jobs to credible opportunities in healthcare. After all, exercise is medicine and medical prescriptions, even exercise prescriptions, are recognized inroads to helping members of society prevent and/or deal with disease and disability.

In other words, recession or not, the health of everyone is likely to get worse without quality care. Board certified exercise physiologists are excellent entrepreneurs to take the stage as new healthcare professionals. They should therefore apply for credit because I think they will get it. Here, they are talking about 50 to 250 employees. How about 3 to 5 working with $25,000 to $75,000 in equipment, and another $125,000 for several months of startup funds. That is $150,000 to $200,000, which is what an average house might cost today.

It seems to me that this amount makes it reasonable to think about entrepreneurship. Hence, to initiate one’s own business in health and fitness should not discourage borrowers. Graduates from get beyond the fear of rejection. Failure and rejection are natural aspects of life, and people learn from such events as well. Also, it is understandable that starting one’s own business is likely to be a scary thing to do. It is a viable career path, and one that must be taken seriously. So to all the students with an interest in exercise physiology – welcome to the future of entrepreneurship.