Small business ownership for occupational therapists: key factors for success

The value of small business to all economies is well-known. They have traditionally clustered in certain industry sectors, i.e., manufacturing, retail and trades, but not allied health related fields. With global changes to how health services are funded and with some governments moving the burden of cost from the public to the private sector, there are opportunities for occupational therapists to expand out of the public into the private sector. This paper is an overview of the literature regarding certain factors that could affect the chances of an occupational therapist going into private practice being successful or not. These mainly include their initial motivation, their current management skills and their propensity to learn new competencies, the human capital they possess and their ability to increase their social ties and networks.