Exploring Life & Business with Stephanie Martinez of Growth Educational Services, Inc.

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Martinez.

Hi Stephanie , it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
If you let my mom tell the story, she often says I have been a “helper” since I was a toddler. To me, that pretty much sums up who I am and what we do here at Growth Educational Services.
This started as hobby, between Vanessa and I. We had both worked in a school setting and saw the disparities that happened once students hit a certain age or graduated. We spoke about these wild dreams of opening a private practice that validated parents, provided evidence based therapy, and didn’t just check boxes. It seemed so far fetched at the times, since we were both in graduate school and were ‘only’ speech-language pathology assistants. However, we spend countless days, nights, and weekends brainstorming, dreaming, and planning how to create this space. It was also wild, since Vanessa and I had only known each other for less than 2 years when we decided to go into business together. Often hearing cautionary tales and worries from those close to us, we committed two things to each other:
1. We had to be ok with having uncomfortable conversations
2. We would always be friends first.
These are two things we still commit to til this day.

Fast forward to 2022, we both graduated from graduate school and our little hobby was unfolding before our eyes. We partnered with multiple organizations to better understand the needs of the communities we wanted to serve. From then on the rest is history. In 2023 we established Growth Educational Services, Inc. It has been so surreal to see the seeds we planted grow into fruition. We have created a space not only for families, but for therapists. We are a therapist owned and operated establishment, so we aim to ensure our team is always valued and supported.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Definitely not! Especially because we are a California business. No shade, we still love Cali. But in order to do business in California, you need to be willing to give your kidney and potentially your first child. Just kidding! However, it was a huge learning curve since Vanessa and I didn’t really have any idea on how to start or run a business. We often had to invest long hours doing research or finding specialist like lawyers, accountants, etc. We also originally established ourselves as Growth Speech Services, LLC., but realized we couldn’t provide direct services under an LLC in California. Most of the struggles have been not knowing, and honestly, people not sharing. It feels lonely when you don’t have a network.

Thankfully, Vanessa and I were able to make strong connections with other small business owners. It made it less scary and also gave us some short cuts and cheat sheets in order to grow our business.

We’ve been impressed with Growth Educational Services, Inc. , but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Growth Educational Services, Inc is a women owned private practice. We provide multi-disciplinary supports via direct therapy, assessments, and parent education. We are known for our Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) supports, being bilingual in Spanish, and providing services in the community. Our slogan is “At your pace- in your place” where we emphasize that our programs are specifically tailored to the loved one’s needs. We firmly believe in creating and fostering community involvement. It’s great that progress can be made in a clinic or at school, but what happens when your loved one wants to go to the grocery store, a coffee shop, or the dentist? Advocacy shouldn’t only be taught in institutionalized settings. True advocacy and acceptance is in community involvement and engagement. Additionally, we are a collaborative team of multiple specialities. It allows for a whole-child approach because parents are able to consult with our multi-disciplinary team, which is often only seen in the school setting. Our team consists of behavioral therapists, educational therapists, living skills educators, occupational therapists, school psychologists, and speech therapists. Families often take advantage of our free 15 minute monthly consultation calls.

We are most proud of our team! We are therapist owned and operated meaning we know the struggle. Vanessa and I are actively working to create a work environment that feels good. Our therapists are AMAZING! We would not be where we are without them and parents often praise them. We are so proud to be able to create a work space where people can enjoy what they do and do it well.

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
Luck is when preparation meets opportunity, so I would say we have been super lucky. We have spend years in a field where professionals are forced to trauma bond. In those moments we forged some of the most impactful connections that have definitely helped us today. We would not be here if it weren’t for the community we built and continue to feed into, it’s community over competition ALWAYS! So I would say our good luck came from all the networks we have built, who believed in our dreams as much as we did.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://growthedservices.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_growth.education/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Growth-Educational-Services-100068701096486/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/growth-educational-services/