From South Florida ponds
to six SF clinics.
I grew up in South Florida, first kid of two public school teachers, walking around ponds, shooting frogs and snakes. Played soccer, ran cross country, won a bunch of math awards. Pretty normal, except for the frogs.
College took me to five schools across three countries: Emory as a National Merit and Dean's Scholar (until I lost both), a university in Zhengzhou right in the middle of the P.R.C., a couple of JuCos where I had some of the best teachers of my life, and finally San Francisco State. Go Gators.
I graduated on a Saturday. Started grad school on Monday at UCSF/SFSU's Graduate Program in Physical Therapy. I like to say that after eight years of college, I took a day off.
Then I founded San Francisco Sport and Spine Physical Therapy, and my real education began.
“Suddenly I was responsible for not just patients and myself, but staff, payroll, marketing, and a myriad of other things that I quickly learned I wasn't very good at. So, I learned. Often the hard way.”
Sturdy McKee
With great teachers and coaches (including Matt Fitzsimmons, who became my co-author, collaborator, and friend), I built the practice from one location to six. Then I sold it.
I've lived in the Bay Area since 1989 and in San Francisco proper for 30 years. I walk to coffee with my wife Kathy, our kids, and our sweet dog Hana. We love the City. And getting out of it to somewhere warmer. IYKYK.
The journey
Where it started
Public school teacher parents, math awards, soccer, frogs. The foundation of someone who figures things out.
5 schools, 3 countries
Emory → Zhengzhou → JuCo → SF State. Unconventional path. Excellent teachers. One day off before grad school.
Becomes a PT
Graduate Program in Physical Therapy. Graduated Saturday, started Monday. Licensed and ready. For patients, at least.
SF Sport & Spine
Founded San Francisco Sport and Spine Physical Therapy. First hire. First payroll. First of many hard lessons.
Scale & systematize
Built the frameworks that would become the Critical 7 and 6-Hour CEO™. Out of necessity, not theory.
Sold the company
Learned what buyers pay for. What destroys value. And what it really means to build a business that runs without you.
Coaching 100+ owners
Bringing the full playbook to small business owners across North America. San Francisco. Kathy. The kids. Hana. Coffee walks.
The frameworks weren't invented. They were discovered.
The Critical 7 and the 6-Hour CEO™ didn't come from a whiteboard. They came from two decades of running a real business, making real mistakes, and finding what actually worked.
The Critical 7 Metrics
Born from flying blind.
Early on, Sturdy was making major business decisions (staffing, expansion, pricing) with almost no real data. Revenue and expenses weren't enough. He needed leading indicators, not just lagging ones.
Through trial, error, and hard-won pattern recognition across six locations, he identified the seven numbers that actually predicted what was about to happen in the business, before it showed up in revenue. Those became the Critical 7.
Explore the Critical 7 →The 6-Hour CEO™
Born from working too much.
Sturdy spent years as the highest-paid clinician in his own practice, treating patients full-time while trying to run a growing business on the side. It wasn't sustainable, and he knew it.
The 6-Hour CEO™ is the system he built to escape that trap: a set of weekly disciplines, decision filters, and leadership habits that give owners total clarity on their business in six focused hours per week. He tested it himself first. Then with 100+ coaching clients. It works.
Learn about coaching →More than a profitable clinic.
Sturdy's higher purpose is to help entrepreneurs build businesses that last: profitable, scalable, and meaningful. The goal is financial freedom and more time to live life fully.
From player to coach
You shift from being the most important player on the field to the most important person in your company, because you enable everyone else to succeed. Clarity on priorities. Freedom from daily overwhelm.
Measurable revenue growth
Sturdy developed and taught the Clinicient University course for practice owners. Participants averaged about 9% revenue growth in three months, some as high as 22%, without additional investment.
Freedom to actually leave
Clients take extended time away (trips abroad, family milestones) while their businesses run smoothly. That's not a bonus feature. That's the whole point.
A business that runs without you
Whether you ever sell or not, a sellable business is one that doesn't depend on you. Sturdy built San Francisco Sport and Spine Physical Therapy into six locations and 40-plus staff, then sold it. He knows exactly how to get there.
How Sturdy thinks about this work.
Two decades of building a real business left Sturdy with some strong convictions about what actually moves the needle. And what doesn't.
Simplify complexity into focus
Most business owners aren't confused about what they want. They're overwhelmed by noise. Sturdy's job is to cut through it and show you exactly which lever to pull right now.
Consistent improvements compound
Nobody turns a business around overnight. But small, consistent improvements (the right 1% each week) compound into transformation. That's what the Critical 7 makes visible.
Know your seven numbers
You can't lead what you can't see. The seven key numbers don't just track your business. They tell you what's about to happen and what to do about it.
If you can play, you can play
Sturdy doesn't care where you went to school or how long you've been in business. If you're willing to look at the numbers and do the work, the framework works. Full stop.
The only scoreboard is what happens in your business.
In their own words.
After working with Sturdy I did around 800 fewer visits. BUT… my profit margin doubled going from 7% to 14% and I made $20,000 more in profit. So, if you want to talk about profound I would say that certainly qualifies!
Marc Stewart
Johns Creek Physical Therapy
You're a great Coach, Sturdy. I couldn't have done this without you.
Jay Nitturkar
Founder, pVerify
When I opened my practice in 2017, I found Sturdy online. Through weekly coaching calls, he helped me get crystal clear on exactly what I wanted my practice to look like and built out the systems to get there. I'm now adding two team members and preparing to open a second location.
Stephen Peaden
Restore Physical Therapy, Panama City, FL
I feel very fortunate to have Sturdy in my corner. Times are tough with profit margins shrinking and regulations increasing. I've been very impressed since day one working with Sturdy. The 6-Hour CEO™ program has a systematic and comprehensive approach to building and supporting the growth of my business.
Garrett Akahoshi
Peak Physical Therapy