Meet Salome Ranson of Ranson Speech Pathology in Metro Atlanta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Salome Ranson.

Salome, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My story begins fairly early on. I have had the “entrepreneurial spirit” since I was a teenager. I first attempted to start a small business during the summer break between my sophomore and junior year in college when my boyfriend at the time and my close friend, Dasmyn, and I were struggling to find a summer job. We borrowed my father’s truck, lawn care equipment, made flyers, and walked through our local neighborhoods putting the flyers on mailboxes and doorsteps. After not receiving calls for a week or two, we essentially gave up. It was shortly after we gave up, that we began getting phone calls from interested clients.

I think that was my first self-learned lessons (1) not to give up prematurely when things seem slow, and (2) keep working and the results would eventually come.

I completed my Bachelors of Science degree in 2010 and immediately began graduate school in the Speech Pathology and Audiology program at Tennessee State University. I had quite a few challenges while in grad school- personally, financially, and academically. However, I completed the program and became a practicing speech-language pathologist in 2013. I immediately begin working in the school as a speech pathologist and began working with a private practice agency. It was during this two year time span (2013-2015) that I began to learn about private practice. I was very attentive to the operations, documentation, and billing aspects of the practice. The experiences allowed me to become aware of both the challenges and rewards of working in private practice.

While on assignment in a school district where most of the students come from lower socio-economic statuses, I had quite a few eye-opening experiences. There were students that had their clothes washed by school staff so that they could have clean clothes and not be bullied because of hygiene. Some students would essentially not eat if it weren’t for the meals provided by the school. These and other similar circumstances of hardship were so common. I saw first-hand the need for resources, support, and advocacy. I remember feeling so limited in regard to my impact at that time. I wanted to have more of an impact for this population. As a speech-language pathologist, I understood how our ability to communicate directly corresponds with our quality of life and correlates with the opportunities we are able to secure.

The experience at the school was my wake-up call and in 2015 I began researching with the intent of starting a practice that focused on those families.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Absolutely not. I spent months researching, submitting documentation to state agencies, obtaining contracts, and learning processes and procedures. That part was daunting to say the least.

The learning curve was steep. There were so many things that I needed to learn. Marketing was one of those things for example. To notify the community that I was offering services in their area, I literally attracted my first clients by cold-calling parents. It was because of my early entrepreneurial endeavors that I understood that this step was one of the major humps to get over and that, with time, things would pick up.

Another struggle of starting a business is overcoming self-doubt and not allowing ourselves to be hesitant. By understanding that it takes a certain level of momentum to put anything in motion, self-inflicted resistance has to be prevented at all cost. In the early stages, friends and family may not know or understand exactly what you’re going through as an entrepreneur so there’s a slight feeling of isolation. Nonetheless, staying focused and consistent brings results and those results eventually become visible.

Lastly, starting a business requires money. I literally exhausted my financial resources in the early stages purchasing supplies and equipment. It was such a rocky financial roller coaster and it really took mental stamina and a frugal lifestyle to tough it out until the business became profitable.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Ranson Speech Pathology – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Ranson Speech Pathology was founded in 2015 and continues to grow and expand.

We are a licensed pediatric practice dedicated to providing skilled speech-language therapy services to our clients in their natural, home based environments.

We specialize in the identification, diagnosis, and treatment of communication disorders.

We are most proud to provide quality services, education, and hope to underserved communities.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We are looking forward to expanding the practice. We are preparing to bring on additional speech pathologists to our team who are passionate about providing resources and services to underserved communities.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ransonspeechpathology.com
• Phone: 678-357-6915
• Email: register@ransonspeechpathology.com

Image Credit:
Tash Photography

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