How to Respond to Local Competition in ABA Therapy

You just found out a new ABA provider is opening down the street.
They’re hiring fast. They’ve got slick branding. They might even be backed by private equity.

Now what?

It’s easy to feel threatened when someone new enters your market. But here’s the truth:

Competition isn’t a crisis.
It’s a diagnostic moment.

If you respond correctly, competition becomes the pressure that strengthens your infrastructure and sharpens your positioning.

This is the exact process we teach inside the eBCBA™ Odyssey — our flagship program designed to help ABA business owners build resilient, system-driven companies. And we’re going to walk you through the core of it right now.

✅ Phase 1: SWOT Analysis (Situational Awareness)

This is your emergency brake. It helps calm your thinking and focus on what’s real.

Grab a sheet of paper. Two columns: Your Business vs. Their Business.
Now divide the rows into four sections:

• Strengths

• Weaknesses

• Opportunities

• Threats

Then — cross out anything you cannot control.
If they’re backed by private equity? Forget it.
If they’ve got a 20-person admin team? Not your problem.

What’s left are items you can act on. That’s your working list.

Inside Odyssey, this is how we teach leaders to regain focus when panic or overwhelm sets in — by separating the signal from the noise.

✅ Phase 2: Positioning Grid (Strategic Insight)

Now step back and analyze your actual market position.

Draw a simple 2x2 grid. Label the axes based on your market.
Some examples:

• High Touch vs. Low Touch

• Price vs. Quality

• Tech-Focused vs. Family-Focused

Plot yourself. Plot them. Plot any other local players.

Ask:

• Who’s crowding the same space?

• Where’s the white space?

• What positioning does your client base actually value?

This tool is core to how we train Odyssey members to own a unique position in the market — even when surrounded by big players.

✅ Phase 3: Gap Analysis (Client-Centered Strategy)

Stop thinking about your competition and start thinking about your community.

Ask yourself:

• What do families still need that isn’t being met?

• Where are the service gaps? Waitlists? Travel distances?

• Which payers are underserved or ignored?

Inside Odyssey, we help you mine these insights from your own intake data, inquiry forms, and team feedback — turning everyday pain points into strategic leverage.

✅ Phase 4: Strategic Playbook (Execution)

Now build the plan:

• Reinforce your strengths

• Patch internal vulnerabilities

• Clarify your brand message

• Build relationships with providers that aren’t direct threats

And don’t be afraid to partner with a competitor if their services differ from yours. Referrals go both ways.

This Playbook isn’t theory — it’s what we help our Odyssey members build in real-time, based on the structure and capacity of their business.

The Bottom Line:

Competition is only a threat when you’re operating without a plan.

If you know your market, understand your business model, and serve your families with clarity — you’ll always have leverage.

This is exactly the kind of practical, no-fluff training we build into every stage of the eBCBA™ Odyssey.