We're launching two new ways to help ABA practice owners strengthen the business side of their practice: we're the Presenting Sponsor of APBA's first-ever Small Business Leader Collective, and we're hosting The Owners Table, a two-day retreat for practice owners in Atlanta.
If you own an ABA practice, there's a good chance you got here through clinical work. You spent years earning your certifications and serving clients. Then one day you looked up and realized you were also running a business, with payroll, hiring, intake, finances and a client pipeline that never stops needing attention.
Most owners never got the chance to learn that side of things. Not because they couldn't, but because nobody built the time or the space for it. That's the gap we want to help close.
We know this road pretty well. Office Puzzle started as a tool built for a single ABA practice. Today we support more than 800 agencies nationwide, and this year we made the 2026 Inc. 5000 list of America's fastest-growing private companies. A big part of our mission has always been removing the things that get in the way of care and growth. Sometimes that means cutting admin work out of your day. Sometimes it means helping you build the business skills to lead a profitable clinic.
"Most ABA owners didn't get into this field to run a business. They got into it because they're passionate about helping kids and families, and then the business came with it," said Hailu Jardines, our CEO at Office Puzzle. "We were a small business not that long ago, so we know how much owners carry."
Here's what each initiative looks like, who it's for, and how to get involved.
Get a seat at the table: the Small Business Leader Collective
We're proud to be the Presenting Sponsor of the Association of Professional Behavior Analysts' (APBA) brand-new Small Business Leader Collective. It's built to support, connect and celebrate the people who lead independently owned ABA organizations.
APBA will pick 15 small-business owners and leaders for the first cohort. They'll head to APBA Amplify 2027 in Kansas City, March 18–20, 2027.
What selected leaders get
- A free three-day professional registration for APBA Amplify 2027
- Free continuing education units (CEUs)
- Six months of on-demand access to convention sessions
- A one-year APBA organizational membership with five team seats
- Reserved seats at all three keynotes
- Recognition as part of the inaugural cohort, including an Amplify convention shirt and a Collective badge ribbon
- A virtual cohort welcome before the convention, an invite to the Collective event Office Puzzle is hosting at Amplify, and ongoing connection with the cohort afterward
That Collective event includes a listening session with us where members can share what small ABA organizations need most. What you say there will help shape future APBA resources and programming for independent practices. In other words, it's a real chance to be heard.
"The Association of Professional Behavior Analysts is excited to launch our inaugural Small Business Leader Collective in 2027. Through Office Puzzle's generous sponsorship, we are able to provide selected small business leaders with sponsored attendance at our 2027 convention and complimentary APBA memberships for the first five members of their teams," said Molly Dubuque, CEO of APBA. “We appreciate Office Puzzle’s support of this initiative and its contribution to expanding professional development and networking opportunities for small business leaders within the behavior analysis community.”
Who can apply
You're eligible if you're an owner or organizational leader of an independently owned and operated ABA organization with 100 or fewer full-time-equivalent employees. You'll also need to:
- Register for APBA Amplify 2027 (if you're selected, your registration gets reimbursed)
- Join the virtual cohort welcome and the Collective event we're hosting
- Be open to sharing your experiences so APBA can better support small ABA organizations
Key dates
Applications are open now through Nov. 20, 2026. Selected leaders will hear back by Dec. 15, 2026. You'll find full details on APBA's Small Business Leader Collective info page, and you can send questions to info@apbahome.net.
The Owners Table: learn it, then put it to work
The Owners Table is a two-day retreat that gives you a break from the day-to-day so you can focus on the business fundamentals that help a practice grow. Our first one takes place Dec. 10–11, 2026, at the Wylie Hotel in Atlanta.
This isn't a sit-and-listen kind of event. Every session pairs a focused presentation with hands-on time to apply what you just learned to your own practice, on your own and in small groups. You'll head home with a playbook that lays out the strategies we covered and practical ways to put them into action.
What we'll dig into
Sessions are led by people who've built and run successful ABA businesses themselves. Topics include:
- Bringing in the right clients and the right staff so you've got a steady pipeline of both
- Intake and onboarding, including how to keep client growth and staff capacity in step
- Retention, plus the financial and operational discipline it takes to grow sustainably
- Pulling it all together into a plan for working through your biggest real-world constraints
You'll also get a presenter panel, a group dinner and some one-on-one time with presenters.
Small on purpose
We're keeping it to 15 to 20 practice owners from the Atlanta area, chosen through a short application. A smaller group keeps conversations honest and makes sure everyone actually gets a seat at the table.
"Running a practice can be isolating. Your team doesn't always see the pressure you're under, and the field can feel more competitive than collaborative," said Charlene Kurth, our COO. "We want owners to walk out of this retreat with a plan for their business and a group of peers they can keep calling on long after it's over."
How to apply
If you own an ABA practice in Georgia, we'd love to have you. Applications are due Nov. 9, 2026. Learn more about The Owners Table and apply for a seat.
More to come
The Small Business Leader Collective and The Owners Table both build on the dinners, webinars and other events we host for ABA practice owners throughout the year. And Atlanta's just the start: we're planning to bring The Owners Table to more cities.
Want to hear about upcoming events first? Keep an eye on officepuzzle.com, or follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.