This September, we are so excited to feature Stoke member, Aaron Smith, founder of Turnsole Health. Aaron’s entrepreneurial journey spans from building and selling Flexcare Solutions, a company that grew to 36 clinics across six states, to launching his latest venture aimed at solving one of healthcare’s toughest financial challenges. His story is one of persistence, vision, and a passion for problem-solving.
To start off, can you tell us a little about your background and what led you into the healthcare space?
I come from a software development background, having started my career in travel and banking. In 2003, my wife (then girlfriend) Melanie mentioned that Baylor Healthcare was struggling with their disease management software. We convinced Baylor to partner with us on building version one, which gave us the experience and credibility to take the product commercial. About a decade later, we sold the company to Healthways, by which time we had grown to serve roughly 230 hospital systems.
What inspired you to launch Flexcare Solutions, and what was the vision when you first got started?
After the Healthways acquisition, I joined Optum, where I was introduced to a new class of drugs called infusible biologics. These therapies are remarkably effective but also very expensive, and insurance approval is often a major barrier. Physicians were deeply frustrated because patients’ care was delayed. My co-founder and I realized that if we could solve this bottleneck, we could build a company that delivered these therapies faster than the competition. That insight proved right: from a single clinic in Oklahoma City in 2019, we expanded to 36 clinics across six states by 2025.
In the early days of building Flexcare, what were some of the biggest challenges you faced as a founder?
Operating brick-and-mortar clinics is tough. Construction, maintenance, procurement, inventory, and cash flow are all challenging individually—and when combined, the learning curve to survival was steep. Then COVID hit, shutting down all sales calls for eight months. That was terrifying, but our patients kept coming for treatment, which helped sustain us.
Looking back, what do you think were the key factors that contributed to Flexcare’s growth and success?
We had a unique differentiator that resonated with both patients and providers. Market tailwinds gave us the opportunity to raise growth capital. And my co-founder was the perfect complement—bringing skills that balanced mine, along with the same persistence and drive to push through challenges.
You recently sold Flexcare Solutions — what was that process like, and how did it feel to reach that milestone?
It was long and stressful. The process with Optum took 10 months from negotiations through diligence and closing. We worked 60–80 hours a week the entire time, which took a toll on our families. The feeling afterward was a mix—relief that we achieved such a daunting goal, euphoria from the win, and sadness knowing the team would split up. It felt a bit like winning a high school state championship: unforgettable, but also the end of a special chapter.
What lessons did you learn from the experience of building and then selling a company?
First, learn to delegate quickly the things you’re not good at. Focusing on what you and your company do best is what creates real differentiation. Second, as long as you have capital and creativity, there’s always a path forward. Many times we didn’t know exactly how we’d solve the problems in front of us, but persistence—just continuing to move forward—always led us to a solution.
After such a big achievement, what excites you most about your next chapter with Turnsole Health?
The chance to build something even bigger. In healthcare, payments can take up to 180 days, and no one has a reliable way to forecast monthly collections. In such a low-margin industry, this uncertainty stifles growth and can even sink companies. If we can build a solution that accurately predicts payments, we’ll enable our customers to grow faster and with more confidence.
Can you share a little about what Turnsole Health is and what makes this new venture different from your past work?
Turnsole Health is a fintech platform that delivers white-labeled treasury solutions for healthcare providers, automating reconciliation, posting, and payment analytics to generate reliable cash flow visibility and forecasts.
What keeps you motivated as an entrepreneur, especially after already having reached such a big milestone?
I love building teams and solving problems—it’s genuinely fun. I get bored on vacation, my kids are teenagers who prefer me in small doses, and I’m not much of a golfer. For me, the only real option has always been to find the next problem worth solving.
Finally, what advice would you give to other entrepreneurs who are just starting out on their journey?
Stay focused on solving a problem people will pay you to solve, surround yourself with people whose skills complement yours, and don’t underestimate the importance of persistence. Success rarely comes from the first version of an idea—it comes from sticking with it until you refine it and the right opportunity emerges.
To learn more about Turnsole Health, visit the website here.