Establishing your own firm or practice is an incredibly daunting task. From myriad of legal and regulatory hurdles to the financial and career related risks, professionals who choose to start their own firm have to overcome so much and so we wanted to reach out to those who’ve done it successfully for advice, insight and stories.

Tiffany Simons

When I graduated from esthetics school, there weren’t many options for estheticians. The main paths were either working for a big corporation, which was often highly sales-driven, or booth renting. I chose to booth rent right out of school, and from there, I eventually opened my own small location. That experience turned out to be one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in business so far. At my first location, I didn’t do the proper vetting, which led to a legal dispute involving my landlord and their landlord. This unfortunate situation forced me to move my business back into my home temporarily. Later, I was able to rent a small room, where I worked for about two years while rebuilding my practice. Then, by chance, I found my current location, and I’ve been here for nearly six years now. Read more>>

Ilene Cohen

Establishing PranaSpirit Nutrition & Wellness, LLC, was a journey deeply rooted in both my personal experiences and professional aspirations. After years of working in hospital clinics and diabetes centers, I realized the profound impact of integrating nutrition with holistic practices such as yoga. My vision was to create a space where individuals could address their health concerns in a way that acknowledged their unique needs, incorporating not just nutrition but also stress management and mindfulness. This realization became the foundation for PranaSpirit Nutrition & Wellness. The process of building my practice involved several transformative steps. I began by identifying a niche that combined integrative and functional nutrition with yoga therapy. My goal was to offer a truly comprehensive approach to health and wellness, one that went beyond standard dietary counseling. To achieve this, I pursued advanced training, becoming a certified yoga therapist, which allowed me to integrate yoga, meditation, and breathing techniques into my practice. These tools became essential components of the personalized care I provided to clients. Read more>>

Kate Shelton

The story of starting Tonic Spatique is one of passion, perseverance, and learning through experience. After a few years in the spa industry, I worked my way into several management positions. These roles gave me invaluable insights into running a business, from managing staff to understanding operations. I was later headhunted for a larger management position, overseeing a more extensive team. This was a pivotal step in deepening my knowledge of the industry and business strategy. The turning point came when I had the opportunity to attend an advanced business school program—a condensed “mini MBA” completed in under a year. This program was laser-focused on creating a comprehensive business plan, with guidance from industry leaders and financial professionals. It laid the foundation for what would become Tonic Spatique. Read more>>

Meghan Nolan

I will never forget how my whole body lit up when I realized I had the opportunity to open my own practice. In one flash of light I saw it come to life and everything that it could be. This was circa December 2020 and the world was just starting to dip its toes back out from a period of deep hibernation and chaos. Luckily from a business standpoint, that meant office space was easy to come by. I was sitting down with a friend who told me about a room available to share with another massage therapist, in an area of town close to where I lived, highly affordable, set-up and ready to go. In Portland, OR, no place is too quirky for any place of business – my office would be in a large, spare room with a tiny lobby attached to the side of a historic Church. I was still fairly new to practicing acupuncture, but I knew an opportunity to step into a business with a certain degree of infrastructure and neighborhood community already built-in was something I couldn’t pass up. Read more>>

Ramin Waraghai

The journey to establishing my Mind Body Hub in Los Angeles has been both challenging and rewarding. Before opening the Hub, I built a successful online business in Germany, where I developed health insurance-certified online courses designed to help people overcome joint pain and regain mobility. Through these courses, I had the privilege of helping over 10,000 individuals, which gave me invaluable experience and confidence in my approach. When I moved to the United States, my vision was to create a physical space where I could combine my expertise in health and wellness with cutting-edge technology to offer a truly unique experience. Establishing my practice in Los Angeles required several key steps. First, I needed to find the right location, and West Hollywood felt like the perfect fit. Then, I focused on designing a space that aligned with my philosophy of integrating mind and body health, equipped with advanced tools like 3D movement analysis, muscle activation sensors, and posture technology. Read more>>

Ruth Schettini

Starting my own practice felt like an impulsive, spur of the moment, random act. It wasn’t. It was something I had been thinking about for years, but felt too scared to actually pursue. Then it happened. I woke up one day, tired of working for a bunch of people and companies I didn’t see myself in long-term, and decided that was the day. I had just been accepted into a doctorate program and I knew I wouldn’t be able to work 40+ hours a week. So that day I sat down, googled my heart out, and established Healing Juntos Marriage & Family Therapy inc. I called a few friends right after and was in a panic because, what the heck am I supposed to do now? I’m going on three years now, and there are days where I still think that same thought. In the end? It works out. Somehow, it works out. Is it everything I wanted it to be or thought it would be? Not even remotely close. But it is a start to all of that and through the tears, the fights, the sleepless nights, long prayers and the chaos of it all, it still holds so much hope. My hope. So I will move forward, even on the days where I don’t want to. I will always encourage someone who wants to start their own business or live out their desires in their career because it is such a powerful thing to be able to have something that is yours. Something you poured yourself into- your time, money, sweat, tears and intention. If you want to do it- go for it. Don’t wait for the “right time”, because it really doesn’t exist. You will always be waiting if that is the case. Time will pass and you will tell yourself, “I wish I would have started sooner”. I always ask people if they can live with their “what if”. Can you? Read more>>