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.

Howard Freeman

I’d helped start a venture-backed company in 2021, and even though I found the first three investors, whose money launched us — including that of my own mother — after 15 months as the #2 person on the team, the company “decided to go in a different direction” and my contract was terminated. The “team meeting” on the day after Labor Day 2022 was my dismissal videocall. The founder, my friend since high school, couldn’t even stay on video the whole time for some reason. He wouldn’t look at me. Read more>>

Bianca Laureano

Tell us the story of the early days from when you decided to start your own firm/practice to establishing the practice. What were the main steps you had to take, what were some of the key challenges in setting up your own office/practice and would you have done anything differently knowing what you know now? Any advice for a young professional who might be considering starting their own practice? Read more>>

Evan Sweeney

When I was a teenager and was looking for information about my own sexuality in regards to my disability, I called many disability organizations to see if they had any information. I was curtly told no, or thinking I was pranking them, they just hung up. So I was like “Screw it, I’ll make the information myself. ” I wrote a handbook called “Queers on Wheels” which covers dating, adapting sex toys, talking to your partner about your disability, and how to masturbate if you need help. With that handbook I traveled the country giving workshops about these topics. This has morphed into my current platform, CrippingUpSex.com. Read more>>

Jess Hund

I never wanted to be a clinic owner. From what I had seen in the field – it was a difficult role that caused a lot of individuals to flirt with not being ethical in billing practice and I wasn’t willing to compromise quality of care for monetary gain. Read more>>

 Grace Montes

Starting Arbor Counseling Centers was a journey filled with excitement, uncertainty, and a lot of learning along the way. My colleague Cynthia and I spent about a year saving up before taking the leap. Originally, we planned to have three partners, but life took a different turn, and it ended up being just the two of us. Even with that change, we both knew we wanted to build something meaningful—a group practice where we could truly support our clients in a way that aligned with our values. Read more>>

Elina Skripochnik

I always dreamed of owning my own practice and becoming the go-to neighborhood physical therapist. But for years, I assumed it was a daunting undertaking that was out of reach. I worked in outpatient clinics and specialized preschools, but I felt restricted by insurance limitations and rigid policies that prevented me from treating clients the way I knew was best. Read more>>

Anastacia Anastascio

Starting my business wasn’t a decision I made overnight, but it did happen very quickly, like puzzle pieces falling into place. I grew up in an environment where I had to constantly adapt, and that shaped my ability to pivot when necessary. Before my business, I spent years in academia, collecting degrees, partially because I was searching for purpose and meaning, but also because I was running from my true calling​. Read more>>

Dr. Alexa Martin, Md

When I decided to start my own practice, Intuitive MD, I wasn’t just building a medical office—I was redefining how healthcare should be delivered. After years in traditional clinical settings, where I was seeing 20+ patients a day and fighting an uphill battle against a broken system, I realized that if I wanted to truly help people transform their health, I needed to step outside of the conventional model. Read more>>

Adela Hittell

In 2017, I decided to take a risk on myself by creating an organization that serves humanity. I decided to host a fashion show as a launch to the organization to share my story of existence. Since then, I have jumped on taking creative liberties to express and define what mental health is through our Rebirth project, awareness on suicide prevention, Checkmate project, fighting the social construct and creating your own space, and now our Define the Narrative Documentary. Read more>>