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.

Kiwon Sung

I’ve always been drawn to forging unique paths rather than following conventional routes—a trait that could be viewed as pioneering spirit or stubborn independence, depending on perspective. When my peers were pursuing engineering PhDs or medical careers, I chose Korea’s first law school, motivated by the opportunity to be in its inaugural class and pioneer a profession that was in transition in my country. Read more>>

Daria Stakely

I always knew I wanted to have my own brokerage and do my own thing it was just a matter of when. To make that happen, I had to transition from real estate agent to real estate broker. It took me seven tries to pass the state broker exam, but I never gave up. God’s timing is perfect! Read more>>

Jennifer Dinetz

My law partner, Shana, and I started Nogues Dinetz PLLC because we saw the practice of personal injury change over the years and we wanted to evolve with it. We knew our innate and polished qualities as mothers, daughters, sisters and friends have helped transform the lives of the many injured clients we’ve represented over the years due to our fierce compassion, empathy and strength in litigation. We both wanted to work at a law firm that encouraged these qualities where the client was put first and treated as family. Read more>>

Sam

Starting my practice was a leap of both passion and purpose. I wanted to create a space where Traditional Chinese Medicine, functional medicine, herbalism, and nutrition could intersect, honoring both ancient wisdom and modern science. Read more>>

Abhay Dandekar

I chose to pursue medicine and specifically Pediatrics, because it is among the only fields where you are caring for a vulnerable individual and communicating mostly with their parent. While doctoring can be very gratifying, especially when you are charged with “doing” something purposeful to help someone or even teach those who are learning and training, I realized over time that there is also deep, great power in listening and sharing conversations. These discussions with parents, family, and other healthcare team members have been so valued because they help cultivate relationships and help instill trust – a commodity that is so critical today’s information and A.I. filled age. Being a life-long learner AND integrating this with being a leader can be challenging at times, but is a recipe for humble growth over the span of a career. Harnessing one’s knowledge and skill to diagnose a problem or help heal a patient’s illness is superbly satisfying. Read more>>

Suzanne Wallach

I started building my practice as an associate in 2008, and never stopped building from there. I went from community mental health centers to substance use treatment centers to interning in a private practice to working in someone else’s group practice before finally starting my own. I don’t think there was a specific set of steps I took; in fact, a lot of it was intuitive. I believe that before going out on your own, you need to consider whether you have enough clients and continued referral sources to sustain and grow your practice income. You also need to clarify your goals: do you want to practice in a group or alone? What will be your specialty? The biggest mistake I see therapists make is that they become a jack of all trades and a master of none. Read more>>

Sarah Meinert

The story of Ozean Pilates + Wellness really began when I returned to Los Angeles after living and teaching in New York City. After years of deepening my practice and working with a wide range of clients, I felt called to create a space that blended movement with a more personal, wellness-forward approach. I didn’t want to open just another Pilates studio—I wanted to create an intimate, supportive environment where people of all backgrounds could build strength, mobility, and confidence, and feel truly seen. Read more>>

Ulyana

I am a single mom of two wonderful girls, and starting my own practice was terrifying. I wanted to create a healing space—one rooted in compassion, integrity, and intuition. A space where people, especially those living with trauma and chronic pain, felt seen and supported. My practice is not like any other. I’m endlessly curious by nature, and learning something new in my field is not just a passion—it’s a necessity. For me, growth is part of the work, and every client teaches me something new. Over the past 18 years, I’ve had the honor of working with an incredible range of clients—from tiny 2-month-old babies to vibrant 98-year-olds. Read more>>

Andrew Adly

So I had decided to take the leap into practice ownership during COVID. Being a first time business owner at this time was very risky for the banks, so they gave me very little working capital but a great interest rate that we will probably never see again in our lifetime. I purchased an existing practice that had a small but loyal patient base with a doctor who cared about his patients/work so we had similar values in that regard. Unfortunately, this office was stuck in the 1980s so I immediately had to do a complete renovation and upgrade the technology (the office had paper charts and pink/yellow wallpaper for example). Read more>>

Rachel Webb

After graduate school I never imagined myself in private practice. It was never an ultimate goal of mine and it seemed extremely foreign to me. Though with the combination of the pandemic and being burnt out at my government job I decided to give it a whirl. Within 9 months I made the leap from part time to full time and have never looked back 5 years later. It was helpful to have former classmates walk me through the process and what to expect in terms of pay, how things worked in setting up a business and why it is helpful to niche. Read more>>

Jessica Jones

Starting our practice was equal parts exciting and chaotic. I co-founded Diabetes Digital with my best friend and fellow dietitian, Wendy Lopez. We had both spent years working in hospitals and outpatient clinics, and while that gave us a strong foundation in medical nutrition therapy, we were tired. We wanted to create a practice that actually worked for patients and for providers—one that centered weight-inclusive, culturally respectful care. Read more>>

Amanda Vilar

We all experienced COVID in our unique ways. If you break it down, the word “COVID” can be seen as: CO (together) and VID (to watch). For me and many others, it turned out to be one of the most transformative periods of our lives. Being stuck at home felt like we were all in a cocoon, really focusing on what truly matters and finally having the time and space to make real changes. Read more>>

Courtney King

I had been licensed and working for other practices for about 8 years before I decided to take the leap and start my own massage practice. Once I had the name, Kingdom Wellness, I began doing research on what else I needed. Truthfully, I felt like I had no idea what I was doing, but I just decided once I get enough of a plan I’m just going to go for it. I opened my LLC and got my EIN, so now it was time to start searching for a location. Finding a location in Sarasota, FL is quite challenging, especially when you’re just starting a business; it’s so incredibly expensive and there’s so many considerations when opening a wellness practice. Read more>>

Julie Megler

I’m a Nurse practitioner who worked in a variety of environments from the ER to the VA before starting private practice. I was always interested in becoming a nurse practitioner because of the opportunity with my license to work autonomously. However, I found that there was limited education on how nurse practitioners could be in the workforce as their own boss outside of the hospital or clinic setting. I first started private practice in 2015 while taking a small business class. Then in 2017 I partnered with a clinical psychologist to start a small integrative mental health clinic which I co-founded and managed for eight years. Read more>>

Lyndsey Williams

I started Kyla Care Therapy full-time after losing a job opportunity that felt like a setback—but it became the catalyst to build the practice I had envisioned. I was searching for a role that embraced a holistic approach to reproductive mental health, addressing not just fertility and postpartum care, but also the emotional impact of conditions like PCOS, endometriosis, fibroids, and pregnancy loss. When I couldn’t find it, I created it. Read more>>

Katherine Benkeser

My path to founding Little B Therapy was deeply influenced by both my professional background in early intervention and personal experiences as a parent. Working in early intervention allowed me to witness firsthand the profound impact of providing care within a child’s natural environment and how drastically we can affect the lives of children and their families at a young age. Not only does it make a difference in their quality of life but also how earlier interventions lead to better quality outcomes.
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Kyle Dosterschill

Establishing Hunger in the Wild: From Basement Beginnings to a World-Class Barbell Club
It didn’t start glamorous. No outside investors. No A/C. No windows. Just a basement in Dallas in the middle of the Texas summer, and a fire inside me that burned hotter than the air around me. That’s where Hunger in the Wild was born—in 2016, out of a conviction that people deserved better coaching, better programming, and a better atmosphere than what they were getting from globo gyms and watered-down CrossFit boxes. Read more>>

Lauren Wheeler

I thought about setting up my own practice for many years before I actually did it! I really had a lot of self limiting beliefs and wasn’t sure I would be right for it. I was working at a massage establishment and a lot of things were going wrong there. I wasn’t treated properly nor were my clients being treated properly and the environment was growing more and more toxic. I had to get out. So I was looking into other options, but no other place around town was really offering enough pay for me to be happy with. I ended up looking at a room to rent and was super tempted but the size was not feeling right. Read more>>

Lauren Belliveau

Since I can remember, I have wanted to have my own business, For over 20 years, I worked in health care, primarily working with health systems and physician practices to reduce cost and improve care quality. I worked with health care providers across the country, big and small, across specialties. This work gave me the perspective I am now grateful for, and draw upon every day. Read more>>

Aubrey Triplett

Starting my own tattoo studio felt like the natural next step in my journey as an artist. After working in a shop for a couple of years, I had the opportunity to grow, learn, and really start understanding the kind of work I was most passionate about. I found myself constantly drawn to delicate, detail-heavy pieces, especially floral work. There’s a softness and quiet strength in those designs that I just connect with on a personal level. Read more>>