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.

Jojo Dries

I am a Warrior Survivor of domestic violence; I finally escaped my childhood abusers (my dad and brother) at age 29. For several years, I did whatever I could to help other survivors. A couple of years ago, I was advised by a mentor, and encouraged by my husband, to start a non-profit to get the community together to serve survivors. At the time, I thought, “Oh, I’ve successfully started businesses before, this will be smooth!” Haha. Little did I know how widely different it was to start a nonprofit than a for profit business. There are some aspects that are the same; yet, Nonprofit is a wildly different beast. Read more>>

Steven Benoy

GOLDEN RULE = Add more value than you are receive (*always*) When I first started, it was just me, a dream, and an empty schedule (read: no clients). I nearly fell into the trap of “playing business” by focusing on things like the website, networking, LinkedIn, rate structures, marketing and contracts. But I quickly realized that this self-centered, activity-without-value approach leads nowhere. Read more>>

Alex Nahai

Establishing my own firm was both an exhilarating and daunting endeavor. The idea first took root while I was working as the CEO of a technology investment fund. I observed a gap in the market for a law firm that could provide specialized legal services to startups without charging them exorbitant big law rates. The first step was to thoroughly research and plan the our structure, services, and market positioning. Read more>>

Brigitte Tolson

I spent years intimidated by the idea of having my own practice and skin care company, despite being booked up all the time and having positive articles in the media about my work. It felt stable to be attached to a business, and I’m very social enjoyed having colleagues, but I realized that creating my own practice meant full creative control over what products I used and offered clients, the look of my space, the quality of my devices, and so many other things that appealed to me. I am fortunate I have many long-term friendships with other female entrepreneurs who encouraged me, like Elle Marie who I founded Los Angeles Facials with, who is the first Black spa owner in the South Bay. Read more>>

Deborah Curtis

I opted to end a 40-year career and re-focus my time. but my road to a new opportunity is one that I never wanted to take. Grief takes shape in many forms, wanted and needed to focus on keeping my son’s memory alive while helping others. Before starting a non-profit 501(c)(3) foundation, like starting anything new, there were so many things to determine and decide. By reaching out and talking with individuals impacted by mental health struggles, survivors of suicide, physicians, counselors, large and small foundations and many others, I worked to get the answers to important questions. Read more>>

Kathryn Hoff And Carly Hoff

We were both working in a large hospital in the area and kept talking about how we would love to start our own practice. We craved the flexibility to work on our own schedules while growing our families. As dietitians and new moms, we would always bounce ideas off of each other about what worked for us nutrition-wise such as postpartum nutrition, breastfeeding nutrition, baby led weaning, and how we chose to feed our families. Starting a private practice that specializes with women and families was the natural focus for us. Read more>>