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.

Alisha Fluker

The decision to start Well Dawn Integrative Health, PLLC (formerly Peace of Mind Psychiatric Services, PLLC) came at a pivotal moment in my life. I had just been laid off unexpectedly, and to be honest, it was quite unsettling. After some reflection and prayer, I realized I had two choices: go back to working for someone else or take a leap of faith and create something of my own. I chose to leap. The initial steps were practical—registering the business, securing office space, and tackling all the licensing and legal paperwork. I took a course to make sure I wasn’t overlooking anything. After that, came the business side—learning about billing, insurance, and maintaining compliance. It felt a bit overwhelming at times. After my first year, I found a mentorship program that helped me navigate unforeseen challenges and learn from other practice owners, which turned out to be invaluable. Read more>>

Sergio Gaitan Md Faad

About 1 year and a half ago I decided to start my own Dermatology practice. I wanted to improve on all the things I did not like about the current practice of Dermatology. Studying engineering in College, I wanted to design from scratch a Dermatology practice designed around the patient experience. The first steps I had to take was on deciding whether I wanted to take insurance. Practicing in the past with Insurance, I felt limited in what I could provide for my patients. So, I decided to make a self-pay dermatology practice in Miami, Fl where everyone would have access to a dermatologist. The main challenge without taking insurance is where our patients would come from. So, we focused on making sure that our patient experience was elite. We have no wait time for our patients. We offer transparent pricing, and easy online booking. We also have access to the latest Laser Technologies to treat the skin. Since staring my practice now, the only thing I would have done differently is that I would have been on social media earlier promoting the benefits of a self pay dermatology practice. My advice for a young professional that might be considering starting his own practice is to make sure they have something special they are offering the patient. The most important thing is to create value for your patients and focus on making sure the patient has the best experience. Read more>>

Kai Baylis

Starting my own practice has been a journey as layered as my personal growth, each phase informed by my experiences and evolving interests. The path began when I became a massage therapist, though it took me some time to fully commit. In my early 20s, after a decade in the service industry, I reached a point where the late nights and lifestyle no longer resonated. The shift toward wellness felt like a fresh start. In 2004, I returned to school to complete my national massage certification and state licenses. A friend and I then rented a small office behind an acupuncturist, naming our space “ONE.” We also brought on a third partner who specialized in colon hydrotherapy, creating a unique, integrative space. As I delved deeper, I became more interested in yoga, mindfulness, and the science of energy work, which enriched my massage practice. At 25, I earned my yoga teaching certification, and the philosophical aspect of yoga began to reshape my understanding of self and my work. This was transformative, as it shifted my perspective from feeling like a passive participant in life to realizing I had the power to shape my experience. Read more>>

Melissa Graziano

I have always known two things about my future career; I was going to be a therapist and I was going to be in private practice. I began graduate school knowing I wanted to do my internship in private practice, instead of community mental health. My professors were not completely supportive of the idea and almost told me no, until I found an opportunity for an unpaid internship at a practice. Being an entrepreneur was not new to me, as I had a mobile dog grooming business in prior years. I struggled as I worked two jobs and went to my internship for a year, while barely being able to pay my bills. In my frustration, I made the decision to use the opportunity to learn everything I could about running a practice. In addition to offering therapy, I was responsible for scheduling, marketing, completing paperwork, and maintaining regular supervision. I was basically already running my own practice, minus my licensure, and well, the pay.  Read more>>

Kenyetta Davis

I started my journey in healthcare in 2012 as a CNA, advancing to an LPN in 2017. Entering nursing school again in the ADN program in 2018. During my time as a registered nursing student I knew I wanted to specialize in aesthetics. I remember telling my classmates during a group discussion that I was going to specialize in aesthetics and use my RN degree to make it happen. After graduating and becoming a registered nurse, I worked bedside, but quickly found myself overwhelmed and exhausted. I was experiencing bedside burnout. It was then I knew I needed to make a change and follow my passion for aesthetics. Entering the aesthetics field wasn’t easy; it’s a challenging industry to break into. But after extensive research, I found the right trainer and mentor for me. Two years later, I opened Queen’s Den MedSpa. Starting my own business presented its own set of challenges. While my nursing background made the aesthetics training more straightforward, I was entirely new to the business side of things. My biggest challenge was figuring out how to start and operate a business from scratch. Read more>>

Kristina Nikishenkova

My career path began with the fact that I was constantly training in the gym and had pain in my knees and lower back. I visited different massage therapists, kinesio therapists, chiropractors, etc. No one could cure my pain. And one day I got to training with a very good Pilates teacher who helped me figure out the cause of my pain. After that, I went to study anatomy and biomechanics in order to help myself. That’s how I came to my profession. I studied a lot and practiced all the knowledge on myself before I started teaching my clients. Now I help hundreds of women have a strong healthy body and feel in harmony with their body. I recently became a mother and thanks to my classes I had a wonderful natural birth and a quick recovery. The secret is in regular quality training. I will be happy to teach novice trainers, but these are plans for the future. Read more>>

Shannon Higgins

Starting my private psychotherapy practice was both a game-changer and a daunting experience. For many small business owners, especially in private therapy, the reality is clear: if you don’t work, you don’t get paid. There is no paid time off, and private health insurance can be prohibitively expensive. As a single parent of two very active boys, I faced additional challenges; one of my children required special services in school, which meant I had to provide daily support for his adaptive needs. Financially, this was a sink-or-swim decision. Before starting this journey, I gained valuable experience in public health, where I was deeply involved in hands-on work in the community. I then transitioned to the nonprofit sector, focusing on domestic violence advocacy and outreach counseling. This is how I created my niche specialty, trauma recovery. I recognized that working alongside reputable psychiatrists would be an outstanding opportunity to develop strong clinical skills and establish a solid client base. Thus, I received exceptional training from field experts in providing effective trauma recovery for my clients. Read more>>