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.

Janet McCullough

As I was getting older I noticed looking in the mirror one day and said you’re looking older. Then I thought I’d ask some people around me that was getting older as well what are you doing to take of your skin and most of the replies were “what do you mean”? My reply would be yes! Cleansers etc because I’ve been using Mary Kay since 18 years old and I see my skin changing and since I workout I didn’t want my body and have not match meaning my body tight and looking youthful but I didn’t want my face Iooking like a Hag…so I stared investigating what I can do and came across some skincare equipment training courses. Read more>>

Paul Dyer

Starting RSD Cybersecurity wasn’t the result of a single “lightbulb moment.” It grew out of my years in cybersecurity watching a troubling pattern—small businesses, especially minority-owned and first-time ventures, were being left wide open to cyber threats. Enterprise-grade protections existed, but they were often too expensive, too generic, or too complex for smaller organizations. Read more>>

Krystal Lin

When we started Mozibox, it wasn’t because we wanted to “build another job platform.” It came from years of seeing talented physicians frustrated by the same problem: career tools built for everyone, but truly designed for no one. The nuances of a physician’s career — board certifications, licensing, leadership transitions, burnout, nontraditional paths — just weren’t accounted for in LinkedIn, Indeed, or other mainstream platforms. Read more>>

Jerry Sher

I never set out to start my own business. It just kind of happened. I’d always wanted to work for myself, but honestly, I didn’t think I had the confidence or the know-how to pull it off. Then one day, an employer encouraged me to go for it. That push changed everything.

Fast forward nearly 14 years, and I can say without a doubt it was the best decision I’ve ever made. I get to run things my way, make my own schedule, and work with amazing people I’ve been lucky enough to hire and lead. It hasn’t always been easy. There have been plenty of challenges, but every obstacle has taught me something valuable. Read more>>

Rebbecca Hertel

The decision to start my own practice, Osteopathic Midlife Health, was the result of both professional experience and personal conviction. After nearly 20 years as a board-certified family physician, I had seen countless midlife women slip through the cracks of our healthcare system. Perimenopause and menopause were often misunderstood, misdiagnosed, or brushed aside. I wanted to create a space where those women felt heard, validated, and cared for—with time and depth that simply isn’t possible in a traditional, insurance-driven model. Read more>>

Diana Harden

Stepping out on my own into my own private practice was one of the most challenging decisions I had to make. Luckily, I had a lot of great mentors and people cheering for me that made it more feasible for me to pursue this. Leaving the safety net of consistent referrals from my former practice and not having to worry about all of the “back of the house” concerns like taxes, overhead, etc. was something that kept me stuck. On paper, opening my own practice felt like a no-brainer. I could be my own boss, I could run my operations the way I saw fit, and I could pursue the avenues in business that made the most sense to me. Read more>>

Tyler Lymburner

The decision to start my own practice came from a deep conviction: I wanted to build a space where care wasn’t dictated by insurance limitations, where every patient had the time, attention, and tools needed to truly recover and perform at their best. I didn’t have decades in traditional clinics under my belt — instead, I had a clear vision for what I wanted to create and the determination to figure out the path forward. What I lacked in industry seniority, Read more>>

Agustina Caminos

Starting my own practice wasn’t a single moment, it was a calling that grew louder over time. After years of working in wellness, healing, and spa leadership, I felt the need to create something that fully reflected my vision: a space where ancient wisdom, energy healing, luxury, and soul connection could coexist. I had developed programs, curated experiences, and led teams at Faena for many years, but I knew I had something more personal to offer, a philosophy that needed its own identity. Read more>>