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.

Ro Bourne

Establishing my independent practice certainly came with challenges. First, there’s the self-doubt! For instance, the uncertainty about how to start/run a business or how would I attract clients. What if I don’t know enough? Or do I have what it takes to run/manage my own business. However, while attending college taking finance, taxation & business management courses definitely gave me a boost in confidence! Read more>>

Yahya Alshawi

There are many words of wisdom for young people starting their own firm. Jim Rohn said, “Learning is the beginning of wealth. Learning is the beginning of health. Learning is the beginning of spirituality. Searching and learning are where the miracle process all begins.” he followed with “Work harder on yourself than you do on your job.” I wholeheartedly agree however, that doesn’t imply there won’t be difficulties, roadblocks, and hiccups in pursuing those goals. Read more>>

Sharife Gacel

This year will be Koi Counseling’s 9th anniversary. I had exactly zero background in starting a business at the start of this journey, but knew that my desire to create an inclusive private practice was great enough to overcome whatever obstacles were awaiting me. Fast forward to the present and I can reflect on the challenges. Fresh out of school, I knew I needed an office but little else. I was fortunate enough to find a couple of spaces along the way that provided a suitable place to provide counseling to the community. Read more>>

Kiera Moore

After working at a busy clinic for over four years, I started to become overwhelmed and burnt out. At times, I could see 25 -30 patients per day without a lunch break. I could not continue working under those circumstances. This type of environment isn’t ideal for patients either, as they often experience long waits and limited face time with the healthcare provider. Read more>>

Jarvis Parker

Early on when I was getting ready to graduate from Alpha School of Massage as Licensed Massage Therapist I knew I had to find me a lane to stand out. I came to the conclusion that I wanted to promote massage therapy in the urban areas due to the fact that massage therapy is seen as a luxury instead of a necessity. I wanted to delivery high quality work at affordable rates and spread the gift of massage. Most people can’t say they know a massage therapist personally & I’m the person to change that narrative. To get myself known, I would attend school career days, do pop ups at local tattoo parlors, barbershop, partner with estheticians and work local sporting events such as the Gate River Run. Read more>>

Chris McDonald

I was working full time in the school system as a School Counselor. I was fed up with all the politics of it and how unsupported I felt . I knew I was more on the clinical side of things and wanted to expand my skills where they would be honored and supported. I started an online only practice back in 2013 (before telehealth was popular!) and struggled to get started and find clients. I really had no idea what I was doing and felt a bit lost. There was not the multitude of podcasts, facebook groups for therapists or online courses like there is now so I had to dig to really find resources that were helpful. Read more>>

Megan Nash

While nutrition and health have always been a passion of mine, my career path was originally in fashion. During the pandemic in 2020 I knew this was the perfect opportunity to change careers and pursue what I truly loved. After completing my health coaching certification in 2021, I launched my business, Megan Nash Health, shortly after. From the beginning, I have met with clients virtually, so the initial set up was pretty easy. Read more>>

Coach LaQueta Wheeler

I started mentoring girls when I was in college to help them cope with the absence of their father. I was abandoned by my biological father when I was a child. I did not want to see young girls encountering what I experienced due to my abandonment. I was able to mentor girls at churches and at schools. During my mentoring sessions, I helped the girls to change their mindset while overcoming depression, anxiety, negative generational beliefs, low self-esteem, lack of confidence and other setbacks. Read more>>

Kortnie Harris

After completing my Master’s degree, I worked at a Home Health Agency in Miami, FL and decided that I would like to own and operate my own agency in the future. I sought and earned an the opportunity to complete an Administrator In Training (AIT) program at a Skilled Nursing Facility in Denver, Colorado, and subsequently became a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator. In 2018, I decided to bet on myself and move home to follow my dreams of creating my own business. Read more>>

Michelle Isla

Midwifery came to me as part of my spiritual journey. From the early days of studying midwifery I didn’t know exactly what it would look like for me. All I knew was that I was following my inner voice and taking the steps that I felt led to take moment to moment. As I approached the end of my training and got a better sense for how I wanted to serve others, I realized I didn’t quite fit into the current paradigm of how midwifery was offered in my local community. Read more>>

Maritza P Rodriguez

The thought about starting my practice began when I was employed as a Social Worker within a school district. I have had over 15 years of experience working within Education in the form of an educator and as a clinical counselor. When the COVID-19 pandemic became a reality, changes became present with funding as students were leaving to stay home and the need to stay home started to become a reality. Read more>>

Lynda Price

In establishing my practice, I had a desire to become an entrepreneur and I wanted the freedom and control over my own schedule especially being a fulltime parent. With that being said, the main steps I had to take was to establish the foundational aspects of my practice such as completing the proper legal documentation to become an LLC as well as getting my tax id. Prior to this I earned my ability to establish my practice by becoming a fully licensed professional counselor in the states of which I practice. Read more>>

Bernadette Mitchell

I started my work life in administrative positions. I attended a vocational-technical high school which prepares you for the work force. I was not able to choose my own vocation (because of my parent’s wishes), which would have been cosmetology or interior design. I always knew I had a creative entrepreneurial spirit. So, throughout the years, I continued in the legal field as a paralegal, legal assistant or legal secretary. Read more>>

Zechariah Scheiding

The decision to open my own practice as opposed to being another employee was a big decision in itself. Its a risk putting everything on you rather than have the comfortability of knowing your going to get a salary but this was one of the best choices I have ever made. The challenges started immediately trying to figure out how to legally open a business, choosing a name, picking a business location, figuring out inventory, taxes, deadlines, etc.. it was all very overwhelming. I thought those times would pass but over the years there’s new obstacles, new tasks, and the best way to handle them is to go through the hardships. Read more>>