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.

Carla Escalante

It started when I realized I struggled in my internship due to my disabilities. I have an array of autoimmune conditions that interfere with normal productive hours, goals and the way I am perceived in professional environments. So, after much struggling I decided graduate school would be the last space in which I would have to work for others who did not grasp how deeply my conditions altered my life. Read more>>

Maggie Kelly

One fall evening in 2011, my husband & I were walking to a restaurant in a charming neighborhood in St. Paul, Minnesota. I noticed a courtyard that looked like an old European village, and a sign that read “Retail Space Available”. I’d been feeling that a career change was needed, but I didn’t have any clarity about what I really wanted to do next. Struck with curiosity about the spaces in the village, I decided to call the number on the sign and check it out. Read more>>

Lizzie Martinez

My husband and I were young personal trainers living in an apartment downtown. We would train clients at different gym and whenever we would save up enough money for a piece of equipment we would buy it and keep it in the living room of our little apartment, We ate tuna, watched red box movies, didn’t go shopping for ourselves – we just kept reinvesting any money we made into gym equipment until we had enough to open a small studio. Our first gym was about 3,000 sq ft. Read more>>

Sweetgrass Counseling & Consultation, LLC

At the beginning of the pandemic, we were working for a charter school management organization. We found ourselves, like many people during this time, laid off and catapulted into deeply examining our career paths. While navigating through our impending career changes, we were saddened at the thought of losing our professional relationship and bond. We spent much of our career development working collaboratively; subsequently, we formed one of the most authentic working relationships with each other. Read more>>

DeAngela “Dee” Scott

Whew, the early years were tough! I was working full-time in a 9-5 position while building my business brick by brick from 5-9. It took a lot of discipline, hard work, and faith that it would all pay off. Thankfully, as a REALTOR, I affiliate with a brokerage and they have a lot of systems already in place. The tough part was building my brand and establishing my company’s systems. Read more>>

Demetria Hazlett.

I had to make a choice and stick to that choice. It’s so easy to say that we want to do something or that we are going to do something, but the action behind it is what takes it to go to the next level. After making the decision to pursue career coaching, I did a lot of research to find the best resources out there. I wanted to learn what other coaches’ journeys were like and try to skip as many headaches as possible. Read more>>

Tamatha Pope

I started my career in beauty and wellness as a licensed professional all the way back in 1997, when I obtained my first license for nail technology. Since then, I have expanded my repertoire to include aesthetics, body sculpting and now business ownership. There is absolute value in adding credentials to your personal portfolio, not only for job advancement and monetary gain, but for gaining self love through pushing yourself to achieve these goals. Read more>>

Jaynell Assmann

When I first started the organization I was working a full-time job as a Trauma Nurse Practitioner, a part-time job in a safety net clinic and starting the street medicine organization in Kansas City. I did not intend it to grow so quickly and become a full-time job for me, but had to make sure we had all the elements in place for patient safety as well as meeting regulatory guidelines. I did a lot of research on the front end and felt I was prepared, I do not think you are ever fully prepared. Read more>>

Cierra Jordan

During the years I worked to obtain my clinical license, I started thinking about opening my own practice. My plan was to get my LCSW, get some experience under my belt and eventually work for myself. However, I didn’t know exactly what that would look like since I knew almost nothing about private practice. Honestly, being a full-time therapist has never been my goal but I enjoyed doing it on a part-time basis. Read more>>

Starr Barrett.

I started my practice at the end of 2021, beginning of 2022 with my daughter. The main steps we took were: coming up with a unique business name, submitting the proper paperwork to the secretary of state, making the name an LLC, trademarking the name, obtaining the certifications that were needed, scouting locations, researching services we wanted to offer, purchasing what was needed for the suite, and opening our door. Read more>>

Dr. Heather Moreau, BVM&S, MRCVS

Being a practice owner was always my goal, long before veterinary school. I knew that I would never be intellectually & emotionally satisfied with being an associate veterinarian and I had so many plans that I was looking forward to putting into practice. I used my time at veterinary school and the various externships in the United Kingdom, Florida, and Utah wisely, gaining various leadership skills and knowledge along the way. Read more>>

Hiroko Shimoda

I started my own practice in 2017 because I loved what I did, which was seeing patients’ health problems improve and they eventually return to doing what they loved to do. Unfortunately, I not only had no business or entrepreneurial experience but also lacked confidence. Japanese are said to have very low self-esteem. And I was no exception. Fortunately, I had drive and passion. Read more>>

Cynthia Crouch, LMHC, CAP, EMDR, CSAT Candidate

Starting my own practice and having it become established in the community takes a lot of hard work, determination and dedication. It all starts with a vision and a belief in yourself. I was able to rebuild my own life and have an incredible story of redemption, which has taught me if you can envision it, you can build it. The advise that I would give to other professionals who want to start their own practice is find a great life coach and mentor and go for it! Read more>>