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.

Dr. Ranelli Williams

My husband, Eric, and I started our accounting firm due to demand. Because we are both accountants, family and friends kept asking us to do their taxes. We did that on the side for a few years until my husband lost his job and with juggling life with a toddler, we decided to make the business official. So we began letting our small pool of clients know that we are expanding and taking on new clients and referrals began to come in. Read more>>

Marcus Mason

Graduating in 2017 with my masters degree in counseling psychology had me curious about what my next steps could be. I knew that I wanted to work with underrepresented populations and wanted to break the stigma of mental health specifically in the Black community. Read more>>

Logan Andrews

I first decided to start a in-home primary care practice while I was still a nurse. I worked at a nursing home in rural North Central Florida and I saw there was a huge need for that type of practice due to so many elderly patient being unable to physically go to a doctor’s office or clinic. The first thing I did was work with a provider to gain some experience and while I was doing this I also applied for in-network status with multiple different insurance companies that I knew were primarily used by patients in my area. Read more>>

Carrie Weinberg

After graduating from massage school I knew that I wanted to start my own business and not work for the major massage chains. I wanted to be able to design my own protocols and implement them as necessary, basically I didn’t want to do cookie cutter massages. The first step I took was to find an affordable place to work out of. That wasn’t the easiest seeing as I had zero clientele and not any financial reserves. Read more>>

Che (Hurt) Ward

Several years ago, in FL, I worked for several agencies, even did some private practice as an individual. But I fell for a man who decided to enlist in the US Marine Corps and our world was relocated to California. While I was born and raised there, I had come to consider FL my home. During our stay in California, I was hired as a therapist on-base and served active duty, veterans, and their families, a new and exciting section of the population which would later impact my decision to start my own business. Read more>>

Parker Forte

Starting my own private practice was an idea that came out of emotional frustration stemming from the companies and practices that I had previously worked in. Unfortunately, subpar business practices forced me to leave those environments. I had one plan in mind. To succeed and thrive in a business, servicing people that looked like me, with a team that looked like me. The first step, was reflecting over the past ten years. Read more>>

Lakeisha Gatling, PhD, LCSW, 200 RYT

Since I was a young girl, people seemed to always come to me to share their stories, and even to ask for advice. It wasn’t until I got older that I realized I had a special gift; several gifts actually, which were being a good listener, sharing kind and calming words, having compassion, and having a passion for service to others. I did not think that I would be a psychotherapist when I got older though. Read more>>

Joshua Yokel

I graduated from Physical Therapy school in May 2018. Six months into my first job out of school I was asked if I wanted to assist in the growth of a new clinic. I had no idea what I was doing, but I said yes and jumped at the opportunity. I realized I wasn’t getting the mentorship I craved in this position so I left that job a few months later. Read more>>

Sayuri Tsuchitani

I love getting a Head Spa myself in Japan and I could not find anywhere specialized this method in US, so I decided to open myself. Recreating my experience and expertise to create one of the kind experiences for US markets. I did everything step by step. Find your why. Read more>>