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.

Saundra Lauer

Hands down the hardest part in initial parts of business planning, was when you were riding the line between do I make the jump or not. Once you make the jump, you don’t look back. Those first three months of business planning were spent around creating a business plan and putting your napkin numbers onto paper to be able to present to a bank to help support your initial start up cost. Read more>>

Sabrina Ruiz

As a young female professional, freshly graduated from college, and newly seeking a career in the health and wellness space, it can be difficult to start. In health coaching, there are so many different routes you can take, whether that be practicing in a clinical setting, in group coaching, in an emphasis in something specific, etc. When I began my private practice, I decided I wanted to create a brand/practice that was very personal and represented me and my values. Read more>>

Sandi Griffin

I was completely unaware that my personal fitness journey that began back in 2007 would lead to my career as a professional fitness coach. My journey hasn’t been without lots of challenges and obstacles. Our family was stationed overseas for 17 years with the U.S. Air Force. It was absolutely amazing and challenging at the same time. Starting a business in a foreign country came with lots of learning and growing opportunities. Read more>>

Gina Strole

I left a productive business as an Event and Family Photographer to pursue a business in Intuitive Healing and spiritual coaching. I had owned my own business as a photographer for over ten years and had created a very good reputation for myself. And was doing very well, but I knew that my heart was somewhere else. Read more>>

Katrina Belmont

Started my practice in 2019. I wanted to create a space that was authentic and welcoming. The parts no one prepared me for was finding and being able to afford a space to create that environment. I have been in 3 different buildings since I started. Navigating the boring things about the business have definitely been the most challenging. Taxes, filing, billing, notes, assessments, etc. Finding a mentor, someone that can help guide you, and/or someone that can guide you. Read more>>

Georgia Grey

I went through a health journey from 2014-2018, during which I struggled with autoimmune disease and Lyme Disease. This left me feeling sick, exhausted, and overwhelmed for years. Fortunately, I had a degree from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and knew that I could heal with food. Read more>>

Judith Poole

Right after massage school in 2012 I knew that as a second career I wanted to go into business for myself. Entrepreneurship was always in the cards for me since both of my parents were entrepreneurs and I grew up watching them run businesses. It was important to me that as a wife and mother of 2 I would have the flexibility of planning my work hours and my work load around my family’s needs. I always strive to find a good work/life balance. Read more>>

Claudia Matos

Establishing my practice was no small feat, but I knew it was something I needed to do to avoid burnout. Sounds crazy, right? Starting a business on the verge of burnout? It was the best thing I could’ve done. I was at the point in my life that felt as if I was questioning my entire career when I knew this had always been my calling and passion so something had to be done. In the process of beginning my practice, I’ve learned so much and made so many great connections! Read more>>

Nicky Perry

I started, like most trainers, working for a big box gym. There the name of the game was quantity not quality and I would be training 6-8 clients back to back most days, not even able to remember who I had trained or what we had covered by the end of the day, I started to get really discouraged by the fact that these members were paying good money for training but not really getting the service and results they were expecting by being part of this assembly line of sessions. Read more>>

Chechi (Tsvetelina) Mitseva

The inspiration to do trauma healing hit me literally in a single day, as crazy as that sounds. It happened back in 2019 when I was in a very scattered and unsettled state which prompted me to go on my personal healing journey. For a year I pushed myself to do anything that could challenge my old limiting beliefs and help me grow. Retreats, ceremonies, trainings, books, you name it. A friend of mine used to tell me “You are really on a mission!” Read more>>

Haylin Dennison

Last year, we opened a mental health clinic for teenagers called, “Spill The tea Cafe,” out of a response to the mental health crisis in our state. At Spill the Tea Cafe, we’re on a mission to save lives. We provide a safe, inclusive space for at-risk youth to receive free mental health services, including individual & group therapy sessions, and a place to hang out with kids who may be going through similar challenges. Our founder, a trans teenager who experienced bullying, created this clinic to decrease the alarming rate of suicide among at-risk youth in Hawaii. Read more>>

Tiyanna Washington

Looking back, starting my wellness practice was a long time coming. Ever since I could remember dating back to middle school straight through my college years, I’d always surrounded myself in youth & wellness centered spaces from schools, youth groups in churches, community events in my area, my interest was always in working with teen girls. Read more>>

Alycer Johnson

Starting a real estate brokerage can be a thrilling endeavor, but it’s not without its challenges. For me, the decision to strike out on my own was borne out of a desire for greater control over my career and a passion for helping clients achieve their real estate goals. Read more>>