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.

Richard Woods

It has not been a smooth ride. My first few years in the business were relatively easy compared to others in the business. The market was relatively hot at the time, but within just a few years, I experienced the first of three downturns in the market. I had to learn to adapt and pivot in my business and approach due to the mortgage meltdown and onslaught of short sales and foreclosures. I quickly learned and mastered the short sale process to build my business over the years from 2008 to 2011. Also, even though my family has a sales background, I never considered myself a skilled salesperson. Read more>>

Carlos Romero

My desire to start a college recruitment service began many years ago but I did not act on it officially until covid hit. I found myself with more time and I began thinking of ways to get it running. I had a clear idea of the basic and I knew I was going to hit some challenges but I was willing to go for it. The main one was getting clients and connecting with Coaches. Also, feeling comfortable establishing an appropriate fee for the service. Read more>>

Lana Scott

Since I was young, I have loved caring for those around me. I always knew that I wanted a career that would allow me to serve my community to the best of my abilities. As I grew older, I became more focused on finding a job that aligned with my interests and brought me joy. I mean who wants to have a job that they don’t enjoy, right? It was then that I discovered my love for counseling. My journey in counseling began during my undergraduate studies, where I immersed myself in all things neuroscience and psychology. From research to interning at elementary schools, I explored various avenues to find my calling. Read more>>

Annie Evansv

When I was finishing up my schooling as an esthetician we had to do a final project on a topic of our interest. While others picked specific skin care treatments, theories, and products, I reverted back to my first academic love and undergrad training in econ & chose to do a presentation on how all of us new graduates could control our own income while working for someone else. My thesis was based on the idea that it was more cost effective to work for another business as the startup and management costs of being self employed weren’t attractive financially. Read more>>

Travis Horn

It’s actually quite a beautiful story, 12 years ago once I got out of the Marine Corps honorably discharged the world wasn’t ready nor entuned with balance in general. I went into the gym already being superstrong from the Marine Corps dead lifting 400lb leg pressing 900lb pounds at a 135 pounds of my body weight. But being green it just wasn’t satisfying. So I went around and started touching everything that was collecting dust i.e Foam rollers,medicine balls, steps, kettlebells dumbells the world was heavy on machines in 2011. Read more>>

Dr. Nekita Sullivan

I was not ready to start my own practice but it was provoked by the pandemic. As a student at Clemson their were few places for students of color to get hair care services and products. Therefore, we would drive to neighboring counties for these services. I was surprised that the need still existed. My sorority sister and I agreed to open our own business while on a girls trip. I decided to come back to Clemson and open a multiethnic salon. I opened on Valentine’s Day 2020 and closed 3 weeks later with the mandated shutdown due to the start of the covid 19 pandemic. Read more>>

Stacia Narasky

In order to live the life that I’ve always wanted, I knew that I was going to have to create my own business. The corporate life was never for me. The 9-5 race was exhausting. Working 40+ hours a week was extremely draining. As a therapist, I knew that I was going to have to put myself first and my own mental health in order to be truly happy. As each year passed, I learned more about myself and what I valued in this life. Read more>>

Bryan Nixon

I had been working for a counseling agency in Grand Rapids for a couple of years and was relatively content in my position there, but there was also this part of me that was beginning to emerge. That part of me was more entrepreneurial and I found my thoughts increasingly moving in the direction of wondering what it would be like to own my own business. The thought was both terrifying and exciting. Read more>>

Dominique Tucci

Now this one is something I think about often, as it’s a bit of a funny story that shows how there is a sort of divine timing to things and how you should be appreciative of the little things. Before I opened my yoga studio and created a degree of financial security, my family and I were living a less-than-luxurious life, and I would constantly find myself in a place of mental chaos worrying about money and how we’re going to pay the bills… and also wondering when it was going to get better! Read more>>

Jack Blackwell

Fun But No Heart I loved being a flight attendant. Never taking work home with me, working 15 days per month a good paycheck and so much vacation! What’s not to like And yet my heart was empty I needed something deeper, with more meaning and connection And I searched, but I couldn’t find “it” Then I had the ah-ha Faith I realized I was clinging to my corporate flight attendant job and it’s safety and security. It was so easy to get that bi-weekly paycheck I was being asked to have courage and quit. That my dream would show up when I exercised faith Read more>>

Tara Thompson

I knew I had to open my own business when I realize I was making someone else more money and doing a lot of the work I could have been doing for myself. Read more>>

Dr. Kela Smith

got married at 32 I thought starting a family would be easy but quickly learned for us it was anything but. We did what most couples do when faced with these challenges. We consulted our family doctor who sent us to the OBGYN who ran a ton of tests and awarded us the “unexplained infertility” diagnosis. After a few more doctors, many more tests, and 4 more years, we were told because now I was 36 that we needed to try IUI (intrauterine insemination) or IVF (invitro-fertilization) if we wanted a family. Read more>>

Marija DeVita

After years of working for international skincare companies I wanted to be in control of my destiny. I wanted to be able to give the best treatment options to my clients. Most protocols are cookie cutter and in my view one size doesn’t fit all. Customized treatments and freedom to choose brands and their wellness philosophy was very important to me. Read more>>