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.

Vanessa Butler

The decision to start our firm was an easy one. When I was pregnant with my oldest child, my husband and I knew we wanted to homeschool him once he became of age. The only way to successfully do that was for one of us to be home full-time. We decided that I would be the one to stay home, but I wasn’t satisfied with just that; I wanted to contribute to our household monetarily as well. That’s when Butler CFO & Tax, LLC was birthed. Read more>>

Natasha Taylor

Starting this online business venture was a huge leap for me. I have been in healthcare for almost 20 years and have always had this itch to do things “my way” but not having that business background held me back from trying. Owning a brick and mortar clinic seems so scary so I started an online coaching business where I fused my love of physical fitness and health with my expertise in helping people recover from injury in physical therapy. Read more>>

Sam Becourtney

After working at an outpatient orthopedic PT clinic for 3.5 years following graduation from the DPT program at NYU, I decided it was time to take the leap and start my own practice. Before starting Pillar Performance, I knew that finding the right location was a key first step and one I couldn’t afford to mess up. I was fortunate to find an amazing co-working gym space (Sky Health NYC) to start running my practice out of, and have hit the ground running since opening in January of 2023. Read more>>

Melissa Mahon

I decided to start my own psychotherapy practice so that I was able to create a harmony that worked for my life. Prior to this, I was working at a Multi-Specialty Medical Practice as a Psychologist and had very rigid hours that was extremely income driven by the company. I finally decided to leave when my supervisor asked if I could guarantee I would never make another schedule change. One thing I know about me and most creators in the world, is that we never ever stay the same and if things are not constantly moving and changing, then we become bored very quickly. Read more>>

Seth Rotman

The healthcare industry is broken. Effective communication with doctors is a struggle. Introspection and self-care all too often drop off peoples priority lists. Maybe these statements sound harsh or aggressive. Or, if you’re like most people, maybe this resonates more than you want to admit. Read more>>

Emily Roedersheimer

It’s been 4 years now since I started my own practice in functional medicine and left the traditional medical model. I was so excited but scared to death! My training in medical school taught me nothing about how to start a business! Some of it was fun – like naming my company and choosing a logo. But much of it was overwhelming – registering my business with the state, marketing myself and my services and creating a new framework for how I wanted to practice medicine. Read more>>

Govind Tatiyal

So here I am , an average guy like any other , sharing with you how with the zeal and love for my passion, is building a new empire for which I consider myself as a King ( and hence the nickname) . It has been definitely a roller coaster which I’m still riding with multiple ups and downs to build my own Kingdom , where reside a bunch of hardworking, goal oriented , disciplined people who were earlier just like me- lost, lack of self confidence , incarcerated or simply worried about how they were. Read more>>

Mike Kelleher

I never set out to open my own practice. Was never even in my vocabulary, but it had to be done. I always felt that patient care and treatment could be done differently. Involving the patient in the plan, allowing them to feel comfortable and being completely open and honest with them. I knew nothing about opening a business, and I am still learning. I just knew it had to be done, so I did it. Read more>>

Karly Treacy

Through my thousands of hours of training in Pilates, Yoga, Barre, Strength and Conditioning and the pelvic floor experiences I have endured related to having 3 children within 3 years, I developed a unique approach to training the body that heals patterns of dis-ease and dysfunction while getting us in the best shape we have ever been!! Read more>>

Lynn Lessell

You may ask, “Why do you want to tell us about starting your practice? What’s so important about that?” The important reason for starting my practice is something that I believe will tell you a lot about me and why I do what I do. That said, I’d like to start with what led up to going out on my own. Read more>>

Giancarlo Simpson

For many years I debated starting my own LLC. I found stability in my job and was comfortable. But what I realized was far more valuable: I did not fully trust myself on my own in the mental health field. I worked as an independent contractor for years; under agencies and other companies but never my own LLC. and LLC meant ownership, accountability, and investing in myself. Something that I was uncomfortable with, I was afraid of losing what felt like a certain income for something that may not yield the same results. Read more>>

Catrina Clark

My practice is called Louisa57, named after and in memory of my mom, Laverne Louise Clark. She passed away 3 months before her 57th birthday. Due to her mental illness, she was unable to raise my 3 siblings and me. I did not have her in my life from around the age of 7 until my early 30s. However, once I got her back in my life, I became very involved in her life and mental health. Read more>>

Lyonie Charles

Lyonie Charles embarked on her nursing journey 17 years ago, setting her sights on a path dedicated to providing care and making a difference in people’s lives. Starting as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), she quickly advanced her career, becoming a Registered Nurse (RN) and later a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). Read more>>

Kimberly Cassidy

From a young age, I knew I didn’t have the want to take the same path as everyone else. Sitting in an office all day was not an interest I had. But no loved to learn, and even more so, I loved to teach. I decided to take a class that was coming to our area, and it was called Iridology. This is the science of the color and structure of the iris to determine tissue deficiencies and strengths and the body’s predisposition to genetic weaknesses. Our eyes are like a miniature television screen showing 90 different areas mapped in each iris. Read more>>

 Sheree Knowles

When I worked in Corporate America, on paper, I had a ‘good job’. I held the top position in Human Resources which included an amazing compensation plan (salary, bonuses, stock options, etc). But I was miserable. I worked in an environment that didn’t value my diversity as a Black female executive and I experienced bias, microaggressions, exclusion, and incivility on a regular basis. After a series of significant personal events, I decided to leave my ‘good job’ and God led me to entrepreneurship. Read more>>

Sharon Campbell

I embarked on this journey because I recognized numerous gaps in funding, contracts, jobs, and speaking opportunities for black women and black nonprofits in the United States. Despite the obstacles and challenges imposed on us, black women have the potential to create wealth and provide for their families. Read more>>