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.

Katrina Hofstetter

I started my career in the legal field in 2006 as a legal secretary for another solo practitioner. I was the only staff member and I essentially had to learn how to run every aspect of this firm, from the typical paralegal tasks to invoicing, accounts payable/receivable, marketing, payroll, bookkeeping, and more. I ultimately grew in this role, taking on more and more responsibility, and helped him double his annual revenue within about 5 years. Read more>>

Shakeena Melbourne

The idea of starting my own law firm started with a toxic work environment. The law firm I was working at had a decrease in staffing, complaining clients and was in need of some internal systemic changes due to the high staff turn around. After working tirelessly 6 days a week for nearly 6 months to a year, changes arose and things began to change. The clients were no longer complaining, staff received adequate training, and we saw an increase in client retention. Within 2 years, clients were sending more cases, staff were working efficiently and effectively and the firm saw an enormous increase in client payments. Despite these improvements there was a negative culture and work environment. Several of my male colleagues would take credit for tasks and jobs I would complete and eventually attempt on multiple occasions to take my job or position. After numerous issues and concerns, internally I thought it was time to move on to a new position. But after looking at job descriptions in the area and job opportunities, I thought it would be best to start my own practice to give a voice to the voiceless in areas such as probate, estate planning, real estate transactions and bankruptcy. But my real target was small business owners and veterans. And with the assistance of some friends, mentors and family, I was able to start my PLLC (Professional Limited Liability Company), come up with a name for the law firm and build the confidence to be able to go out on my own with literally only $300 in my pocket. Read more>>

Shante Clark-Davis

I initially wanted to work for a private practice as a 1099 contractor and provide services as a prn (as needed) therapist at a behavioral health hospital. Private Practice allowed me to help clients and maintain a flexible schedule. This was great, I was able to provide services and not be concerned about administrative aspects. Read more>>

Dr. Irene Yaymadjian

I started my practice in 2017 with $100 in my pocket and about $1500 in my bank account. Truth be told I had no idea what I was doing, but the one thing I did have was faith in my heart. I knew I wanted to help people, but I didn’t know how to get the word out so that I was a trusted source for people to come to.. I never took a business class, and I was always told that I’m not very business minded by others. I decided to step aside from all the criticism that I heard to take a risk and allow myself to jump into something that I truly believed, in who else but myself. I still remember going to IKEA and thinking to myself, “gosh everything is so expensive. “Scratching my head trying to figure out how on earth I would get my office to look the way I dreamt of like on my Pinterest board. I decided to take it one step at a time, one furniture piece at a time, and budget my way through every single month. Every month I added something new to my practice, and by the end of the year my office with set up exactly the way I want it to be. The aesthetics of a psychotherapy office is essential to the therapy that is done in person. Regardless of what people tell you a patient needs to get a certain feeling when they walk into your office, this includes colors, textures, and smells. Everything in my office was very thought out because I wanted to make sure that my patients felt comfortable. I would have other therapists walk into my office and tell me that I’m “over doing things “but I would laugh it off and move forward. Not until about four years past did people stop criticizing what they thought my business mind was. Read more>>

Lila Kimel

I started my practice in 2013, when my daughter was born. I had been working at JFK Partners at the University of Colorado, School of Medicine, and at Childen’s Hospital Colorado. After having a baby, I decided that I wanted to have more control over my schedule and have more time to spend with my baby. I read a bunch of books on starting a private practice, met with many colleagues who had successful private practices to ask questions, and created a task list to get things going. Read more>>

Phil Stark

When COVID hit in 2020 I was halfway through my graduate program, getting my master’s degree in Psychology, about six months from starting to see clients in person. I did end up starting to see clients but instead of in person it was online via telehealth. What started out as a barrier to accomplishing what I wanted to do with my practice ending up being a feature I wanted to incorporate in to my practice. During the pandemic many things we did in person transitioned to being done online, from ordering food to going on dates. Now that we’re coming out the other end of the COVID experience some things we got used to doing online are things we’re going to keep doing online. For instance, more people are now not only more comfortable having doctor’s appointments or therapy sessions online, but they now prefer it The ease of logging in from their own home and not having to drive are factors that my clients find positive about doing talk therapy online. It’s been an interesting journey adjusting my practice to the post COVID environment. Read more>>

Brandon Scheer

I feel like for most dentists and orthodontists I know, the story of how we got to where we are today after doing a startup is mostly a story of about all the mistakes we made along the way, how we didn’t really know what we were doing at first and had to figure it out as we went, the people that helped us, the people that took advantage of us, the personal growth and the transformation that occurred along the way, and the benefits we now enjoy of having gone through that experience. It’s a similar story in a lot of ways to Joseph Campbell’s “The Hero’s Journey.” In Campbell’s book, the hero is first called to adventure, where they must leave the safety of their home and venture into the unknown. Along the way they encounter adversity, meet mentors, and at the lowest point there is a symbolic death and rebirth. After that is growth, conquering the unknown, and returning home with the rewards of the adventure, as well as being a changed person. The entrepreneur’s story is pretty much the same story, call it the “Entrepreneur’s Journey” if you will. Read more>>

Christina Frey

Starting my own business was always the plan when I started school. I knew I wanted the freedom of my own schedule and decisions. 11 Years later I still have no regrets. But I had no idea what I would face along the way. Owning a business is hard work. It is a lot of pedal to the medal. Head down and focus. I think my biggest lesson along the way is realizing that this is my story. My journey. While having a mentor is great and important. I have learned to be very direct with who I allow close to my business. Who’s advice matters. And who’s doesn’t. Staying focused and clear in the head is probably the hardest challenge. But if you have a love and passion for what you are doing that is all that matters. Read more>>

Penny Ordway

I founded eviama life, the Mid Atlantic region’s first green spa, in 2002. What a journey! I was set to lease one space when the landlord backed out, and shortly after this, 9/11 tragically changed all our lives. Several people advised me to rethink my plans to open any kind of business. I was willful enough to keep going. I found a 2100 square foot space, researched and procured green building materials such as bamboo, cork and Linoleum flooring, non VOC emitting paints, natural fiber insulation and more – and set to work. Contractors balked at the idea of using these materials, as if it made no difference! I could tell that opening a green organic holistic spa in Philadelphia would take some targeted marketing and thoughtful consciousness raising at the time. We opened about 60 days after my projected time, struggled with signage approval from City of Philadelphia, but overall, I must say, I am so glad I pushed through. We have since moved to a new location, which we also greened, and made it through the COVID-19 required closure of six months, many staff changes. We are still standing. We are about to release a revised menu of services that reflects the multi talented crew we have here. Read more>>

Karen Alladin

My husband and I opened our practice in 2012. We took out a small business loan just to get the main buildout of our space ready, but we decided early on that we would not pay ourselves until we paid off our loan completely. He and I both worked part-time jobs, while any money we earned at our practice went toward aggressively paying off our loan and investing in other items we needed in our clinic. My husband grew up in Louisville, but I was new to this city, so I made sure my part-time jobs also provided an opportunity for me to meet new people and network within my target demographic. Being in the health and wellness industry, I found that continuing to teach yoga part-time was a perfect way for me to meet a community of like-minded people who would also be interested in learning more about my acupuncture practice.Read more>>