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.

Lea Nehme

I started thinking about starting my own firm about 6 years ago, as I wanted to be able to provide a high level of service to clients. My family and I had gone through the immigration process ourselves, and I remember how difficult it was for all of us. I wanted to be able to help others in a similar position, and make sure clients felt taken care of throughout the process and had all their questions answered. Read more>>

Heather Keenan

In March of 2020, I decided to quit my full-time job working at an addiction treatment center. I had been working there for about 3 years and I had been getting an itch that my time there was coming to an end and there was something bigger for me out there. I had always known that I wanted to open up my own private practice so I could start to have more autonomy with my ideal clients and my scheduling. When I quit my job, I didn’t have much lined up for me except the idea of it being time to start my private practice. I began reaching out to local group practices, expressing my interest in starting private practice and inquiring if they were looking to add to their team. Read more>>

Ebony Ford

In 2018, after a completely uneventful pregnancy, I was 26 weeks pregnant, suffering from HELLP Syndrome (a deadly form of preeclampsia resulting in multi-organ failure, hypertension, low platelets, and death). Just 3 days prior I was in my doctor’s office complaining of symptoms that were dismissed. As a result of this condition I was placed on life support and my daughter Reign Victoria was born weighing just 1lb 15oz. She went on to spend 3 months in the NICU and I was left wondering what I could do to help prevent this from happening to other families so I began documenting our journey in the NICU on Instagram. Read more>>

Randy Kauk

i have been working in the medical profession for 14 years, working in neurosurgery, pain & addiction management, and orthopedic surgery. While working at Mayo Clinic Hospital, I obtained my MSN degree to become a Board-Certified Nurse Practitioner. I found it hard to schedule aesthetic treatments as a busy professional because medical spas were not open in the evening or on the weekends. I have always been interested in the wellness side of medicine and have a passion for aesthetics, so I decided to open my own medical aesthetics practice offering evening and weekend hours. This began my dive into working for myself and pursuing my dreams. Opening my very own medical and wellness spa was a dream that has become an entrepreneurial journey. Read more>>

Lauren Ball

I started my private practice back in 2020, when the world shut down. Back then, I was the clinical manager of an addiction treatment facility, and honestly, I was burnt out. I’d just finished a 3 year stint in college and collected internship hours as though they were straight from a fire hose. While other people were concerned about COVID, I was secretly relieved that I had a reason to stay home. While I absolutely loved my job, I had so many ideas about how I could make the place better. The unfortunate thing about corporate America is that sometimes, no matter how wonderful you are at a thing, and how great the company is, change is slow and the stuff right in front of your face usually takes priority. Read more>>

Tanya Carroccio

From the very beginning, the vision of Benehealth was to become a haven for those looking to find natural, holistic paths to better health. A paradigm shift driven by personal experiences and revelations, it’s a testament to the power of perseverance, learning, and collaboration. 1. Realizing the Need and Addressing it Head-on: One of the pivotal moments came when the realization dawned that the conventional medicine being practiced was doing more harm than good. Personal experiences, coupled with seeing others suffer, led to the idea of providing alternative medical solutions that put the patient’s wellbeing at the forefront. Along with the incredibly talented Lauren Bachman, DNP, this idea was nurtured into a full-blown vision for Benehealth. Read more>>

Jamke Marich

Right now my business is primarily characterized as a training organization for therapists, mental health professionals, and others in the human services. And at the beginning of my career as a therapist when I was working on my Ph.D., hoping to teach that way in a university, I didn’t even realize that offering trainings of professional skills that people just don’t get in graduate school was a viable career path. I remember giving my first in-service style training at the company I worked for in 2007 and one of my colleagues said, “You know you can get paid to do trainings like that?” And then I began looking into what it would take to offer continuing education professionally. Read more>>

Julie Kim

As a firm believer in holistic medicine & healing, I had always been drawn to natural healing methods, particularly bc it has been a personal journey with my own health. When I saw the changes in my own health with Traditional Eastern Medicine and Acupuncture I was floored and fascinated, I yearned to share its benefits. So, I made a life-altering decision to go back to school for the next 3 years to start my extensive training in getting my Masters Degree in Traditional Eastern Medicine and learning the intricacies of this ancient practice. Little did I know the journey that awaited me – the many steps, challenges, and ultimately the satisfaction of establishing my own thriving practice. Read more>>

Melissa Kroll

Going on your own, opening your own practice, does not come without challenges, but how could it not, it’s something new. Let me tell you, it also comes with self-growth, freedom, experiences, and so much more. Within the final years of my doctor of chiropractic program, I was on the search for the career of my dreams. Graduating school at 29 years old there was much I already knew of what I wanted and what did not fit that picture. I explored many avenues of joining successful and thriving practices, but none of them felt like the home I was looking for. When time came and I could not find what I was looking for, I had to create it. Read more>>

Brandice Pondexter

When I initially started my business I just jumped right in . I didn’t really know what I was doing but I am the kind of person that will research EVERYTHING! So I’m the early stages of my business I didn’t have any systems in place , and I was just improvising as I went along. I knew at some point I wanted to be able to hire employees and replicate my methods and style of esthetics . So really buckling down and creating an SOP ( Standard Operating Procedure) not only keeps me on track , but it’ll help me once I’m ready to expand . Read more>>

Ravinder Pilson

After taking my first Bikram class while on vacation in Austin, I was shaking, exhausted and at the same time exhilarated. I took class there every day and was hooked. I had to find a place near home where I could continue this all-encompassing practice. Upon returning home and researching, I realized the closest studio to me was in Studio City (half an hour away with no traffic), so I started going there. From developing a regular practice there, I knew I wanted to bring this practice to my community and help others feel as good as I did from the inside out. Read more>>

Jessica Castillo

Opening my own studio was so daunting, yet so incredibly rewarding! I decided after (too many times) working for studios that were toxic and full of negative energy that the next shop I worked in would be my own. I made the decision and didn’t rush it, as much as I wanted it to “just happen already!” I found a really nice little studio space in the North Hollywood arts district with a landlord who truly wants to see me succeed, and I decided to take the leap! Obviously not without anxiety and doubt, though. Read more>>

Kirsten Dean

When I was in massage school, I knew that my end goal was to be able to work for myself. I had been working in a spa while I was finishing up school working the front desk and getting to interact with the guests coming in and just getting a general sense of the spa world. And then when I graduated, I went over to the service provider role! I absolutely loved all of the priceless knowledge I gained working for an established spa! I truly think my experience working for other people helped guide me into being able to open my own practice! From helping me gain confidence with my professional skills, to seeing the back end of how a spa is run, it really helped lay a great foundation of knowledge for me! Read more>>