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.

Martez Brayboy

Speed 21 Athletics first started as a Strength & Conditioning/Fitness business as I provided personal training, speed development, sports coaching, and nutrition programs to various clients and athletes in New York City and South Carolina from 2013 to 2022. It was December 2022 when I decided to make Speed 21 Athletics a sports agency. Read more>>

Dena Patterson

Establishing my practice of wellness, yoga, mindfulness, and non-profit Serenity Urban Wellness. One of the first key challenges to starting my practice was taking accountability for my life. I had to look in the mirror and take ownership of the role I played in many paths I took. Sometimes it’s easier to blame others or overlook the role we played. Read more>>

Amanda Howard

I’ve always loved makeup and skincare. It wasn’t until my father passed away I had the opportunity to go back to school. I have always had to work and couldn’t afford not to work to go to school. The course I wanted to take was a M-F 7:00 – 3:00 time frame and it took a year. I had made up my mind that I was going to do this. No matter the sacrifice I had to do it for me. So I signed up for college. Being the oldest student in my class I didn’t let that define anything.

Liza Kaplan Montanino

I never set out to be an entrepreneur. In fact, it wasn’t something I ever considered. Before starting my own sleep consulting agency, I worked for 15 years in a corporate job (as a children’s book editor) and was really fulfilled by the work for the majority of that time. I thrived on the predictability, routine, and responsibility of making books for a living. Read more>>

Lindiwe Greenwood

Looking back, I have always been an entrepreneur at heart. I can remember setting up my own dog walking and baby sitting business at the age of 9. Something about dreaming then creating, and ultimately executing, gave me a bit of a thrill. It was also around that time that I decided that I wanted to become a doctor. Read more>>

Ari Brock

I started personal training 25 years ago because I had two small children and decided I needed to do something from my home. My business name is Body Awakening Holistic Training. I had to do a personal training course and learn all about the body and helping clients with challenging themselves, motivating them to feel good about themselves and helping to improve their lifestyles. Read more>>

Jeffrey Goodman

I have been a private practice dentist for over 10 years. I was lucky enough to go into practice with my father and older brother. We expanded our practices over the years by acquiring 3 more dental practices and opening a 2nd location. We pride ourselves on offering specialty care under one roof (from cleanings and fillings to dental implants and crowns) to make your visits as convenient and frictionless as possible. Read more>>