Is This Right for Me?
The decision before the decision.
- The question you're asking
- Should I leave employment and start my own practice?
- The decision in front of you
- Solo vs. group vs. concierge vs. DPC vs. stay employed.
How to actually run decide.
The order of operations for this phase. What comes first, what can run in parallel, what will cost you if you skip ahead.
Get honest about your financial runway, your specialty's economics, and whether you want to run a business or just see patients.
- · Talk to 3 physicians who've launched in the last 3 years
- · Run a back-of-envelope startup cost model
- · Test your local payer mix
- ! Waiting for the 'right time' (there isn't one)
- ! Not running the numbers and getting scared by the unknown
- ! Trying to decide alone
Schedule a consultation when you've decided you're serious — before you sign anything.
Schedule a consultationPhase 01 is the decision before the decision. Long before you sign a lease, choose an EHR, or pick a payer mix, you have to decide whether private practice is right for you at all, and if it is, what model you actually want to run. This is the work most physicians skip — and it's the work that prevents the most expensive mistakes later.
The three questions that actually matter.
One: do I want to run a business, or do I just want to see patients with more autonomy? These are not the same thing. Private practice is a small business; running one consumes time, attention, and energy that won't go into clinical work. Some physicians thrive on this. Others find out 18 months in that they wanted the autonomy without the operational burden — by which point they're committed.
Two: what model fits my life and my finances? Solo fee-for-service, group practice, direct primary care, concierge, hybrid — each has different startup costs, different revenue models, different patient counts, and different lifestyle implications. None is universally better.
Three: do I have the runway? Six to twelve months of personal expenses in cash, plus startup capital, plus working capital reserve. If the answer is no, the right move is usually 'stay employed longer and save,' not 'launch under-capitalized.'
“Some physicians want to run a business. Some want autonomy without the operational burden. Find out which you are before you sign anything.”
Practice models, briefly.
Five models account for most independent practice launches. Each has different startup economics, different operational burden, and different long-term profitability. There is no universal best; the right choice is the one that fits your specialty, your market, and your appetite for the business side.
Signals that you're ready.
You can articulate the business model in two sentences. You have six to twelve months of personal financial runway. You have at least a rough pro forma. You've talked to at least two physicians who have launched in your specialty in the last three to five years and listened to what they got wrong. Your spouse or partner is informed and on board. You've consulted a healthcare attorney about your current employment contract (non-competes, patient solicitation, intellectual property).
Signals that you're not ready yet.
You're certain that 'it will work' without having modeled it. Your runway is less than six months and you haven't accounted for credentialing lag. You haven't read your current employer's non-compete and patient solicitation clauses. You're framing the decision around frustration with your current job rather than enthusiasm for a specific business you want to build. None of these mean 'don't do it.' They mean 'do more Phase 01 work first.'
What people ask most.
- 01QuestionQ01
Should I quit my job before I start planning?
No. Almost everything in Phase 01 and Phase 02 can and should happen while you're still employed. Quitting before you have an entity, a financial plan, and at least the early credentialing work in motion costs you months of preparation time and significant income.
- 02QuestionQ02
How long does Phase 01 take?
It varies. Some physicians take six months of thinking before a 30-day decision. Others have been thinking for years and need 30 days of structured planning to convert thinking into action. The work is not measured in time — it is measured in whether the questions above are honestly answered.
- 03QuestionQ03
What if my non-compete is restrictive?
Most non-competes in healthcare are negotiable, enforceable in only narrow ways, or limited by state law (some states have effectively banned non-competes for physicians). Read it with a healthcare attorney in your state before you give notice. This is one of the most common Phase 01 mistakes.
- 04QuestionQ04
Is DPC right for me?
DPC works very well for some physicians and specialties and very poorly for others. It is best suited for primary care, certain low-volume specialties, and physicians who are comfortable building a member base over 12 to 24 months. It is less suited for high-acuity specialties or physicians who need traditional insurance economics.
When you want help with this phase.
Each crew owns a specific piece of the build. You hire what you need, when you need it.
Get the order of operations right the first time.
A free consultation surfaces the watchouts most likely to bite your specific situation. No script, no pitch — just the practical version of what we'd do in your seat.
Book your free consultation