By Marina Capella, MD, MEd
If you’re reading this, you’ve likely already taken one of the bravest steps a pediatrician can take — stepping outside of traditional corporate medicine to pursue direct pediatric care. You’ve done the hard work of setting up your practice, learning how to market, navigating legal and financial systems, and figuring out EMRs and workflows on your own terms. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: what got you this far won’t necessarily get you where you want to go next.
I’ve spoken to several DPC physicians over the past year who are struggling. They opened their practice with courage and optimism, but a year or two in, things just aren’t what they’d hoped. Memberships are low. The overhead is too high. They are still a one-person show and starting to experience burnout trying to do all the things. They are barely breaking even.
Were they just not cut out for DPC? Or is it a bad local market for DPC? In most cases neither one of those is the case – these are bright, hardworking physicians who may just need some ideas and encouragement to do things a little differently, to own their expertise, and to step a little further into the spotlight so that more families can learn about the awesome service they offer.
From Pediatrician to Entrepreneur
Being a successful direct care physician entrepreneur requires more than just excellent clinical skills and a solid understanding of budgeting and taxes. It requires an entirely new mindset — one built on resilience, adaptability, and continuous growth. It means becoming someone who is willing to try, fail, and try again. And yes, that means doing things that might feel awkward, vulnerable, or even scary at first.
- Not comfortable with networking? Time to stretch.
- Hate asking for referrals? It’s a skill worth learning.
- Fear putting yourself out there on social media or video? That discomfort may be exactly where the next wave of growth lies.
Discomfort is the Path
The good news? You’ve already been here before. Remember your first failed IV? The first time you held the LP needle in the ER? Or how terrifying it felt to admit you didn’t know the answer on rounds? You pushed through anyway.
Physicians are no strangers to discomfort:
- Premedical gauntlet? Check!
- MCAT, board exams, endless applications? Done!
- Drawing blood, delivering bad news, running a code? You showed up every single time!
The truth is, becoming a successful DPC pediatrician is not about avoiding discomfort — it’s about walking straight through it with the same grit you showed in medical school and residency. The sooner you get comfortable being uncomfortable, the faster you’ll grow.
Why This Matters in DPC
Physicians who are hesitant to step outside their comfort zones often struggle with:
- Attracting enough patients
- Communicating their unique value confidently
- Adapting when the economy shifts or family needs evolve
- Investing in new opportunities that could scale their impact
On the flip side, DPC physicians who lean into learning and risk (within reason) often experience breakthroughs that others miss. They pivot, experiment, collaborate, and evolve.
You’re Already Built for This
The very qualities that helped you survive the sleepless nights and long days of residency are the same ones that will help you thrive as a physician-entrepreneur. You’ve already shown you’re capable of hard things — now it’s time to channel that resilience into building something bold and new.
Let this be your encouragement to:
- Join that business mastermind
- Start that blog or newsletter
- Raise your prices to reflect your value
- Take that course in integrative medicine, autism evaluations, or the thing you want to become an expert in
You don’t have to have it all figured out today — but you do have to be willing to grow beyond yesterday’s limits.
“What got you here won’t get you there.” It’s not a criticism — it’s an invitation.
An invitation to expand, evolve, and lead your practice (and yourself) into the next chapter of success.
You’ve done harder things. You can do this too.
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