Are you working in healthcare and wondering about some side business ideas for doctors? Do you have an entrepreneurial spirit you’ve been dying to express? Do you have ideas you want to put out in the world but ultimately feel too scared or discouraged to just get started?
Entrepreneurship can feel like such a scary and risky path. That’s why I am so excited for today’s podcast convo with Dr. Marjorie Stiegler. We go deep into her back story and dive into how experimentation, boldness, and trial and error ultimately led to her success.
You’ll learn:
- How to “de-risk” your entrepreneurial ventures to avoid big and dramatic consequences of a “failure”
- Why you MUST overcome fear, doubt, and perfectionism to start taking rough, unpolished action.
- How she accidentally made $6000 on her first paid speaking gig.
… and sooo many more juicy topics.
If you’ve ever thought about starting your own business, this episode will be such an inspiration for you.
Use the audio player above to listen, or tune in on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Side Business Ideas for Doctors: Ecommerce
There are countless side business ideas for doctors. Dr. Stiegler’s first side business was in the world of eCommerce. Marjorie took the traditional path of going to college, med school, and residency, where she met her now-husband in Boston. They moved to Los Angeles where she took on academic faculty duties. Her husband went to business school, which was one of the catalysts for breaking out into entrepreneurship.
They started an online business while she continued to work in the medical field. The business was selling maternity athletic apparel. In order to learn more about doing business online, she set up a website for her medical practice. This was supposed to be just a means to experiment. Surprisingly, her medical professional website became a huge factor in her academic success and something that propelled her speaking career.
Igniting the Entrepreneurial Spirit
Aside from just having a list of side business ideas for doctors, you also need the right mindset and environment. In 2007, when Marjorie started the maternity wear athletic company, her husband was getting his MBA. She was surrounded by other people who were starting their own businesses which made her think her aspirations were doable. Likewise, the location they were in was very conducive for their venture because suppliers were accessible to them. They started out with a small amount of capital and took the energy of possibility to get their business off the ground.
Side Business Ideas for Doctors: Digital Course Creation
Due to the success of her business ventures, many professionals became interested in her journey of starting her online business. They would constantly ask her the same questions about how she did it. She decided to record her answers to their questions and thus started creating digital courses. Another great side business idea for doctors became digital course creation.
She managed to create her online teaching course to help others learn from her experiences. Her online course was a way to serve more people since doing it one-on-one would be difficult to accomplish. The online course was a robust resource for those who wanted to learn from her journey as an online entrepreneur.
Permission to just DO IT.
People who want to try out new things must be thoughtful about their actions and prepared for the risks involved. However, it’s also ok to just GO FOR IT. See how things go and know that you can stop whenever you want. An important thing that people must also remember is that we always have agency and the authority to do and decide on things.
Side Business Ideas for Doctors Don’t HAVE to be Risky
Marjorie suggests that medical professionals who want to venture into other fields should appropriately transition from their practice. This means leaving on good terms, maintaining certifications, and keeping the door open to continuing with their profession. Totally and completely turning your back from where you came is not necessarily the right first step to take. Try out a few things at first and make the gradual transition instead of a drastic leap.
People usually experience fear and doubt when contemplating side business ideas for doctors. The trick is just to actually do it. Start doing things because usually clarity will come when you start working. This way, you get the hang of things and get feedback along the way.
If you are thinking of doing something new. Think about finding people who already know how to do that and learn from them. It is a wise decision to invest in learning from the experts to accelerate your progress.
Breaking through Limitations into Possibilities
When thinking about side business ideas for doctors, most people perceive so many barriers. But these barriers don’t have to be insurmountable, especially with a qualified mentor who can guide them in the right direction. People must go out of their way to learn and invest in themselves and take all the necessary steps to move forward in their chosen path. She thinks that people stumble upon this because not all people are committed to putting in a lot of effort to make things happen.
It’s important to be around people who have done the things that you aspire to do. Remember that your future does not have to be limited by your past experiences.
Side Business Ideas for Doctors Who Are Unfulfilled
Healthcare workers who feel burnt out and unfulfilled should first find time to protect and explore their interests. They should open themselves up to learning about other types of jobs and broadening their horizons. There are so many different side business ideas for doctors who are unfulfilled. They should find the time and opportunity to meet new people and extend their network.
