This Week’s Real-Life Lesson:

A 10-Year Build to Bring ChatRx to the World

In January 2015, I typed up a short idea document titled: “Do I Need An Antibiotic App?” At the time, it was a vision fueled by a relentless problem I saw daily in rural practice—patients overwhelmed by uncertainty, questioning whether their symptoms merited antibiotics, and many with limited access to quality, affordable care.

The idea wasn’t fancy. It was practical, physician-driven, and deeply human. I imagined a mobile experience where someone with a sore throat or urinary discomfort could answer a series of well-structured questions and receive not just advice—but treatment, if indicated—without stepping foot in a clinic or ER. It was asynchronous before asynchronous was cool.

My son, John Stillson, then a pre-med student at the University of Alabama, and his roommate, Ryan Mitchell, a budding Silicon Valley-bound computer scientist, were my first brainstorming team. These two college kids were part of what felt like a spark of possibility. That was the seed moment.

Fast forward to today, and that same seed has grown into ChatRx, a national 24/7 instant telemedicine service, powered by our FDA-registered software medical device ChatMD. We now treat 39 common acute infections—everything from strep throat to yeast infections to sinusitis—all asynchronously and without insurance. It costs just $20, and we even help patients find the cheapest cash-based pharmacy prices.

The platform is live. We’re building in both direct-to-consumer (BTC) and business-to-business (BTB) growth strategies. Our team has grown to over 10 people. We’re finally breathing life into something that began as a scribbled vision on a laptop screen during a Midwestern winter.

Check out the platform for yourself and send it to someone in need: 👉 ChatRx.

We are initially launching into Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan with plans to expand rapidly to the rest of the country.

Where I Was

Back in 2015, I was running a full-scope family medicine practice in rural Indiana. My clinic was overwhelmed during flu season. I had already developed standing orders and phone triage protocols for my nurses to handle recurring infections based on patient history.

We were replicating simple clinical decision trees over and over. It hit me—why not automate this?

It wasn’t just a nice-to-have. It was necessary. The uninsured, the underinsured, rural workers, shift-based employees—they needed an option that was accessible, instant, and didn’t require negotiating with health systems.

What Happened

For years, I sat on the idea. Timing wasn’t right. Capital was limited. I didn’t have the right team.

But the belief never left.

Eventually, I used my personal business development company—fueled by the micro-corporation structure I teach through PEA-SimpliMD—to fund early development. Then, as we established ChatMD, Inc., we began formally allocating all development costs to this corporate entity.

Every dollar came out of bootstrapped funds. No VC. No private equity. Just belief, sweat equity, and a rock-solid strategy.

Our ChatMD software medical device became the beating heart of our business. We got registered with the FDA as a Class I medical device. Then we launched ChatRx as a direct-to-consumer interface powered by it.

Now, users can get treated for their infection and have their prescription sent within minutes.

What I Learned

1. Ideas age well when they solve perennial problems. The need for affordable, accessible care hasn’t gone away. If anything, it’s more urgent. Timing may not have been right in 2015, but in 2025 with the adoption of telemedicine, direct to consumer care, and AI—it’s perfect.

2. Bootstrapping works when you have micro-business discipline. Using business formation strategies like the ones we teach at PEA-SimpliMD, I was able to legally and smartly allocate expenses, reduce my tax burden, and reinvest into my idea.

🎯 If you’re dreaming of your own business launch, start with our guide: 👉 Micro-Business Formation Guide

3. It takes a village—eventually. The team behind ChatRx—developers, legal advisors, tech experts, branding, compliance, business ops—is now over 10 people strong. This was never a solo act. I just happened to be the guy who never let go of the original vision.

Business Expense Breakdown: Is This Deductible?

Yes, and here’s how we did it:

• Early Development (Pre-Entity): Paid for by my personal business development micro-corp. Expenses like ideation research, feasibility studies, consulting time, and prototype design were deductible under ordinary and necessary business expenses.

• Software Development: Once ChatMD, Inc. was formed, all new development, testing, API licensing, and contractor payments (including our team in India) were paid and tracked through our corporate accounting. These count as startup costs and are deductible.

• SaaS Hosting, CRM, Cloud Infrastructure: Covered under business operating expenses. This includes AWS hosting, CRM, and compliance infrastructure.

• Marketing Expenses: Our go-to-market spend for year 1 is projected at $200,000. All of it? 100% deductible.

• Legal, FDA, and Registration Fees: From IP protection to regulatory filings to FDA registration these fall under professional services and are likewise deductible.

💡 Curious how to set this up right from Day 1?

👉 12 Tax Secrets Every Physician Entrepreneur Should Know (PEA Builder)

Final Thoughts

I wrote this message to our ChatRx team this week:

“As we are on the verge of entering the marketplace with our ChatRx Telemedicine business, powered by our ChatMD device, I couldn't be more excited. This has been a 10-year journey for me… As you’ll see in this document from January 2015, our work hasn’t significantly deviated from my original vision. Thank you for helping me breathe life into this vision. We’ve created something special. Let’s press into our vision to be a force for good—helping everyone, everywhere.”

That’s the heartbeat of micro-business. We don’t give up when the calendar flips. We persist, adjust, and keep moving forward—even if it takes a decade.

So I’ll leave you with this:

You might be sitting on an idea that seems too big or too far away. But if it's rooted in solving a real problem, then it’s only a matter of time.

💥 Bonus Resources

🧠 Want to start your own journey toward marketplace independence? 

👉 Free eBook: “Why Every Employed Physician Should Form Their Own Micro-Corporation”

🧳 Ready to reclaim control over your work-life balance? 

👉 “Job Stacking: The Modern Approach to Work-Life Balance”

📬 Thousands of clinicians are breaking free through micro-business ownership. Ready to join them?

👉 Join PEA Explrer Membership →