A Doctor Who Wanted to Open a Cash-Based Virtual Obesity Clinic

This Week’s Real-Life Lesson: A Doctor Who Wanted to Open a Cash-Based Virtual Obesity Clinic

I want to tell you about a colleague—let’s call him Dr. F. He came to me recently for a PEA consultation, facing a crossroads in his career. At 63, he was preparing to resign from his long-time W2 employed position in mid-October. But instead of “retiring,” Dr. F wanted to chart his own path: launching a cash-only, virtual obesity clinic.

This wasn’t a whimsical idea. He had decades of internal medicine and obesity treatment experience. He was already selling supplements online under a business brand. Now, he wanted to build equity, leave a professional legacy, and create a lifestyle practice that allowed him to control his time and care for patients on his terms.

Where I Was When He Reached Out

I met with Dr. F in the late summer for a consultation. We sat down with his numbers, his vision, and his fears. The common themes I hear from many physicians in his shoes came up quickly:

• “I want autonomy.”

• “I’m tired of insurance bureaucracy.”

• “I want to build something sustainable, even if lean at the start.”

Sound familiar?

If you’ve been reading my blogs at The Independent Physician you know that these themes run through nearly every story of physicians stepping into the world of micro-business.

What Happened in the Consultation

Dr. F had already sketched out his business model:

• Virtual assessments at $99 (promo) / $249 (standard)

• 12-week medical weight loss program at $1,500, including GLP-1 meds, monitoring, labs, coaching

• Monthly maintenance membership at $150

His goal? 250 active patients within 12 months, with projected revenue of $75,000–$125,000 per month by the end of year one.

But the numbers weren’t the biggest challenge—it was the how.

He needed to:

1. Form a professional corporation (PC) in his state (likely as an S-corp).

2. Secure malpractice insurance—including tail coverage from his W2 job.

3. Develop a lean marketing strategy to find the first 5–10 patients.

4. Choose telemedicine tools (his health tech “stack”).

5. Decide whether to job stack part-time work to ease the financial transition.

I recommended a lean MVP approach—keeping initial investment low (~$100k for the first 3 months) and focusing on proof of concept with those first patients.

What I Learned (and Re-Learned)

Dr. F’s story reminded me that transitioning to self-employment is less about the business plan and more about mindset.

Many physicians hesitate because they’ve been conditioned by employment to think in terms of permission, compliance, and fear of risk. But when you strip away the corporate shell, the fundamentals are clear:

• If you know your patients’ pain points,

• If you can deliver measurable results,

• If you can price your services in alignment with value…

…you can thrive outside the insurance treadmill.

This is exactly why I created resources like my free e-book Doctor Incorporated: Stop The Insanity of Traditional Employment which explains why breaking free from W2 employment isn’t just possible—it’s necessary for long-term sustainability.

The Surprising Micro-Business Insight

The most surprising insight from Dr. F’s case?

The power of starting small, fast, and patient-first.

He didn’t need a fancy clinic space. He didn’t need a massive ad spend. He didn’t need approval from a committee.

He just needed:

• A legal foundation (PC, malpractice coverage, bookkeeping).

• A simple health tech stack.

• A handful of early adopters willing to pay cash for his program.

From there, everything could scale.

This is the essence of the micro-business model: prove the concept, grow step by step, and preserve autonomy along the way.

If you want more strategies like this, check out my free eBook on Job Stacking as a Physician Entrepreneur where I explain how combining part-time and 1099 work can support transitions like Dr. F’s.

Sidebar: Is This Deductible?

Buying an AI Note Taker:

I have become accustomed to using AI notetakers in both my clinical practice as well as my business meetings such as my PEA consultations. My preferred business version is from Fathom as it ties into virtually every video meeting that I complete (and there are lots of them every week). However, I cannot use it for phone based or live in person meetings. Thus I purchased an attachment for my phone that collects and formats my phone calls and meetings in business notes. I love it. Due to the business purpose of this piece of “office equipment” it is considered to be a business deduction.

👉 Learn more about deductions in my e-book The Ultimate List of Business Deductions for Professional Micro-Corporations

Case Study Wrap-Up

Dr. F is still in his early days. By mid-October, he’ll be stepping out of corporate employment and into the unknown. But with a solid micro-business strategy, a lean startup plan, and a willingness to learn, he’s setting himself up for both autonomy and impact.

And his story isn’t unique. It could be your story, too.

📬 Join the Movement CTA

“The entrepreneur always searches for change, responds to it, and exploits it as an opportunity.” – Peter Drucker

Are you ready to stop waiting for permission and start building your own physician-owned future?

👉 Join the PEA Explorer Membership today and take the first step.

And don’t forget to grab your free digital book, The Entrepreneur Physician’s Guide to Escaping Corporate Medicine