Most NPs and PAs I talk to have the same story: “I’d love to start my own telemedicine practice, but I can’t afford to quit my job.” Good news - you don’t have to. I started NPCWoods while still working full-time. Here’s the framework that made it possible: The 5-10 Hour/Week Launch Model Week 1-2: Foundation (5 hours) ∙ Register your business entity (2 hours) ∙ Get your NPI/DEA sorted (1 hour) ∙ Choose your telemedicine platform/techstack (2 hours) Week 3-4: Compliance (6 hours) ∙ Informed consent templates (2 hours) ∙ Privacy policy/HIPAA docs (2 hours) ∙ Malpractice insurance quote (2 hours) Week 5-8: Soft Launch (8-10 hours/week) ∙ See 2-3 patients/week on YOUR schedule ∙ Evenings, weekends - whatever works ∙ Start cash-pay simple (think URI, UTI, refills) The part nobody tells you: Your full-time job is actually your safety net, not your prison. It removes the desperation that makes new practice owners accept bad contracts or undercharge. What this looked like for me: ∙ Kept my regular job for income security ∙ Saw telemedicine patients Tuesday/Thursday evenings ∙ Built confidence and systems before scaling ∙ Transitioned when the math made sense, not out of desperation You’re not building an empire in month one. You’re building proof of concept. You’re building your clinical freedom, one patient at a time. Your next step: Pick ONE thing from the Week 1-2 list and do it this week. That’s it. Done is better than perfect. Who else is thinking about starting but feels stuck by the “all or nothing” mindset? Drop a comment - let’s talk through it.