The most successful and satisfying businesses are those that allow you to do what you love, provide a needed service, and be financially and emotionally fulfilled. In your journey as a nurse entrepreneur, you may have already pinpointed WHY you want to go into business for yourself and WHAT you expect from the endeavor in terms of compensation and time investment. You may have identified HOW to leverage your expertise as a nurse, but there’s another important question to ask yourself as you narrow down exactly what you want to pursue: WHO do you want to serve?

Entrepreneurial Opportunities for Nurses Serving Patients

Most nurses are called to the profession out of a strong desire to help others. For these nurses, a career will not be satisfying if it does not involve interacting with patients. Going into business for yourself doesn’t mean giving up this aspect of your career, and there are many options available for you. You can focus on serving the population you feel most comfortable helping: women, the elderly, those who have suffered sports injuries, people under stress, and so on.

Working With Patients Directly

Human interaction and hands-on work are integral to happiness on the job for many nurses. If that describes you, here are a few of the audiences you can serve.

• People who need personal acute, post-op, or rehab care: “Private duty” is the idea many people imagine when they think of nurses going into business for themselves, and it can be a great choice if you are highly motivated to provide personal care. You can work as a solo contractor or you can build an agency and manage many nurses. You can specialize in senior care, palliative care, care for children, post-cosmetic surgery, or many other niche populations.
• People who need to eat healthier food: There are a lot of options for putting this together to create a successful business. You can teach classes, work with people in their homes, consult online, or a combination of these. Some nurses have even started businesses delivering healthy meals that meet specific patient needs. 
• Pregnant women: If you are drawn towards working with pregnant women, you can be a pregnancy and childbirth coach, midwife, or doula. 
• Children and families: Consider holistic parenting classes or lactation consulting.
• Respite care: Respite care is an essential and often overlooked service. There will always be a need for qualified caregivers to fill in when the primary caregiver needs to take time off.
• People who want complementary health services: There is an expanding market in many of the complementary modalities you love, like yoga, massage, herbal therapies, acupuncture, aromatherapy, and so on. If you focus on a specific population that has special needs, you’ll be likely to have the best results.

Working with Patients Remotely

Today, the internet allows nurses to reach patients all over the world. While working with patients online doesn’t allow hands-on treatment, it can be a good fit for those who prefer to work from home and still interact with patients. Technology like Zoom has made it easier than ever to meet with patients regardless of their proximity. Remember that nurses must be licensed in the state where their client resides, and you cannot get around that just by not advertising yourself as a nurse. If you have a nursing license, you must follow the regulations for your license. If you follow that, then you can serve any population that you are educated enough to serve. Here are a few of the many ways to do that online or by phone:

• Wellness coaching
• Nutrition coaching
• Teaching stress management skills
• Mental health support (if you are qualified)

Entrepreneurial Opportunities for Nurses Serving Nurses

Perhaps you feel drawn toward helping other nurses as your focus. If so, you have many options to explore.

Teaching and Coaching

• Coach nurses in self-care, self-actualization, or career development.
• Become a public speaker: Share your knowledge at conferences and other gatherings. If one of your goals is to build recognition and you enjoy interacting with your colleagues, this can be a satisfying endeavor, particularly for those who like to travel. 
• Create workshops or courses: Similar to public speaking, you can offer workshops or create teaching situations where nurses come to you. Workshops and courses are always in demand when you have a well-targeted topic that helps your audience solve a problem. You can choose your form and level of intensity, from conducting small, intimate classes on Zoom to producing large events. Get expert tips on creating a CE course here.
• Become a nurse author: Publishing a book series or writing a successful blog can be a career in itself, and it allows you to make a name for yourself, which helps if you want to book speaking engagements, fill workshops, or sell materials.

Other Entrepreneurial Opportunities Working with Nurses

As a nurse, you have extensive knowledge about what will help other nurses succeed. If you see a gap between what’s needed and what’s available, it’s likely that other nurses will be interested in your service. For example, you might:

• Start a travel nurse agency or a local nurse staffing company
• Create products for nurses, like scrubs or self-care products 
• Offer business and marketing services for other nurse entrepreneurs
• Provide a retreat center for nurses

There’s no end to the possibilities that will open up after you decide who you want to serve and how you can use your strengths and experience to serve them.

If you have a business idea you’d like to develop or a business that’s not thriving the way you’d like it to, you are invited to book a complimentary Business Strategy Session with successful nurse entrepreneur Sharon Burch, MSN, APRN, PHCNS-BC, APHN-BC, HWNC-BS. Discover how a few key insights can powerfully shift your top dilemma.