Planning a Startup
A structured path for operators planning to open a new clinic from scratch. Read in order to build the financial planning understanding required to fund and launch a practice that survives the early period.
If you're considering opening a healthcare practice in the next 12-24 months, this path covers what you need to plan the financial side properly. It moves from understanding the cost structure, through the financing approach, into the cash flow realities of the early period, and ends with the operational discipline that determines whether the practice survives the ramp.
The path, in order
The Four Numbers Every Clinic Startup Needs
Start here. The four core numbers any clinic startup plan must establish: total project cost, working capital reserve, monthly break-even revenue, and the equity-to-debt structure. The framework that anchors everything else.
Read this postThe Three Capital Stack Structures Most Clinic Startups Use
How startup capital is typically assembled across equity, commercial debt, and equipment financing. The three patterns most healthcare practice startups use, with the trade-offs of each.
Read this postHow to Think About Working Capital for a New Healthcare Practice
Working capital is the most commonly underestimated requirement in clinic startups. How to size it properly, what it covers, and why it determines whether you survive the ramp period.
Read this postThe First 90 Days: Cash Flow Reality for a New Clinic
What the first three months actually look like financially. Patient acquisition delays, insurance receivable timing, and the gap between revenue earned and cash received that catches new operators off guard.
Read this postThe Cash Flow Stress Period: Months 4-6 in a New Clinic
After the initial honeymoon and before steady-state. The period when working capital is most likely to run thin and operational discipline matters most.
Read this postRamp Curves in New Healthcare Practices: General Patterns
How revenue actually builds month over month in a new practice. The S-curve patterns by specialty and the planning implications of realistic ramp expectations.
Read this postYear One Profitability: What a New Clinic Should Realistically Expect
The honest year-one profitability picture. What gross revenue, EBITDA, and owner draw should look like by the end of the first year, and why.
Read this postLocation Analysis for an Independent Clinic
How to evaluate potential clinic locations financially. Demographics, competition, lease economics, and the tradeoffs between location quality and rent burden.
Read this postCommercial Lease Clauses That Matter for Healthcare Clinics
The lease clauses that affect long-term practice economics. Renewal options, exclusivity clauses, demolition clauses, and provisions that protect the practice from landlord changes.
Read this postRolling 13-Week Cash Flow Management for Clinic Operators
The cash flow forecasting discipline that distinguishes practices that survive from those that struggle. How to build and maintain a rolling 13-week forecast.
Read this postNeed specialty-specific resources?
The path above covers universal financial planning concepts. For specialty-specific startup costs, revenue benchmarks, and operational dynamics, the specialty resource pages cover dental, medical aesthetic, audiology, optometry, physiotherapy, mental health, and general medical practice in depth.
Browse by Specialty →Three tools for the planning path
Once you've worked through the path, the Clinic Cost Estimator helps you model your specific project costs. The Capital Structure Tool models financing scenarios. The Profitability Calculator models monthly economics across capacity scenarios. Use them in sequence to develop a defensible plan you can bring to a lender.
Open Tools Hub →