~12 minute read

Before I Knew I was an Entrepreneur: Reflections

I started my first ‘business’ in grade school. It was called Kim’s Cookies, not because I knew or understood business, but because I loved making my own money which led to fewer barriers to getting what I wanted. The next business idea was a gym called Madison’s because I really loved my last name. It never came to fruition, but I think about it from time to time. Growing up, I heard stories about my maternal great grandmother taking her late son’s money from his military service to purchase a home, rent out rooms, and operate a small shop in the back selling food and small items. I spent the summer with my paternal grandparents who owned and operated a candy store, talk about a kid’s dream! They sold more than candy, but that was their greatest asset as far as my childhood memory is concerned.

Fast forward to my first college graduation where I was one of only two black students graduating from the biology department at Radford University (Biology major, English minor with a concentration in technical writing) because the others changed their major to business. I had no idea why anyone would do that. Soon after, I became fascinated with Shark Tank and hearing people share how the ideas in their head became a reality they could sell. I was drawn to NPR’s podcast, How I Built This, listening to hours of entrepreneurs tell how they went from ordinary beginnings to building extraordinary legacies. Throughout my nursing career at the bedside, I would spend night after night pitching my colleagues about different products we should create to make our clinical practice easier. During performance evaluations we were asked how we contributed to innovation and I was completely clueless as to how to answer that question.

During my BSN to DNP program (2016 to 2022), I had the opportunity to choose an elective. I considered Teaching with Technology because the plan was to teach until I couldn’t teach anymore. But then, I saw another course being offered called, Entrepreneurship for Nurse Leaders. I enrolled.

Entrepreneurship and Innovation

In this course we were asked to identify one problem to solve. At the time, I served on the board of the Nurse Practitioner Association of DC (NPADC) as the Student Representative. As previously shared, I graduated from the NP program in 2019, but decided not to transition into the role clinically until I finished the DNP program. In the meantime, I became involved in nursing organizations to utilize my NP education and training in other ways. I still reconcile with whether I can or should call myself a new NP five years later. I digress. During one of the NPADC meetings, we had a guest speaker give a presentation about the preceptor shortage.  It was a problem I could empathize with having just completed clinicals. It created an opportunity that would truly make lives easier (for students, faculty, schools of nursing, and patients). Lastly, there was enough data on the topic that I decided to focus on it for my entrepreneurship course.

I was in the middle of my second travel nurse contract (2021), when I was combing through the latest-evidence learning about themes, trends, and strategies to addressing the preceptor shortage. During that summer, I wrote my first business plan, created my first website, and delivered my first pitch. I came up with a competitive solution I strongly believe in and that’s supported by the data, even in an environment where companies are charging students. I joined SONSIEL or the Society of Nurse Scientists, Innovators, Entrepreneurs and Leaders. I finally learned the meaning of innovation and I gained a new understanding of my previous curiosity about entrepreneurs and creating something from scratch.

Should I Stay in Healthcare?

I became laser focused. I started listening to entrepreneurs, podcasts, and audiobooks with intention. I delved into the world of franchises and even set up a call with a popular lash company to learn more about the requirements and the support they offer. I started pitching my friends and family to see who wanted to take the journey with me. I co-founded a professional mentorship program with a good friend, Professor Shannon, for students (K-college) to expose them to jobs of the future called, Kid’s Career Crash Course (in honor of her children). I would find professionals to speak to the students virtually for one hour on any given Sunday afternoon. People were so generous with their time and willingness to share their story, especially with children. All for free I might add. While not done intentionally, a lot of the people I invited were entrepreneurs. I could say it was because they were easy to find, they made themselves accessible, and they were creating the jobs of the future. You could also say, subconsciously, I was drawn to people who represented the future I envisioned for myself. I had a front seat and was on a first name basis with entrepreneurs in fintech, software engineering, the yoga industry, and community solar to name a few. Of everyone we spoke to, Mario Kelly stands out the most. He started Believe 313, a multi-million-dollar cleaning company, with only $27.  He’s since scaled this Detroit-based company into a staffing agency. I’m still in awe of his humility, generosity, and the simplicity of his idea.

Even with all the exposure and people sharing their story on social media, there weren’t that many in healthcare, let alone nursing.

Then I discovered the Doctor Nurse Podcast by Dr. Sandra Pagenta, ANP-BC after she interviewed Dr. Danelle McCamey, the Founder, President and CEO of DNPs of Color. She also interviewed Justin Allan, FNP, the Founder of the Elite Nurse Practitioner. He absolutely changed my life and my mind about leaving the healthcare industry. I binged his podcast, subscribed to his newsletter, enrolled in his courses, and started my first LLC (PLLC to be specific).

When I started the LLC, I had already fallen in love with dermatology and wanting to build a writing career around it.  I quickly discovered the steep learning curve in dermatology and knew I would be doing a lot of studying. Based on my previous experience as a student, I knew I couldn’t just read text after text, I needed to do something with the text to help with retention. Thus, the Mahogany Dermatology Blog, a place where I could share what I was learning because I always retained the most information when I was in the teaching position. I also figured, there might be someone else out there who wanted access to the information too. But before I could share what I was learning about derm, I had to do a few things with my life.

Travel Nursing

I started travel nursing in March 2021. I graduated from the DNP program in May 2022 and then I decided I didn't want to start working as a NP. Instead, I decided to partake in a one year quasi sabbatical: continue traveling, stay at the bedside 3 days per week, and continue to explore my new interests the other 4 days per week. I planned for the sabbatical to end the summer of 2023. When the time finally came, I needed to decide where I wanted to work and live. This decision included finding a new home, buying a new car (I sold the previous one while traveling), and getting another state NP license.

My DC NP License‍

It's known that getting your NP license in DC is not a quick process and I can attest. I initially applied for my license in September 2022 after passing my boards via the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) on August 19th, the day before my birthday! I wasn’t too pressed about it at the time, because I didn’t need it and certainly didn’t want to start paying for it if I wasn’t using it.

After multiple online inquires, I finally obtained my DC NP license during a visit home to see my parents in December 2023 once I went in person to the Board of Nursing - an attempt that took less than 20 minutes. Naively, I thought I would apply for a new state license by endorsement. But I quickly learned that not practicing as NP right away came with a cost. I either had to work with a preceptor again for 400 hours, take another semester-long pharmacology course, or obtain up to 48 hours of pharmacology continuing education credits. I opted to get the 48 hours of pharm CEs. I thought I could get it done in one weekend. Instead, it took all summer. By the end of the year, I obtained 100 contact hours and 75 pharmacology CEs. They would come in handy the summer of 2024 when I had to renew my DC RN and NP license, and ANCC certification (which expires every 5 years) all at once.

Stay tuned for part two: A post-DNP Chronological Review

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Kimberly Madison, DNP, AGPCNP-BC

I am a nurse practitioner with a passion for writing, entrepreneurship, education, and mentorship. I created this blog to share my journey as source of motivation and as a blueprint as you embark on your journey. Most importantly, I’m looking forward to increasing access to dermatology education and clinical training for aspiring and practicing nurse practitioners. I invite you to view the mission and vision statement on the homepage to see how we can best partner to make our dreams align.

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