The Real Truth About the Road to Success
30 Jan 2026 · 19 min
Podcast episode by Dr. Umna (Entre MD) that normalizes five common realities physician entrepreneurs face when building/scaling businesses—messy, scary, uncertain, isolating, and life-changing. The host shares personal stories, analogies, and examples, and invites listeners to resources: the Seven Figure Physician CEO audiobook, Entre MD Business School, and Entre MD On Demand subscription.
Chapters
If your business isn't working the way you expected, it's not because you're bad at business. It's because no one ever taught you how it actually works. We were trained to master algorithms in medicine, but when it comes to revenue teams and growth, we were never taught anything. We weren't even told to figure it out. We just assumed somehow we'd know. Like it would magically make sense. But it doesn't. The era of the seven Figure Physician CEO is here. And it's not about working harder. It's about learning entrepreneurship as a system. The same way you mastered ACLs and pals, you can master the algorithm of building a profitable scalable business. That's why I recorded the seven Figure Physician CEO audiobook. Whether you're building a medical or non medical business, and whether your goal is your first million, first 2 million, first 5 million, first 10 million, this is where the journey starts. There is no calvary coming to save us. We are the calvary. So. So go get your audiobook now. Www.entremd.com 7Figurebook. And let's rewrite the narrative for physicians starting today. Hi, docs. Welcome to the Entre MD podcast, where it's all about helping amazing physicians just like you, embrace entrepreneurship so you can have the freedom to live life and practice medicine on your terms. I'm your host, Dr. Umna. Well, hello. Hello my friend. Welcome back to another episode of the entremde podcast. Thank you so much for listening. Thank you so much for watching. If you're with me on YouTube, thank you for, you know, sharing the videos and all of this. I really wanted to come and normalize something that comes up a lot for physician entrepreneurs. I think you're entrepreneurs in general, and this is really the real truth about the road to success. Okay. I remember when I started my very first business, which was in 2010, was my private practice. And I, you know, here I was like, struggling to get, you know, my first three patients or whatever. And I remember thinking about all these practices I had two month wait times and I'm like, like, they're so much better than me. They're different. They're unicorns and all of this stuff. And I was like, when get great like them, then I'll start doing what they do so I can get the results they get. And it doesn't, I mean, like, it doesn't just show up when you're, when you're a newbie. I got to a place where it's like, okay, you know, want to take this, this Business. I want to hit our first million in business, right? We want to take this business. We want to hit our first 5 million business. And all of these things. Like every time you are starting something or you're taking it to the next level, there's a lot of uncertainty and there's a lot of, there are a lot of things that go on and sometimes we internal them and sometimes we make stories about them, meaning that we suck as entrepreneurs. I definitely thought that. But having done this many times, like starting four different businesses, taking them from one level to the next, I kind of have a lot of experience with this. And I want to tell you some things that will make you go like, oh, okay, that's what that is. And you can relax and enjoy this journey. Okay. All right, so I'm going to, I'm going to give you five things. Okay? The real truth. The real truth. And you know, not only do I have this experience, but I have relationships with some of the most phenomenal entrepreneurs. We're talking entrepreneurs doing anywhere from 13 million all the way to 500 million in revenue. So they're running really big businesses. And I would talk to them just to see like, you know, their geniuses and stuff. Like, and I'm finding out, wait a minute, wait a minute. They're having the same experience I was having is just more zeros, more zeros behind them. Okay, so let's talk about that. Okay, so five things. Five things. These are normal. They're strange, but they're normal. Think almost like, you know, I'm a pediatrician and moms will come like, oh, my baby's spitting up. Like, oh my goodness, what's wrong? How many times is spitting up? Twice a day. Yeah, that's normal. My baby's burping. Yeah, that's normal too. My baby has hiccups. Yep, normal too. My baby is two months old and cross eyed. Probably normal too. Like there's so many things. They're different, they're strange, but they're normal. So we're going to talk about that. All right, so first thing, first thing is if you're starting a business, if you're scaling your business, if you're bringing on a team for the first time or maybe you've had, you've had a team, but a team of producers and now you're bringing on a team of managers or a team of, you know, like executive level, executive level, team, like whatever. When you're starting a new location, you're bringing up a new vertical. This is going to come up every Single time, number one, it is messy, okay? It is messy. So when you start figuring like, oh, I don't have it all together, I almost feel like I'm winging it. Even though you know you're not, right? You're following, you're following something. Like, even with the doctors in the Entre MD Business school, they're working through this stuff and it kind of feels like I'm making it up. No, you're not. There's an algorithm, there's a blueprint, there's a roadmap, there's a framework, but it's messy. Okay? So for want of a better way to describe this, I want you to think about if you were working in a construction site. You know that out of that construction site is going to come this 50 floor building that's going to be in the heart of downtown. And you know, it's, it's going to be amazing, right? And it's going to bring in a lot of revenue for you. It's going to serve a lot of people. It's going to be amazing. When it is being constructed, there is nothing amazing about it. It is messy, it is noisy. There are a lot of people in dirty clothes there, dusty clothes. You're like, I don't even see how something so beautiful can come out of this kind of mess. If you're like me, I'm not a big construction person. I'm like, just call me when it's done. Constructing businesses, yes, but actual buildings, I'm like, no, I don't, I don't want to be a part of that. But everybody who is into construction understands that this is the path to beauty. This mess here is the path to a beautiful building, right? And so if you can embrace that new phase, understand it like this is like a construction site. So yes, it's messy, but is beautiful, then you'd be great. Okay, so you're, you're like Dr. Una, that example, I don't know about it. I don't. I'm like you. I don't like construction either. Well, think about labor and delivery, okay? That's where all beautiful babies come out of, okay? But it's a place that's noisy. It's a place that can be a little chaotic, even though it's not as though there's disorder, right? Like the doctors know what they're doing, but things can happen and sometimes things are going according to plan and all this kind of stuff, right? And so it can be chaotic. It's a place there, there can be fluids over the Floor and all kinds of stuff. It's just. It's messy. It's messy. And so when you hit that point in your business and it seems like it's messy, just understand that you're constructing something new, you're birthing something new. And so it's just different, but it's okay. It's messy, but it's okay. The path to the beautiful business, that is very innovative, that is very impactful, that is very profitable, and it goes through a mess to get there. And once you get to one phase, you're going to go through another mess to get to the next phase. And that's just the way that it works. Okay? So that's number one. Number two. Number two is that it's scary. And if you're like, I haven't started because I'm scared, that's the path. If you're like, I haven't brought on this new team member, that's the path. I have not hired a doctor in my private practice because that's the path. I cannot imagine paying a manager. That's like, it's so scary. And yes, if you feel scared, it doesn't always mean that you're on the right path. However, if you are on the right path, you will feel fear, right? You will feel fear because it's part of it. It's something you haven't done before. Chances are it's something bigger than what you've ever done before. There is a risk attached to it, but with every risk, there's a reward, right? And so it is scary. Okay? And this is for everything. Your first Facebook Live, your first building, you acquire your first business, you acquire your first year, that owning your first I'm going to make $1 million goal. Like, you know, I'm going to cross into eight figures. Every one of those is going to be scary. And so one of the things that happens a lot in the entrepreneur business school is we hear words like, oh my goodness, I was so nauseous, but I did it right. That was so nauseating. And it's because, yeah, that is a common thing that happens with entrepreneurs. And so if you feel like, oh, that that's messy and that's scary, it's part of the process, so embrace it. It's normal. There's nothing wrong with you. You don't have to get a whole brand new certification so you can overcome this fear. So it's always going to be there until you overcome that. That's just the way it works. Okay? The third thing is it is uncertain There's a certain level of uncertainty, right? You're going to control all the things that you can control. But there's always that what if, right? It always is and it's normal. And one of the best things you can do as an, as an entrepreneur is get comfortable in uncertainty, is getting certain in uncertainty. So for instance, you decide, this is the year, you know, we've done, you know, 250, 300,000, this business for the last three years. I'm over it. This is the year that I want to do what it takes to build this to be a million dollar business, because this is what I want to do. In order to pull that off, you're going to experience a transformation because you have to become a million dollar entrepreneur. You're going to acquire new skills because the skills that got you to 300 are not the skills that are going to take you to a million. You're going to have to own that goal, which really a lot of times we have goals, we kind of want them, but we don't own them because we just can't deal with the disappointment, uncertainty around it. So we just don't own it. We're just like, I'll try my best and we'll see where it lands, right? Right. But in owning that goal, right, then it's like, what if this doesn't happen? What if this doesn't work? What if this hire doesn't work? What if this is the wrong doctor I hired? What if this is the wrong coach? I like all kinds of things. There's uncertainty, but every time you're trying to start something new, whether that's something brand new or you're trying to up level something you have, there will be uncertainty. It's uncomfortable, it is a weird feeling. But the more you, you learn to lean into that and just, just lean into it and be okay in the discomfort of it. The more you can do that, the more you can embrace new and new things and grow and get bigger results and do bigger things because that is the path. There is uncertainty, okay? But I'm telling you, you can get comfortable in it. It's kind of like I'm not sure, but I'm going to control everything I can control, which is mean. I'm means I'm going to do my part and, and I'm going to learn, I'm going to do new things, I'm going to do scary things, I'm going to build new relationships, I'm going to, I'm going to say do some of the things my Coach has been telling me to do that. I'm just like, I don't want to do that. Right. I'm going to embrace new experiences. I'm going to do everything I can do, and it's uncertain, and that's okay. If you can do that, you become this person who you can just continue embracing new challenges because the discomfort doesn't bother you anymore. Like, you know, it's there, and you just. It is what it is. Okay, so that's number three. Number four. It can be isolating, actually, I take that back. It is isolating because you going from one level to another requires your personal transformation, right? You're going to be different. So, for instance, I say I want to take my business to 10 million. Okay? I want to take my business to 10 million. It means a few things. One of them is that I need to intentionally be in a circle of people who do that for fun. Right? That's what that means. Means I need to find a community where I can be where that's just what people do. That also means I have to develop $10 million entrepreneur habits. Right? What are the predominant thoughts that they have? What are the books that they read? What are the kind of routines that they observe? Right. What kind of decisions do they make? What kind of teams do they lead? Right. What kind of collaborations they get? Like, all of these things, I'm going to have to. I'm going to acquire those. What is the language that they use right now in doing that? There are people who used to be with me who are not. And they're not bad. They're just not making that transition. Maybe it's not their time. Maybe they don't want to. It doesn't matter. But they're not making that transition. What ends up happening is we'll start having less and less and less and less common ground, Right? And I'm not talking about family, like your spouse or your kids or whatever, but these less and less and less common ground. And I have to make room for these other relationships that take me where I want to go, and doesn't mean we cut off relationships. But all of a sudden, when I want to talk about this $10 million thing, we can no longer. We can no longer have a conversation about it because you don't care. In fact, you think I'm being extra. Many of you as entrepreneurs, you think as a physician, the people in your world are like, what's wrong with you? Like, why do you feel. Why do you feel the need to do something else? What's wrong with your job that gives you multiple six figures every year. What's wrong with it? I mean, you have the house, you have the spouse, you have the car, you have the children. You have the children in private school. You get to go on the vacations, you have the boat. What is the problem with you? Why are you not satisfied? Why are you greedy? Right? And so it's. It's isolating, okay? And this is part of the reason why. One of the things that I work the hardest at building in the Entrepreneur Business School is the community. Because you have to have a community of people who are quote, unquote crazy, like you. Right? People who are dreaming big. People are embracing the discomfort. Like in the Entrepreneur Business School, in the face, in the private Facebook group that we have, we acknowledge challenges almost as much as we acknowledge wins. It's like, oh, man, the doctor in my practice quit and people are coming on like, oh, man. So this is an opportunity to learn this. This is an opportunity to do this. Where can we find you? Like, everybody goes into, you know, like, we're here for your. We're rooting for you problem solving mode. And like, this is not a problem. And people come out. Oh, yeah, that's how the other time I was on vacation and my doctor quit, and this is what we did, and this is how it worked out. And that was actually the best thing that ever happened. And things like that, like, it's the shared experience of people who are deciding, like, metamorphosis is. Is the way I roll. That's what I do. Right. Time after time after time. And so it's isolating. But you can build a community around that. Okay? Okay. And then the final thing is, which is a good thing, is that it's life changing. Embracing entrepreneurship and embracing success as an entrepreneur, embracing moving from one level to the other as an entrepreneur is so life changing. It doesn't just affects your business, it affects your life. I cannot tell you how many people that I've coached that you know in the Ontario Business School who say, you know, I am so grateful. I'm so grateful for all the wins that I've had in the Entrepreneur Business School. I'm grateful for the revenue I've been able to create, the staff team I've been able to build, build, and all of that. And they're like, but I will tell you, the greatest reward I have I've gotten from the Ontario Business School is my marriage is better, or my relationship with my kids are better, or I finally, I found myself. It's so Crazy. It will change your whole life. And that is why I love entrepreneurship. It is like the best personal development school ever. Maybe after marriage, but ever. And you discover yourself. You discover your voice, you discover what's important to you. You discover what you're good at. Because you, until you start doing things, you don't actually know what you're good at. I started off as a. As a socially awkward, super shy, introverted introvert. And I love speaking on stage, I love hosting live events. There's no way I would have known that without entrepreneurship. And it'll change your life. It will change every aspect of your life. It is beautiful. And I say this to say this. I said all of that to say this. Say yes. Say yes to the business of your dreams. Say yes to taking your business to the next level. Say yes to maybe, you know, you've been feeling like I'm crazy, thinking I can my business to 10 million. Well, maybe you do that. Embrace it. Not just because of the business, but because of the lives you impact, the revenue you generate, the time freedom you create for yourself, the self discovery, the life change. All of that. Like, it all works together. It all works together. So embrace it. Embrace it. Say yes. Say yes to your dreams. Say yes to your business. Say yes to that next level. Say yes to building that management team. Say yes to it all. Say yes. Say yes. And I will say that yes. Entrepreneurship is hard, but there are ways to make it easier. Okay? And the entrepreneur business school is one of those. Okay? So it is a place where you get access to the coaching you need, the accountability you need, and very importantly, the community that you need. I think one of these days I'm going to bring a bunch of the business schools students on to just talk about the power of the community. Someone literally just posted there this morning that this community is real gold, like liquid gold. Because it is. It is. We can thrive at this and we can go through it being messy, scary, nauseating, uncertain, isolating, and still enjoy it because we have our own community, we're working with our own tribe. And you know, yeah, but say yes. Whether you join the school or not, say yes. But if you, if you know you want to do it like you mean it and you want to do it with, with the support, right? You're not going through it on your own. So which means you have access to the shortcuts. You have access to not doing it by yourself. Right? You have access to a whole team. Then come apply on trendy.com forward/business. We'd love to have you. And let's, let's make this real. I'm looking forward to 2025. I talk about it a lot where that is a time when physicians will be the leaders inside and outside of medicine. They will fall in love again with medicine and they will have financial freedom. It's our time and I would love for you to be part of that. So say yes today. Share this episode with another doctor. They'll thank you forever. And I'll see you on the next episode of the Ontremity Podcast. Hey, if you love listening to the Ontremity Podcast, I want to invite you to join Entre MD On Demand. It is my signature subscription program that gives you access to a library of business courses designed to help you do one thing as a physician entrepreneur, and that is to thrive. Just head out to entremd.com ondemand and I love to have you join us. See you on the inside.
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