This question comes up often and it actually isn’t a hard one to answer.  A lot of nurses want to know, “what type of business can a nurse start?”  Within the BNE community, I have heard this question time and time again.  Most nurses love the thought of being their own boss, but lack the knowledge on what is actually possible. 

Here is where I come in….. 

My years of working with and connecting to several thousands of BNE members has afforded me the opportunity to see and understand exactly what businesses a nurse could open.  Oftentimes, we don’t know what is possible because we simply haven’t seen it. 

Again, this is where I can help….

On of my primary goals with BNE, has always been to connect black nurses interested in entrepreneurship to those who have been seasoned entrepreneurs for years.  

When I assist and consult with nurses about starting their business, I oftentimes find that we have to do a little mindset work first to break down the mental and emotional barriers that life, society and healthcare have created.  I mean, I get it….the priority of nursing school isn’t meant to teach you how to be a Nurse Boss or a CEO.  Nursing school is meant to teach you how to be a good nurse and care for patients.  And if we listened to society, we would never feel confident enough to take the leap of faith to do anything.    

Interestingly enough, once we break down those barriers, nurses actually have a lot of skills that are transferrable to the business world.  Skills like assessment, prioritization, evaluation, leadership, time management and delegation to name a few.  Or, how about the more tangible skills such as doing CPR, documenting in a EMR and performing ADLs. 

Nonetheless, we have what it takes to be entrepreneurs.  But, that still leads me back to the original question of “what type of business can a nurse start?”

What if I told you that you as a nurse, either a LVN or RN, could start almost any business.  I know right …shocker.  A lot of nurses believe they have to have an advanced degree to start a business which is far from the truth.  So let’s take a little dive into what is possible.  You will be happy that you did.

I would say, start with the most obvious businesses we can start based on the skills we already have.  Several BNE nurses own:

• CPR schools
• CNA schools
• Scrub shops
• Home health agencies
• Staffing agencies
• Consultancies
• Homecare agencies
• Assisted Living Facilities
• Group Homes
• House call companies
• Telemedicine companies
• Health and wellness companies
• IV hydration
• And so forth.

Now let’s look at some of the more non-traditional, but very lucrative other options, such as:

• Aesthetics
• Travel industry
• Crafting
• Food/Beverage companies
• Finance/investing
• Insurance
• Organizations
• Nursing School
• Real Estate
• Taxes
• Photography
• Apparel
• CLIA waived lab
• And Trucking. 

Most of these businesses do not require extra degrees to obtain, but they will require you to invest time, money and resources into yourself to be successful. 

Now that we have explored some opportunities, the best thing to do is to get connected with a good coach to help you to achieve your goals.  Please feel free to join our private Facebook group in order to network and grab more resources.  Also, be sure to look through our directory for businesses that are already doing exactly what you are wanting to do.