Ep303 - Buying a Business: A Shortcut to Physician Entrepreneurship
BootstrapMD - Physician Entrepreneurs Podcast with Dr. Mike Woo-Ming
Release Date: 07/23/2025
BootstrapMD - Physician Entrepreneurs Podcast with Dr. Mike Woo-Ming
How can military-honed resilience and positive psychology supercharge physician leadership? In this episode of Bootstrap MD, host Dr. Mike Woo-Ming interviews Dr. Christopher Colombo, as he shares his path from elementary school dreams of medicine to active-duty training, and his post-retirement "Lego break" before embracing part-time ICU night shifts and executive coaching. Inspired by a fellow physician's transition, he pursued training in executive and positive psychology coaching to address the personal-professional overlaps that frustrated him—like compartmentalizing life domains...
info_outlineBootstrapMD - Physician Entrepreneurs Podcast with Dr. Mike Woo-Ming
What does it take for a geriatrician to become a healthcare innovator impacting millions? In this episode, Dr. Mike Woo-Ming sits down with Dr. Michael Fang to share his journey from practicing medicine to co-founding Base10, an infection control software that saved lives in 150 nursing homes during the COVID pandemic, generating over $35M before its acquisition. He also co-founded Inosphere, impacting 7M mental health patients in the UK, Ireland, and Scotland. Now, as Chief Strategy Officer at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine and CEO of Rise Health, Dr. Fang is redefining...
info_outlineBootstrapMD - Physician Entrepreneurs Podcast with Dr. Mike Woo-Ming
In this episode, host Dr. Mike Woo-Ming exposes the "great physician money lie"—that high income automatically leads to wealth—and shares transformative insights from the book "The Wealth Ladder." Drawing from his 20+ years as a physician entrepreneur, he explains why many doctors earning $300,000+ live paycheck to paycheck, trapped in lifestyle inflation and employee mindsets. Dr. Woo-Ming breaks down the four levels of the wealth ladder, from financial insecurity to true freedom, and provides a simple formula to calculate your net worth. He emphasizes shifting from trading time for...
info_outlineBootstrapMD - Physician Entrepreneurs Podcast with Dr. Mike Woo-Ming
This episode is sponsored by: My Financial Coach You trained to save lives—who’s helping you save your financial future? My Financial Coach connects physicians with CFP® Professionals who specialize in your complex needs. Whether it’s crushing student loans, optimizing investments, or planning for retirement, you’ll get a personalized strategy built around your goals. Save for a vacation home, fund your child’s education, or prepare for life’s surprises—with unbiased, advice-only planning through a flat monthly fee. No commissions. No conflicts. Just clarity. Visit...
info_outlineBootstrapMD - Physician Entrepreneurs Podcast with Dr. Mike Woo-Ming
This episode is sponsored by: My Financial Coach You trained to save lives—who’s helping you save your financial future? My Financial Coach connects physicians with CFP® Professionals who specialize in your complex needs. Whether it’s crushing student loans, optimizing investments, or planning for retirement, you’ll get a personalized strategy built around your goals. Save for a vacation home, fund your child’s education, or prepare for life’s surprises—with unbiased, advice-only planning through a flat monthly fee. No commissions. No conflicts. Just clarity. Visit to...
info_outlineBootstrapMD - Physician Entrepreneurs Podcast with Dr. Mike Woo-Ming
This episode is sponsored by: My Financial Coach You trained to save lives—who’s helping you save your financial future? My Financial Coach connects physicians with CFP® Professionals who specialize in your complex needs. Whether it’s crushing student loans, optimizing investments, or planning for retirement, you’ll get a personalized strategy built around your goals. Save for a vacation home, fund your child’s education, or prepare for life’s surprises—with unbiased, advice-only planning through a flat monthly fee. No commissions. No conflicts. Just clarity. Visit to...
info_outlineBootstrapMD - Physician Entrepreneurs Podcast with Dr. Mike Woo-Ming
This episode is sponsored by: My Financial Coach You trained to save lives—who’s helping you save your financial future? My Financial Coach connects physicians with CFP® Professionals who specialize in your complex needs. Whether it’s crushing student loans, optimizing investments, or planning for retirement, you’ll get a personalized strategy built around your goals. Save for a vacation home, fund your child’s education, or prepare for life’s surprises—with unbiased, advice-only planning through a flat monthly fee. No commissions. No conflicts. Just clarity. Visit to...
info_outlineBootstrapMD - Physician Entrepreneurs Podcast with Dr. Mike Woo-Ming
This episode is sponsored by: My Financial Coach You trained to save lives—who’s helping you save your financial future? My Financial Coach connects physicians with CFP® Professionals who specialize in your complex needs. Whether it’s crushing student loans, optimizing investments, or planning for retirement, you’ll get a personalized strategy built around your goals. Save for a vacation home, fund your child’s education, or prepare for life’s surprises—with unbiased, advice-only planning through a flat monthly fee. No commissions. No conflicts. Just clarity. Visit to meet your...
info_outlineBootstrapMD - Physician Entrepreneurs Podcast with Dr. Mike Woo-Ming
This episode is sponsored by: My Financial Coach You trained to save lives—who’s helping you save your financial future? My Financial Coach connects physicians with CFP® Professionals who specialize in your complex needs. Whether it’s crushing student loans, optimizing investments, or planning for retirement, you’ll get a personalized strategy built around your goals. Save for a vacation home, fund your child’s education, or prepare for life’s surprises—with unbiased, advice-only planning through a flat monthly fee. No commissions. No conflicts. Just clarity. Visit to meet your...
info_outlineBootstrapMD - Physician Entrepreneurs Podcast with Dr. Mike Woo-Ming
This episode is sponsored by: My Financial Coach You trained to save lives—who’s helping you save your financial future? My Financial Coach connects physicians with CFP® Professionals who specialize in your complex needs. Whether it’s crushing student loans, optimizing investments, or planning for retirement, you’ll get a personalized strategy built around your goals. Save for a vacation home, fund your child’s education, or prepare for life’s surprises—with unbiased, advice-only planning through a flat monthly fee. No commissions. No conflicts. Just clarity. Visit: to meet...
info_outlineThis episode is sponsored by: My Financial Coach
You trained to save lives—who’s helping you save your financial future? My Financial Coach connects physicians with CFP® Professionals who specialize in your complex needs. Whether it’s crushing student loans, optimizing investments, or planning for retirement, you’ll get a personalized strategy built around your goals. Save for a vacation home, fund your child’s education, or prepare for life’s surprises—with unbiased, advice-only planning through a flat monthly fee. No commissions. No conflicts. Just clarity.
Visit https://myfinancialcoach.com/bootstrapmd/ to meet your financial coach and find out if concierge planning is right for you.
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Can buying a business be the key to achieving your entrepreneurial dreams as a physician? In this episode, Dr. Mike Woo-Ming, dives into the world of business acquisitions as a faster, less stressful alternative to starting from scratch. He compares offline businesses (like med spas, urgent cares, or even non-healthcare ventures like restaurants) with online businesses (such as e-commerce stores, coaching platforms, or SaaS companies), outlining their unique benefits and risks. Dr. Woo-Ming shares lessons from his own successes—like acquiring a profitable medical clinic—and pitfalls, including a failed online marketing venture. He provides practical guidance on evaluating deals, from analyzing financials and customer retention to assessing location and scalability. With a detailed due diligence checklist, this episode equips physicians with the tools to make informed acquisition decisions that align with their time constraints, lifestyle goals, and desire for financial independence.
Three Actionable Takeaways:
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Perform Thorough Due Diligence – Review at least two years of financials (P&L, balance sheets, cash flow statements), verify traffic and conversion metrics for online businesses, and insist on live screen-sharing to confirm data authenticity.
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Assess Business Fit for Your Lifestyle – Choose offline businesses for hands-on involvement and tangible assets, or online businesses for location freedom and scalability, based on your career stage and personal goals.
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Leverage Your Network and Experts – Explore opportunities through platforms like BizBuySell or Empire Flippers, tap into medical networks for unlisted deals, and consult CPAs and attorneys to avoid costly oversights.
About the Host:
Dr. Mike Woo-Ming has over 20 years of experience as a physician entrepreneur. He’s built and sold multiple seven-figure companies and now leads Executive Medical, a group of clinics specializing in age management and aesthetics. Through BootstrapMD, he mentors physicians in business, content creation, and autonomy.
👥 Connect with Dr. Mike
Website: www.bootstrapmd.com
Podcast Network: Doctor Podcast Network
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-woo-ming