So, in my last post, I spoke about the harsh truths of physiotherapy and the healthcare profession. If you have not read that one yet, please go and check it out -- it will give this post some context. But today, something simple happened that got me thinking even deeper.

I was looking in the mirror and noticed a few strands of grey hair. Let me tell you, it shocked me. Like, wow. Am I really getting grey hairs this early? I even tried to pull a few out because, you know, the boy still wants to look young. But beyond the shock, it reminded me of something more serious: the urgency of achieving financial freedom -- and doing it quickly, not later.

It hit me hard. Life is moving fast. The clock is ticking. And I thought, let me talk to my fellow young clinicians -- physios, nurses, and anyone else in healthcare -- about this thing called financial freedom. How do we break away from the traditional nine-to-five and start building something for ourselves?

Now, let me be clear: I am not an expert. I still work a nine-to-five myself. I have not arrived. I am not sipping mojitos in Bali while my bank account grows on autopilot. But I have spoken to people who have taken the leap. People who left the healthcare profession and found their path -- into tech, photography, social media content, cleaning businesses, real estate, all sorts. And it made me realise maybe we can learn a thing or two from them.

So when people ask me, “Paula, I love your last post. But what advice would you give someone who wants to start a business?” or “How do I leave this clinical life behind?”, here is what I always say.

Start With What You’re Good At -- Not Necessarily What You Love

First thing I would tell you is this: pick something you are good at. It does not have to be something you love. I know the internet is full of people saying, “Follow your passion,” “Do what you love,” and all of that. Sounds nice, but real life does not always work like that.

If you had to choose between doing something you love that brings in no money, or doing something you are good at that brings in steady income, which would you pick? Let us be real. In fact, I look at it like marriage. You might not start off with love, but if there is respect and mutual gain, the love can come later. So if you love what you are doing and you are also good at it? Great. That is a bonus. But if not, pick skill over passion.

Start Small - Small

The next thing I would say is: start small. I know a lot of people think that financial breakthrough only comes from building a billion-pound business. They want to create the next Apple or Tesla. They think they must be the next Jeff Bezos before they can see any real money. That is not true.

My model is simple: little drops of water make an ocean. If you can build a side hustle that gives you 10 pounds a day, or 10 dollars a day, or 10,000 Naira a day -- you are on to something. Let me break that down:

Let’s say you have a hustle in the UK that gives you just 10 pounds a day. That is 300 pounds a month. Seems small, right? Now imagine you have five different small hustles like that, each giving you 10 pounds a day. That is 50 pounds a day. Multiply that by 30 days -- that is 1,500 pounds a month. You see where I am going?

You are not trying to build the next Amazon from day one. You are trying to build consistent income streams. Then you scale them. How do you turn those 10 pounds a day into 20? Into 30? That is how you grow. That is how you build wealth from the ground up.

What True Wealth Looks Like (To Me)

People define wealth in different ways. For some, it is private jets, Rolex watches, and Lamborghinis. For me? True wealth is being able to wake up without worrying about money. It is not having to rush to work every single day because your bills are chasing you.

It is being able to wake up slowly, stretch, take a deep breath, and know that your money is working for you -- even while you sleep. That is what we call passive income. That is the goal.

But make no mistake: passive income does not mean zero work. You have to put in work upfront. And that brings me to something I always tell people -- in business, you either sacrifice your time for money or your money for money.

Time or Money -- Pick Your Sacrifice

Let me break that down with a simple example. Say you want to start a lip gloss business.

Option one: you do everything yourself. You buy the ingredients, mix the gloss, fill the bottles, design the labels, do the packaging, maybe even build your own website or sell through Etsy or Amazon. You are sacrificing your time. You are hands-on with every part of the process.

Option two: you outsource. You pay someone to do all of that for you -- mixing, packaging, branding. They deliver the finished product, and all you do is sell. In this case, you are sacrificing money to save time.

Both paths work. Neither one is better than the other. You just need to know which resource you have more of. Do you have time? Or do you have money?

In business, those are your only two currencies: time and money. You either use your time to make money or you use money to make more money.

You Do Not Need Me to Tell You What Side Hustle to Start

Here is the part where people usually ask me, “Okay, so what should I do?” I always say: I cannot tell you that. I do not know your strengths, your interests, or your resources.

But what I can give you is the principle.

Validate your idea. Test it. Before you go and pour energy or money into something, check if there is a market for it.

How?

Look around. Are other people doing it already? That is a good sign. Some people think, “If nobody else is doing it, then it must be a genius idea.” Sorry to burst your bubble -- probably not. There are over 7 billion people in the world. If nobody else has thought of your idea, maybe it is not as viable as you think. Maybe others have tried it and failed. Maybe there is no market.

It is safer to enter a space where others are already making money -- but where there is still room for more players. Study the competition. Can you offer something slightly better, faster, or cheaper? If yes, then you are in business.

Buying and Selling -- The Oldest Business in the World

Now let me give you something simple that works across all generations: buying and selling. That is how business has always worked. You buy a product or service cheaper in one place, and sell it higher in another place.

Let us say you are in Nigeria. Pure water in Katsina might cost 5 Naira. But in Abuja, it might go for 20 Naira. Where would you want to sell? Abuja, right?

Now, maybe you investigate and discover why it is cheaper in Katsina -- production costs, access to materials, whatever. You take that same model, apply it, and sell in Abuja. Or you simply transport the goods from Katsina to Abuja and make your margin.

Same thing everywhere. A bottle of water does not cost the same in California as it does in Saudi Arabia. Your job is to figure out where to buy, where to sell, and when to move it. That’s business.

Even as a clinician, you can think that way. Find a product that is cheaper somewhere else. Bring it to your location. That is a hustle right there.

The Poultry Guy Who Did It Right

Let me give you one last example that really impressed me. A friend of mine wanted to go into poultry -- selling eggs, specifically. So he calls me up and says he needs an investor. I was curious, so I asked him, “Okay, what have you done so far?”

And this guy surprised me. He had already gone to the farms to check the price of eggs. Then he went to the local market, added in the cost of transportation and his own profit margin, and asked the market sellers, “If I can supply at this price, will you buy?” He left them his number.

Within one week, he had over 70 orders.

Seventy!

So of course, he went back to the farm, bought the eggs, and fulfilled those orders. He did not disappoint. Why? Because he did his research. He validated the idea. He found the market before starting the business.

And that is the difference. That is what we all need to be doing. Before you commit, before you invest -- test the waters. Make sure people want what you are offering.

Final Thoughts: Clinicians, It Is Time to Wake Up

I plan to keep this conversation going. Because if we do not talk about these things -- financial growth, entrepreneurship, levelling up -- we will always be behind.

Let us be real. We are already late to the tech game. AI is changing healthcare, and many of us do not even know how to spell “prompt engineering.” We are behind in other industries too. But we do not have to stay behind.

Financial freedom is not reserved for the lucky few. It is for those who plan, who start small, who stay consistent, and who think outside the clinical box.

I am not saying you should stop being a clinician. I am saying you should stop being only a clinician. Build something for yourself. Build multiple streams. Start that thing you have been thinking about. Start small if you must. Use your time, use your money -- but start.

If you are ready to take this journey with me, then stick around. Subscribe to my blog. Share this with a colleague who needs to hear it.

We move together.

I will see you in the next post.

Thanks for reading.

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