In grad school, we never learned how to run a business or start a private practice. We have learned that the only way to be of service is to sacrifice our own needs, but we all know we can't pour from an empty glass. This in turn sets us up to be stuck in a mindset that prevents us from making and doing what we are worth. Some workplaces have not done us any favors by keeping wages low, burnout high, and enforcing a mindset of "You can't do it on your own. No point in leaving." This type of thinking becomes our normal we don't realize there are better, healthier options. This leads us to being taken advantage of. I'll be the first to tell you that you can do it and that most of the time you would be doing a disservice to yourself by continuing to be taken advantage of. When I was leaving community mental health, if not for a friend that cares about me, I would have made a mistake of taking a percentage split and working for someone. Luckily, I found out ahead of time that I can do it on my own and that I'm worth more than that. You can do it too, I can help.