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She Almost Sold to Private Equity. Here's What She Built Instead.
The EntreMD Podcast
Dr. Sarolta Szabo grew her dermatology practice from 3,000 to 18,000 square feet, cut her clinical days in half, and took six weeks of personal vacation last year — here's how she did it.
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In 2020, she was calling private equity firms to sell. By 2025, she had two locations, 50 staff, and her life back.
In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Sarolta Szabo — dermatologist and founder of Alta Vista Dermatology in Highlands Ranch, Colorado — for a conversation that covers the full arc: opening her practice from scratch in 2010, grinding through 10 years of trial and error, hitting a wall, and then making a decision that changed everything.
Dr. Szabo gets honest about what nearly drove her to sell — the burnout, the loneliness of the CEO role, working nights after the kids were in bed, and building without a roadmap. She talks through how she made the transition from working in the business to leading it, how she navigated growing with a spouse who wasn't initially on board with coaching, and how she rebuilt after losing five providers in a single year. She also shares what she believes about the role of community, accountability, and coaching at every level of growth — and why she thinks you either have a coach or a therapist, because doing this alone has a ceiling.
This is the kind of episode that makes you want to go back and listen again.
Tune in and get inspired!
Timestamps:
00:00 Teaser clip
01:30 Introduction — why Dr. Una is excited about this guest
02:35 Dr. Szabo's background and how she started her practice in 2010
05:15 10 years of trial and error — what growth looked like before EBS
06:50 Hitting a wall in 2020 and calling a private equity firm
08:25 Finding EntreMD and deciding not to sell
09:50 Joining EntreMD Business School on her 50th birthday
12:40 The community and why it changed everything
13:50 Private equity vs. private practice — what her life would look like
17:00 Her true entrepreneur mindset and her father's influence
19:15 What the practice looks like today: 2 locations, 18,000 sq ft, 50 staff
22:00 Working two and a half clinical days a week and six weeks of vacation
23:35 How growth affected revenue and profit
29:00 Transitioning from clinician to CEO — grieving the patient relationships
33:30 Continuing to market through every stage of growth
35:55 Losing five providers in 2024 and rebuilding in 2025
38:30 Navigating a spouse who wasn't on board with coaching
42:30 Strategy for bringing a resistant spouse along gradually
45:30 Show don't tell — how results do the convincing
48:35 Who you become in the process of building
50:50 The business is a tool — what that really means
55:15 Private practice is not dead — encouragement for the discouraged doctor
56:35 Start small: CEO time, part-time hires, find your community
01:00:00 The importance of tracking small wins every day
01:02:35 Where to find Dr. Szabo and Alta Vista Dermatology
Additional Resources:
Connect with Dr. Sarolta Szabo
Website: altavistaderm.com
Instagram (Practice): @altavistaderm
Instagram (Personal): @drsaboderm
Facebook: Alta Vista Dermatology
YouTube: Alta Vista Dermatology
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Additional Resources:
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When you are ready to work with us, here are three ways:
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