She Almost Sold to Private Equity. Here's What She Built Instead.
Dr. Una
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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:
When you are ready to work with us, here are three ways:
- The Profitable Private Practice Movement - If you want to build a thriving private practice that serves a lot of patients, while creating time and financial freedom for you, come join us here.
- EntreMD Business School Grow - This is our year-long program with a track record of producing physician entrepreneurs who are building 6, 7 and 7+ figure businesses. They do this while building their dream lives!
- EntreMD Business School Scale - This is our high-level mastermind for physicians who have crossed the seven figure milestone and want to build their businesses to be well oiled machines that can run without them.
To get on a call with my team to determine your next best step, go here ...
She Almost Sold to Private Equity. Here's What She Built Instead.
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