You Don't Need a 40-Page Business Plan
Let's get something out of the way: the business plans we see physicians agonize over for months are usually too long, too generic, and never looked at again after the bank approves the loan.
What you need is a focused document that answers three questions: How will you make money? How much will it cost to start? When will you break even?
Everything else is noise. Here's how to build a DPC business plan that's actually useful.
Executive Summary (Keep It to One Page)
Your executive summary should be the last thing you write but the first thing anyone reads. It should cover:
One page. If you can't explain your business in one page, you haven't thought it through clearly enough.
Market Analysis: Know Your Backyard
Skip the national healthcare trends section that every template tells you to include. Your bank doesn't care about the $4 trillion U.S. healthcare market. They care about your specific market.
What to research:
Where to find this data: Census.gov, HRSA data warehouse, your state medical board, and local chamber of commerce.
The Financial Pro Forma (This Is What Matters)
Here's a realistic financial model based on what we've seen across 155+ DPC launches:
Startup Costs
| Category | Low Estimate | High Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Lease deposit + first/last month | $5,000 | $15,000 |
| Office build-out/renovation | $10,000 | $40,000 |
| Medical equipment | $8,000 | $25,000 |
| EHR/technology setup | $2,000 | $5,000 |
| Legal (LLC, contracts, compliance) | $3,000 | $8,000 |
| Marketing (website, GBP, materials) | $3,000 | $8,000 |
| Insurance (malpractice, general liability) | $5,000 | $12,000 |
| Working capital (6 months operating) | $15,000 | $40,000 |
| Total | $51,000 | $153,000 |
Most practices land somewhere in the $70K–$100K range. The biggest variable is office build-out—some physicians find move-in-ready medical space, others need significant renovation.
Revenue Projections by Panel Size
| Panel Size | Monthly Fee | Monthly Revenue | Annual Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 patients | $100 | $10,000 | $120,000 |
| 200 patients | $100 | $20,000 | $240,000 |
| 300 patients | $100 | $30,000 | $360,000 |
| 400 patients | $100 | $40,000 | $480,000 |
| 500 patients | $100 | $50,000 | $600,000 |
These are gross revenue figures. At $100/patient/month—a common mid-range price—you need roughly 150–200 patients to cover all operating expenses and pay yourself a reasonable salary.
Monthly Operating Expenses (Stabilized)
| Expense | Monthly Range |
|---|---|
| Rent | $2,000–$5,000 |
| Staff (1 MA or office manager) | $3,500–$5,000 |
| EHR/technology | $300–$800 |
| Supplies and labs | $500–$1,500 |
| Insurance | $500–$1,200 |
| Marketing | $300–$800 |
| Miscellaneous | $500–$1,000 |
| Total overhead | $7,600–$15,300 |
Break-Even Analysis
Here's the math most physicians want to see:
At $100/patient/month with $10,000/month in overhead, you break even at 100 patients. Most practices reach 100 patients in 6–10 months.
At $125/patient/month with the same overhead, break-even drops to 80 patients—achievable in 5–8 months for practices with strong community connections or an employer contract.
The critical variable isn't pricing or overhead—it's enrollment velocity. Practices that launch with a marketing plan and at least one employer lead hit break-even months faster than those who open the doors and hope patients find them.
3-Year Projection Model
Here's what a realistic 3-year trajectory looks like:
Year 1: 8–15 new patients/month. End year at 100–150 patients. Revenue: $120K–$180K. Likely still below full salary replacement.
Year 2: 10–20 new patients/month (referrals accelerating). End year at 250–350 patients. Revenue: $300K–$420K. Physician compensation matches or exceeds prior salary.
Year 3: Panel approaching capacity (400–600). Revenue: $480K–$720K. Practice is profitable and sustainable. Begin considering adding a second provider or expanding services.
The Sections Banks Actually Read
If you're using this plan to secure financing, know that loan officers focus on:
They skim the mission statement. They study the numbers.
What to Skip
Generic templates will tell you to include mission statements, SWOT analyses, organizational charts, and appendices full of market research. For a single-physician DPC startup, most of this is filler.
Include: Executive summary, market analysis (local), financial pro forma, break-even analysis, 3-year projections, your CV, and a brief marketing plan.
Skip: Lengthy industry overviews, organizational charts for a 2-person office, detailed competitive analyses of health systems you're not competing with.
Build Your Plan With Real Numbers
Want help stress-testing your financial assumptions? Explore our pricing tiers to understand what operational support costs look like.
Ready to talk through your specific plan? Schedule a discovery call—we've reviewed hundreds of these.