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How to Start a Private Practice as a Dietitian: The Ultimate Guide

How to Start a Private Practice as a Dietitian: The Ultimate Guide

Dreaming of leaving the 9-5? Congratulations! Launching your private practice as a dietitian and your own business is exciting, tricky, not to mention, occasionally terrifying.

Starting your own private practice providing nutrition education is an exciting adventure, and there are many benefits to being your own boss. In fact, it may just be one of the best decisions you make as a dietitian.

In this guide, we will teach you everything you need to know about getting started, from setting up your business to getting referrals for a successful practice…not to mention avoiding the mistake of working 24/7. Let's get started!

Best way to get started as a private practice dietitian

Gulp – where to begin?

Let’s be honest: starting a business from scratch is no small endeavor. It’s a lot.

But on the other hand, the possible benefits are amazing. And for someone who can make it through a rigorous program to become a registered dietitian (go you!), you can absolutely take the small and consistent steps to have your own private practice and the business of your dreams.

First stop: crush that expert training.

Become a registered dietitian

In most states in the US, you have to be registered and licensed as a dietitian in order to provide personalized nutrition advice - aka, Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) to your patients and clients.

This path to becoming a registered dietitian is science-heavy and includes a bachelor's degree, a nine-month supervised internship, and a national board exam. And then in most states, licensure is required.

For the full scoop on how to become a registered dietitian nutritionist, save this article for later: How to Become a Registered Dietitian.

Get licensed

Most states in the US require licensure to work as a dietitian providing medical nutrition information. The board exam that we mentioned in the last section is a different step. The board exam is assessing your knowledge and critical thinking skills to be able to work effectively as a dietitian.

Licensure is not the same thing and the process varies by state. Licensure is about confirming that you’ve completed this training and can pass a criminal background check. The purpose of licensure is to protect the public.

And while telehealth is pushing the boundaries on where and how dietitians can work, consider getting licensed in any state where you’re seeing clients if that state has licensure.

Find your state rules here: map of all states and their licensure rules.

Determine your niche

Who do you get excited to help?

Most dietitians enter the field because of their passion to help people. And while it might seem like a good idea to try to help everyone (not to mention far less scary when you’re thinking about creating your own income), it actually can backfire.

People, and potential clients, want to work with an expert. And while you’re able to become an expert in any niche, you’ll quickly become exhausted trying to stay on top of the literature in too many different areas all at the same time.

Narrowing your focus allows you to hone in on a specific client base and do a better job of helping that group of people, with less fatigue and overwhelm.

You could work in cardiovascular health, gut health, oncology, fertility or PCOS, postpartum nutrition, family meal planning, culinary nutrition, sports nutrition, bariatric nutrition, pediatric nutrition, teen sports, body image nutrition, renal nutrition, eating disorders, geriatric nutrition, menopause nutrition, intuitive eating, and more.

Here are a few examples of dietitians working in private practice with their own unique niches!

As you decide your niche, you’ll also want to be thinking about your business name. Your business name might include something relevant to your niche, simply be your name or something creative that gets you excited.

two women chatting at an office table in front of a brick background

Source: unsplash.com

Seek mentorship

While it can be important to invest in yourself and your business, mentorship doesn’t have to be an expense right off the bat.

The Small Business Administration (abbreviated as SBA) is a government-funded agency where business owners-to-be can receive expert guidance.

You can also connect with other entrepreneurs via professional Facebook groups, your state board, and continuing education trainings. Having mentors can help you to get unstuck when you’re feeling overwhelmed and can offer you inspiration for how much you can do with your own business.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics also has a dietetic practice group that can be a great ongoing resource, such as the Dietitians in Business and Communications DPG. The Nutrition Entrepreneurs DPG can also be a great resource for becoming a nutrition entrepreneur along with other registered dietitian nutritionists.

Get legal

You will want to officially form your business; this is forming an LLC, S-CORP, or other entity. Which business model you choose will be a decision that you make based on the advice of your legal counsel, but many entrepreneurs start with an LLC.

You register your business through your state and the fees for this vary from one state to another. Registration gives you a business ID number, kind of like your Social Security number for yourself. You'll use this ID number – called an Employer Identification Number (EIN) – to open up a business bank account.

To set up your business registration as an LLC, you can start with your own state's Secretary of State. To find yours, enter "Secretary of State [and the name of your state]" in your browser's search bar. For example, if you live in California you can type, "secretary of state california" and navigate to their business entities pages.

You’ll also want to consider liability insurance to protect yourself and your business in the case of a complaint or lawsuit.

Here are a few legal resources:

Open a business bank account

Now that you have your business formed, you’ll use your EIN as you open up a bank account and to accept credit card payments. You have to have somewhere to put all of that money you’re going to make!

Keeping your business separate from your personal money makes tax time far simpler.

Hang your shingle

Where will you practice?

Private practice dietitians can work in person, virtually, or a combo of the two.

In-person, dietitians have options. You can see clients:

  • In your own office that you rent full time
  • In a shared workspace you have access to part-time
  • In a grocery store or coffee shop
  • In a gym
  • In a practice with other healthcare professionals, such as a doctor’s office

You also can work 100% virtually. More on that in a bit!


Get the word out

Whether you work in person or virtually, you need to let people, and new clients, know that you exist!

You may consider creating a website, launching social media channels (and engaging with potential clients on those social media platforms), and printing business cards and fliers. You can also promote your services on membership national directories such as Healthprofs or EatRight.org or any professional organizations relevant to your niche. You can also see what local options exist, such as through your local chamber of commerce.

(Psst! None of these things are required to get started, but they sure can help to boost your confidence. Start with one thing and build from there!)

private practice checklist

Benefits of being in business for yourself with a nutrition private practice

There are many potential benefits to having your own nutrition business. Let’s explore a few of our favorites!

Flexibility

Perhaps the top benefit of becoming a private practice dietitian is the flexibility if you want to work outside of the confines of a traditional 9-5. Don’t want to work weekends ever again? You don’t have to – you’re the boss!

Want to only work when your kiddos are in school? Great - you set the hours.

Autonomy

As a business owner, you get to decide who you work with, when, and how. For those of us who are comfortable taking risks and being in a leadership role, this can feel exciting!

No cap on income

As a private practice dietitian, you get to determine your own rates, working hours, and how you generate revenue. And while the first few dollars can feel very hard-won, you are truly limitless in the how much money you can make.

From working with clients one on one to hosting group programs and creating relevant courses and products, you can continue to give yourself a raise without having to ask your boss. You ARE the boss.

a pink porcelain piggy bank in front of a pink background

Source: unsplash.com

Challenges of being a private practice dietitian

There are hurdles to overcome as a private practice dietitian, but friend, if you can pass the national board exam and get through O-chem, you can also build your own booming private practice.

Starting something new means that you’re a beginner. You are figuring out a lot of different pieces of the puzzle so that you can create your dream business.

Making mistakes is a completely normal part of this process. If you think that you can avoid making mistakes, I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed. Mistakes can be scary and humbling, but they can also be great teachers if you can reflect on them with curiosity rather than judgment.


As your business grows, it is important to continue reflecting on your flow day-to-day, your stress levels, your income, and your processes and see how things can improve or change to make your business even better. It is a challenge that with your own private practice, you can be both the issue (such as being held back by imposter syndrome) but also the solution (doing mindset work and getting mentorship).

Perhaps the best advice we can offer is to be kind to yourself. You don’t want to leave an overbearing boss to become your own worst nightmare.

Private Practice Dietitian Salary

According to a member survey of Private Practice dietitians published in the AND 2021 Compensation Survey, the annual salary range was $42,500 - $139,600.

Set your rates

How much to charge? This can feel like such a challenging question for dietitians to think through as they launch their own businesses.

You can consider charging per session, having a group program, or even having packages, such as a few sessions over a few months in combination with a meal plan.

Here is some advice on How To Set Your Dietitian Service Fees.

Get Paid

There is another big decision to make here: will your clients be self-pay or will you become credentialed with insurance providers?

The right answer here depends on your goals and bandwidth.

The pros of becoming credentialed with insurance companies include:

  • Consistent payment
  • The insurance companies being a referral source
  • Your services are more accessible to your clients

The cons include:

  • The insurance company determining your rates
  • More time/effort to get paid
  • Delay in getting paid from the time of service

You are also allowed to try one option, see if it works for you, and go from there.

Been thinking about getting credentialed as a provider with insurance companies?

The Reimbursement Dietitian (aka Amy Plano) guides dietitians through this process with far greater success (and fewer bouts of frustration) than RDs trying to figure out all of the nuts, bolts, and red tape on their own.

How to get referrals

You’re ready to enjoy your thriving business as a private practice dietitian…but where in the heck are those clients?

Building a business is kind of like building a snowman. At first, your efforts will seem tedious and hard-won, kind of like creating that tiny snowball in your hands.

But with each push, you slowly gain momentum. That first client will bud into two, they’ll tell their friends and you’ll have a 3rd and 4th…and it will grow from there.

Referrals can come from happy customers, physicians, and other healthcare professionals and from networking in your community in person and online. I have a whole course about networking on LinkedIn, right here.

Keep in mind that most of us check referrals and references before working with a practitioner. As you have happy clients, be consistent about asking for referrals. This could be through your Google My Business, on your Facebook page, or have them send referrals via email that you can post on your social media channels and website.

Software Systems

How will you keep track of everything? Not on paper!

As a nutrition business owner, you’ll want to have an electronic system, known as an electronic medical record, EMR for short.

There are several options. I recommend poking around in each of them and doing a free trial to see which one offers the features and benefits that best match your business goals and budget.

A few EMRs for you to consider include:

In-person counseling vs virtual (telehealth)

You can counsel your patients four ways: in-person in an office, in-person in their home, virtually via telehealth telephone call (utilizing a HIPPA-compliant method), or virtually via telehealth video call (also with a HIPPA-compliant method).

It is becoming increasingly common for RDs to work virtually - no need for the overhead of office space and you can provide nutrition counseling in sweatpants!

The Academy’s quick guide about all things Telehealth will tell you what you need to know.

It is also increasingly common for RDs to get insurance reimbursement for virtual services, not just in person as used to be the trend.

Here are 22 Work From Home Tips To Boost Your Productivity.

Launch it!

Here’s the thing: you’ll never feel 100% ready.

Imposter syndrome – that feeling that you’re in over your head and don’t belong – is just your body telling yourself that you’re doing something unfamiliar. It does not (I repeat; it does NOT) mean that you shouldn’t be trying new things and learning from your mistakes.

We all have Imposter Syndrome, you'll want to save this article for later: How to Beat the Impostor Syndrome

In business, there are so many courses that you can take, books to read, and articles, like this one, to learn more and gain insight. But this will only take you so far. At some point, this reading and researching really just becomes procrastination in a cute disguise.

Grow Your Private Practice: Training for Dietitians and Therapists

Eventually, you’ll have to gather your courage and begin! The more you try things, the faster you’ll figure out what you like, what is (and isn’t) working, and build your own confidence.

And as for working 24/7? This can be an easy trap to fall into when you’re at the beginning of launching your own private practice; you are figuring out your processes, how much to charge, and learning the ins and outs of your niche. But remember why you didn’t want to work a traditional 9-5 job: it wasn’t to work 24/7.

Explore what is making you feel like you need to work 24/7 and adjust. Do you need to hire a VA? Charge more per session? Continue to grow your mindset? Keep reflecting, reviewing, and optimizing.

Want to start working in a private practice before starting your own business?

Maybe you want to have your own private practice but you want to start slowly. An easy way to learn the ropes is working for another nutrition private practice. There are so many dietitians who employ other dietitians in their private practice to help with the client load. Joining one can give you the time to understand the business and learn from others. Many private practices also employ dietetic technicians.

If you are job searching for a position in a private practice, check out this video to learn key insights from a dietitian employer.

Private practice business coaching from other dietitians

There are lots of successful private practice dietitians who are now also in the business of helping other dietitians set up a private practice. They usually offer business systems so you don't need to "reinvent the wheel", such as forms, reimbursement training, checklists, mentoring, membership programs for ongoing support, patient handouts, money mindset training, and more.

Here are some resources:

More ideas for nutrition businesses

While working with clients 1:1 is a common place to start, don’t limit yourself to that model if that doesn’t get your heart excited or meet your lifestyle and business goals.

There are many ways to have a successful business as a dietitian. You can offer as many services as you wish; just make sure that you’re not spreading yourself too thin - it is easy to do!

Key takeaways: Private Practice Dietitian

Being your own boss can be exciting, lucrative, challenging, and rewarding. You can have a small, part-time hustle or a large practice that includes other dietitians or healthcare professionals. You can see clients one on one, in groups, and in programs. You can do your work in person or virtually.

The most important thing is to get started. The best way to learn is from experience. See what works, make some mistakes, and continue to refine what works for you. It is never too early to start networking with healthcare professionals in your community; I teach you how to do it in my LinkedIn Course, right here. You’ll be amazed at how many members of your community can’t wait to celebrate the launch of your business and send clients your way!



About the Author

Stacey Dunn-Emke, MS, RDN, is the Founder Owner of NutritionJobs and an established dietetic career expert. She helps steer dietetic and nutrition professionals to a successful job search process with the top-ranked dietetic job board platform, NutritionJobs.com. Stacey is the author of The Dietetic Resume Guide and numerous dietetic career action-ables. She gives the tools to create a modern standout dietetic resume to land that job interview, help with job interview prep, and with creating Compelling LinkedIn profiles. Stacey has interviewed and hired many dietitians. Since running NutritionJobs in 2000, she has reviewed thousands of dietetic resumes. She works closely with dietetic hiring managers and recruiters to know the standout elements on a resume that land a job interview. Stacey frequently consults with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics at FNCE and co-created the webinar series, Dietetic Career Hack: The Complete Networking and Resume Guide and Dietetic Career Hack Part II: Interviewing Tips and Tricks. Her previous dietitian jobs have been in clinical, nutrition support, and research.

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