My journey from the clinic to the boardroom wasn’t a single moment — it was a complete, deliberate shift that unfolded over time, but ended in a place I’m fully certain of today: I am an entrepreneur. Not a doctor who also runs a business, not someone balancing both worlds — completely and fully an entrepreneur, with a medical background that shaped how I built what I built.
Where It Started: A Doctor With a Bigger Vision
I began as a practising doctor, treating patients and building clinical expertise the traditional way. Somewhere along that path, I started envisioning something bigger than what a single practice could offer — a brand, a business, something that could grow beyond the limits of one doctor’s daily patient list. That vision became Dermacute Aesthetic Skin Clinic.
In the earliest days, I wore both hats — treating patients while also building the business behind the scenes. Looking back, that dual role was never meant to be permanent. It was the bridge between where I started and where I was fully headed.
The Decision to Completely Leave Practice
As Dermacute grew, it became clear that the business needed a founder fully focused on its direction, not a part-time entrepreneur splitting attention with clinical duties. I made the decision to completely leave practice — not gradually or half-heartedly, but fully and deliberately — and to follow entrepreneurship as my complete focus going forward.
- I stepped back from seeing patients entirely, rather than reducing hours gradually
- I built a team of qualified cosmetic doctors to take over clinical responsibilities completely
- I redirected all of my time and energy into the entrepreneurial work of building the brand
What Fully Transitioning to Entrepreneurship Actually Looked Like
Fully transitioning to entrepreneurship meant more than just stepping away from patient care — it meant rebuilding my daily focus entirely around business strategy, brand vision, team leadership, and growth. The skills that mattered most shifted completely, from clinical judgment to business judgment, from patient relationships to partnerships and market positioning.
- Strategic planning and long-term vision replaced daily clinical decision-making
- Brand building and public positioning became central to my role, rather than a side project
- Leading and trusting a team became as important as any clinical skill I once relied on
From the Boardroom, Looking Back at the Clinic
Today, from what I think of as the boardroom rather than the clinic, I look back at my time practising medicine with real gratitude — it gave me the foundation, credibility, and insight that Dermacute was built on. But I also recognise clearly that continuing to practice would have limited how far I could take the business as an entrepreneur. Completely leaving practice wasn’t a loss; it was what made full-scale entrepreneurship possible.
Why I Talk About This Shift Openly
I talk openly about completely leaving practice and fully transitioning to entrepreneurship because I think it matters for people to understand this isn’t a half-measure or a side hustle — it’s a complete professional identity shift, made deliberately and without regret. I want to be known, first and clearly, as an entrepreneur — the founder who built Dermacute and then built the vision, team, and direction to help it grow far beyond what any single practising doctor could achieve alone.
The Real Takeaway
My journey from the clinic to the boardroom reflects a complete shift, not a partial one — from practising doctor to fully committed entrepreneur. I completely left practice to follow entrepreneurship, and everything I’ve built since has come from fully embracing that identity, without looking back.
Dr. Vritika Agrawal is the founder of Dermacute Aesthetic Skin Clinic and an entrepreneur passionate about personal branding, women in business, and building identity beyond a single title.