Estimated Read Time: 9 minutes
I’ve been talking to so many practitioners lately who feel stuck in a way that’s hard to describe until you’re living it. You know you’re meant for something different, you can feel that your current setup isn’t sustainable, and yet the logistics of transitioning into an online practice feel like this big, intimidating mountain. You’re confused about how to make the move in a way that’s smooth, responsible, and actually realistic. So let’s talk about the logistics of how to move your private practice online, specifically if you’re transitioning from brick-and-mortar and you want to bring at least some of your current clients along with you.
Why Now Is the Time to Learn How to Move Your Private Practice Online
When I started in 2018, other peers in my industry were so hesitant. They didn’t understand how it could work. They worried about labs, they didn’t like Zoom, it felt foreign. Then COVID happened, and now online is not only accepted, but preferred by a lot of clients. And beyond acceptance, the desire is growing. People want convenience and flexibility instead of long commutes to doctors offices. They want support that fits into a real life.
We also have unprecedented global connectivity now. I live in Mexico and I can still serve clients in the States, Canada, South America, Europe. You can collaborate globally, reach people you were never able to reach before, and build something that isn’t limited by geography. More and more practitioners are moving online so if it’s on your heart, now is the time!
🌿 WELLthy Woman Tip: If you’ve been circling the idea of going online for months (or years), you need clean structure and support while you make the shift. The online space is only getting more normalized which means the practitioners who move with intention now will be the ones leading in the next chapter of this industry. If you want guidance while you build, the WELLth Collective is where practitioners come to get unstuck and move with clarity instead of spiraling in indecision.
A Simple 90 Day Timeline for How to Move Your Private Practice Online
What I typically recommend is a two to three month transition period. It’s long enough to create something stable, but not so long that it turns into this vague future plan that never happens. You can shorten it or extend it. But here’s a general structure how to move your private practice online that tends to work well for practitioners and for current clients who need time to adjust.
Weeks 1–2: Assess Readiness and Set a Weekly Build Day
One of the biggest benefits of moving online is that your pool of potential clients becomes essentially unending, which means you can refine who you work with and how you work with them. You don’t have to take anyone with a pulse walking through the door.
This is also the moment to set aside at least one day per week to work on building your virtual practice. Depending on your current schedule, that might mean a half-day on weekends or time blocks during the week. There will be a season where it takes extra effort, but it’s not forever. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Use this phase to identify the resources you’ll need like technology, equipment, software, and systems. For example, I use Practice Better as my client management system, plus Zoom and Google Voice. You’ll also want to be real with yourself about whether you need mentorship or support. You can absolutely figure things out alone, but timelines collapse when you stop trying to learn everything the hard way.
If you’re on insurance panels, start removing yourself as early as possible. Some panels can take months to de-panel you, and it will slow everything down if you wait until the last minute.
🌿 WELLthy Woman Tip: This first phase is about identifying what you actually want to keep — and what you’re done carrying forward. If you need help clarifying your positioning and your next right move, you’ll love the monthly coaching inside the WELLth Collective.
Weeks 3–4: Define Your Vision, Positioning, and Financial Plan
This is where you clarify the direction of your online practice. Define your short- and long-term goals, your target audience, and what makes your approach uniquely yours.
What is your special sauce? What are the modalities you love and want to emphasize? Bio-resonance, homeopathy, energetics, human design—whatever it is, your ideal clients are going to adore the fact that you love those modalities. They’re not going to think it’s weird. They’re going to think it’s exactly why they want to work with you.
From there, map your marketing approach and the financial side of the transition. What’s your current overhead? What will your new overhead be? What costs are coming in, and what potential revenue streams do you want to build?
🌿 WELLthy Woman Tip: Your online practice doesn’t grow because you do more — it grows because you get clearer. Messaging, niche, and offer structure matter more than volume. This is exactly what we workshop inside the Collective every month.
Week 5: Choose Your Platform and Set Up Your Digital Systems
Choose a secure, user-friendly platform to deliver your services and connect with clients. Again, Practice Better is what I use, but the point is to choose something that supports you, not something you’re going to resent using.
This is also the phase where you start establishing your online presence more intentionally. That doesn’t mean performing. It means consistency and clarity. Begin showing up, creating content that reflects your positioning, and optimizing your profiles. Implement systems that streamline your operations: online scheduling, payment processing, and client management tools. The online space works best when the backend is clean.
🌿 WELLthy Woman Tip: The backend is what creates freedom. Scheduling, payment systems, boundaries, client experience — this is what separates a hobby from a practice that actually scales. If you want the systems without the chaos, start inside the WELLth Collective training library.
Weeks 6–8: Communicate the Transition and Adapt Your Offerings
This is the part that makes or breaks the transition: how you communicate the move to your current clients.
You’ll also start assessing how your current offerings translate to an online format. Maybe you’re moving away from fee-for-service into packages or programs. Maybe you’re building a group offering. Whatever you choose, make sure the structure supports both your needs and your clients’ needs, because one of the biggest opportunities of moving online is that you get to design your practice in a way that actually feels good to run.
Weeks 9–12: Expand, Launch, and Iterate
As your systems and offers are coming together, you deepen your content strategy, build community, and begin promoting your services online in a way that feels aligned. And then you launch. Not as a one-time event, but as the beginning of ongoing refinement. You collect feedback, improve your client experience, update systems, and continue building a practice that evolves with you.
🌿 WELLthy Woman Tip: When you’re learning how to move your private practice online, your first version doesn’t need to be perfect — it needs to be live. Momentum comes from movement, not endless tweaking. If you want ongoing calibration as you grow, that’s what the WELLth Collective is designed for.
How to Bring Your Current Clients
This is one of the biggest places practitioners get stuck when figuring out how to move your private practice online.
I typically recommend giving your current clients a 60 to 90 day notice period. You want to prepare a clear, concise message explaining the transition, but here’s the key: do not make the announcement like you’re apologizing. Yes, highlight the benefits of things like convenience, flexibility, easier scheduling, expanded access to resources, improved service. But also tell them the truth about why you’re doing this.
I think a lot of practitioners dampen their excitement because there’s guilt or shame that bubbles up. They worry they’re going to disappoint people. They worry they’re going to let clients down. So they shrink their energy and make the transition feel smaller than it actually is. And there is a real missed opportunity there.
Bring your clients into the behind-the-scenes of your decision-making process. Share honestly why the current model hasn’t been fulfilling, and what you’re creating instead. Share what lights you up about it. How it allows you to show up better, serve more deeply, and ultimately get better results.
The right clients (the ones you would love to take with you) will read that and feel excited with you. They will see themselves in your story. They’ll think, “I didn’t even realize this was possible, and I want to come with you.” And then suddenly, you’re not starting from scratch online.
You can also schedule individual conversations with key clients, especially the ones who feel like an energetic match. You know who I mean—the clients you genuinely enjoy, where there’s mutual respect and the exchange feels nourishing instead of draining. Those are the clients you want to invite into the next chapter.
Finally, anticipate the most common concerns and address them proactively. Reassure clients about continuity of care and quality of service in an online setting. And if someone genuinely cannot come with you, provide referral information where appropriate.
You Don’t Have to Stay in the Old Model
If moving your private practice online has been on your radar, take that seriously. The longer you stay in limbo, the more energy you pour into a model that’s just “fine” instead of aligned with the life you want.
This doesn’t have to be dramatic — and it doesn’t have to take years. Set a clear timeline, carve out weekly build time, and lead the transition with clarity, not guilt or fear. The right clients will understand your why.
If you’re ready to move online with structure, support, and practitioner-specific strategy, the WELLth Collective is the place.
Ready to dive deeper? Join us inside The WELLth Collective. It’s full of health practitioners building their online practices, and inside, you will get instant access to exclusive trainings, monthly group coaching calls for personalized feedback, practitioner spotlights for inspiration, and early access to new programs and discounts. Join the community here.
About the Author: Michelle Rogers, ND, MSAOM, FDN-P, is a clinical mentor and founder of The WELLthy Woman™ movement. A practicing clinician since 2012, she pivoted to mentoring fellow practitioners in 2019 after experiencing her own transformation from clinic burnout to online business success. She has since guided hundreds of health professionals to build profitable online practices using her unique integration of functional medicine expertise and scalable business strategies.
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