BootstrapMD - Physician Entrepreneurs Podcast with Dr. Mike Woo-Ming

Recent Episodes

1. EP363: From Owning a Job to Building a Sellable Medical Practice

   Sep 16, 2026

   Dr. Jean-Raphael Schneider, a practicing neurologist who built and sold his own multi-provider neurology practice, discusses how he transformed his medical practice from a self-employed job into a scalable, sellable business asset using lean methodology. Drawing on his mother's supply chain background from Hewlett Packard, Schneider implemented systems including standardized order sets, efficient patient scheduling, and ancillary services (infusion and research) that allowed his practice to run without complete dependence on his direct involvement. The episode covers the three pillars of a valuable medical practice (systems, ancillary services, and multiple providers), operational inefficiencies and financial safeguards including his experience with cyber fraud, and how physicians can transition from ownership of a job to ownership of a true business.

2. EP362: From Burnout to a Better Physician Life: How Coaching Can Transform Your Career

   Sep 9, 2026

   Dr. Michael Hersh, a full-time gastroenterologist and founder of Better Physician Life Coaching, discusses his journey from burnout and obsession with the FIRE movement to finding balance through physician coaching. He explores why doctors hesitate to seek coaching due to medical culture's emphasis on independence, and shares how coaching helped him establish boundaries, schedule meaningful breaks, and redirect energy toward his family. Hersh explains how he shifted from chasing a financial finish line to maintaining savings goals while reclaiming quality time, and details the common struggles he sees in his coaching practice, particularly physicians giving their best energy to work while their families receive the leftovers.

3. EP361: Telemedicine in 2026: Why Physicians Need to Think Beyond the License

   Sep 2, 2026

   Dr. Leo Damasco (emergency medicine and pediatrics physician, licensed in all 50+ states) and Phoebe Gutierrez (former California state regulator and healthcare startup consultant) discuss the evolution of telemedicine from its COVID-era boom to a more mature, consolidating market. They explain how their podcast "Telemedicine Talks" launched through the Doctor Podcast Network, and explore how physicians can strategically position themselves in telemedicine through selective licensing, leadership roles, and business acumen rather than simply accumulating state licenses.

4. EP360: The Real Number: Why "Replace My Income" is the Wrong Goal

   Aug 26, 2026

   Dr. Mike Woo-Ming discusses the critical mistake physicians make when starting side businesses: chasing the wrong financial target. He reframes the goal from replacing full clinical income to identifying a "freedom number"—the smallest monthly amount needed to reclaim time (drop a shift, cut a clinic day, etc.). Through personal experience and case studies, he demonstrates how the wrong number kills promising businesses and shows listeners how to calculate their actual freedom number, proof number, and time-check in under 10 minutes.

5. EP359 : 7 Business Ideas But Zero Businesses: Why Smart Doctors Stay Stuck.

   Aug 19, 2026

   Dr. Mike Woo-Ming discusses why ambitious physicians with multiple business ideas often remain stuck and unable to execute. Drawing from his own experience juggling a medical practice, software projects, coaching, and side ventures simultaneously, he explains how the clinical instinct to gather data and avoid premature action becomes a liability in entrepreneurship. He introduces the Three Filter Test—a practical framework to help physicians choose which single idea to pursue over the next 90 days.

6. BMD 358: 5 Expensive Mistakes Physician Owners Often Make (and How to Fix Them!)

   Aug 12, 2026

   Dr. Mike Woo-Ming, physician entrepreneur and founder of Bootstrap MD, discusses five costly mistakes he observes physician practice owners repeatedly make: pricing strategies that invite commoditization, purchasing equipment without corresponding demand, hiring too quickly during crises, building practices that are entirely dependent on the owner's presence, and making purchasing decisions based on conference-floor excitement rather than due diligence. Each mistake is examined with real examples and practical reframes to help practice owners identify and correct these patterns.

7. EP357 : Get Your Time Back: Introducing The 5 Minute Protocol.

   Aug 5, 2026

   Dr. Mike Woo-Ming presents the '5 Minute Protocol,' a system for physicians to delegate non-clinical work to AI tools by treating them as a chief of staff rather than just tools. The episode covers three practical applications: automated patient education letters, weekly CEO reviews of practice metrics, and a delegation filter to categorize tasks. Woo-Ming emphasizes that physicians have a delegation problem, not a time problem, and shows how to reclaim approximately 5 hours per week through simple AI prompts and review workflows.

8. EP356 : Hire Better, Lead Smarter & Scale Your Practice with AI Agents | Felix Lin

   Jul 29, 2026

   Felix Lin, founder of Confidently and creator of the Confident Fit hiring method, discusses his 28+ years of experience in recruiting, team building, and leadership development. The episode covers common hiring mistakes physicians make when opening practices, introduces the six leadership styles framework from Daniel Goleman, and explores how AI agents can automate non-clinical workflows like marketing, patient engagement, and practice operations without touching PHI.

9. EP355 : I Forwarded One Email and Got Back 3 Amazing Business Plans

   Jul 22, 2026

   Dr. Michael Ming demonstrates how to use AI tools (specifically Claude) to transform a single forwarded email into actionable business validation. He walks through a real example where he forwarded an AMA article about the 97% physician interest in wearable health data integration (versus only 6% actual adoption) to Claude, which returned a market analysis, three ranked business models, and identified gaps in the article itself—all within minutes. The episode covers remote patient monitoring services, cash-pay wearable review clinics, and B2B data interpretation services, plus the legal considerations physicians should explore before launching.

10. EP354: The ONE Overlooked Strategy That Can Spread Your Message Overnight

    Jul 15, 2026

    Dr. Mike Wu Ming, founder of Bootstrap MD, discusses the overlooked strategy of podcast guesting as a powerful marketing tool for physician entrepreneurs. The episode covers why podcast guesting works better than traditional marketing, common mistakes doctors make, how to choose the right shows based on audience fit rather than download numbers, and practical preparation strategies. Wu Ming emphasizes that the real value lies in relationship-building and converting attention into measurable outcomes through proper follow-up systems.