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Starting a business in 2025 needs smart planning and the right strategy. The numbers tell a sobering story—half of all new businesses shut down within five years. The business world keeps changing. Companies that bring in steady income, keep costs low, and make use of digital tools have the best shot at success.
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The telehealth industry offers a promising chance to build a lasting business. Market projections look impressive—the global telehealth market will grow from $83.50 billion in 2022 to $791.04 billion by 2032. A typical telehealth business costs between $70,000 and $100,000 to start. But platforms like Bask Health cut these costs with their reliable infrastructure. This piece guides you through building a strong business in 2025's ever-changing world, whether you want to start a small business or launch a telehealth venture.
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Ready to learn how to start a business? Scroll down to learn more!
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Key Takeaways
- Smart Planning: Update business plans regularly for better growth chances.
- Clarify Personal Goals: Define success and track progress with measurable business goals.
- Validate Your Idea: Use market research to ensure demand before launching.
- Understand Market & Competition: Identify gaps in the market to stand out.
- Choose the Right Model: Consider service, product, or subscription-based models for steady revenue.
- Go Digital & Remote: Use digital tools and remote-friendly models to reduce costs.
- Legal & Financial Setup: Select the right legal structure, register your business, and manage finances properly.
- Telehealth Opportunity: The telehealth sector is booming; platforms like Bask Health make it easier to start.
- Recurring Revenue: Subscription models ensure steady cash flow and customer loyalty.
- Backup & Funding: Keep emergency savings and explore funding options for support.
Planning your business the smart way
A great idea alone doesn't guarantee business success—smart planning does. Companies that keep updating their business plans are 7% more likely to grow than others. Let me show you how to build a foundation that boosts your chances of success.
Define your personal goals and success metrics
Take a moment to clarify what success means to you before jumping into market research or financial projections. Think about your goals. Do you want financial freedom, a better work-life balance, or to make a difference in your community?
Your vision should translate into measurable business goals. Set up OKRs (objectives and key results) and KPIs (key performance indicators) to track your business performance monthly, quarterly, and annually. To name just one example, a telehealth business might track these metrics:
- Conversion rate (percentage of website visitors who become clients)
- Customer health score (tracking new and repeat customers)
- Net promoter score (measuring customer loyalty)
- First contact resolution rate (efficiency of customer service)
The Federal Reserve reports that all but one of these firms faced financial challenges in 2022-2023. So it makes sense to keep emergency savings in a business account for unexpected financial challenges.
Verify your idea with real-life feedback
Market validation helps determine if your target market needs your product. This process lets you predict if people will buy what you're offering.
List your assumptions and hypotheses about your business idea. Then do your market research through:
- Primary research: Interviews, surveys, and focus groups with potential customers
- Secondary research: Industry reports, public databases, and existing data
Talking to 50-100+ potential customers (like Kubecost founders who spoke with over 120 teams) can provide great insights. Your potential customers' eyes should "light up" during discussions—they should be ready to invest in your solution.
Understand your target market and competition
Your target market consists of people who are most likely to become customers based on their age, income, and lifestyle. Understanding these people helps you make better business decisions.
Start by calculating your total addressable market (TAM)—the maximum size of your market. Next, look at your competition to spot gaps you can fill. Market segmentation helps you group potential customers based on their specific needs.
The competitive landscape review should include:
- Market share of key players
- Their strengths and weaknesses
- The right time to enter the market
Note that choosing the largest possible market improves your success odds. As Michael Grinich says, "You can tear down the structure and rebuild it, but you can't change where it is".
Choosing the right business model for 2025
Your choice of business model will play a vital role in your venture's success as we approach 2025. Each model comes with its own advantages that depend on your goals, resources, and target market.
Service-based vs product-based models
The biggest difference between these models comes down to what you're selling. Service-based businesses sell expertise and time, while product-based businesses sell tangible or digital items. Service businesses need less startup capital and can start making money right away. A copywriter can start working with clients the moment they launch. Product-based businesses need money upfront to develop and manufacture items before seeing any returns, but they can run around the clock without your constant attention.
Service businesses can better customize their offerings to match client needs. Product businesses must create solutions that work for the average customer who faces a specific problem. Many successful companies now blend both approaches, like car dealerships that sell vehicles and provide maintenance services.
Subscription and recurring revenue models
The subscription economy has grown by over 435% in the last decade in various industries. This model lets businesses charge customers a recurring fee—usually monthly or yearly—to access products or services, which creates steady revenue streams.
Benefits include:
- More cash on hand to accelerate growth
- Deeper customer relationships and loyalty
- Better cross-selling opportunities
These businesses must keep customers interested to avoid losing them. Common approaches include flat-rate subscriptions, tiered usage plans, and freemium models that are free to start with premium upgrades available.
Digital-first and remote-friendly businesses
Digital-first businesses put technology at the heart of everything they do in 2025. On top of that, 71% of small businesses say digital tools helped them survive and grow during tough economic times.
Remote-friendly business models are a great way to get lower overhead costs, flexible work arrangements, and access to global talent pools. These businesses can grow quickly without spending much on infrastructure.
New entrepreneurs often find digital products appealing—once created, they cost almost nothing to deliver to customers with no inventory or shipping expenses.
Setting up your business legally and financially
The right legal foundation protects your assets and ensures proper tax treatment for your business. Let me show you how to set up your business the right way from the start.
Pick the right legal structure
Your business structure impacts everything from liability protection to tax filing methods. Sole proprietorships are simple but don't separate personal and business assets. LLCs protect your assets from business debts and let profits flow to your tax return.
Corporations give you the strongest liability protection but come with potential double taxation—at the corporate level and again with dividend distribution. Partnerships work great for multiple owners, but don't limit personal liability unless you set them up as a Limited Liability Partnership.
Your risk tolerance, growth plans, and priorities should guide your choice. You can change your structure later, but this might lead to tax issues or collateral damage.
Register your business and get your EIN
Once you choose your structure, register with your state through the Secretary of State's office. Then get your Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS website for free. This nine-digit number works just like your business's Social Security number.
Your EIN lets you:
- Open a business bank account
- Hire employees
- File business tax returns
- Apply for business licenses
Open a business bank account and separate finances
Your business and personal finances must stay separate. A dedicated business account protects you from liability, looks professional, and makes tax preparation easier. Most banks offer business accounts with small opening deposits between $0 and $100.
You'll need your EIN, business formation documents, and government-issued ID to open an account. Look for accounts that have low fees, good perks, and digital banking features.
Estimate startup costs and funding options
A clear picture of startup costs helps you get loans, attract investors, and save on taxes. Split your expenses into one-time costs (equipment, licenses) and ongoing ones (rent, salaries). Smart business owners keep a backup fund of 10-20% above their estimated costs for surprises.
Your funding could come from Small Business Administration loans, business grants through organizations like the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation, or crowdfunding programs like Biz-M-Power. Many grants target specific groups, including women-owned, minority-owned, and veteran-owned businesses.
How Bask Health simplifies launching a telehealth business
Most business guides don't deal very well with the unique challenges of telehealth entrepreneurship. The good news is that specialized platforms now make the process much easier.
What is Bask Health, and who is it for?
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Bask Health offers a complete software platform that helps entrepreneurs build any digital health experience. The system works at enterprise scale but stays available to everyday users. Doctors, entrepreneurs, and developers can use this platform to create direct-to-consumer telehealth services through innovative tools that blend with customizable building blocks.
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Our platform helps telehealth entrepreneurs launch quickly without starting from scratch. Bask brings healthcare providers, technology experts, and compliance advisors right into the platform.
Built-in compliance and infrastructure
Starting a telehealth business usually means dealing with complex regulations. Bask Health solves the problems of compliance by making sure your business follows all relevant regulations, including licensing requirements, data protection laws, and HIPAA compliance.
The platform's end-to-end compliance and security covers HIPAA, SOC-2, Surescript, and LegitScript standards to keep patient data safe. This integrated approach means you won't need to hire legal professionals since compliance is built right into the core architecture.
Reducing telemedicine startup costs
Telehealth startups often face huge expenses. Bask Health cuts these costs by:
- Getting rid of custom development needs and expensive software engineers
- Using pre-built infrastructure so businesses can launch within days, not months
- Taking away the need for in-house technology experts
- Connecting you to licensed healthcare providers in all 50 states
You can focus on marketing, sales, and customer support while Bask takes care of the complex parts of telemedicine delivery.
Customizing your telehealth business model
Our customizable white-label solution lets you make the platform your own. You have complete freedom to adjust features, design, and services to match your business needs.
The drag-and-drop builder helps you design the perfect system for your business quickly. You can create telehealth questionnaires that fit your treatment needs. From doctor consultations to payment processing, everything is ready when you sign up.
On top of that, our pharmacy network delivers medications nationwide. We ship commercial, compounded, and specialty medications to all 50 states, creating a complete solution for your telehealth business.
Conclusion
Starting a business in 2025 comes with its own set of challenges and opportunities. Business owners who focus on detailed planning, pick the right business model, and set up proper legal foundations set themselves up for long-term success.
Businesses with recurring revenue streams, low overhead costs, and strong digital integration show the most stability in today's market. You need to confirm your business idea through customer feedback before launch. This holds whatever industry you choose.
The telehealth sector shows remarkable growth potential. Industry projections indicate expansion from $83.50 billion to $791.04 billion by 2032. Bask Health's platform removes traditional barriers to telehealth entrepreneurship. Our white-label solution, built-in compliance frameworks, and resilient infrastructure help you launch quickly. You won't need the typical six-figure investment these ventures usually demand.
The right business structure safeguards your assets and optimizes your tax situation. A solid foundation for growth starts with separate business and personal accounts. You should estimate startup costs accurately and find suitable funding options during your launch phase.
Success needs clear metrics that line up with your definition of achievement. Your goals might focus on financial independence, work-life balance, or community effect. Specific KPIs help track progress toward your vision.
Starting a business might feel overwhelming at first. All the same, your 2025 business launch can dodge common pitfalls with careful planning, strategic positioning, and the right tools from Bask Health. Smart preparation today builds resilient businesses tomorrow.
References
- Business News Daily. (n.d.). How to start a business. Business News Daily. Retrieved June 16, 2025, from https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/4686-how-to-start-a-business.html
- Forbes. (2024, December 19). How to get the most out of your business plan in 2025. Forbes. Retrieved June 16, 2025, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/micahlogan/2024/12/19/how-to-get-the-most-out-of-your-business-plan-in-2025/
- Stripe. (n.d.). Subscription revenue models 101: How to choose the best one for your business. Stripe. Retrieved June 16, 2025, from https://stripe.com/resources/more/subscription-revenue-models-101-how-to-choose-the-best-one-for-your-business
- Brookings Register. (n.d.). Bask Health: The platform powering the future of telehealth and digital healthcare. Brookings Register. Retrieved June 16, 2025, from https://brookingsregister.com/premium/newsusa/stories/bask-health-the-platform-powering-the-future-of-telehealth-and-digital-healthcare,127665