Surgeons stand at the forefront of patient care, regularly encountering unique clinical challenges that arise from complex disease processes and multifaceted healthcare systems. During their training and practice, they develop expertise in making rapid decisions, leading multidisciplinary teams under pressure, and adapting to unforeseen complications to achieve optimal outcomes. These skills naturally align with the demands of entrepreneurship, where founders must identify significant problems, propose creative solutions, and pivot quickly in response to real-world feedback. Within the United States alone, healthcare expenditures surpass 4.5 trillion dollars annually1, which suggests that even modest improvements in efficiency or outcomes can yield substantial overall impact.

Yet, many surgeons perceive entrepreneurship as a distant departure from conventional clinical responsibilities. Some worry that the time and resources invested in launching a new venture might detract from patient care or their standing within the surgical community. Others feel that business principles, such as market research or venture financing, fall outside their areas of expertise. This chapter aims to demystify the entrepreneurial process by outlining methods and frameworks that translate clinical insights into innovative solutions. The goal is not to diminish the importance of direct patient care but to demonstrate how entrepreneurial activities, guided by robust frameworks, can complement a surgeon's commitment to improving patient outcomes. By building on the skill sets surgeons already possess, an entrepreneurial path can become a logical extension of the desire to solve pressing healthcare problems.