Mike,
I am solo FP in large town/small city near Bangor, ME.
I've been solo 4 years, 6 years out of residency. The 1st 2 yrs worked for large practice/group, I hated it.
When I first opened my practice, I spent the 1st year moonlighting in our community hospital E.D. (4-6 shifts per month). Therefore I did not draw salary for 6 months from my office, which allowed me to pay off our startup loan very quickly. My wife quit her job at the hospital (R.N.) and became my office manager/office R.N./front desk person/referral person. We did just fine.
