The road to small business ownership doesn’t look the same for everyone. For some, their entrepreneurial spirit sparks at a young age. Others find the drive within experiences of adulthood. For Dr. Eseoghene (Ese) Abokede, it was the latter that led her to open, Alabaster Healthcare, located in Burnsville, MN.
Alabaster Healthcare specializes in primary care, women’s health, preventive care, and weight management with extended hours for urgent care. Reflecting Dr. Ese’s drive to open her own practice, the clinic is focused on compassionate, high-quality, accessible care where patients never feel like just a number.
Over her 12-year career, Dr. Ese witnessed care gaps within the health care system, encountering rushed visits and avoidable errors, both as a patient and provider. After a particularly alarming experience where her own provider misread lab results, Dr. Ese decided she needed to be the change she wanted to see, sharing “I really want to be able to own that space that can at least shape things in a more meaningful way.”
In 2022, Dr. Ese registered Alabaster Healthcare as a business—beginning the four-year journey to launching her own brick-and-mortar clinic in April 2026. Prior to the end of March, Alabaster Healthcare was predominantly virtual with in-person visits once a week held in a leased room of a private practice.
After an extensive process to find the right location, Dr. Ese officially signed a lease at the end of July 2025. What was once a golf retail space, is now the home to Alabaster Healthcare—utilizing natural light and soft colors to create a calming atmosphere with the hopes of reducing patient anxiety.
For many small business owners, especially those building from the ground up, the path to success is not always a straight line. This was no different for Alabaster Healthcare—from securing financing to construction and insurance credentialing delays. What was supposed to be a 90-day build turned into seven months, impacting the businesses’ ability to see patients and generate income.
Despite these challenges, Dr. Ese persevered while remaining grounded in her “why”—genuine love for practicing medicine and the relationships she’s built with her patients. She continued to educate herself on small business ownership—discovering invaluable resources along the way. Dr. Ese utilized MN DEED’s list of small business resources where she found WomenVenture’s website and thought “everything I was reading was what I was looking for.”
During this time, Dr. Ese was seeking affordable capital with competitive rates. Almost immediately after discovering WomenVenture’s website, she reached out to gain more information and apply for a loan.
She received a response by the next day and by October 2025, received capital to support leasehold improvements allowing her to turn a golf retail store into a space that was truly her own. When speaking to what this support meant to her, Dr. Ese shared “it was like answered prayers”.
This summer, Dr. Ese will begin the newest chapter of her journey at Harvard University, where she will pursue her master’s in healthcare management with the goal of applying her learning directly back into the clinic. She also plans to remain engaged with WomenVenture through post-loan consulting, focusing on the business’s financials as it grows. Looking ahead, Dr. Ese envisions thoughtful growth for Alabaster Healthcare, deepening community partnerships while staying grounded in their mission.
To those who are looking to start their own business, Dr. Ese leaves you with this “Be willing to learn…You cannot build a business blindly.”
WomenVenture is proud to support entrepreneurs, like Dr. Eseoghene (Ese) Abokede, whose work is creating meaningful change in our community. Support Alabaster Healthcare by visiting their website to learn more about their services, schedule an appointment, or share with your network.
Author: Autumn Lamparty, WomenVenture Grant Writer
