So I'm really interested to learn about where you guys were a few years ago because I think it's a common issue. You have Susan, a successful practice, doing well, having an associate, Roxalana, welcomed into the practice. Things are good, but you felt like there was maybe a little stagnation. Can you tell me a bit about that?

Correct. I had been in business and was needing to grow and was needing someone else on because it was too much dentistry for me alone, but it was not enough for a full-time associate.

So you were there how much at that point?

Just out of residency I started working with Susan and I was starting off working three days a week and I to make ends meet I had to work at another office and I really loved the practice and I wanted to work their full time and we talked about eventually me being a part-owner and it seemed difficult to grow and to get more patients.

So tell me about that so it was so you great great you know that you guys were meeting and practice philosophies things are great you just felt like there wasn't enough too much dentistry for you but not enough to have heard their full time and then maybe to really formalize this this this partnership right?

Okay so congratulations because you just became partner very recently so what changed? What allowed you to take that evolutionary step?

We knew we needed to grow the numbers had been flat okay but flat for three years and we knew we needed to grow and get more patients in and we didn't really know what to do because we just didn't have any experience in that

and last a long I had a friend that had yeah yeah I just happened to come across an article and right on the cover was my friend that I graduated with Dr. Vera Salvatore and Dr. Rich so they I read the article and I was like oh my gosh I know these people so I called her up and I found out more about MGE through her and we signed up for one of the seminars and we really liked it a lot

yeah well I mean Dr. Stets signed up alone originally yes and they said bringing the owner doctor would be a good idea she approached me she's like would you be interested in coming and like sure I like to learn things sure

so we went and I was blown away it was amazing because I've done different management companies over the years and they all helped you know in one way or another but this it taught communication which was you know we all think we know how to communicate we don't yeah can we just go there we don't

so just learning that basic communication and how to communicate with patients and it was amazing I mean even that just going back from the ABCs each time we came to one the numbers group it just got better and we're like wow and the staff was like wow you know so we decided to pursue it further

so tell me specifically the areas that they really helped so not just talking you know communicating better with patients increasing case case acceptance I'm sure word of mouth patient numbers grew what were some of the other pieces that that really helped take you from where you were a few years ago to today

well I was also pretty frustrated in general being a sole owner and I you know I knew how to run the business only from what I'd learned from my bookkeeper at the time who left and she taught me how to do the books and I had my little systems I did but you know they weren't real effective I was the one doing everything right and I was very very frustrated

and I felt like I loved patient care but I was just so overwhelmed I didn't have a personal life I was ready to get out of dentistry I'm like I can't do this and well I just can't do this for that much longer

so they helped with with systems with that was a big thing for you

yeah they're helping us get systems in place and yeah systems I mean basically I have a new office manager we didn't have one before and now we have certain hats or and everybody's doing certain jobs and it makes things a lot easier trying to divide the jobs up instead of having a front desk who did everything where we were bottled that you know right

and they're dividing things up we're hiring more people which was scary in the beginning they're like higher people you need people that was very scary but as we hire people on we see why because we were so bottlenecked and we didn't know it and that's where the patient flow in was a problem because they had no one there to help flow it in yeah

we had all the people in the back to do a lot of work but not enough to get it going up front without proper systems not only things get bottleneck but also sometimes they just don't get done they just fall they fall through the cracks

and everyone was stressed my whole team I mean every we have an awesome team and we have for a very long time and they were getting overwork they were getting frustrated you know they were trying to make things better everybody wants raises who doesn't right but it we just couldn't it's like we have to get numbers up in order to do that you you can't get it out of because you want to you know yeah

so it just really it helped to know where things are getting better the stress levels are better you have a new partner yes what is awesome morale with the team is better it's just about we don't go through you know there's always growing pains it's not easy work it's work but it's worth it you see results from therefore you're willing to keep working yeah

well and on that point it seems like you're unlike a few years ago you're ready to practice right for longer because you're enjoying it again that stress is gone right

and it's a different different practice it might my whole outlooks different my husband's even like wow you're less stressed and like yes that's a good thing

congratulations good for you guys thank you