In this episode of Conversations with Chris, we sit down with the inspiring Carol Somerville Roberts, the visionary founder of Evolve Dentistry in Portishead. Over the course of our conversation, we explore Carol’s journey from her childhood in Dublin to becoming a leading figure in private dentistry. Her story is one of resilience, innovation, and unwavering dedication to building her ideal practice.

Carol shares how her path to success wasn’t always smooth. Born as the youngest of five children, she grew up in Dublin, attending a French-speaking school until the age of nine. Her academic journey included retaking A-levels after an initial setback and a gap year before pursuing her studies in dentistry at Bristol University. After starting her career in NHS practice, she transitioned to private practice in 2000, inspired by progressive models of dentistry like Paddi Lund’s and the insights gained from BACD conferences.

The founding of Evolve Dentistry in January 2009 marked a pivotal moment in Carol’s career. Opening as a private squat practice with just two chairs, Evolve was strategically located in Portishead—a town chosen for its growth potential and the presence of a Waitrose, which signaled the target demographic for her practice. The journey to launch wasn’t without its challenges, from complex lease negotiations to the demands of building out a brand-new practice. But Carol’s unwavering belief that failure wasn’t an option saw her through.

Over the last 15 years, Evolve Dentistry has grown organically, expanding to soon include four fully utilized treatment rooms. Carol attributes this success to a clear vision, tight financial control, and a focus on their unique offering rather than competing with others. Empowering her team has also been a cornerstone of Evolve’s culture, fostering autonomy and trust.

As Evolve looks to 2025, exciting developments are on the horizon. The fourth treatment room will be dedicated to facial aesthetics, and a remote office will allow the reception team to focus fully on in-practice patient care. Carol also plans to reintroduce enhanced patient experience elements, taking inspiration from her earlier influences. With a vision of stepping back from clinical work over the next 17 months, Carol is investing in her team’s growth to ensure the practice can run independently while maintaining its high standards.

Join us for this insightful conversation, where Carol reflects on the lessons learned, the milestones achieved, and the plans ahead for Evolve Dentistry. Whether you’re a dental professional or someone fascinated by entrepreneurial journeys, this episode is packed with inspiration and actionable insights.

In this episode of Conversations with Chris, we sit down with Rachel Addison, the principal and owner of Cotteswold Dental Care in Gloucestershire. Rachel shares her incredible journey, from an unplanned start in dentistry to running a thriving 7-chair private dental practice. She opens up about the challenges of practice ownership, the impact of COVID-19, and how resilience and patient-focused care have driven her success.

Key Takeaways:

• Rachel's journey began with a dream of becoming a vet, but a pivotal experience in RAF dental training redirected her path to dentistry.
• Her career trajectory was reshaped by a car accident during her vocational training year, demonstrating resilience in the face of adversity.
• Rachel’s decision to purchase Cotteswold Dental Care was driven by a desire to maintain independence from corporate dentistry, supported by her father’s business expertise.
• The pandemic provided an unexpected opportunity to redesign systems, boost efficiency, and focus on patient loyalty through membership plans.
• The practice has expanded significantly post-pandemic, growing from 5 to 7 chairs, with a strong emphasis on quality care and personalised service.

Topics Covered:

1. Rachel's Background
   • From Cheshire roots to Bristol University, discover what sparked her passion for dentistry.
   • How a car accident reshaped her career plans.
2. Journey to Practice Ownership
   • The unplanned opportunity to acquire Cotteswold Dental Care.
   • Navigating the transition to ownership with support from family expertise.
3. Navigating the Pandemic
   • Redesigning systems during COVID-19 for long-term efficiency.
   • The critical role of patient loyalty and membership plans in sustaining the practice.
4. Scaling the Business
   • Adding 2 new chairs to meet demand and improve the dentist-to-hygienist ratio.
   • Cultivating a strong brand around quality, personalised care.
5. Looking Ahead
   • Future goals to optimise operations and explore potential for expansion.
   • Balancing growth while maintaining a commitment to genuine patient care.

If you’re curious about the challenges and rewards of practice ownership, Rachel’s story offers invaluable insights into resilience, business growth, and the power of patient-focused care. Her journey is a testament to the importance of adaptability, strong leadership, and an unwavering commitment to quality dentistry.

Visit Cotteswold Dental Care to learn more about Rachel’s practice.

Don’t miss this inspiring conversation! Subscribe to Conversations with Chris on your favourite podcast platform, and share this episode with anyone passionate about dentistry or small business success.

Get ready to be inspired! In this episode of “Conversations with Chris", I sit down with Bob To, a remarkable dental practice owner whose life journey is a testament to resilience, determination, and the power of hard work.

Born in Hanoi, Vietnam in 1975, Bob's childhood was marked by conflict and hardship. His family, of Chinese-Vietnamese heritage, faced immense challenges during the China-Vietnam war, eventually leading them to seek a new life in the UK when Bob was just 12 years old.

From navigating a new language and culture to excelling in the UK education system, Bob's path to success was far from easy. But through sheer grit and unwavering support from his family, he achieved top marks in his A-levels and graduated from Birmingham University dental school. Today, he's the proud owner of a thriving dental practice in Berkshire.

But Bob's story is much more than just a tale of overcoming adversity. He's also a savvy businessman with keen insights into building a successful dental practice. In this episode, he shares invaluable advice for aspiring and current practice owners, emphasising the importance of:

• Mastering communication: Building strong patient relationships is crucial.
• Strategic investment: Prioritise equipment that enhances patient care, not personal luxury.
• Business acumen: Develop skills beyond clinical expertise to ensure practice growth.

Bob doesn't just talk the talk; he walks the walk. He's a firm believer in pushing boundaries, both personally and professionally. He even conquered the gruelling Marathon des Sables – six marathons in five days across the Sahara Desert!

Tune in to hear Bob's incredible story, learn from his hard-won wisdom, and discover his ambitious plans for the future, including expanding his practice and achieving even greater success in the dental field. This is an episode you won't want to miss!

Listen to the podcast now using your usual podcast streaming service or via the player below. 

Join me for a very informal chat with Joel, who has been advising clients on purchases and sales since 2018 in Scotland and has been recently promoted head up the whole UK operation for Christie & Co Dental.

We discuss:

• The impending threat of a Labour Budget;
• How the activity in the market is shifting from corporates to smaller dental groups and independents - some remarkable statistics;
• Top tips for first-time buyers;
• Top tips for first-time sellers;
• A look at the orthodontic landscape;
• Multiples in the current market;
• The next 12 months.

A great chat with a best friend that follows his career since selling his dental practice to Oasis, encompassing:

• The pleasures and pitfalls of a dental corporate earn-out;
• Building a handpiece repair business into a major dental supply company;
• How a chance trip to America turned into an innovation in the field of guided implant dentistry;
• Why guided dentistry is changing the face of dentistry;
• More pleasure and pitfalls - this time in connection with managing fast—growing businesses.

Chris and James discuss his experiences in the dental industry since selling his practice to Oasis, including his interest in 3D printing for dentistry and the establishment of Quoris3D in the UK and Irish market. 

We also explore the growth of his business, the development of new systems, and the creation of education pathways for dentists interested in guided full arch, Quoris have now trained over 230 dentists and over 350 team members.

Lastly, we discuss the ongoing expansion of the business, including a 2,500 foot extension and the establishment of a full prosthetic digital department for dentures.

Many of you both followed and supported my recent “Everest Cycling Challenge”, supporting Asto Clinics, who provide treatment for those debilitated by OCD.

As Steve Turnock and I climbed 29,030 feet over 6 days around the Préalpes d'Azur Regional Nature Park, we shared our adventure with you each day via my blog - and also added a patient testimonial to each blog post.

Thank you to all those who helped us to raise funding for 5 patients.

In this conversation, recorded around Steve’s home on our last day in France, I wanted to ask Steve to share his own story, including:

• How a maths graduate and chartered accountant became Chief Executive of Practice Plan.
• How, after selling the business and retiring at age 46, Steve suffered one of the most severe versions of OCD, resulting in stopping his life in its tracks;
• How he found treatment and was able to overcome the condition and
• How and why he created the registered charity Asto Clinics, to bring the treatment he received to more people who would otherwise be left stranded.
• It’s a very open, honest account and we hope will resonate if either you or a loved one needs help, especially in an environment in which the awareness of mental health issues is so relevant.

Only dental cave-dwellers over the last three years would have missed Marcos’s “Digital Growth Program" and his pioneering work on the successful integration of:

• The Dental Therapist;
• The Digital TCO;
• The Intra-Oral Scanner;
• The onsite digital lab.

Now, we explore the next evolution in his thinking - The High Performance Dentist.

In this conversation we explore how Marcos will:

• become Better, not Bigger;
• achieve Mastery not Growth.

He is now deep in thought and analysis of how The Courtyard will develop over the next few years.

Join me for a look inside the mind of one of dentistry’s most prolific innovators.

I make no apology for saying that, if you don’t listen to this podcast in the next 12 weeks, then don’t bother at all.

That’s because I wanted to talk to one of my best mates (and an expert on leadership) about how to deal with the situation we find ourselves in TODAY.

In December, there was a short-lived sense of hope generated by the delivery of the first vaccines and the anticipation of some Christmas cheer.

Soon enough we were slapped down by restrictions on our holiday activities and then, just when we thought we were seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, along comes lockdown 3.0 and a daily diet of gloomy news.

It has hit many people hard - including patients, team members and owners (even me!

So I wanted to talk to Mark about his advice on how to keep your own chin up and how to continue to lead and inspire those around you.

In this candid conversation, recorded on 13th January, Mark and I explore:

• What The Stockdale Paradox tells us about the winners and losers in tough times;
• How to show up as a leader every day;
• How best to communicate with your team and patients right now;
• The power of storytelling in leadership;
• Delivering on empathy, authority and planning;
• Tips on keeping your mental health intact.

Mark has the ability to take these thorny issues and offer simple and instantly executable tactics.

Both you and your managers will gain from listening to his wisdom and experience.

I simply cannot believe that the last “Conversations with Chris” podcast was broadcast in February 2020 - but then again, we have all been a bit distracted and busy haven’t we?

It would also be fair to say that the podcasting world has grown exponentially during 2020 and became a much favoured way of communicating in the year of Covid-19.

However, my ever-watchful support team (a.k.a. Phillippa and Rachel) decided it was about time I got back in gear with this and so booked an interview time in my calendar and ordered me to “go and get a guest”.

As always, this podcast is intended to be more of a hobby than an enterprise, more of a social experiment than a marketing device - and for that reason I want to get back into the habit of interviewing people who simply fascinate me.

So welcome a very old friend Dr. Simon Thackeray - a dentist whose reputation and reach have extended far and wide this year and on many different fronts.

I decided not to follow the usual podcast pathway of “tell us your life story” but just to jump in with both feet and talk about how Covid-19 has affected Simon and his business, as well as the wider dental community.

What follows is a conversation with no beginning, middle or end - just two old mates catching up and looking back, looking in the mirror and looking forward - I’ve even left in the gaffs 9as you will discover) as we aren’t trying to win a prize for podcasting.

Join us and you will learn:

• How Simon was one of the most popular panelists in our various lockdown and return to work broadcasts and how he helped more people in more ways then he may have imagined;
• A little bit about Mansfield, Notts (home of Thackeray Dental Care) - my own adventures with miners in a 1977 municipal sauna, how the town has changed since the pits closed and an overview of Simon’s patient database and core values;
• Why I got my Sarahs and my Saras mixed up;
• The two biggest lifesavers that kept Simon’s business afloat in 2020;
• Keeping a team together when they are “ragged and raw”;
• The shortage of dental nurses and what we have to do next;
• All “the other stuff” - the multitude of extra-curricular activities that Simon gets involved in - and why;
• Simon’s plans for 2021 and why he is confident about the future.

Enjoy listening to a man with opinions - that he isn’t afraid to share!

It’s an absolute pleasure to engage in conversation with a best friend about his life.

Most people in the profession would recognise Tim as the owner of Elmsleigh House Dental Clinic (EHDC) - a specialist referral practice in Farnham, Surrey - one of a decreasing number that are still owner-managed and not gobbled up by a dental corporate.

Tim has built from next to nothing one of the best in it’s breed - but there is more to him than that.

I haven’t met many people who I could confidently describe as a serial entrepreneur but Tim fits the title well.

Tim’s business life begins at age 12, when he runs the school tuck shop and takes the product line somewhat beyond the approved list - early signs of a budding speculator.

We follow him into dentistry and his early career as a dental associate who was sacked from an NHS practice for being too good at his job.

Borrowing every penny he muster, he bought the original practice in it's current location and literally had to sleep on the floor in the practice to make ends meet whilst he grew the business.

Later, he borrowed again to gut and refurbish the property, surviving 18% interest rates and recessions along the way, as well as a moment when 70% of his team had to be replaced in one hit.

A journey of 30 years through thick and thin to become a jewel in the crown of specialist practices.

Along the way, many diversions into other non-dental businesses, resulting in successes, failures and a deep understanding of what works.

There are, however, two key messages that the listener will recall long after the fun we have during our chat:

• The Four Hats principle of business ownership - and how most dentists fail to pay themselves adequately for the work they do - ending up with lifestyle, rather than proper, businesses;
• How Tim has reduced from 200 to 60 clinical days a year and less than 12 days working ON the business - by creating a self-managing dental business and a superb senior management team.

Tim now invests the majority of his time as a Business Angel and helps young tech businesses to get off the runway - he has experienced some spectacular success in this area and shares with me his tips for investors in other people’s start ups.

For all of that - he’s a best mate and one of the most generous men I know with his time and his money.