EPISODE 9 — “Your Startup Questions, Answered: The AMA Episode”

In this week’s episode of The Making Of Bloom Dental Co., Dr. Ashley Joves and Dr. Toni Torres switch things up and dive into a full AMA-style conversation, answering the real questions doctors have been sending Toni as they follow her startup journey.

If you’ve ever wondered about social media, associateship hours, pre-opening tasks, or what actually happens behind the scenes of those early startup days—this episode is your roadmap.

From the truth about showing up on Instagram, to the unexpected challenges of balancing an associateship while building a practice, to Toni’s clever scheduling hacks that have kept Bloom Dental Co. fully booked—this one is full of practical gems for any doctor dreaming of (or already starting) their own practice.

💬 What You’ll Hear in This Episode:
00:00 – Welcome back + why this week is an AMA
04:30 – Ashley’s wild Maui travel story (8 hours in an airport with 3 kids!)

10:15 – AMA #1: How important is social media, really?
• Why Toni sees 1 in 4 patients coming from social media
• How she builds trust before a patient ever steps into the office
• Training the algorithm + finding your own style of content
• Why posting “cringe” is sometimes the best thing you can do

20:50 – AMA #2: How many days should you still work as an associate before opening?
• Toni’s “2 days associateship / 3 days startup” approach
• Why the month before opening is the busiest of your life
• What Ashley wishes more startup doctors understood about momentum

28:30 – AMA #3: How do you balance clinical days with business days once you’re open?
• Why Toni protects Tuesdays & Thursdays as admin days
• Why most dentists thrive with a 3-day clinical schedule
• The unexpected mental load of being the CEO

34:10 – AMA #4: How Bloom Dental Co. stays fully booked (even with cancellations)
• Toni’s secret weapon: The ASAP List
• How her front office creates urgency that actually works

42:20 – Toni’s community events + how she’s showing up locally
• Winter festival prep (3,000 people!)
• Her favorite grassroots strategies that cost almost nothing

47:30 – What saved Toni’s life this week?
• A simple Open Dental feature that keeps her schedule running smoothly

Connect with Toni:
Instagram: @the.joyful.dentist • @bloomdental.co
Connect with Ashley:
Instagram: @ashleyjovesdds

This episode is made possible by:
Studio 8E8 — Dentistry’s story-driven growth agency for startups. Learn more at https://s8e8.com/vsl

Net32 — Your one-stop marketplace for comparing dental supply brands, vendo

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