For any ambitious dentist, the idea of opening a dental squat practice is an intriguing and exciting one. To get started you will need to take some steps that may seem daunting at first, but that can be broken down into manageable tasks which will see you well on the road to realising your dream practice in no time.
So, we’ve put together these 10 Top Tips to help you get started setting up your own Dental Squat Practice:
Top Tip #1 – Create a watertight business plan
Not the most thrilling place to start, huh? You just want to get on with the exciting stuff. Maybe, but sitting down and creating a comprehensive business plan doesn’t have to be like pulling teeth.
Setting yourself clear, achievable objectives will be key to your success AND prove invaluable if you need to obtain finance or attract business partners to your venture. Think about the business and personal goals you want to achieve over the short, medium and long term and write them down. It doesn’t need to be a weighty tome, but a little bit of upfront thought and planning now will save you time and money in the long run.
Top Tip #2 – Location, location, location!
Perhaps one of the most important and biggest decisions you’ll have to make is where to physically set your practice up.
Your surgery is nothing without patients, so think about how easily they can get to the practice. Ideally it needs to be easy to find and accessible. If the majority of your patients will travel by car, consider how easy it is to park nearby and whether there are parking charges. If patients travel by public transport, how good are the links? Where’s the nearest bus stop or train station?
The location of your dental surgery will also define your footfall from the surrounding area and passers-by. You’re more likely to get noticed on a busy road than a quiet side road or rural location.
Your patients should be front and centre of your location choice, but don’t forget your staff and even your own journey. How easy and far is your commute and is it easy for your team to get to and from work as well?
Also, it’s worth a quick scout around the area to see how close your competition is too. Are there other dental surgeries in the vicinity and how will you stand out from the crowd and differentiate your surgery?
Which leads us on nicely to…
Top Tip #3 – Your brand and identity
Here’s one of those exciting bits!
But there’s a serious element at stake here too. Everything from the way your surgery looks from the outside, the ambience of the reception area and waiting room, to the calmness and comfort of the treatment rooms will influence patient experience and their likelihood to recommend you to others. More on this later, but don’t underestimate word of mouth (No pun intended!)
Having a clever, funky logo and painting the practice your favourite colour is all well and good, but how the surroundings make the patient feel and the consistency of how you apply your brand are hugely important.
Some careful consideration upfront and consistent application of your brand from the start will go a long way to establishing you in your new neighbourhood.
Top Tip #4 – Choosing your equipment & fit out
Another area we all get excited about!
But this one really is of utmost importance and will affect the efficiency of how your practice runs, your workflows and patient experience. Ask yourself what equipment you really need to get your practice up and running.
Are you going to be offering chairside restorations and digital dentistry? Is space limited, so a knee-break dental chair may work better for patient access? What about decontamination workflows and the ‘unseen’ suction equipment every dental practice needs?
Do you need every piece of kit on your shopping list from the outset or can some be added or upgraded as your patient base expands?
Our golden nugget of advice here is to partner with a dental equipment supplier who has the experience and expertise of guiding you through setting up your first dental practice from its first inception to the day you open the doors to your first patients.
You’ll need someone who can help you with everything from dental surgery design & workflows, project management to make sure everything happens at the right time, in the right order and on budget to someone with the technical skills and expertise to execute on-site installation, commissioning and training, with the minimum amount of fuss and mess.
And, yes, here at Blueprint Dental, that’s right up our street and we’d love to discuss your project with you from an early stage.