We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Brianna Nicholson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Brianna below.

Brianna , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Setting up an independent practice is a daunting endeavor. Can you talk to us about what it was like for you – what were some of the main steps, challenges, etc.

Well, I may technically still be in my early days. My office just celebrated our one year anniversary. The first most important step I took was just making those initial calls and learning as much as I could about how to open a start up dental clinic. It was a concept in my mind for over a decade until putting myself out there and beginning my journey. The first challenge was really accepting I was indeed qualified to start out on my own and trusting that my expertise and experience were sufficient. Now, with hindsight, there are many things I wish I would have know sooner but all of that is part of the journey, the process of growth any new business owner undertakes the day they decide they are going shift from employee to entrepreneur. My best advice -don’t be shy. Meet and discuss with as many people as you can who are doing what you hope to do. Use your supply reps/sales reps for their wealth of information. Be very discerning, if you are feeling rushed on a big decision -read expensive- step back, think of at least three alternative ways it could be done and take your time. Don’t let anyone rush your process. Be as debt adverse as possible until you are cash flowing.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I love what I do. I love the kids an families I work with everyday. I truly wouldn’t want to do anything else. I graduated CU School of Dental Medicine in 2009 with my Doctorate in Dental Sciences and have been working with children and families in the Denver metro area every since.

In opening my own practice my goal has been to create a warm and friendly environment to provide positive dental experiences for children. Everything we do at Chompers Dentistry is to provide access to quality dental education and treatment for our patients from toddlers to teens to young adults. We accept and are in network with all major insurance carriers including Medicaid and CHP+.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Prior to opening Chompers Dentistry I was an associate in a practice for over ten years. When things changed at that location it was abrupt to say the least. I realized you cannot let someone else’s circumstances dictate your future and how far you go with your career. After over a decade in the same location I was comfortable with my day to day, change is not something I like, but it’s true what they say ‘all things are difficult before they are easy.’ I realized that the corporate structure for associate dentists was not sustainable for me and moving forward with my own start up practice was the best option. Breaking out of that comfort zone was difficult, as well as very humbling. There was so much I didn’t know, the learning curve was steep. I just had to show up everyday for myself knowing that eventually the hard work would pay off.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Word of mouth and strong referral relationships is the number one way we increase our awareness in our community. This comes down to day in and day out creating a reliable experience for our patients. Honoring their trust in us and our profession. At the end of the day people just want to be treated with respect and kindness. Investing and honoring my staff has really helped create an atmosphere patients want to return to every 6 months. If the office staff feels respected they are able to respect the patients in our care. We are testing some direct mailers and playing with different google ads. Nothing has been a jackpot per se yet. I’m learning it is a ground swell from many different marketing efforts that help create local market awareness.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.chompersdentistry.com
• Instagram: @chompersdentistry
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chompersdentistry
• Other: https://nextdoor.com/pages/chompers-dentistry-for-kids-lakewood-co/?init_source=org_pages&utm_source=share&utm_campaign=1703696841185

Image Credits
John Klippel, [email protected]