We recently connected with Kelsi Lewis and have shared our conversation below.

Kelsi, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Your ability to build a team is often a key determinant of your success as a business owner and so we’d love to get a conversation going with successful entrepreneurs like yourself around what your recruiting process was like -especially early on. How did you build your team?

I had two employees once my doors opened. I began the hiring process about two months before the office opened. Putting ads on Indeed/Facebook/Instagram is my main source for finding my employees. Recruiting the first few team members was tough because everything was all so new to me. Being a business owner for a startup dental office is no easy task. Not only was I making sure I was going to hire the right people to represent me and my practice, I also had to make sure the people I did hire had similar goals in mind- putting our patients first. The interview process is not always fun, but I enjoyed getting to know my future potential employees. I started out just with phone interviews to get to know them and see if they seemed like they would be a good fit. If I felt like they would be a good fit, next step was an in person interview. In my phone interview I would explain the job description and explain the type of environment I am trying to create for my patients. The first two employees I hired (front desk and an assistant) were perfect matches for what I was looking for. I have since added 3 more employees the same way and I feel this is the best way for me to build my perfect team.

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

According to my parents, I decided when I was six years old that I wanted to be a dentist. Not sure where it came from as I have no family members in the dental field. When I was in high school I would shadow my dentist in the summer to get an idea what a day is like in the dental office- that’s when I fell in love. I fell in love not only with the actual dentistry itself, but the ability to build trust and relationships with my patients. That’s the best part about what I do- getting to know and building a relationship with my patients. My office is a general dentistry office- ranging from simple fillings to extractions and implants. Whether I get to see them every couple of weeks for treatment, or every 6 months for their checkups, I have several patients that share many life memories and stories with me and it’s comforting to know they trust me and feel comfortable sharing their personal lives with me. Not everyone enjoys going to the dentist, so any way I can ease the anxiety and stress in a visit I will do. I’ve had patients follow me from previous offices just because they feel most comfortable with me. I believe that’s what sets my office apart from others close to mine- treating our patients like family. They are greeted by first names, taken back in a timely manner , offered water/headphones/blankets/ TV to watch above the chair during their visits- all to make sure their experience in my office is nothing but the best.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

I believe that getting out and participating in community events, doing business to business marketing, having a positive/interactive social media presence are all very important aspects of growing your clientele. I also have a marketing company to run Facebook/ Instagram/ Google ads that help also. I think the best source of growing my clientele comes from internal referrals. I have no problem with asking my patients to refer their friends and family to me. Some of my best patients come from internal referrals!

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

In the phone interviews I am straight up with my potential employees- I want everyone to enjoy coming to work. That being said, in order to do that everyone needs to be on the same page. That’s why I stress it in the phone and in person interview. Maintaining a positive, happy workspace is important for everyone. I treat my employees how I would like to be treated. We do things outside the office together as a team to build that positive environment. There’s also monthly goals and incentives we do to help keep everyone motivated.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.glowdentalco.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/glowdentalco?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/glowdentalco