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

Olivia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So, what do you think about family businesses? Would you want your children or other family members to one day join your business?

Live Local. Serve Local. My husband and I own and operate an orthodontic clinic called Oldham Family Orthodontics in Kyle, Texas. My husband is the orthodontist and I run the clinic. There are many other orthodontic clinics in the area, but what sets us apart is that we are truly a locally owned small business. We live 5 minutes from our clinic, and we are a husband and wife team. Our patients know that when they begin treatment with us, they are becoming part of our family. Because our patients’ hometown is our hometown, we constantly run into our patients at restaurants, grocery stores, sporting events and other community events. When our patients and their families see us, we are not only greeted with big smiles and waves but with the warmest hugs.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My husband is a board-certified orthodontist in Kyle, Texas. He transforms lives by building confidence of patients of all ages. He makes patients WANT to smile. He specializes in orthodontics and can help create people’s dream smiles with Invisalign, traditional metal braces, and clear braces. Many people don’t realize that when a dentist graduates dental school and completes a residency in orthodontics, they are not considered board-certified. They have to take an extra examination to become board-certified. Only 1 in 3 orthodontists are actually board-certified, and my husband is one of them. And let me tell you, he is really good at his job. FACT! It is AMAZING to see patients of all ages go from barely smiling when they walk in our clinic to smiling from ear to ear when they are done with treatment. Helping run the practice is a blast. He is the mastermind behind the work; I am the one that gives you the warm fuzzies when you walk in. I want to make sure your experience is one of compassion and is welcoming. You can always count on me to give you a hug if you are having a rough day!

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

We opened our doors January 2021. We signed the lease December 2019. What was in the middle of that? Covid. We had no idea what was in store for us when we signed that lease. We had nothing to our name and were taking a leap of faith starting this business. We had to take out a loan from the bank to get started. We had a very difficult time getting a bank to approve us. I was still in school, and my husband was still in residency. Our income was very limited, but we finally were approved. Then COVID, and the bank dropped us. We were too much of a liability. Our hearts sank. We had already put so much of our time and effort planning out this practice. We prayed. We searched. We asked so many banks to please take a chance on us. Finally, we were approved again by a different bank. We were on worse financing terms — but hey we had a loan. We worked multiple jobs to help fund the business as well. We tried to save money where we could. Our office is pretty much furnished from hand me downs from family members. They all were so supportive of us during this time. Chairs in our lobby are from my mom. Tables are from my aunt. And I personally made some of our art decorations.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

This question applies more to me than my husband. I still remember our first date. He was still in dental school, and he told me he wanted to open his own practice. I told him he should go for it! — not knowing how much it would affect my life. I am a pharmacist by degree; I left my job as a compounding pharmacist to help him open up our orthodontic clinic. Total pivot in my career and life. I left my comfort zone and entered an area where I had little experience. I love it though. I love managing. I love being organized and making sure everyone is taken care of. Do I miss pharmacy? Of course! I still work as an as needed pharmacist. But I love the relationships I have built with our patients and their families.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kylefamilyorthodontics.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oldhamfamilyorthodontics/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oldhamfamilyortho