THE SPY WHO STREAMLINED ME: TRANSFORMING YOUR PRACTICE FROM WITHIN

By Laura Johnston

People tell me SOPs are not sexy! I tend to disagree. True, they may not be a sleek new piece of tech like a Trios 4 Wireless POD or an iTERO Element 5D Intraoral Scanner, or even the shiny attention-grabbing marketing campaign.

But I think sexy SOPs are the James Bond of business tools: smooth, efficient, and always saving the day. Instead, they often resemble that dusty binder in the corner that no one wants to open. Yet, beneath the cover lies the key to a thriving and successful practice.

Why Sops Matter More Than You Think

I was born an entrepreneur’s daughter. Let me tell you it was quite a ride. No one had bigger ambitions than my dad and he was able to get about halfway there each time. Halfway where? Good question! As a child in the middle of an entrepreneur’s ambitions, it was pretty fun. Ya know, roller coaster ride kind of fun. I always had what I needed, the foundations of a good childhood: love, food, clothes… a mostly-finished home to live in.

What I learned about being an entrepreneur was that it was either feast or famine. Big houses, fancy cars, or living in a single-wide, eating pancakes with nothing on them for breakfast and dinner, thank goodness for school lunch, said no one ever!

My dad was growing a large family he had to feed and he had learned early on, that if you want to have control over

your income, you had to be in sales or an entrepreneur. And he could talk to anyone! You know the saying: “Talking an Eskimo into buying ice.”

That was the salesman inside my father! So, blessed with the salesman's gift of gab, and the fearlessness of an entrepreneur, he went about a variety (big variety) of get-rich-quick schemes and adventures. He became a land developer, a building contractor, and a countrywestern band owner (yes, child labor with his daughters with Osmond family dreams), which of course led to a recording studio. Next came an auto body shop and so the story goes….

The Eternal Adventurer

Dad jumped into businesses with both feet. Not once did he stop to ask himself if he had the skills, connections, or even the faintest idea of what he was doing. “I’ll figure it out,” was his mantra, and it had served him well enough to keep his family fed—most of the time.

THE ONE-MAN BAND BUSINESS MODEL

My dad’s business model was simple: do everything himself. It wasn’t because he didn’t trust others—he did. It was because he couldn’t bring himself to delegate. Or just didn’t have time to figure out who to delegate it to (excluding his children!). He couldn’t manage money and he would often say he “had to rob Peter to pay Paul.”

Fast forward many years. My father had long passed and I found myself an entrepreneur. I vowed never to be the one-man-band business my dad had run. One night, in the thick of trying to figure out how I was going to pay my team, I had a dream….

James Bond adjusted his tie, casually leaning against the sleek Aston Martin as M briefed him on his next mission. This wasn’t about a megalomaniacal villain or a ticking doomsday clock—it was a sabotage case involving MI6’s own operational playbook: their SOPs. Someone had stolen them.

“You see, Bond,” M explained,

“Our SOPs are the backbone of MI6. They ensure everyone— from field agents to analysts—operates efficiently and consistently. Without them, chaos ensues. Missed deadlines. Miscommunication. Even Q’s gadgets are going out untested.” Bond raised an eyebrow.

“I thought we thrived on chaos, M.” M shot him a sharp look.

“Not the wrong kind of chaos, Bond. Get those SOPs back.” Bond tracked the thief to a high-rise tech firm—Quantum Logistics. The CEO, a man named Clive Matheson, had a sinister grin and a reputation for corporate espionage.

“You’re telling me MI6 is crumbling because someone took their to-do list?” Matheson taunted. Bond smirked.

“It’s not just a to-do list. It’s the playbook for success. Even you wouldn’t dare run this empire without SOPs. Without them, you’re vulnerable—missing steps, wasting time, and putting your operation at risk. Sound familiar?” Matheson’s smirk faltered.

After a daring escape involving a coffee spill, an elevator ride, and a witty quip about “standard operating escapes,” Bond returned the SOPs to M. M nodded approvingly.

“Well done, 007. A reminder that even the best agents—or businesses—can’t function without clear, reliable systems.”

As Bond walked away, he muttered, “Who knew a set of instructions could save the world?” The moral? Whether you’re saving the world or running a business, SOPs ensure smooth operations, keep teams aligned, and prevent chaos—even for James Bond…

The Broccoli Of Business

When you hear “SOPs,” you might groan and think of long, tedious manuals collecting dust. Trust me, I get it.

SOPs are the broccoli of business—you know they’re good for you, but they’re rarely anyone’s first choice. But here’s the kicker: SOPs are the tools that keep your practice from falling into chaos. They:

• Provide Clarity: Ensure every team member knows their role and responsibilities.

• Boost Consistency: Patients expect reliable care

• Streamline Onboarding: Set new team members up for success from day 1

• Foster Accountability: Ownership, employees feel empowered to execute

• Enhance Business Growth: Scale by providing a replicable framework for success.

CONSULTANTS: STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES (SOPS) - YOUR SECRET WEAPON FOR SUCCESS

Here’s a confession: I once had an SOP that included the phrase, “Make sure the thingy is turned off.”

Needless to say, that’s not helpful. This is where consultants come in. Their expertise allows them to:

• Identify Gaps

• Customize Solutions

• Facilitate Implementation

Why do I know this? I was a coach/consultant, for half a second. I had several clients that I helped. But what left me frustrated was trying to leave them set up for success with the tools we put in place. All it took was another employee turnover, and things would fall quickly back into the old way of doing things. Ugh, it was painful and I felt guilty for not having a more permanent impact.

That is how My Dental SOP came to be. I didn’t plan on mass distribution. I thought it was something I could do for my clients. Many consultants create beautiful systems and help put great processes in place. It’s not just about creating SOPs… It is about being able to access, train to, and use those SOPs in a powerful way. It just isn’t done very often. Many businesses, not just dental practices, struggle with this. A successful business cannot be run without SOPs.

WALKING THE WALK: LEADING THE CHARGE AS A DENTAL ENTREPRENEUR

As a dental entrepreneur, it’s not enough to tell your team or clients what to do—you have to lead by example. Walking the walk means demonstrating the value of SOPs in your own practice or business. It’s about showing your team that clarity, consistency, and accountability aren’t just buzzwords but the cornerstones of success. That’s simple. But, like anything great, it is not easy. We help our clients with it, and we work on it with our team as well.

When you embrace SOPs and champion their implementation, you create a culture that prioritizes efficiency and excellence. Whether you’re leading your team or guiding clients, you set the standard for how operations should run—and inspire others to follow suit.

Growing up with my dad, the ultimate one-man-band entrepreneur, was like living in a real-life circus act. He juggled 27 different hats, turned paperwork into an Olympic sport, and somehow managed to keep everything mostly together with a big dose of grit and a little duct tape.

Fast forward to me—his daughter, who took that wild entrepreneurial spirit and paired it with a love for order and systems (chaos is not my love language). While Dad thrived in the “just wing it” era, I discovered my happy place in building SOPs that turn the chaos into calm. By the way, it is a journey, not a destination!

From my dad’s school of hard knocks to my world of checklists and flowcharts, the journey has been one part heart, one part hustle, and a lot of coffee. I guess you could say I took his entrepreneurial spirit and gave it an SOP upgrade!

PRACTICE OF DREAMS?

If your SOPs are outdated, half-baked, or totally MIA, welcome to The Nightmare Zone. It’s all smooth sailing… until chaos sneaks up and snowballs into major operational meltdowns. But here’s the plot twist: this mess is 100% fixable—and faster to fix than you’d think!

We have very effective and intelligent team members all over the country in all kinds of practices. Many get a bad rap. They carry a lot of experience and knowledge around in their heads that can and should be shared. And I am proud of creating a great way to do it!

SOPs may not be sexy, but they’re the unsung heroes of a successful practice. They’re the quiet force that ensures your business runs smoothly, your patients are happy, and your team isn’t secretly Googling “How to quit my job without burning bridges.” I know it is a little weird to love SOPs so much. I need it. My ADD needs it. My team needs it. A thriving business needs it.

So, if SOPs were sexy? They’d be confident, dependable, and downright indispensable. Isn’t it time to give them the attention they deserve?

About the author:

With over 15 years of experience in the dental industry, Laura Johnston is the visionary behind My Dental SOP, a pioneering software solution designed to streamline employee onboarding and cross-training in dental practices. Laura’s journey in the dental field has been extensive and varied, encompassing roles such as dental coach, office manager, and insurance specialist for both dental anesthesia and general dental practices.