BUSINESS & PRACTICE DEVELOPMENT DO YOU COME FROM A LONG LINE OF DENTISTS AND ORTHODONTISTS? No, my family has been in agriculture for a very long time. My great grandparents moved to Arizona and became heavily involved in the cotton industry. My father is still farming, although now his main crop is roses. It’s a hard job that takes a lot of time and dedication. I developed a disciplined work ethic from watching my father get up at the crack of dawn to go to the farm. He was gone most of the day and when he arrived home, work didn’t end. I would listen to my parents talking about the business regularly, so I got a sense of how all-encompassing running your own business is. I also learned from parents that if you love what you do and are passionate about it, it’s not work. To this day, my father will gladly talk to anyone for hours on end about the inner workings of the rose business.
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SO THE LONG HOURS DIDN’T SCARE YOU FROM OWNING YOUR OWN BUSINESS? Quite the opposite. I liked the idea that if I was dedicated and worked hard, I could control my own destiny. Plus, I don’t think I would be a very good employee. I hope that I’m a good boss.
–––––––––––––––––– I try not to have regrets. All of my failures have led me to where I am today. We’ve worked hard for everything we have now, and I am more grateful for our success because of those hard days. ––––––––––––––––––
It’s just BUSINESS
SO IS BEING A BUSINESS OWNER EVERYTHING YOU THOUGHT IT WOULD BE? Well, yes and no. My husband (Matt) and I are a lot like my parents where our personal and business lives are very intermeshed. Because we are never in the same office at the same time during the day, nights are time to catch up on everything and come up with new and better ideas for the practice. We are constantly trying to improve the way we run our business, how we serve our patients and keep up on the latest orthodontic techniques. I’m sure at times our kids get tired of us constantly talking and working on things for the office when we are at home. Although, sometimes they ask some great questions and contribute some insightful feedback. I love that we work for ourselves, but day to day frustrations and things I can’t control can be stressful at times.
IMAGE BY EMILY SUPIOT OF COZY CLICKS