Conversations with Chris

#1 The Design Student who became an Owner/Practice Manager (and the lessons learned along the way) - with Louise Spry

September 30, 2019 Chris Barrow Season 1 Episode 1
Conversations with Chris
#1 The Design Student who became an Owner/Practice Manager (and the lessons learned along the way) - with Louise Spry
Show Notes

Louise Spry is one half of the man and wife team who opened a private squat in Maidstone back in 2008 (exactly one month after the global banking collapse).

Louise as Practice Manager and Marcus as Principal Dentist have built Fresh Implant + Dental Care to over £1m per annum of sales in a beautifully branded and presented location that occupies a secluded (but very pretty) office complex on the outskirts of the town. 

There is little or no drive by or walk by - only neighbouring small business offices - but they have succeeded in creating a thriving practice offering high end treatment in a business class environment.

As well as sharing a detailed explanation of “how we did it”, Louise begins her story as a London student studying 3-dimensional design and explains how her early graduate education has formed the bedrock of everything that has been invested into the business.

As you might expect, the journey hasn’t been an easy one. Marcus & Louise found themselves owners of a predominantly NHS practice in the Medway towns and, realising that their business wasn’t making them happy, they sold it to their associates.

They took some time (and a few false starts) to identify a new location and style for their business - far enough away from their first location that the term “squat” was very relevant.

Louise shares a detailed account of how much money it took to get started, what their projected J-curve on funding looked like - and how the reality compared with the projections.

This is a classic tale of a married couple making a success of the business of dentistry - and of one strong woman’s determination to bring her vision to reality.