The Essex Smile Centre

We first engaged Hive to be our accountants. As part of this process, they recommended the owners undertook a Diagnostic Day to look at all aspects of profitability and how it could improve drastically with Hive’s support. The Diagnostic Day was extremely helpful and informative and a real eye-opener for the business. It highlighted key areas of the business where profitability and productivity could be improved substantially.

At this point, we did not start working with Dan but started the process of changing the business ourselves. We changed the structure of the practice, introduced new dentists with different specialities, bought in new sales structures, and started thinking more strategically about the business.

It did however come to a point where we felt stuck and needed help to drive it forward. Dan and Ross came in and did another Diagnostic Day to see where we were at this point. We had made huge progress but to really move the business forward we definitely needed their help.

We set up a board and Dan became part of that and really put formality in place. He comes to our offices once a month and we focus on marketing, staff, financials. Each of us, as board members, have a specific role and we take full responsibility for ensuring we report back monthly on what we have achieved and what we hope to achieve in the following month. The formality ensures we stay focused on the task of growing the financials of the business.

Personally, for me, I do not think I could do my job without Dan. As the business owners also work in practice it makes them extremely busy and not always accessible, also they are very dentally focussed rather than business focussed (as is the case with many dentists).

If I need advice or just a moan, Dan is always there for me. He just gets it. He always has a wise or kind word and always a fantastic solution. Dan is friendly, kind, super intelligent and knows how to drive a business. He also knows how to focus people to think strategically to grow their business successfully.

I always look forward to Dan coming into the office on board meeting days. When he walks in my first words are ‘the cavalry has arrived’. He has helped me to see that everything I do is a success even if it may not be perfect! All of our meetings are positive and meaningful.

Ross attends board meetings occasionally. His view is always objective and he has a great way of making us question our decisions as to how we could make them better and more effective for the business. He totally thinks outside of the box financially and seriously knows his stuff to grow the financials or more important keep the financials at the centre of all we do.

Dan and Ross have become our friends really. Board meeting days are always finished off with a dinner somewhere and some friendly banter. They are great fun to work with. A day with them is never boring and the day after we always feel that we have achieved massive strides.

My advice would be, have a Diagnostic Day, see where your business could go and then get Dan and Ross on board to help you do it.