Steve Tangney qualified in 2008 and moved from his hometown of Cork to work in London. During a period of travelling, he met the love of his life – now his wife – on the Gold Coast, where he also worked for a while. While his time there was influential, it was his experience at Avenue Dental on the Sunshine Coast (Sunny Coast) that made the biggest impact on his professional outlook. The owner’s focus on cultivating a superb team culture stood out to Steve as the secret to their success.

In 2017, Steve seized the opportunity to purchase a dental practice in Batemans Bay, a short plane journey from Sydney. (It is well worth listening to this podcast to discover how this opportunity came about.)

At the start of his venture in 2017, Steve's practice had just two chairs and a team of five. Fast forward to today, and he proudly owns three locations with a team of 36 dedicated professionals.

Steve's expansion story is rooted in his commitment to fostering an environment where team members can truly flourish and grow. In this inspiring podcast, you'll learn about:

• Leadership and structure: Steve emphasises a flat organisational structure with no Practice Managers, which has resulted in high staff retention and remarkable employee satisfaction.

• Creating the right environment: Alongside his partner, Eoin, they have developed a workplace where people rarely leave, and even when they do, they often wish to return.

• Empowering team solutions: He has nurtured a culture where team members are empowered to solve the practice's challenges and issues independently.

• Cross-training benefits: Discover the advantages of cross-training and how it fosters a superb team spirit.

• Team bonding in Fiji: Steve and his team once travelled to Fiji for a team bonding experience, yielding lasting benefits for the practice. He reckons it was the best return on investment he ever made.

• Ongoing development: A strong focus on team training and continuous development is a cornerstone of their practice's ethos.

This podcast is truly inspirational as you will discover Steve Tangney's remarkable journey and business philosophy. Listen below or via your favourite podcast player.

In this insightful interview, Chris and Ashley reconnect with Karl Walker Finch, the proud owner of a dental practice in the Kirklees area of Yorkshire. For the second time, we delve into Karl’s remarkable journey.

Setting an ambitious goal, Karl aimed to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of his practice. Astonishingly, he achieved a reduction of over 35% in just the first year! But that’s not all—his practice is now proudly climate-positive.

Karl speaks with such passion that you’ll be motivated to bring similar changes to your own practice. Here's what you'll discover in this podcast:

• Engaging the team: Learn how Karl successfully involved his team in this project, boosting their motivation and commitment.

• Tree-planting for referrals: Discover the unique initiative of planting a tree for every new patient referral.

• The 'One Idea a Week' concept: Explore how ensuring accountability with weekly ideas has led to consistent progress.

• Focusing on key areas: Understand how concentrating on three main areas helps Karl maintain a carbon-neutral dental practice.

• Financial Benefits: See how striving for a carbon-neutral practice can actually enhance the bottom line.

• Patient appreciation: Find out why patients love what Karl is doing.

And much more!

After graduating in 2012, Gareth Edwards spent the first 5 years of his dental career by treating patients in Middleton, North Manchester. He then embarked on an 18-month journey through Asia and South America, dedicating time not only to traveling but also to reading a diverse range of books.

In 2019, Gareth returned to Bournemouth, his hometown, and formed a partnership with Zak Kara. Sharing similar philosophies about dentistry and business, they initially took over a three-surgery practice. However, they quickly outgrew it and moved into a larger, purpose-built clinic, giving birth to Smile Stories. Their philosophy was centered around creating an experience "nothing like your old dentist."

Gareth generously shares here the secrets that make Smile Stories a success.

In this podcast, you'll discover:

• How Smile Stories has become a unique dental practice by fostering lifelong patient relationships, incorporating innovative design, and utilising comprehensive digital dentistry. You'll also learn about their ideal client;

• Their inspiration from outside the dental field and various examples of where they gain this insight;

• The creation of a work environment where team members are eager to come to work, engaging every team member in each stage of the patient journey with their "Triangle formula";

• Gareth and Zak's calculated approach to risk, enabling rapid growth and expansion;

• Their strategies for marketing, enhancing patient experiences, and cultivating a strong team culture that resulted in 571 five-star Google reviews. You'll learn their "Peak End Rule", identifying the optimal time and method for requesting reviews.

• Examples of how they surprise and delight patients, including team celebrations at the end of treatments;

• Personalised marketing approaches for each new patient, sending tailored marketing messages that cater to the individual needs and desires of the patient.

And much more!