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#904: Getting Creative in a Saturated Market
Manage episode 445577210 series 2728634
Kiera and Britt are joined by Dr. Renae Sweeney, a dentist in South Florida who put in a lot of work to make her practices stand out. The three discuss how she was able to effectively find her client base, the importance of staying confident in your goals, and more.
Episode resources:
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Transcript:
Kiera Dent (00:00.862)
Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera and today is just a super fun day. I have two people on here today. I have Dr. Renae Sweeney. You may have seen her on social media. You may know Rafiki. You may know her birds. You may just see her as one of the funniest people on Instagram. And we have the one and only No BS, Stone coming on today. I'll start with Britt. How are you doing today, Britt? Welcome.
Britt (00:24.645)
I mean, I'm great. I'm excited to be here. I love when you share my nicknames now with clients since Dr. Sweeney is one of my clients that I get to work with. So you're welcome, Dr. Sweeney. Now you know what my nickname is.
Kiera Dent (00:31.874)
Ha ha.
Kiera Dent (00:35.244)
you
Dr. Renae Sweeney (00:36.044)
Yes, I love it. love it. No, super excited to be here with you guys. Thank you. Thank you.
Kiera Dent (00:39.221)
And dr. Sweeney welcome. Yeah, we're so excited Like I love you. I don't know as much about you because Britt has worked with you guys for so many years you and Soon to be hubby, right soon to be
Dr. Renae Sweeney (00:49.033)
Yes, yes.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (00:54.355)
No, he's so is that it's actually a little bit confusing. So we've actually been married for three years, but we are finally doing our wedding this year. So I know it's like a little bit confusing because yes, we're we're having our wedding actually in six weeks. Funny enough. But yes, we've been married for three years already, which is crazy.
Kiera Dent (01:02.249)
Okay
Kiera Dent (01:09.398)
That's amazing. Okay, so married we've been like Britt has worked with you and your husband we can now say husband but like wedding that's exciting. That's gonna be so fun. So I thought it'd just be fun to like bring both of you on. I want to know all about your bird like everybody I think I want to know some about your social media. But I thought it'd be really fun for you and Britt to kind of go on like a little walk of like how you guys were how you guys met Britt told me that she loves working with you and
Dr. Renae Sweeney (01:17.706)
Yes.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (01:30.73)
Mm -hmm.
Kiera Dent (01:35.82)
Dr. Molina because you guys are truly like a dynamite couple. You're willing to try everything. You guys have grown so much. You've gone from one practice to two practices looking for a third. So Britt, I'm going to kind of let you like jump in and guide and navigate on some ways too. But really, I think it's just going to be fun of like, let's go on like a walk down memory lane of what are some of the things you guys have done to get to this level. And Renae, you're so fun. Like you're so happy and so vibrant and yet you guys have a lot going on. So I will kind of turn it to Britt.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (01:36.64)
Yes.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (01:43.478)
Mm -hmm. Mm -hmm.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (01:58.923)
Thank
Kiera Dent (02:02.348)
Have fun, let's do a little walk down memory lane and of course I'm gonna interject because I'm gonna have a ton of questions.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (02:06.879)
Yeah.
Britt (02:07.97)
Well, the fun thing of the walk down memory lane, I think is that I worked with Dr. Molina first, right? And one location and Dr. Sweeney, you were still, think, working somewhere else, right?
Dr. Renae Sweeney (02:14.547)
Yes.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (02:20.489)
Yeah, so when we when we bought the first practice, I was still working actually like at a corporate office. So I've kind of been in my background, worked for a nonprofit, worked for private practice, worked for corporate offices all before I like we bought a second location, which is the location that I'm mainly at. So yes, you did start with kind of like him on the side. So I was like in that but kind of indirectly in it. But yes, so which is crazy, because I think it's been like over three years now, which is wild.
Kiera Dent (02:49.068)
I just remember calling Dr. Molina one day. Like we were just having a conversation. He's like, what on earth? Amazon just threw a package in our pool. Like that was literally like the conversation I had with him and it feels so telling of his personality. You guys are in Florida. You're in a very saturated area, which I love because you found success in a saturated area, but you've been behind the scenes. You bought a practice that was mostly Spanish speaking and I'm sure your Spanish was like not quite there yet. So.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (03:00.545)
Yes.
Yes.
It was.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (03:11.73)
Yes. yeah.
Kiera Dent (03:15.33)
That's a fun, like, hey, let's treat these patients and not even be able to sell to them. Cool. So anyway, Britt, keep going. I'm excited. It's like fun things about both of you. Very entertaining couple for sure.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (03:19.282)
Yes, yes.
Britt (03:26.565)
They are 100%. I love them. And I love that now I get to work with both of them. Because once we had practice number one, when practice number two came into play, that's when Dr. Sweeney and I got to connect a little bit more to where I got to start working with both practices and her one -on -one. Sometimes I get to see both of them when we like hop on calls together and they're in the same place. But it's been fun having second location. know they've got big dreams and aspirations, which I think Dr. Sweeney can tell us a little bit more about. But I do.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (03:33.563)
Okay.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (03:41.799)
Mm -hmm.
Britt (03:55.525)
love working with them because I think you both were pretty clear on where you want to go from the beginning, right? Like, you know where you want to go practice wise. Dr. Molina has been big on making sure we get all the systems into play. So like, know we're going to be doing this more. So let's make sure we've got things in play. And then it's been fun because now you've got another practice that you're working on. You've transitioned, stabilizing, agreed with Kiera. It's like you're in an area where, you know, you know that there's competition and you guys are creative and get out there. And Kiera, I'll add.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (04:00.391)
Thanks.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (04:06.812)
Mm -hmm. Right.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (04:22.362)
Mm
Britt (04:24.975)
I know that Dr. Sweeney is working on her Spanish, so like, who's getting there?
Dr. Renae Sweeney (04:27.336)
Yes, it's funny because now I'm like, have patients now who like have stayed with the practice, know, since prior to me purchasing or acquiring the office till now. And I just had a patient the other day who was like, my gosh, you're like, you're doing so well. Like you sound like you're fluent in Spanish now, which I am by no means like actually fluent. But yeah, it's I always tell people I'm like, careful what you wish for. Because I always used to say like years ago,
Kiera Dent (04:28.608)
Hola!
Kiera Dent (04:48.589)
you
Dr. Renae Sweeney (04:53.841)
before I ever really knew like where I would end up or how things would be. I was said that I wanted to learn Spanish more and I was like, be careful what you wish for. Cause I got exactly what I wish for unknowingly with it. But yeah, so it's, it's been a work in progress, but it's awesome. I love it. And it's, as you said, it's a very unique area that we're in South Florida and like Miami, like as a whole is just very, very different. And I think the unique part about learning Spanish here, I was so impatient. This is that it's not just one type of Spanish because you have people who are from Venezuela,
Kiera Dent (05:02.056)
Hahaha
Dr. Renae Sweeney (05:23.736)
Puerto Rico, Colombia, Cuba, like you have so many different dialects of it. So for me, I have to like learn a word like six different ways in Spanish, but my patients are awesome about it. My staff is bilingual and awesome about it. So like they've helped me so much. And it's something that like, it's just another like challenge that I get to take on, but it was definitely like a big challenge having to overcome as a new dentist coming out, buying a practice and finding out like.
Kiera Dent (05:32.778)
you
Dr. Renae Sweeney (05:49.358)
in the process of it that it was such a heavily Spanish speaking practice as someone who is not fluent in Spanish and really at the time didn't really speak Spanish at all. But I think it just goes to show that if you're willing to put in the effort and the time, how much you really can, what you can do and the challenges you can overcome and really, it's just so much, so many things are possible if you're just willing to take the time and learn and dedicate towards it.
Kiera Dent (06:14.744)
So like dive into that a little more for me, Dr. Sweeney. I am dying to know like, what do you guys do differently from your perspective? Obviously like with Britt's help and with different things you guys have done, like what do you feel has been like some key pieces to your success or how do you get that grit? Cause I think a lot of people would have been like, I'm not signing on the dotted line on this practice or I'm going to give up on this. Like it's a saturated market. It feels like you don't allow yourself excuses. So kind of walk me through like, what are some of the things that you feel have really set you guys up to be as successful as you've been?
Dr. Renae Sweeney (06:21.391)
Mm -hmm.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (06:35.907)
Right.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (06:43.906)
Right. So in the process of ours, it was definitely unique. Like you don't know what you don't know. Right. So, I mean, even in the process of getting that office, there were so many things that we were still learning. Because yes, we already had one practice on our belt. But again, every practice acquisition, every practices, it's just different. You're dealing with different owners, sellers, brokers. Like there's just so many different key parts that are.
It's different in every single deal and even that we're seeing as we're looking for a third practice now. So we really didn't know up until right before closing, basically, most of our documents and things were kind of said and done that we found out that it was portrayed to us that it was, there was obviously Spanish speaking patients, which is just a very normal thing in South Florida across the board. Most places that you work at, they want you to be bilingual. that was, I figured that was, we were gonna have that, but it wasn't until really closing that we found out.
out that it was such a high majority of the office was Spanish speaking, which
I remember after we met with the owner that day, because it was different in this deal that we didn't really meet the owner until at the very end. So more or less, unfortunately, the broker kind of misled us a little bit. again, this is, you know, just comes with I'm sure you guys have seen a lot with just different practices, you deal with different people. Right. So I remember we went home after that meeting and we kind of looked at each other and we're like, what do we do? You know, and I remember I was very panicked because I'm like, I don't I'm not fluent in Spanish. Like, should we do this? Should we not? You know, and then we kind of ultimately made the decision that we're like, you know, it's
a good opportunity. You I'm willing to learn the Spanish, like all of the staff is bilingual. And for anybody who's from South Florida, they will know that like Miami versus where we are in Broward County, it's about 30 minutes like north.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (08:25.076)
Yes, you have patients who speak Spanish, but it's slightly different. There are patients who know more English. It's just a little bit different environment. So was like, I think we can navigate it. think we can do this. And I had said, I always wanted to learn Spanish more. I was already kind in the process of trying. So was like, you know what? This is going to be my push that it's sink or swim. Like really, it truly is. And that's how it is with owning your own business, having your own company, your own office. Is that way anyway, that it really is like sink or swim. Like you have to just learn how to figure it out. And I was like, okay, this is just another challenge. We're going to take it on. So definitely, I think we made it a little bit
harder for myself in the process, but long term I'm super grateful for it because like I said, it's just a very unique environment that we get to be in. I get to be a part of a community that...
is different from what I grew up with, is different from what I, you know, was a part of before. And it was something that I wanted to be a part of and wanted to understand more about. And I just love it. My patients have been super great in the process of like, I've never had anyone be upset with me of getting something wrong. If anything, I think they like try to help me more with learning. And they're like super proud when they come back and they're like, my gosh, you're doing so well with your Spanish. You're able to do this. And for me, I always tell people like, sure, could I get away with not speaking Spanish and relying on my staff? Absolutely. But like for me,
Kiera Dent (09:30.05)
I
Dr. Renae Sweeney (09:37.854)
personally that was a big thing because i'm like then i now lose a different level of connection with my patients and again i know people who do that i came from an office where the per se owner didn't speak spanish and we were in a very predominantly spanish speaking area so you can definitely get away with that but for me i was like you know i don't want to lose that aspect of it and i know that it's something that like i can do again it's just
have to dedicate the time and effort will i ever be at that point where i'm fully fluent probably not at this point hopeful that like we can get close but you know i think it's just one of those things that like when you really are willing to set your mind to it and have a vision for what you want and how you want things to be like you'll just do what it takes to get there no matter how long it takes because more than anything i'm like now we're i'm
little bit more than two years into this office. And I'm like, time is going to go by no matter what. like, if I keep taking steps forward and keep dedicating the time and effort, whether that's to learning Spanish, whether that's to our systems or, or to, you know, the vision that we have for these offices, like you're going to get there eventually. And before, know, like, it might not be as fast as I want it to be, but it's
when you look back in time, like you get there and then for other people, they're like, my gosh, this happened so fast, you know, so we oftentimes, I think things feel with progression. I'm sure you guys can even feel that way, you know, with your own businesses is that progression sometimes feels a lot slower to us as we're in it and we're doing it day to day. But you know,
in the long run when we look at other people, it's easy to think that success happens so fast for them. So very long -winded response of all of that. But all that is to just say is that's how I think we try to look at everything with our practices, is that just taking steps forward and towards our dedicated goal every single day, you're gonna get there eventually, and you just have to stick with it, knowing that things are gonna be up and down with stuff, but just stick towards it, and you will get there.
Kiera Dent (11:03.776)
Mm -hmm. I like it.
Kiera Dent (11:16.842)
Mm
Kiera Dent (11:22.594)
Totally. Yeah, no, think kudos to you. I think that shows like your guys' entrepreneurial spirit, the grit. And I just had a conference and Tony Robbins said, people overestimate what they're going to be able to accomplish in a year and underestimate what they're going to be able to accomplish in a decade. And I really think that that's lovely because I think so many people, it's hard. Like you can think like, I'll be fluent in Spanish in a year, but like maybe in a decade, you're actually going to be super fluent within this.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (11:28.537)
Mm
Dr. Renae Sweeney (11:38.555)
Yes.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (11:45.357)
Mm -hmm. Yeah
Kiera Dent (11:50.402)
And like, look how far you've come in two years and this patient base, but also like looking at your, which I didn't really give into your bio of like you were a previous bar fit, hit fitness instructor. You taught classes throughout dental school. Then you taught it while you were in your first practice. You also are a former D1 dance team. You have your degree. You have like three Instagram accounts. So it's not just one, but three. And I'm sure with every other child and animal or whatever you choose to add to your life.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (11:52.475)
Mm -hmm.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (12:04.827)
Mm -hmm.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (12:18.247)
Mwahahahaha
Kiera Dent (12:19.778)
They'll probably have their own page too. But I think also like some people might look at that and be like, my gosh, she's her. But I'm like, no, what I love about you and the reason I wanted you on the podcast is because I feel like you have this grit and determination, but I feel it's because you have this guiding star of where you want to go. How did you get so clear on your vision of where you wanted to go? Like, was it just innate? Did you say like, this is the goal we're going for? Did you unravel, be like, all right, this is what our life's going to be? How did you get so confident on your goals of where you're headed?
Dr. Renae Sweeney (12:31.587)
Mm -hmm.
Mm -hmm.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (12:46.544)
Yeah, I that's a great question and side note, I'm like the quote that you said with Tony Robbins is super funny because I actually just put up a post I think like a day or two days ago and I used that in the caption as well. Like the first time, like when I heard that I was like, this is so good. And I actually didn't even realize it was from Tony Robbins, but side note, so that was really funny. Yes, but it's so true, so true. No, it's such a good question. So I think on a lot of different fronts, like if someone had asked me years ago, like I...
Kiera Dent (12:55.681)
Hahaha
Yes.
There you go. Now you know. He said it literally at the conference. So there you have it.
Kiera Dent (13:12.12)
you
Dr. Renae Sweeney (13:12.963)
never thought I would move to Florida, let alone have a monkey, a golden conure, like have multiple practices. So like, I cannot say this is like from a young age, like where I thought I would be, but I think, but a couple of different things, I think for sure, you know, Dr. Molina, give him so like, Raul, I give him so much credit for a lot of things because he truly is.
like such an entrepreneur through and through. And him and I always talk about it. I truly believe that that was like a God given gift for him. So for us, like at the end of the day, our faith is like super, super ingrained into every single thing that we do. So he has a very good vision that we have, you know, has been implanted in him and that we have worked on together and kind of always are continually talking about revisiting.
Where we want things to be where we like see our practices where we see our life where we see different things heading and at the At the base of it. We always say that you know, we have these goals. We have these things in mind But we always come back to like God where do you want us to be? do you want us to land? What is this supposed to look like for us and we very much like follow in accordance to that so like it's truly been a blessing that we've been able to do all that we have and like where we're at in life and we're super super grateful and thankful for it and we always just say that you know, like
whenever we think we want to head towards, like we start aiming and heading towards that. And if it doesn't work, like we know we're going to get turned around and we're going to head back to like the other direction that we're supposed to be in. But yeah, it's something that I think we always keep revisiting that at the core of it. We always say like our mission and our vision for just our offices is that we really want to change the way that people think about going to the dentist and give them an excellent experience across the board. And what that can look like can be super different. I came from a background where
from a young age, it was always very instilled in me of really having a servant's heart of being a part of mission trips, and which, know, throughout high school, college, dental school, and even now, I've been a part of a lot of nonprofit organizations, mission work locally and internationally, and really just at end of the day, it's because we enjoy helping people, and I think a lot of dentists and doctors go into the field for that reason.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (15:21.078)
And that's always stayed kind of at like the root of it is that for us, like truly helping people and in dentistry, know, yes, we're treating teeth, we're treating oral health issues, but at end of the day, like you're treating humans. And I think if we can keep that at the, for us, if we can always keep that at the core of what we're doing, like we're always going to strive to create like this great experience for people, no matter what that looks like, because, you know, we're treating a person, we're finding out their story, we're creating that connection. And I think that's what's super important and allows us to
Kiera Dent (15:43.0)
Sure.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (15:51.272)
no matter how much things might change as we're going throughout time that always keeps us rooted in where we want to be and in what that looks like is because we're always coming back to that and what our true mission and vision is. And that being said, through that, whether it's two practices that we have or a dozen practices or what locations we're in, all of that are, I think, to...
Kiera Dent (15:59.936)
Mm -hmm. Totally.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (16:19.457)
to our vision in all of that. that's something that like, yes, we always just come back to and we try to keep at the core of it. But, you we do monthly meetings, we do weekly meetings with our staff to always continue to check in to see like, okay, this is where we want to be. Like, are we heading towards that? Are we taking steps towards it? Because it's very easy to say like, this is my dream. This is what I want to accomplish. But if you don't have natural check -ins and things that, you know, we're constantly revisiting or even, you know, meetings with Brittany where we're...
Kiera Dent (16:34.52)
Sure.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (16:44.949)
you know, on a monthly basis, always checking in, like, how are things going? Like, is this where we want to be? What do we need to do to get there? Because if you're not, it's very easy to completely veer the other way. And then you get over here and wonder, how did I get over here when really I wanted to be over here? Right. But it's like, you have to constantly take steps and do those check -ins to evaluate, like, am I actually taking steps closer or farther away from where we're trying to end up?
Kiera Dent (17:07.41)
Exactly. No, and I'm so glad you said that. And I actually, I want to actually pivot to Britt because I think so many people have visions and they're lofty and they're like excited and gone home. What I love about you is it does feel core. It feels like this is your core. You want to serve people. You want to help people. You guys have such entrepreneurial spirit, but I think like entrepreneurial spirit without systems and check -ins is pure chaos. So I'm super curious to Britt as a consultant who's watched this incredible dynamic couple grow.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (17:22.346)
Mm -hmm.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (17:29.546)
Mm -hmm. Great.
Kiera Dent (17:36.738)
What are some of the things you've seen that maybe they've done very successfully from a bird's -eye view, right? Dr. Renae, let's just have her be the amazing report card of how great you guys have been. But what has been some of the things you've seen that have set them up for success that maybe other practices aren't doing that's controlled that entrepreneurial spirit into predictable systems and consistency? Because I really do believe they've got the core and the heart. I know they've got systems backing it as well.
Britt (18:02.787)
Yeah. And I think that's one piece that Raul and Renae, I think we're super solid on, even when just Raul and I were working from practice number one, that we were, the two of us were super light. And he's like, I want systems in this first practice. Great. We want to get that. And he's like, we want to get this dialed in because then we knew from the get go that they were going to take those and go duplicate at other practices that that was their ultimate goal. So we wanted to get practice number one running really well, getting things to work great. We know our
How are we scheduling appointments? Are we collecting deposits? How are we talking to patients about it? What's our verbiage? Scheduling, he's really good at comprehensive treatment planning. So making sure that we've got that down and making sure all the pieces were in plain functioning in that practice number one, before they went to more practices, which I'm like is super smart for those wanting to go into multiples. Because often people will like, well, great, let's just like start going and buying more practices and start kind of.
getting out there and going where we want to go and make it happen fast. And that's one way to do it. But it can start to become too much chaos when, well, this practice isn't doing well. Well, how are we doing things across the board? So I think just with, you know, Renae's vision and where they wanted to go and being so intentional about where they're going, they were also intentional in how they got practice number one set. So then they could go and keep doing it in other practices. And Renae can
probably speak to, right? Then being the doctor that comes into practice number two, having those systems to be able to support it. And she's done a great job of transitioning things over there, working with her team, growing as a leader to where like now when they're ready for that next practice or the next practice after that, they've got the two of them and they're awesome supports of each other. see them cheer each other on all the time to then, you know, keep going and keep building and keep spreading all the great things that they're doing for their patients.
Kiera Dent (19:58.754)
That's love hearing that because, and Renae, I'm coming to you next on this, that is so hard as an entrepreneur. Like I give our story of we bought our first practice and nine months later we bought our second. That was pure freaking pandemonium and we were psychotic. And I tell everybody, that's why I built a consulting company is to have you not learn like the hard way like we did. How have you guys been able to like curb that? Like you have been in this practice for, I think you were saying two, maybe almost three years before you're about to buy a third.
Britt (20:03.845)
Okay.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (20:19.184)
Mm -hmm.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (20:24.889)
Okay.
Kiera Dent (20:27.618)
But like that's dedication and discipline that I think a lot of entrepreneurs don't have. So how have you guys been able to like, is it like you guys keep each other in checks and balance? How do you do that? Is it that you've got Brittany who like keeps you like on the straight and narrow? Like what is it to help you guys really be dedicated and disciplined rather than chaotic and out of control chasing a vision?
Dr. Renae Sweeney (20:30.245)
Mm -hmm.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (20:47.621)
Yeah, I mean, I think it's all of it, you know, it's because I think it's very easy to get just completely out of control, get overwhelmed. Because at the end of the day, like there is with having your own business, whatever field that isn't or no matter how many dental offices you have, like there's just always things to be done, right? There's always more that can be done. There's always like it's just always endless, right? But you have to like learn how to keep it in check. You have to learn when to shut it off, have boundaries with things. So, yeah, I mean, even just between him and I, like we
Kiera Dent (20:51.32)
Thank
Dr. Renae Sweeney (21:16.896)
as you said, like we always share each other on we're always like talking about, you know, how we can better things and just even with our staff to like, that's why we do these monthly meetings. That's why we have these different things in place. So that way, you know, they see things from a different view than we do. And I think that's a super important thing as an owner in any capacity is like, your staff is a vital part to your growth, you know, like, sure, I can sit there at the end of the day and say, this is my practice, you know, I'm in charge of things and you know, whatever, which yes, that's true. But
Also, like if I can rely on my team and continue to build them up because at end of the day, you can continue to build so that you're building up people to be to a higher level, like through and through, and like you're building up leaders, you're automatically gonna thrive and grow because you're just gonna continue to grow and expand as people are able to step into higher positions, take on more responsibility to be able to delegate things more. So I think us always just being able to
really like with the meetings with Brittany, on our own time, like having these points where we're always looking at like, okay, how can we get better? Like, what did we do well? What can we improve upon? How do we keep pushing this forward and always keeping those visions in mind of what we're trying to achieve and through the way, like along the way realizing like...
we would love to get it all done at once. And I think as dentists, we're like, or dental professionals, like we're very type A, most of us that we want like everything done perfect and everything done, you know, as quick as possible, but like, that's just not always the reality, right? So you have to have like kind of your highest priorities, like how this needs to happen and then work from, from there. Otherwise, I it can get super chaotic because I, I know even for us, even having the systems we have in place, it's very easy that to look at something and be like, my gosh, I need
all of this stuff done, I need it all done right now and it all needs to be perfect and you just like can't like you're going to overwhelm yourself and it's going to be like mass chaos with things versus if you can like tailor back in you know the things that are the most important that we really need to focus on and get those like systems running and in place knowing that like we always talk about it roland that like running business i think it's like kind of like juggling like you're always throwing one ball up in the air and other ones are coming down and like we're talking back up and i'm sure britney if i have talked about this many times as well that it's like
Kiera Dent (23:03.82)
Yes.
Kiera Dent (23:25.527)
Mm
Dr. Renae Sweeney (23:30.125)
know people like including ourselves we we progress and we regress right and like that's always going to happen and i think knowing and understanding that it makes you better able and better equipped to deal with everything that comes along but yeah so for us with having so we bought the first office in 2021 bought this one in 2022 so it was about like a year and a half between when we got that one when we got this one and now we're looking at a third office so it has been a couple years now if you ask us like
Kiera Dent (23:50.584)
Thank
Dr. Renae Sweeney (23:57.996)
Sure, we would have loved to have a third office sooner, things to move more quickly. But at the end of the day, I truly believe that things happen for a reason in accordance with a plan that if it did happen faster, we would get the downside of now you're dealing with so much more before we're totally ready for it. And sure, are you ever going to feel 100 % ready? No, because that's just not how it works. But it has been a blessing on that side that the bright side is we've had more time to put more systems in place to
Kiera Dent (24:16.054)
you
Dr. Renae Sweeney (24:26.685)
get some of our staff that's been with us more established, more comfortable with things. So that way, when we get a third office, we have more key players in place that it's much, much easier to take those systems, push it over to the other practice and have some of our staff over and help them to be able to be more acclimated to how we do things within our brand and within our offices and bring them into the culture that we're already building. So I think the beauty in having more time between that is that you're able to better establish your systems and your culture.
Kiera Dent (24:26.996)
Mm
Dr. Renae Sweeney (24:56.267)
Which is really hard because I think Brittany and I have talked about it before that it's like that can really make or break your office right if you don't have a good culture and a good system in place sure you can be the best doctor in the entire world, but like That's that's gonna. It's kind of come to a head right you're gonna be the bottleneck in all of that So it's super super important more than anything like that. Yes, you want to be a great doctor You want to have those services, but like you want to be such a good leader that you're continuing to bring up other people You know into these positions their understanding system so that way you can basically like
pick up and plug anybody into those positions, build them up to be leaders as well and have a type of culture where it's like people are comfortable and excited about what's being built within it because they feel really a part of something.
Kiera Dent (25:37.89)
Totally. I love what you said. And I love that you guys, you're so driven on goals and where you want to go, but you're also very realistic with life. And you're realistic of not trying to force a plan, but to live in the plan. And then refining and seeing the blessings and the joy within all of it. And I think that that's a beautiful perspective that not a lot of people have.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (25:45.257)
Mm -hmm.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (25:51.956)
Mm -hmm.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (25:58.15)
and
Dr. Renae Sweeney (26:04.788)
Yeah.
Kiera Dent (26:04.952)
I know you guys are so busy. And so I'm to bring you back on Dr. Renae because I'm dying to know about how you became the influencer you became starting social media in 2023 because so many people are like, if you didn't catch the wave in 2020, then you might as well kiss it goodbye. And I think you are walking proof of that. But today I just appreciate you and Britt coming on and talking about your practices, talking about your vision, talking about your entrepreneurial spirit. You bring so much love.
And I love how much you love your team. love how much you love the path. I love that you love grit and determination and like we have in our saying, Britt knows we have a core value called grit and it says like challenges fire me up and I live for breakthroughs. And I feel like you embody that. Like challenges do fire you up and all these like you don't see them as big stumbling blocks. Like, yeah, I'm going to climb this freaking mountain. I'm going to learn Spanish. I'm going to take this on. We're going to do this. And I think to hear a doctor
Dr. Renae Sweeney (26:44.477)
Good
Dr. Renae Sweeney (26:50.675)
Mm
Kiera Dent (27:01.782)
just like other doctors be able to do that is beyond amazing. So I'm so appreciative of your time. I know you are such a busy doctor. So we're gonna bring you back, because I need to know all about your parrot and your monkey and your social media, because I'm dying to know all about that. But are there any last things as we wrap up today that you wanna add to anything that's been said today?
Dr. Renae Sweeney (27:13.363)
Yeah.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (27:21.252)
say and I think this leads into like what we can talk about next time is I think more than anything it's just like your consistency with things no matter what you're doing whether it's social media or your office or any of that is like I always tell people I'm not the most creative person there is nothing special about me and like what I have done or what you know we're trying to accomplish it's just the ability to be consistent and all that because I think through and through your hard work and your consistency is what's going to carry you through you can be you know they always talk about it with sports like you can be the most talented person but at end of the day someone who works harder and is more consistent is going to surpass
that person at some point in time and I think it's so true with anything so whatever you know whatever you're trying to do or whatever you know your goals are you know with your offices or or in your personal professional life just knowing that like if you really stick with it and dedicate the time and effort and knowing that like being consistent is not just a couple weeks or a couple months it's like
months and months and months or years and years worth of dedicating discipline and continuing to come back to that, like that you really will get and I think not just get to where you want to be but surpass where you want to be through that because at the end of the day, I think your discipline and your consistency matter just like so much to it and your dedication to the process of what you're trying to build and be a part of.
Kiera Dent (28:12.855)
Yeah.
Kiera Dent (28:31.48)
Brill, like I'm writing that up on here. Brilliant. I love it. Thank you so much. Britt, we'll just wrap up quickly with you. Any last thoughts you've got about Dr. Renae, Dr. Raul, things you've seen, anything you want to add to this as we wrap up today.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (28:33.562)
Yeah.
Britt (28:45.379)
Yeah, I think the only last thing I'll add, I love them. They're amazing. I think they also do a lot to feed themselves, which I think can be tough for entrepreneurs too. I love hearing about trips they take, places they go. They still do a lot of things with friends, right? And do things outside and go take trips. And so I think that's another piece of like, she is, they are amazing people and they have the dedication, they have the consistency. Like they have that drive of being an entrepreneur, but
They are very dynamic humans. There's a lot of other things that they do as well, which I think is part of what makes them so successful is because they have all of those pieces, family close by, family farm, all the things that make life fun and exciting along with being an entrepreneur.
Kiera Dent (29:27.264)
Amazing. I love being someone who doesn't know you as well as Britt does, but to just see also the relationship you two have together of how much Britt knows about you and how much you guys have used each other and just the beauty that you guys have. And honestly, Renae, you guys are the couple that I'm like always rooting for. I want successful people like you to win. I want you guys to be the most successful and the most flourished because I know you're just doing good in this world. So thank you for being on the podcast today. Thank you for your time.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (29:37.764)
you can take.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (29:45.431)
Thank you.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (29:53.181)
Thank you. I appreciate you having me. Thank you. Thank you
Kiera Dent (29:56.812)
Of course and don't worry everybody I will have her back to like learn all about the socials so everybody this is Dr. Renae and Britt and all of you listening I hope you guys take notes from them learn from them follow her go like watch her and then stay tuned because we'll have her back and as always thanks for listening and we'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.
929 episode
Manage episode 445577210 series 2728634
Kiera and Britt are joined by Dr. Renae Sweeney, a dentist in South Florida who put in a lot of work to make her practices stand out. The three discuss how she was able to effectively find her client base, the importance of staying confident in your goals, and more.
Episode resources:
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Transcript:
Kiera Dent (00:00.862)
Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera and today is just a super fun day. I have two people on here today. I have Dr. Renae Sweeney. You may have seen her on social media. You may know Rafiki. You may know her birds. You may just see her as one of the funniest people on Instagram. And we have the one and only No BS, Stone coming on today. I'll start with Britt. How are you doing today, Britt? Welcome.
Britt (00:24.645)
I mean, I'm great. I'm excited to be here. I love when you share my nicknames now with clients since Dr. Sweeney is one of my clients that I get to work with. So you're welcome, Dr. Sweeney. Now you know what my nickname is.
Kiera Dent (00:31.874)
Ha ha.
Kiera Dent (00:35.244)
you
Dr. Renae Sweeney (00:36.044)
Yes, I love it. love it. No, super excited to be here with you guys. Thank you. Thank you.
Kiera Dent (00:39.221)
And dr. Sweeney welcome. Yeah, we're so excited Like I love you. I don't know as much about you because Britt has worked with you guys for so many years you and Soon to be hubby, right soon to be
Dr. Renae Sweeney (00:49.033)
Yes, yes.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (00:54.355)
No, he's so is that it's actually a little bit confusing. So we've actually been married for three years, but we are finally doing our wedding this year. So I know it's like a little bit confusing because yes, we're we're having our wedding actually in six weeks. Funny enough. But yes, we've been married for three years already, which is crazy.
Kiera Dent (01:02.249)
Okay
Kiera Dent (01:09.398)
That's amazing. Okay, so married we've been like Britt has worked with you and your husband we can now say husband but like wedding that's exciting. That's gonna be so fun. So I thought it'd just be fun to like bring both of you on. I want to know all about your bird like everybody I think I want to know some about your social media. But I thought it'd be really fun for you and Britt to kind of go on like a little walk of like how you guys were how you guys met Britt told me that she loves working with you and
Dr. Renae Sweeney (01:17.706)
Yes.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (01:30.73)
Mm -hmm.
Kiera Dent (01:35.82)
Dr. Molina because you guys are truly like a dynamite couple. You're willing to try everything. You guys have grown so much. You've gone from one practice to two practices looking for a third. So Britt, I'm going to kind of let you like jump in and guide and navigate on some ways too. But really, I think it's just going to be fun of like, let's go on like a walk down memory lane of what are some of the things you guys have done to get to this level. And Renae, you're so fun. Like you're so happy and so vibrant and yet you guys have a lot going on. So I will kind of turn it to Britt.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (01:36.64)
Yes.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (01:43.478)
Mm -hmm. Mm -hmm.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (01:58.923)
Thank
Kiera Dent (02:02.348)
Have fun, let's do a little walk down memory lane and of course I'm gonna interject because I'm gonna have a ton of questions.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (02:06.879)
Yeah.
Britt (02:07.97)
Well, the fun thing of the walk down memory lane, I think is that I worked with Dr. Molina first, right? And one location and Dr. Sweeney, you were still, think, working somewhere else, right?
Dr. Renae Sweeney (02:14.547)
Yes.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (02:20.489)
Yeah, so when we when we bought the first practice, I was still working actually like at a corporate office. So I've kind of been in my background, worked for a nonprofit, worked for private practice, worked for corporate offices all before I like we bought a second location, which is the location that I'm mainly at. So yes, you did start with kind of like him on the side. So I was like in that but kind of indirectly in it. But yes, so which is crazy, because I think it's been like over three years now, which is wild.
Kiera Dent (02:49.068)
I just remember calling Dr. Molina one day. Like we were just having a conversation. He's like, what on earth? Amazon just threw a package in our pool. Like that was literally like the conversation I had with him and it feels so telling of his personality. You guys are in Florida. You're in a very saturated area, which I love because you found success in a saturated area, but you've been behind the scenes. You bought a practice that was mostly Spanish speaking and I'm sure your Spanish was like not quite there yet. So.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (03:00.545)
Yes.
Yes.
It was.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (03:11.73)
Yes. yeah.
Kiera Dent (03:15.33)
That's a fun, like, hey, let's treat these patients and not even be able to sell to them. Cool. So anyway, Britt, keep going. I'm excited. It's like fun things about both of you. Very entertaining couple for sure.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (03:19.282)
Yes, yes.
Britt (03:26.565)
They are 100%. I love them. And I love that now I get to work with both of them. Because once we had practice number one, when practice number two came into play, that's when Dr. Sweeney and I got to connect a little bit more to where I got to start working with both practices and her one -on -one. Sometimes I get to see both of them when we like hop on calls together and they're in the same place. But it's been fun having second location. know they've got big dreams and aspirations, which I think Dr. Sweeney can tell us a little bit more about. But I do.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (03:33.563)
Okay.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (03:41.799)
Mm -hmm.
Britt (03:55.525)
love working with them because I think you both were pretty clear on where you want to go from the beginning, right? Like, you know where you want to go practice wise. Dr. Molina has been big on making sure we get all the systems into play. So like, know we're going to be doing this more. So let's make sure we've got things in play. And then it's been fun because now you've got another practice that you're working on. You've transitioned, stabilizing, agreed with Kiera. It's like you're in an area where, you know, you know that there's competition and you guys are creative and get out there. And Kiera, I'll add.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (04:00.391)
Thanks.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (04:06.812)
Mm -hmm. Right.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (04:22.362)
Mm
Britt (04:24.975)
I know that Dr. Sweeney is working on her Spanish, so like, who's getting there?
Dr. Renae Sweeney (04:27.336)
Yes, it's funny because now I'm like, have patients now who like have stayed with the practice, know, since prior to me purchasing or acquiring the office till now. And I just had a patient the other day who was like, my gosh, you're like, you're doing so well. Like you sound like you're fluent in Spanish now, which I am by no means like actually fluent. But yeah, it's I always tell people I'm like, careful what you wish for. Because I always used to say like years ago,
Kiera Dent (04:28.608)
Hola!
Kiera Dent (04:48.589)
you
Dr. Renae Sweeney (04:53.841)
before I ever really knew like where I would end up or how things would be. I was said that I wanted to learn Spanish more and I was like, be careful what you wish for. Cause I got exactly what I wish for unknowingly with it. But yeah, so it's, it's been a work in progress, but it's awesome. I love it. And it's, as you said, it's a very unique area that we're in South Florida and like Miami, like as a whole is just very, very different. And I think the unique part about learning Spanish here, I was so impatient. This is that it's not just one type of Spanish because you have people who are from Venezuela,
Kiera Dent (05:02.056)
Hahaha
Dr. Renae Sweeney (05:23.736)
Puerto Rico, Colombia, Cuba, like you have so many different dialects of it. So for me, I have to like learn a word like six different ways in Spanish, but my patients are awesome about it. My staff is bilingual and awesome about it. So like they've helped me so much. And it's something that like, it's just another like challenge that I get to take on, but it was definitely like a big challenge having to overcome as a new dentist coming out, buying a practice and finding out like.
Kiera Dent (05:32.778)
you
Dr. Renae Sweeney (05:49.358)
in the process of it that it was such a heavily Spanish speaking practice as someone who is not fluent in Spanish and really at the time didn't really speak Spanish at all. But I think it just goes to show that if you're willing to put in the effort and the time, how much you really can, what you can do and the challenges you can overcome and really, it's just so much, so many things are possible if you're just willing to take the time and learn and dedicate towards it.
Kiera Dent (06:14.744)
So like dive into that a little more for me, Dr. Sweeney. I am dying to know like, what do you guys do differently from your perspective? Obviously like with Britt's help and with different things you guys have done, like what do you feel has been like some key pieces to your success or how do you get that grit? Cause I think a lot of people would have been like, I'm not signing on the dotted line on this practice or I'm going to give up on this. Like it's a saturated market. It feels like you don't allow yourself excuses. So kind of walk me through like, what are some of the things that you feel have really set you guys up to be as successful as you've been?
Dr. Renae Sweeney (06:21.391)
Mm -hmm.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (06:35.907)
Right.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (06:43.906)
Right. So in the process of ours, it was definitely unique. Like you don't know what you don't know. Right. So, I mean, even in the process of getting that office, there were so many things that we were still learning. Because yes, we already had one practice on our belt. But again, every practice acquisition, every practices, it's just different. You're dealing with different owners, sellers, brokers. Like there's just so many different key parts that are.
It's different in every single deal and even that we're seeing as we're looking for a third practice now. So we really didn't know up until right before closing, basically, most of our documents and things were kind of said and done that we found out that it was portrayed to us that it was, there was obviously Spanish speaking patients, which is just a very normal thing in South Florida across the board. Most places that you work at, they want you to be bilingual. that was, I figured that was, we were gonna have that, but it wasn't until really closing that we found out.
out that it was such a high majority of the office was Spanish speaking, which
I remember after we met with the owner that day, because it was different in this deal that we didn't really meet the owner until at the very end. So more or less, unfortunately, the broker kind of misled us a little bit. again, this is, you know, just comes with I'm sure you guys have seen a lot with just different practices, you deal with different people. Right. So I remember we went home after that meeting and we kind of looked at each other and we're like, what do we do? You know, and I remember I was very panicked because I'm like, I don't I'm not fluent in Spanish. Like, should we do this? Should we not? You know, and then we kind of ultimately made the decision that we're like, you know, it's
a good opportunity. You I'm willing to learn the Spanish, like all of the staff is bilingual. And for anybody who's from South Florida, they will know that like Miami versus where we are in Broward County, it's about 30 minutes like north.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (08:25.076)
Yes, you have patients who speak Spanish, but it's slightly different. There are patients who know more English. It's just a little bit different environment. So was like, I think we can navigate it. think we can do this. And I had said, I always wanted to learn Spanish more. I was already kind in the process of trying. So was like, you know what? This is going to be my push that it's sink or swim. Like really, it truly is. And that's how it is with owning your own business, having your own company, your own office. Is that way anyway, that it really is like sink or swim. Like you have to just learn how to figure it out. And I was like, okay, this is just another challenge. We're going to take it on. So definitely, I think we made it a little bit
harder for myself in the process, but long term I'm super grateful for it because like I said, it's just a very unique environment that we get to be in. I get to be a part of a community that...
is different from what I grew up with, is different from what I, you know, was a part of before. And it was something that I wanted to be a part of and wanted to understand more about. And I just love it. My patients have been super great in the process of like, I've never had anyone be upset with me of getting something wrong. If anything, I think they like try to help me more with learning. And they're like super proud when they come back and they're like, my gosh, you're doing so well with your Spanish. You're able to do this. And for me, I always tell people like, sure, could I get away with not speaking Spanish and relying on my staff? Absolutely. But like for me,
Kiera Dent (09:30.05)
I
Dr. Renae Sweeney (09:37.854)
personally that was a big thing because i'm like then i now lose a different level of connection with my patients and again i know people who do that i came from an office where the per se owner didn't speak spanish and we were in a very predominantly spanish speaking area so you can definitely get away with that but for me i was like you know i don't want to lose that aspect of it and i know that it's something that like i can do again it's just
have to dedicate the time and effort will i ever be at that point where i'm fully fluent probably not at this point hopeful that like we can get close but you know i think it's just one of those things that like when you really are willing to set your mind to it and have a vision for what you want and how you want things to be like you'll just do what it takes to get there no matter how long it takes because more than anything i'm like now we're i'm
little bit more than two years into this office. And I'm like, time is going to go by no matter what. like, if I keep taking steps forward and keep dedicating the time and effort, whether that's to learning Spanish, whether that's to our systems or, or to, you know, the vision that we have for these offices, like you're going to get there eventually. And before, know, like, it might not be as fast as I want it to be, but it's
when you look back in time, like you get there and then for other people, they're like, my gosh, this happened so fast, you know, so we oftentimes, I think things feel with progression. I'm sure you guys can even feel that way, you know, with your own businesses is that progression sometimes feels a lot slower to us as we're in it and we're doing it day to day. But you know,
in the long run when we look at other people, it's easy to think that success happens so fast for them. So very long -winded response of all of that. But all that is to just say is that's how I think we try to look at everything with our practices, is that just taking steps forward and towards our dedicated goal every single day, you're gonna get there eventually, and you just have to stick with it, knowing that things are gonna be up and down with stuff, but just stick towards it, and you will get there.
Kiera Dent (11:03.776)
Mm -hmm. I like it.
Kiera Dent (11:16.842)
Mm
Kiera Dent (11:22.594)
Totally. Yeah, no, think kudos to you. I think that shows like your guys' entrepreneurial spirit, the grit. And I just had a conference and Tony Robbins said, people overestimate what they're going to be able to accomplish in a year and underestimate what they're going to be able to accomplish in a decade. And I really think that that's lovely because I think so many people, it's hard. Like you can think like, I'll be fluent in Spanish in a year, but like maybe in a decade, you're actually going to be super fluent within this.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (11:28.537)
Mm
Dr. Renae Sweeney (11:38.555)
Yes.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (11:45.357)
Mm -hmm. Yeah
Kiera Dent (11:50.402)
And like, look how far you've come in two years and this patient base, but also like looking at your, which I didn't really give into your bio of like you were a previous bar fit, hit fitness instructor. You taught classes throughout dental school. Then you taught it while you were in your first practice. You also are a former D1 dance team. You have your degree. You have like three Instagram accounts. So it's not just one, but three. And I'm sure with every other child and animal or whatever you choose to add to your life.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (11:52.475)
Mm -hmm.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (12:04.827)
Mm -hmm.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (12:18.247)
Mwahahahaha
Kiera Dent (12:19.778)
They'll probably have their own page too. But I think also like some people might look at that and be like, my gosh, she's her. But I'm like, no, what I love about you and the reason I wanted you on the podcast is because I feel like you have this grit and determination, but I feel it's because you have this guiding star of where you want to go. How did you get so clear on your vision of where you wanted to go? Like, was it just innate? Did you say like, this is the goal we're going for? Did you unravel, be like, all right, this is what our life's going to be? How did you get so confident on your goals of where you're headed?
Dr. Renae Sweeney (12:31.587)
Mm -hmm.
Mm -hmm.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (12:46.544)
Yeah, I that's a great question and side note, I'm like the quote that you said with Tony Robbins is super funny because I actually just put up a post I think like a day or two days ago and I used that in the caption as well. Like the first time, like when I heard that I was like, this is so good. And I actually didn't even realize it was from Tony Robbins, but side note, so that was really funny. Yes, but it's so true, so true. No, it's such a good question. So I think on a lot of different fronts, like if someone had asked me years ago, like I...
Kiera Dent (12:55.681)
Hahaha
Yes.
There you go. Now you know. He said it literally at the conference. So there you have it.
Kiera Dent (13:12.12)
you
Dr. Renae Sweeney (13:12.963)
never thought I would move to Florida, let alone have a monkey, a golden conure, like have multiple practices. So like, I cannot say this is like from a young age, like where I thought I would be, but I think, but a couple of different things, I think for sure, you know, Dr. Molina, give him so like, Raul, I give him so much credit for a lot of things because he truly is.
like such an entrepreneur through and through. And him and I always talk about it. I truly believe that that was like a God given gift for him. So for us, like at the end of the day, our faith is like super, super ingrained into every single thing that we do. So he has a very good vision that we have, you know, has been implanted in him and that we have worked on together and kind of always are continually talking about revisiting.
Where we want things to be where we like see our practices where we see our life where we see different things heading and at the At the base of it. We always say that you know, we have these goals. We have these things in mind But we always come back to like God where do you want us to be? do you want us to land? What is this supposed to look like for us and we very much like follow in accordance to that so like it's truly been a blessing that we've been able to do all that we have and like where we're at in life and we're super super grateful and thankful for it and we always just say that you know, like
whenever we think we want to head towards, like we start aiming and heading towards that. And if it doesn't work, like we know we're going to get turned around and we're going to head back to like the other direction that we're supposed to be in. But yeah, it's something that I think we always keep revisiting that at the core of it. We always say like our mission and our vision for just our offices is that we really want to change the way that people think about going to the dentist and give them an excellent experience across the board. And what that can look like can be super different. I came from a background where
from a young age, it was always very instilled in me of really having a servant's heart of being a part of mission trips, and which, know, throughout high school, college, dental school, and even now, I've been a part of a lot of nonprofit organizations, mission work locally and internationally, and really just at end of the day, it's because we enjoy helping people, and I think a lot of dentists and doctors go into the field for that reason.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (15:21.078)
And that's always stayed kind of at like the root of it is that for us, like truly helping people and in dentistry, know, yes, we're treating teeth, we're treating oral health issues, but at end of the day, like you're treating humans. And I think if we can keep that at the, for us, if we can always keep that at the core of what we're doing, like we're always going to strive to create like this great experience for people, no matter what that looks like, because, you know, we're treating a person, we're finding out their story, we're creating that connection. And I think that's what's super important and allows us to
Kiera Dent (15:43.0)
Sure.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (15:51.272)
no matter how much things might change as we're going throughout time that always keeps us rooted in where we want to be and in what that looks like is because we're always coming back to that and what our true mission and vision is. And that being said, through that, whether it's two practices that we have or a dozen practices or what locations we're in, all of that are, I think, to...
Kiera Dent (15:59.936)
Mm -hmm. Totally.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (16:19.457)
to our vision in all of that. that's something that like, yes, we always just come back to and we try to keep at the core of it. But, you we do monthly meetings, we do weekly meetings with our staff to always continue to check in to see like, okay, this is where we want to be. Like, are we heading towards that? Are we taking steps towards it? Because it's very easy to say like, this is my dream. This is what I want to accomplish. But if you don't have natural check -ins and things that, you know, we're constantly revisiting or even, you know, meetings with Brittany where we're...
Kiera Dent (16:34.52)
Sure.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (16:44.949)
you know, on a monthly basis, always checking in, like, how are things going? Like, is this where we want to be? What do we need to do to get there? Because if you're not, it's very easy to completely veer the other way. And then you get over here and wonder, how did I get over here when really I wanted to be over here? Right. But it's like, you have to constantly take steps and do those check -ins to evaluate, like, am I actually taking steps closer or farther away from where we're trying to end up?
Kiera Dent (17:07.41)
Exactly. No, and I'm so glad you said that. And I actually, I want to actually pivot to Britt because I think so many people have visions and they're lofty and they're like excited and gone home. What I love about you is it does feel core. It feels like this is your core. You want to serve people. You want to help people. You guys have such entrepreneurial spirit, but I think like entrepreneurial spirit without systems and check -ins is pure chaos. So I'm super curious to Britt as a consultant who's watched this incredible dynamic couple grow.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (17:22.346)
Mm -hmm.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (17:29.546)
Mm -hmm. Great.
Kiera Dent (17:36.738)
What are some of the things you've seen that maybe they've done very successfully from a bird's -eye view, right? Dr. Renae, let's just have her be the amazing report card of how great you guys have been. But what has been some of the things you've seen that have set them up for success that maybe other practices aren't doing that's controlled that entrepreneurial spirit into predictable systems and consistency? Because I really do believe they've got the core and the heart. I know they've got systems backing it as well.
Britt (18:02.787)
Yeah. And I think that's one piece that Raul and Renae, I think we're super solid on, even when just Raul and I were working from practice number one, that we were, the two of us were super light. And he's like, I want systems in this first practice. Great. We want to get that. And he's like, we want to get this dialed in because then we knew from the get go that they were going to take those and go duplicate at other practices that that was their ultimate goal. So we wanted to get practice number one running really well, getting things to work great. We know our
How are we scheduling appointments? Are we collecting deposits? How are we talking to patients about it? What's our verbiage? Scheduling, he's really good at comprehensive treatment planning. So making sure that we've got that down and making sure all the pieces were in plain functioning in that practice number one, before they went to more practices, which I'm like is super smart for those wanting to go into multiples. Because often people will like, well, great, let's just like start going and buying more practices and start kind of.
getting out there and going where we want to go and make it happen fast. And that's one way to do it. But it can start to become too much chaos when, well, this practice isn't doing well. Well, how are we doing things across the board? So I think just with, you know, Renae's vision and where they wanted to go and being so intentional about where they're going, they were also intentional in how they got practice number one set. So then they could go and keep doing it in other practices. And Renae can
probably speak to, right? Then being the doctor that comes into practice number two, having those systems to be able to support it. And she's done a great job of transitioning things over there, working with her team, growing as a leader to where like now when they're ready for that next practice or the next practice after that, they've got the two of them and they're awesome supports of each other. see them cheer each other on all the time to then, you know, keep going and keep building and keep spreading all the great things that they're doing for their patients.
Kiera Dent (19:58.754)
That's love hearing that because, and Renae, I'm coming to you next on this, that is so hard as an entrepreneur. Like I give our story of we bought our first practice and nine months later we bought our second. That was pure freaking pandemonium and we were psychotic. And I tell everybody, that's why I built a consulting company is to have you not learn like the hard way like we did. How have you guys been able to like curb that? Like you have been in this practice for, I think you were saying two, maybe almost three years before you're about to buy a third.
Britt (20:03.845)
Okay.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (20:19.184)
Mm -hmm.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (20:24.889)
Okay.
Kiera Dent (20:27.618)
But like that's dedication and discipline that I think a lot of entrepreneurs don't have. So how have you guys been able to like, is it like you guys keep each other in checks and balance? How do you do that? Is it that you've got Brittany who like keeps you like on the straight and narrow? Like what is it to help you guys really be dedicated and disciplined rather than chaotic and out of control chasing a vision?
Dr. Renae Sweeney (20:30.245)
Mm -hmm.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (20:47.621)
Yeah, I mean, I think it's all of it, you know, it's because I think it's very easy to get just completely out of control, get overwhelmed. Because at the end of the day, like there is with having your own business, whatever field that isn't or no matter how many dental offices you have, like there's just always things to be done, right? There's always more that can be done. There's always like it's just always endless, right? But you have to like learn how to keep it in check. You have to learn when to shut it off, have boundaries with things. So, yeah, I mean, even just between him and I, like we
Kiera Dent (20:51.32)
Thank
Dr. Renae Sweeney (21:16.896)
as you said, like we always share each other on we're always like talking about, you know, how we can better things and just even with our staff to like, that's why we do these monthly meetings. That's why we have these different things in place. So that way, you know, they see things from a different view than we do. And I think that's a super important thing as an owner in any capacity is like, your staff is a vital part to your growth, you know, like, sure, I can sit there at the end of the day and say, this is my practice, you know, I'm in charge of things and you know, whatever, which yes, that's true. But
Also, like if I can rely on my team and continue to build them up because at end of the day, you can continue to build so that you're building up people to be to a higher level, like through and through, and like you're building up leaders, you're automatically gonna thrive and grow because you're just gonna continue to grow and expand as people are able to step into higher positions, take on more responsibility to be able to delegate things more. So I think us always just being able to
really like with the meetings with Brittany, on our own time, like having these points where we're always looking at like, okay, how can we get better? Like, what did we do well? What can we improve upon? How do we keep pushing this forward and always keeping those visions in mind of what we're trying to achieve and through the way, like along the way realizing like...
we would love to get it all done at once. And I think as dentists, we're like, or dental professionals, like we're very type A, most of us that we want like everything done perfect and everything done, you know, as quick as possible, but like, that's just not always the reality, right? So you have to have like kind of your highest priorities, like how this needs to happen and then work from, from there. Otherwise, I it can get super chaotic because I, I know even for us, even having the systems we have in place, it's very easy that to look at something and be like, my gosh, I need
all of this stuff done, I need it all done right now and it all needs to be perfect and you just like can't like you're going to overwhelm yourself and it's going to be like mass chaos with things versus if you can like tailor back in you know the things that are the most important that we really need to focus on and get those like systems running and in place knowing that like we always talk about it roland that like running business i think it's like kind of like juggling like you're always throwing one ball up in the air and other ones are coming down and like we're talking back up and i'm sure britney if i have talked about this many times as well that it's like
Kiera Dent (23:03.82)
Yes.
Kiera Dent (23:25.527)
Mm
Dr. Renae Sweeney (23:30.125)
know people like including ourselves we we progress and we regress right and like that's always going to happen and i think knowing and understanding that it makes you better able and better equipped to deal with everything that comes along but yeah so for us with having so we bought the first office in 2021 bought this one in 2022 so it was about like a year and a half between when we got that one when we got this one and now we're looking at a third office so it has been a couple years now if you ask us like
Kiera Dent (23:50.584)
Thank
Dr. Renae Sweeney (23:57.996)
Sure, we would have loved to have a third office sooner, things to move more quickly. But at the end of the day, I truly believe that things happen for a reason in accordance with a plan that if it did happen faster, we would get the downside of now you're dealing with so much more before we're totally ready for it. And sure, are you ever going to feel 100 % ready? No, because that's just not how it works. But it has been a blessing on that side that the bright side is we've had more time to put more systems in place to
Kiera Dent (24:16.054)
you
Dr. Renae Sweeney (24:26.685)
get some of our staff that's been with us more established, more comfortable with things. So that way, when we get a third office, we have more key players in place that it's much, much easier to take those systems, push it over to the other practice and have some of our staff over and help them to be able to be more acclimated to how we do things within our brand and within our offices and bring them into the culture that we're already building. So I think the beauty in having more time between that is that you're able to better establish your systems and your culture.
Kiera Dent (24:26.996)
Mm
Dr. Renae Sweeney (24:56.267)
Which is really hard because I think Brittany and I have talked about it before that it's like that can really make or break your office right if you don't have a good culture and a good system in place sure you can be the best doctor in the entire world, but like That's that's gonna. It's kind of come to a head right you're gonna be the bottleneck in all of that So it's super super important more than anything like that. Yes, you want to be a great doctor You want to have those services, but like you want to be such a good leader that you're continuing to bring up other people You know into these positions their understanding system so that way you can basically like
pick up and plug anybody into those positions, build them up to be leaders as well and have a type of culture where it's like people are comfortable and excited about what's being built within it because they feel really a part of something.
Kiera Dent (25:37.89)
Totally. I love what you said. And I love that you guys, you're so driven on goals and where you want to go, but you're also very realistic with life. And you're realistic of not trying to force a plan, but to live in the plan. And then refining and seeing the blessings and the joy within all of it. And I think that that's a beautiful perspective that not a lot of people have.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (25:45.257)
Mm -hmm.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (25:51.956)
Mm -hmm.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (25:58.15)
and
Dr. Renae Sweeney (26:04.788)
Yeah.
Kiera Dent (26:04.952)
I know you guys are so busy. And so I'm to bring you back on Dr. Renae because I'm dying to know about how you became the influencer you became starting social media in 2023 because so many people are like, if you didn't catch the wave in 2020, then you might as well kiss it goodbye. And I think you are walking proof of that. But today I just appreciate you and Britt coming on and talking about your practices, talking about your vision, talking about your entrepreneurial spirit. You bring so much love.
And I love how much you love your team. love how much you love the path. I love that you love grit and determination and like we have in our saying, Britt knows we have a core value called grit and it says like challenges fire me up and I live for breakthroughs. And I feel like you embody that. Like challenges do fire you up and all these like you don't see them as big stumbling blocks. Like, yeah, I'm going to climb this freaking mountain. I'm going to learn Spanish. I'm going to take this on. We're going to do this. And I think to hear a doctor
Dr. Renae Sweeney (26:44.477)
Good
Dr. Renae Sweeney (26:50.675)
Mm
Kiera Dent (27:01.782)
just like other doctors be able to do that is beyond amazing. So I'm so appreciative of your time. I know you are such a busy doctor. So we're gonna bring you back, because I need to know all about your parrot and your monkey and your social media, because I'm dying to know all about that. But are there any last things as we wrap up today that you wanna add to anything that's been said today?
Dr. Renae Sweeney (27:13.363)
Yeah.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (27:21.252)
say and I think this leads into like what we can talk about next time is I think more than anything it's just like your consistency with things no matter what you're doing whether it's social media or your office or any of that is like I always tell people I'm not the most creative person there is nothing special about me and like what I have done or what you know we're trying to accomplish it's just the ability to be consistent and all that because I think through and through your hard work and your consistency is what's going to carry you through you can be you know they always talk about it with sports like you can be the most talented person but at end of the day someone who works harder and is more consistent is going to surpass
that person at some point in time and I think it's so true with anything so whatever you know whatever you're trying to do or whatever you know your goals are you know with your offices or or in your personal professional life just knowing that like if you really stick with it and dedicate the time and effort and knowing that like being consistent is not just a couple weeks or a couple months it's like
months and months and months or years and years worth of dedicating discipline and continuing to come back to that, like that you really will get and I think not just get to where you want to be but surpass where you want to be through that because at the end of the day, I think your discipline and your consistency matter just like so much to it and your dedication to the process of what you're trying to build and be a part of.
Kiera Dent (28:12.855)
Yeah.
Kiera Dent (28:31.48)
Brill, like I'm writing that up on here. Brilliant. I love it. Thank you so much. Britt, we'll just wrap up quickly with you. Any last thoughts you've got about Dr. Renae, Dr. Raul, things you've seen, anything you want to add to this as we wrap up today.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (28:33.562)
Yeah.
Britt (28:45.379)
Yeah, I think the only last thing I'll add, I love them. They're amazing. I think they also do a lot to feed themselves, which I think can be tough for entrepreneurs too. I love hearing about trips they take, places they go. They still do a lot of things with friends, right? And do things outside and go take trips. And so I think that's another piece of like, she is, they are amazing people and they have the dedication, they have the consistency. Like they have that drive of being an entrepreneur, but
They are very dynamic humans. There's a lot of other things that they do as well, which I think is part of what makes them so successful is because they have all of those pieces, family close by, family farm, all the things that make life fun and exciting along with being an entrepreneur.
Kiera Dent (29:27.264)
Amazing. I love being someone who doesn't know you as well as Britt does, but to just see also the relationship you two have together of how much Britt knows about you and how much you guys have used each other and just the beauty that you guys have. And honestly, Renae, you guys are the couple that I'm like always rooting for. I want successful people like you to win. I want you guys to be the most successful and the most flourished because I know you're just doing good in this world. So thank you for being on the podcast today. Thank you for your time.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (29:37.764)
you can take.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (29:45.431)
Thank you.
Dr. Renae Sweeney (29:53.181)
Thank you. I appreciate you having me. Thank you. Thank you
Kiera Dent (29:56.812)
Of course and don't worry everybody I will have her back to like learn all about the socials so everybody this is Dr. Renae and Britt and all of you listening I hope you guys take notes from them learn from them follow her go like watch her and then stay tuned because we'll have her back and as always thanks for listening and we'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.
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