The Making of a Dental Startup

Dental Startup Ask Me Anything: Insurance, Virtual Assistants, Staffing, and Build Regrets Ashley and Collin work through questions from The Making Of community, then get into the build regrets Ashley would fix in her Folsom and Roseville offices. What You’ll Hear in This Episode: Learning Dental Insurance How did Ashley learn insurance, and where can you start if you’re still figuring it out? Virtual Assistants Are virtual assistants worth it for a dental practice? Ashley shares what Smile...

Dr. Nate Jeal and Dr. Bao-Tran Nguyen have opened seven dental practices, and on their newest build, the only original hire still on the team after 13 months is their AI agent, Sally. In this episode, Ashley talks with them about designing The Smile Formula after six previous practices, why they make team decisions faster now, and how Sally went from answering after-hours calls to texting new leads and verifying insurance. Nate also shares a simple formula for calculating what every missed ca...

What's Happening Behind the Scenes: A Life Update from Ashley and Collin Ashley and Collin skip the business talk for a catch-up on what life has looked like behind the podcast lately, from Ashley's return to full-time dentistry to the habits both of them are using to find balance after long days at the office. What You'll Hear in This Episode: Back at Smile & Co. Ashley is working four days a week after 10 months away, catching up on the schedule, and feeling it in her back and neck. Wh...

Moving the Goalpost: Ashley's Talk at the Dentist Money Summit Ashley shares the talk she gave at Dentist Advisors' Dentist Money Summit. The team asked for a talk on having your business under control and not moving the goalpost. She gave the opposite one, and this is it. Recorded live, so you'll hear her reference slides you can't see. What You'll Hear in This Episode: How the Talk Almost Didn't Happen Ryan Isaac invited Ashley to speak after they recorded a podcast together. She drafted a...

The Making Of Smile & Co. — The Art of the Yes: Communication, Selling, and Reading the Room Ashley and Collin catch up after a busy stretch away from recording, starting with Smile & Co.'s first full team meeting in a long time. What follows is a deep dive into the communication framework Ashley built and taught to the whole team, why "selling" isn't a dirty word in dentistry, and how to read a patient before you ever sit them in the chair. What You'll Hear in This Episode: A Four an...