Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists Bulletin Spring 2020 - 51

Doctors

Presentation Summary

Ninety-Minute Orthodontic MBA
Dr. Charity Siu
PCSO Bulletin Contributor

Dr. Courtney Dunn
Dunn Orthodontics

Presented by Dr. Courtney Dunn at the PCSO Annual Session, Oct 4, 2019
Dr. Dunn began her lecture with her background
story: she is a native of Arizona, granddaughter of
a cotton farmer, and sister to rose farmers. Being
a daughter of a small business family, she learned
at an early age how to negotiate chores for things
she wanted and sometimes realized she chose a
bad deal. She is the first of her family to be in the
health care industry and received her training at the
University of Michigan. That was where she met her
husband, and both became orthodontists. Now she
has two daughters, one son, and four practices.
Dr. Dunn has founded a group called Women
In Orthodontics (WIO). Exclusively for female
orthodontists, it allows them to share their trials
and tribulations. Each year, she holds a meeting
that is open to all women orthodontists to provide
attendees the opportunity to lecture and share
their experiences and expertise.
From 2006 to 2015, Dr. Dunn and her husband ran
three orthodontic offices side-by-side with great
success. Why Phoenix? In 2006, there was significant growth and influx of new families and wealth.
The number of dentists increased from 2,300 in the
year 2000 to 4,200 in 2007. Developers took notice
and took advantage by selling units to multiple dental offices, creating supersaturated areas. When the
crash came in 2008, more than 100 offices closed.
The value of the houses dropped and many of them
were left empty. Dr. Dunn ended up attending
many business seminars, listening to a lot of success stories, and handpicking good ideas from each
of them. Dunn Orthodontics was rebranded in 2015,
and the fourth office is undergoing renovation.
What is Branding?
Having a logo is not a brand; a brand is your own
story that represents you and tells who you are.
The power of a strong brand is that when you see
it, you know exactly what it is about and what
it stands for. So why is branding important? It
makes a memorable impression on consumers

Spring 2020 PCSO Bulletin

and allows them to know what to expect from
your company. It distinguishes you from your
competitors, and it clarifies what it is you offer
and why you are the better choice. Your brand
should be a true representation of who you are as
a business, relating how you wish to be perceived.
Branding gets recognition and increases your business value. A strong brand improves employee pride
and satisfaction because working for a brand that
is reputable and held in high regard by the public
makes their role as a representative of that company
more enjoyable and fulfilling. A strong brand creates
trust within the marketplace, and being properly
branded gives the impression that you are an industry expert, making the public feel as though they
can trust your company, the products and services
it offers, and the way it handles the business. Advertising supports branding, so good strategies will
directly reflect the brand and its desired image.
Creating a Culture
Creating a company culture helps to keep things
healthy and in focus. You must build your business
on a firm foundation. You need great leadership and
great teamwork. It may require some restructuring,
but build a leadership team. Create tiers within each
area of the team to create a leader-to-leader culture.
This also allows for growth and promotion within
the team. Build a team mentality: put the team's
core values first before personal values. Think of a
scenario with a team jersey-the front of the jersey
is the team logo, while the back of the jersey is the
player's name. There should be a team agreement,
which team members contribute to, sign, and review with you once a year. Here are some examples:
Every minute counts, the patients are why we are
here, the quality of care is never compromised,
you should leave drama at the door, and together,
everyone achieves more. Consistent communication
of these values is key. Successful companies have
a "get to" attitude: you don't have to go to work on
Monday, you get to go to work each day.
Rethink your ideal hiring process: group interviews,
intelligence tests, and personality tests. Hire for

Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists Bulletin Spring 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists Bulletin Spring 2020