My Options

So, the options on the table for me looked something like this:

1. Stay in Wisconsin and work with a Dr. by the name of Tim Quirt. Tim and I connected through an online forum called dentaltown.com. He is a 2005 grad of Marquette and has successfully started a few practices in Northern Wisconsin. He's got a nose for business. I met him around the end of my 1st year of dental school and he provided me with a ton of practice management materials and a lot of advice. We have emailed a lot in the last few years and he has given me a lot of feedback on my goals, whether it was endo school, Comfort Dental etc. Ironically he went through almost the exact same thought process as I did when he was in dental school: scratch start, endo school, Comfort Dental and then back to scratch start.

2. Move to San Antonio, Texas where Tim is helping another dentist open up a new practice.

3. Go to Albuquerque as planned and start up my own.

I had previously had a discussion with Tim about helping me scratch start a practice in New Mexico using his practice setup, design and management systems. He didn't really show any interest though and instead he encouraged me to stay here in Wisconsin and work with him. I had to let him know that staying in Wisconsin was completely and totally off the table. It's freezing cold here, its far away from "home" for us and if we went up North, where he is, we would be 3-4 hours from the nearest temple. NO WAY, I couldn't even come up with an amount that I could make that would make it worth it.

So, as I started having second thoughts on Comfort Dental last Thursday, I went ahead and emailed Tim to ask for advice. He told me that he thought I could do better without Comfort Dental. And I guess I was starting to believe it by this time too. He only helped solidify that feeling inside me.

Again, he tried to convince me to stay here to work with him. He also told me I could probably go to San Antonio where he was starting up a new practice. Unfortunately neither of those really sounded great. San Antonio definitely sounds better than Wisconsin, but Sara helped me rule Texas out as well. So, finally I get an email from him on Sunday sometime that said something to the effect of, "Hey Tim, if you want there is a chance I can bring you on board and we can get something started for you in New Mexico with my help."

There was still that question of autonomy though. If Tim helps me set up the practice, and we use his advisors, his systems etc, then to some extent we will be playing by his rules. So, isn't that kind of why I decided to leave Comfort in the first place?

I talked to Tim about this and he explained things in a way that allayed my concern. I won't go into the details now, because, quite frankly, I don't have all the details right now. Suffice it to say, I felt satisfied that I could do things my own way while using his systems. I will be starting up a practice and I will be running it. Tim (and his "team") will be providing a great deal of support, which will ultimately put me way ahead of the game in terms of the learning curve for starting a practice. So, in a sense, it's the best of both worlds. I get to start my own practice and accept all the risk that goes with that. But, I have a group of people helping me out along the way. Of course there is some financial incentive for them to see me succeed, so I will in turn be paying for their support and those services. But, it will be significantly less than I would have been paying to Comfort Dental for the right/privilege to be one of their franchisee's.

Sara and I thought, meditated, debated, prayed and fasted and came to the firm conclusion that this would be a great way to go. As I am writing this, I am setting my blog to become private because this is truly going to be more like a journal and less like a blog. I got a strong feeling while fasting that Heavenly Father wants us to take whichever of these paths we want to, whichever we will be happier with. I also got a strong feeling that by going in a different direction than Comfort Dental, I will have more of an ability to serve in church callings, including going on a mission.

By Sunday evening Sara and I decided we were going to go full speed ahead with Tim and set up our own office in New Mexico. We let Tim know on Sunday night and by Monday morning the proverbial ball was officially rolling.

Since Monday I have been in contact with Delta Dental of New Mexico, looking at their reimbursement schedule. I have contacted a professional demographer to help locate the ideal site to set up a practice. Today I sat down with a dental practice loan officer at US Bank and began the process for getting the 300-400K that we will need to get the office up and going. I have a few other people I am trying to get a hold of to get the process moving as well.

Tomorrow we will drive up to Wausau to meet Tim at his office for a face to face visit and go over some of the details of this operation. I am excited to have Sara there with me for a few reasons. 1. She is better looking than I am 2. She is a better listener than I am, so she will probably pick up on some things that I miss 3. She is more discerning than I am, so she will most likely give me some incredible insight after our visit with Tim.

As soon as the demographer gets the Community Report to me, Tim and I will be going down to New Mexico to evaluate some sites and look at potential space to lease. From there we will need to negotiate a lease and then get an estimate for the buildout. Around that time I will let the bank know exactly what I expect the office to cost and we will secure a loan (hopefully for the entire amount requested, or I might have to get a supplemental loan from somewhere else).

I will update the blog after my meeting with Tim tomorrow.