NSU CDM Impressions Fall/Winter 2019

8 | COLLEGE OF DENTAL MEDICINE “The doctor who owned the company wanted his main practitioners to understand the KPIs (key performance indicators) of the practice, so every month, the regional manager, the office manager, and I would sit down and go over what went well, things we could improve upon, and ways we could save some money,” he added. “That was extremely beneficial.” They always knew they wanted to own their own practice, but things moved quickly when they married, and both were living in South Florida. “He didn’t want to work for anyone else, and I thought I would stay working where I was, but also work part time for us. But, the pieces fell into place,” Cundy Hart said. They also explored buying out a practice. “Every- thing we looked at had outdated equipment, or an old layout, or the rooms seemed cramped. I wanted it to be all ours, and that we could do our own design work. For us to say, ‘This is how we want our practice to look and feel and run,’ and getting our own space, we were able to do that,” Hart said. Although they both have debt from dental school, and from building their business, they believe it was better to start sooner rather than later. “Being an associate, that’s not a realistic end goal to financial success. So which path do you want to take? Do you want to join a practice that you can eventually buy out or jump right in? The best way to get that financial freedom is through your own business,” Cundy Hart said. (continued from page 7) “Being an associate, that’s not a realistic end goal to finan- cial success. So which path do you want to take? Do you want to join a practice that you can eventually buy out or jump right in? The best way to get that financial freedom is through your own business.” —KELLY CUNDY HART Dental Economics