It is great to have you back here on the “This Can All Be Easier” blog. My name is, of course, is Angie Bachman. Thank you for your wonderful feedback these past few weeks. We are certainly on a roll as Dental Office Design Month continues. “Tops” lists are always a fan favorite. This week, Design Director for Design Ergonomics, Jerry Batista, shares the Top 3 Things Doctors Should Know Before Starting a Design Project.
Forever Smiles of Glencoe, MN
Before You Start Designing…
Launching your next practice (or your first!) is an incredibly exciting time - but it can also be more than a little stressful. Our job is to help make the design process easier for you, and to provide the most effective, amazing and beautiful office imaginable. To do that, and ensure your satisfaction and success, there are a few things you need to address as early in the process as possible.
1. Know Your Goals
Sounds simple, right? You want a great office, a wonderful place to work...something you can be proud of. If that’s all you’re thinking about, then you’re not thinking deeply enough. So start asking yourself some more pointed questions…
♦ How long do I think I’m going to be in this office?
♦ Do I need to equip it all on day one, or can I phase in operatories as I grow?
♦ Is this the first of many practices, or my end-game & retirement office?
♦ What’s really important to me - location, costs, aesthetics, productivity, profit?
This is big picture thinking - the bigger the better. We’ve taken so many doctors through the design process that we are often able to provide guidance here as well.
2. Build Your Team
Developing a dental office requires a team effort. As dedicated dental office designers, we’ll be a key component of the process - but we’re not the only players. I’m sure you realize you’ll need a contractor to build your dream, but without the right financial partner (advisor, lender or both) you won’t get very far. Realtors or leasing agents, as well as an attorney will play a critical part in getting you into the right space while protecting your best interests. Finally, you’ll need an architect to be responsible for the Mechanical, Engineering and Plumbing documents.
We design offices all across the country and have developed a large network of trusted referral partners. Let us know if you need any help putting together a real “A-Team!”
3. Understand Your Budget
I’m listing this third, because it’s developed by really paying attention to the first two items. Without a true understanding of what your goals are - what you’re really trying to accomplish - you can’t know what the end value will be or what it will cost to achieve. And without some pretty solid real-world financial advice, you’re likely to make assumptions that will set your project back or derail it entirely.
We don’t say this to scare you - it’s simply too important a component of your planning to address with anything less than 100% effort. Let’s face it - launching a dental office is expensive. But “expensive” is a relative term, and can mean wildly different things depending on who you ask! We serve doctors under a wide range of budget constraints. Our cutting edge design philosophies are more effective than anything else out there - and they are completely scale-able, whether you’re building 6 ops or 26. But you’re practice is one of the largest investments you’ll ever make, and what you put into it will have an enormous impact on what your ROI is.
Gooch Family Dental in Hoover, AL
There is a multitude of reasons why Design Ergonomics is the leader in dental office design. Four of those reasons: Gabe Pearlman, Donna Kent, Paul Leonard and Jerry Batista. The last four weeks of Dental Office Design Month has been inspiring to say the least. Thank you, design team, for taking the time to provide our readers with incredible content and adding value to this blog.
If you have more questions on starting a design project, check out Dr. David Ahearn's book: Dental Start-Up Guide: Your Key to Practice Success.
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