Mastering Branding, Leadership and Growth Strategies
Saturday 24th February 2024
The Marriott Hotel, Cardiff
9.00am – 5.00pm
It’s time for our annual conference and in keeping with the theme we’ve tried to come up with something a little less clinical and a bit more career & business progression orientated. We hope you enjoy………
Where am I now? Where do I want to go? How do I get there?
You’ve graduated your dental course, you know where to look to update & add to your physical skillset, but how does that translate across to patients? How do they know you are the right person for them? How do you brand yourself? How do you brand a business so that it reflects you? How do you lead your team so they can reflect your values? How do you make sure you continue to grow your brand and ultimately your business? What is your end goal? How will you get there?
What is a brand? How does it help me? Where do I start?
Get the inside perspective from a successful business owner who knows how to build a brand and use it to their advantage. Also, from the other side of the coin, we have a graphic designer whose daily bread and butter is helping businesses create their brand from scratch, as well as rebuilding and rebranding existing businesses to maximise their impact. If you are looking for ideas on where and how to start the process of branding/rebranding, this is unmissable.
I don’t own a business and I’m not sure I ever want to. What’s the point?
NEWSFLASH – if you are working, YOU are a business. Patients make a rapport with YOU, they want to see YOU, they want to be treated by YOU. They like YOUR nature, YOUR ethos, YOUR sense of humour. They are comfortable with YOU. YOU ARE THE BRAND! But how do you translate that on to paper? How will you continue to grow and stop people leaving for someone shiny & new? How will you show a new employer what YOU and YOUR brand can bring to their practice?
Do you understand the key pillars of success in a business?
Don’t worry if the answer is “No” or “I’m not sure”. Unfortunately when you were booted out of university with your fabulous degree, all you had been taught was how to perform dentistry in the NHS system. It is a very important system for many people, there is no disputing that, but you have been taught absolutely nothing about marketing yourself, let alone a business. As for running a successful one? Don’t be ridiculous! Why would they want you to aspire to leave the treadmill? You have been conditioned by your entire education system to conform, keep quiet and do what you are told. Strangely, these are not the pillars of success!
So if you want to step, even a single toe, outside of “The System” you need to carry on learning from the people who have already been there, done that, got many, many t-shirts and can save you a lot of time and effort compared to doing everything merely by trial and error. You won’t learn it all from one person or one place, that is the joy of the journey, but you have to start somewhere. So why not start right here and right now?…… What have you got to lose? Nothing! What have you got to gain? Everything!
I own my own business and i think its doing quite well, so is it worth it?
You tell me? Maybe you’ve nailed it and everything is running smoothly. Maybe you’ve got your 5 or 10 year plan in place and you’ve commenced your exit strategy ready for when you no longer wish to pay your ARF.
But just in case you think there is room for a little improvement, maybe ask yourself a few questions: Is your business working flawlessly? Have you got your work-life balance perfect? Is there any way it can be improved? What’s your 5 year plan? Or 10 years, or even 20? How will you get there? Do you want to expand your business? Or do you want reduce your working hours? Can you afford it? Is it worth the hassle? How can you even tell? What will your patient base look like in the future? Will you need to attract new patients to keep your books full? Will you need to attract new associates to keep the chairs occupied? I can’t promise the day will answer every single question you have, but it will certainly point you in the right direction and get your cerebral juices flowing.
Our Speakers
Mike Hesketh
Born in Wales, trained in Leeds and ‘made in the Royal Navy.’ Mike’s passion is leadership, having witnessed first hand the power of good leaders in life and death situations. Gaining the Royal Marines coveted commando green beret and serving on the front line in Afghanistan as a dentist & casualty medic has given Mike a grounding in what is required to help teams work under stressful situations.
Mike has a wealth of formal leadership experience, training at both the UK Defense Academy, Britannia Royal Naval College, Exeter University Business school (MBA) and at The Henley Business School undertaking the Professional Certificate in Executive Coaching. Mike has access to innovative business and coaching academic theory, solidifying his knowledge of what makes small healthcare businesses thrive. He is regularly booked to guest lecture by Universities, Dental Mastermind Groups, Dental Conferences and is a regular on
Ashley Latter’s ‘Dental Entrepreneurs Course’ and new for 2024 Chris Barrows 100 Club. Clinically, Mike has completed 15 years in public and private dentistry, completing a Maxfax SHO year and passing his membership exams at RCS (Edinburgh) and RCS (London).
After purchasing The Exeter Dental Centre Ltd in 2012 for £280,000 and selling for £3.2m five years later, Mike now focuses solely on new dental practice acquisition & business consulting. His clinical work has taken a back seat, and he now drives forward with his passion for business leadership, new business growth and sharing his knowledge to help other practice owners thrive.
Mike took a family gap year to travel around the world with his two small children, Poppy and Hugo, after the sale of Exeter Dental Centre. Having completed the self-build of a family home on the Exe Estuary, Devon with his wife and business partner Lara, he is now building Dartmoor Dental, Tavistock.
Sam Phipps
Sam graduated in Graphic Design from Falmouth University in 2005, after which he relocated to Cardiff. He worked his way up the ranks with some local design firms honing his skills and finding his passion for branding and website design.
In 2013, he decided it was time to go it alone and create his own design business that represented his own ethos and values. I Am Sam Creative Design was born and it has grown from strength to strength over more than a decade.
His ethos is to work with his clients, not for them. The creation of a collaborative relationship with his customers is key to delivering the results that they both want and need. He has worked with a wide range of clients, from large corporates to small independents and start-up businesses.
“No matter who the client, I always use the same creative process and immerse myself in the design practice.”
As his business has grown, so has his family. He lives in Cardiff with his wife, Helly and their two small children.
Spaces Limited – BOOK NOW
Ticket Prices:
Dentists (Full members of IDAW) £250 – Book now
Dentists (Non-members & basic membership) £325 – Book now
Hygienists/Therapists/DCPs/Practice Managers/Receptionists £95 – Book now
