In 2007, I graduated from Marquette University with honors and entered the “real world”. I had already completed multiple unpaid internships and applied to every advertising agency in Chicago and Milwaukee. With very little opportunity available (due to a panicked economy), no family connections and literally no place to live, I started providing freelance graphic design services to a local manufacturing company and took a full-time job downtown Chicago selling gym memberships. It was a far cry from my dream job as a copywriter for an ad agency, but these early experiences laid the foundation for my future entrepreneurial experiences.
Hands-on experience in a competitive sales environment proved crucial to my success at my next position as “marketing director” for a dental office with multiple doctors and locations. Beating out over 40 applicants for this position, I finally had found a position where I could be strategic and creative.
In my first year, in an economy that many termed a “downward spiral”, I was able to generate $500,000 of production for the practice, while decreasing the marketing budget. Without my guidance, both locations wouldn’t have survived 2008. After about 15 months as the marketing director for this privately owned practice, I was offered a management position for both locations at a salary that was unheard of by anyone of my peers. I turned down the position since it’d take me further from my true passion of dental marketing.
While working at this practice, I learned about the life-changing effects of dentistry and the importance of marketing in the industry. I realized that most adults and children in the US do not receive the dental care they truly need. With Colgate and Crest ads subconsciously telling people they don’t need the dentist, I found a greater need to create powerful and persuasive messages to help patients want the dentistry they need.
In August of 2009, I launched Identity Dental Marketing and earned the business of my first client in Chicago. I worked with explosive fervor to implement internal and external marketing strategies to grow their business. To this day, my first client sees results from our efforts, attracting 15-20 new patients each and every month from our Internet marketing services alone.
Since gaining the business of our first client, we’ve expanded to successfully serve the marketing needs of dentists across the country. Founded on ethical and effective marketing practices, we aim to continue growth through unparalleled customer service and creativity that breaks through the clutter. Our mantra is “work smarter… and harder.”
I hope your business growth becomes our next success story.