Storie: 0:13

Welcome back to Market it with Atmo, where we share the tips, tools and strategies to help your business succeed. Today we have on the show a special guest, ms Heather Walker. She is the owner and operator of Brite Smiles by Heather, a in-person and mobile teeth whitening service. Welcome, heather, good morning, thanks for having me.

Storie: 0:33

Thank you for being on the show. This is exciting because anything mobile and that makes you pretty, it's very exciting to me. So can you tell our listeners, kind of, how you got started, what inspired you to start this type of business?

Heather: 0:45

Well, my inspiration was COVID, of course. Oh, okay, like many, many things, you know, but after COVID of course we're working with hazmat suits on basically in the dental world. It wasn't fun.

Storie: 0:59

It's kind of scary for everybody I had conversations about just responding mobile services with things.

Heather: 1:05

And then I thought about how much people hate going to the dentist and it's just scary for a lot of people and what's more comfortable than your own home or your office. And I was having a conversation with a patient about teeth whitening and she was like you know, I really want to whiten my teeth but I can't spend $500 on myself. Right and I was like well, we can do the trays and the gel. And she's like I have that crap, I'm not using it.

Storie: 1:34

She's like.

Heather: 1:34

I have five kids, I can't spend money on myself and I was like, well, how about if I take teeth whitening out of the dentist office? It's not covered by dental insurance and charge half the price. So you got this, of course, mobile, but you have my studio, where it's nice and zen. That's what my patient said. Our client I have to say client now, not patient. So what my client said last Friday she was like this is so zen oh really in here with the music. I'm not listening to dental drills, yeah no one's beating me up about flossing.

Storie: 2:09

It's almost like a spa treatment Like you go get a facial, exactly, you're still beautifying yourself, exactly. So what, um, what makes it different? Um, now that I know teeth whitening is not covered on insurance, I'm going to be a client of yours now. But secondly, um, how are you able to cut the price in half? Are you doing the same type of teeth whitening you were doing before? So tell me a little more about that.

Heather: 2:30

Yeah, that's a good question. So I don't have the overhead that a dentist office has. I don't have. You know that chair at a dentist office can make a lot more money doing fun dentistry.

Storie: 2:42

Right.

Heather: 2:42

You know fillings, root canals, all that good stuff. So I don't have the overhead of a dentist office, so I can charge a lower price and it is. It's the same. Light activated gel Takes a little over an hour. You do see results immediately, but it really does continue to work for 48 hours.

Storie: 2:59

Oh my.

Heather: 3:00

You can go on my website and see some pictures, but anyways yeah, that's why I can charge what I charge.

Storie: 3:06

So what made you focus strictly on teeth whitening?

Heather: 3:10

It's the fun part of dentistry because there's not much fun part. But I really truly love to make people smile.

Storie: 3:16

Oh.

Heather: 3:17

I mean smiles are the best thing. My slogan is, I love to say the prettiest thing you can wear is a smile.

Storie: 3:22

It really is. It changes a lot of people's day. It to say the prettiest thing you can wear is a smile. It really is. It changes a lot of people's day. It does for me anyway, it does. So about how long, say, mobile service if I'm at my office today and I go in the wellness room periodically, could I book an appointment to have you come to my office and do a teeth whitening? About how long does it take when you do an onsite?

Heather: 3:43

I'm going to be here about an hour and 15 minutes. The actual service itself is 45 minutes. Okay, but I'm going to activate the gel, explain what we're doing, make you feel comfortable and make you not feel rushed at all. So I mean, it's literally something you could do on your lunch break, that is wonderful.

Storie: 4:00

And then, how often are they having? Are you having to revisit them?

Heather: 4:04

People typically come and see me twice a year. Oh wow, so that's how it lasts. Now, everybody's different, of course, your biology you know, teeth literally have different colors, just like our skin has different colors.

Storie: 4:15

Oh, so you can help with that. So if there's a variance in your teeth coloring, you can help. You know, make it not congruent. You know what I mean. Yeah, just make it not congruent, you know I mean blend.

Heather: 4:24

Yeah, just make it blend well. And I can just educate you. If you have some spots on your enamel, um, you know, I've worked in dentistry for 30 years, right? So I tell people, no, I am not a dentist, but I've worked in that world. So if you have just questions and make it make sense to you and understand, you know how teeth whitening works and what we're doing. And no, it does not damage youramel.

Storie: 4:44

See, that was going to be my next question. You're good at that. So you started in COVID. Obviously you don't have to have the mobile services anymore. What encouraged you to continue with this business and let it grow? You've been in business for now three years.

Heather: 4:59

I started in 22.

Storie: 5:00

Wow, what encouraged you, now that everybody's back in the office, to keep up this teeth whitening portion of it and not go back to dentistry?

Heather: 5:08

Well, the convenience, the feedback that I've gotten. My favorite story happened last December. So she was a client and she's brought me her teenagers. She has three children and it was December and they were all home One's home from college and she was like can you come to the house and just whiten all of us? And my answer was yes, I sure can. And it was cute. I got a teenager on one couch and a teenager on the other couch. Because I have two whitening lights, I can whiten two people at once.

Storie: 5:36

Wow.

Heather: 5:36

And she just loved it. And it was funny, I was finishing up with her daughter, she was already finished and she was like all right, heather, I'm going to go run errands and do some more Christmas shopping, and just left me in her house with her, with her daughter, while I was finishing up whitening her teeth.

Storie: 5:49

That says a lot about who you are. That's true. That's true. So you make it comfortable for them.

Heather: 5:54

And that's so what I'm passionate about, because, I mean, I get it. People don't want people in their mouth, no kidding, even if they're having a fun teeth whitening, it's still, you know, it's invasive and you're in your personal space, and so, yes, I love to make people feel comfortable and coming into your home like this is my space.

Storie: 6:11

This is so much less stressful for me, especially anything that has to do with the mouth. You're right and you mentioned um whitening her children, so how?

Heather: 6:20

young, usually 12, 13. As long as you have all your permanent teeth, okay, um, because I'm not gonna whiten your baby teeth I've had that question lady asked me last week if I could whiten her seven-year-old's teeth well, you know the, uh, the cheer, cheer.

Storie: 6:36

Oh yeah, that's true, or pageant?

Heather: 6:38

stuff. That's true, very, very steep um, but yes, 12.

Storie: 6:45

Okay, and you recommend not going below that.

Heather: 6:48

Correct? Um, I can you know, but if they have, I'd say 12 is probably the youngest.

Storie: 6:53

Okay, what if they have braces or anything like that? Can you?

Heather: 6:55

no, you're going to wait till after braces, for sure.

Storie: 6:58

For teeth whitening. That's a good point for people to remember. Now, um can you walk me through kind of how your process works if I were to want to book you? Or you have an in-person studio as well. Where's that I'm?

Heather: 7:11

located in Denton.

Storie: 7:12

Oh, wow, okay.

Heather: 7:13

So I'm on the square. I don't know if you've ever been to Denton.

Storie: 7:16

Yes, I have the square. Is everything right? It's everything.

Heather: 7:19

I'm very involved with Denton too. I'm on the Main Street Association board, I'm in Chamber of Commerce, denton County, meals on Wheels, all that stuff. So it's everything, denton. But yes, my studio is on the square. So if you've never been to Denton, you should come because there's great shops, there's great places to eat, but yeah, I have a little studio right there on the square.

Storie: 7:38

That's amazing. So do you get a lot of walkthrough traffic?

Heather: 7:42

I'm not on the street. I'm in a building that has an atrium and lots of little other you know services, and there's a counselor, a massage therapist.

Storie: 7:52

Oh wow, so it's a one-stop shop for everything beauty related, right?

Heather: 7:57

Yes, yes, I have more to say on that in a second, because there's some opportunities coming for Bright Smiles. Oh, we'll wait until the end for that one. Yes, yes, yes.

Storie: 8:07

That's exciting, I was going to ask, so I evidently need to give you a congratulations on your pitch competition. Can you tell?

Heather: 8:15

us more about that. I know, oh my gosh, I'm addicted, I'm doing more.

Storie: 8:18

Addicted. I love it. Tell me more, tell me more love it.

Heather: 8:26

Tell me more, tell me more. So Denton has a pitch competition for businesses in the city of Denton and I think over 40 people applied and they narrowed it down to 10. And I took second place.

Storie: 8:34

Wow, and what did you have to? It's literally a pitch competition Up in front with the microphone.

Heather: 8:40

You know my husband was more nervous than I was. I'm not shy from a microphone, but I was pitching my mobile services. Wow, because eventually I would like a van like a white I call it whitening on wheels.

Storie: 8:52

Oh my gosh, the play on words is amazing, isn't that cute.

Heather: 8:55

I love it, so that's what I was pitching. I was pitching about just kind of what we talked about. How you know, I love taking whitening out of the dentist office. It's it's way more comfortable for people. It's way more affordable of a price to treat yourself to a whitening. And then I talked about, um, what I was pitching, what I did with my winnings. What I'm doing with my winnings is I had more marketing material money just to get expand. You know, people don't know if they don't know.

Storie: 9:24

Absolutely In such a digital world right now, if it's not on your phone or your laptop. They aren't going to know about you.

Heather: 9:30

Exactly, and whitening teeth whitening is such a Googled item.

Storie: 9:35

Oh, I bet.

Heather: 9:35

Teeth whitening. Near me teeth whitening so yes. I've been doing the Google. You know paper clicks and had money and Wow, it gets expensive quickly.

Storie: 9:44

It does get especially so Advent Trinity. We are a digital marketing agency, right, and we have a specific person for Google, because oh my gosh navigating through which bucket you need to advertise within and which campaign. It's all full-time job.

Heather: 10:02

Oh yes, I was consumed in the month of December after I won that pitch competition.

Storie: 10:07

I can't imagine. I mean, I've been working here for a good little while and I still don't understand all of his process. You can't unless you devote all the time to it, like you said so, with the advertising, which platform would you say has been the most profitable in getting your brand out there?

Heather: 10:25

Facebook has really helped me a lot. I'm trying to learn Instagram, but Facebook has been instrumental Facebook groups. I've met so many amazing. I didn't even know there were such Facebook groups like, of course, sports and things like that, because I'm a sports nerd, a junkie, maybe you should call me but women groups and uplifting other women women I love it who are networking via facebook and then I meet them. You know, if they have in-person events, I definitely won't go. If I have the time I didn't think about that.

Storie: 10:56

So like, if, say, I had an event next weekend that I wanted to be prepped and ready for, how far in advance would I need to have my teeth whitening done to a week, a week before to actually see the results that would be settled in.

Heather: 11:09

Even 48 hours would be good, oh, but I recommend, you know, five to seven days, wow so for all of my speakers out there because I've had a few on the show man that would be great and I can come to them.

Storie: 11:20

See, why is this not everywhere already? Right, Because one thing I hated the most about going to the dentist is I would go in to get a cleaning and then I'd leave $10,000 later getting everything else. No, I just want this. Exactly I just want to be pretty, so this is really a niche kind of business. Have you seen a lot of other just teeth whitening companies?

Heather: 11:45

I've heard of a couple of other, just teeth whitening companies. I've heard of a couple, um, just looking around and peeking at their social medias just to get ideas, Cause you know we all do that, you get yeah but I really hadn't heard about it until you, right it's amazing and how many people have it? Um, and then I was on vacation. On vacation, I went down to visit my best friend and you know I'm at the local gym, which I'm impressed.

Heather: 12:05

I actually went to the gym when I was on vacation, I went down to visit my best friend and you know I'm at the local gym, which I'm impressed. I actually went to the gym when I was on vacation. Just you know, I'm a Texas girl, so I got to chat with everybody and the girl at the front desk had never heard about teeth whitening. Um, you know out of the dentist office before, and then a lady overheard me saying that and she was like oh, I have a friend that does that.

Storie: 12:27

Interesting. That's new. Well, you're the best at it. Evidently that's right. Well, and that was three hours from here, so I'm DFW's teeth whitener thank you all, of DFW all of DFW so um you do office out of your studio or which is in Denton and you live in Denton as well, I'm assuming. So you're kind of right in the middle of DFW exactly trickle down.

Heather: 12:48

I have 35E, 35w, you know, I can go all over man, that is nice. So um what is kind of upcoming, um with Bright Smiles well, you talked about kind of a one-stop shop, so I'm gonna be moving my business literally across the street into a salon, so that way we have all the services. There's nails, hair waxing, everything.

Storie: 13:14

Man, that's wonderful and actually that gives me a great idea. So I worked with some kind of real high-end nail salons and things like that before and could they call you to be there a certain time of day to offer your services to people.

Heather: 13:29

Definitely. I would love that, Like I could just spend the day set up in a little extra room or something you know, something that's just private. You don't want to be right there in the middle of everything.

Storie: 13:38

For sure, but enough to where they could see you right, exactly Because I mean, if you're getting a pedicure, why not?

Heather: 13:43

Yeah, you're're like what's happening behind that wall over there exactly see, look at me.

Storie: 13:48

We need to work that's right.

Heather: 13:49

I love it. Brainstorming absolutely.

Storie: 13:52

I mean anything to help, especially women empowerment. I think it's really important. That's right in the industry and you mentioned earlier um kind of any helping develop them, helping make them feel better. Do you attend a lot of networking events or conferences trying to amplify?

Heather: 14:08

I really, really do. And I have so many people who, like, are happy to meet me because they're afraid to go to the dentist and they're like, oh, I can come to you or, even better, you can come to me. And they know we just talk about smiles and how important they are. And it's funny when people like put their hand over their mouth and like, don't look at my teeth and I'm like well, if you whitened your teeth, you wouldn't feel like that.

Storie: 14:31

Wait, are you naturally inclined to look at people's teeth? Though I need to know. Yes, yes, yes Of course you are.

Heather: 14:37

My husband went to London last year and he was looking at people's teeth. He's like what have you done to me?

Storie: 14:42

You've turned me into a teeth, but I mean, it's kind of like me anywhere I go and I'm like oh my gosh, their website's so bad. I could really help them, right? You're just naturally inclined to want to yes.

Heather: 14:53

Or if I see somebody that has like one crown that's whiter than the rest of their teeth, I'm like you could whiten your teeth and it would match that crown and it would be so pretty see, that's.

Storie: 15:03

That's great information to know. I had a family relative that had a false student. We didn't even know it right know at all. But you could tell that discoloration over time and so how you even that out and I'll let you explain your process when people actually book. But I didn't even know that was possible, even through the dentist right so you kind of take all the services that they don't really highlight and you you broaden them for people and you really let them know what's going on.

Heather: 15:31

I just love educating people about it, because people don't know people you know, people like anything, whatever you are. Your expertise in um you know if people want education about it. I'm more than happy to share my knowledge.

Storie: 15:44

It seems like you you really don't ever have any unsatisfied clients. I mean you're offering to make them feel better, right?

Heather: 15:51

Who doesn't love to?

Storie: 15:52

smile Absolutely. Who doesn't like looking at a smile?

Heather: 15:55

That's true. Well, it just makes you feel more comfortable. The person you're sitting across from is smiling.

Storie: 16:00

Absolutely so. Can you tell me, uh, one of the biggest success stories maybe you had with a client that really encouraged you to keep growing your business?

Heather: 16:08

Well, for sure, one that I was talking about. She had on her front tooth a crown that had been put on when she was young and she's now, you know, had a lot of birthdays, yeah, and her teeth had just naturally just yellow. Our teeth will just get dark as we get older. Right, and I whitened her. I mean, she just was like, oh my gosh, she was like I have always hidden my smile because this one tooth was so much whiter than her teeth, oh wow and then she made this fun you know post about me on social media.

Heather: 16:39

And then I ran into her, uh, like a week later, just around Denton with my husband, and she was like your wife has just changed my life. She was was like I'm just smiling everywhere I go and then she made me start to tear up and I'm like, oh Lord, it's life changing. I mean, it just gives me goosebumps. It makes me happy that she just was so happy.

Storie: 17:00

Yeah, it gives you the confidence you didn't know you had, because you forget, because you're always conscious of it.

Heather: 17:07

And then one more time real quick.

Storie: 17:08

This is probably my favorite whitening story.

Heather: 17:10

This is when I still worked at the dentist office.

Storie: 17:12

Okay.

Heather: 17:13

And his name was Harry and he was 88 years old. Oh, I love Harry already and he was such a snazzy little dresser and he came in to get his teeth whitened and he was like you know what, I'm ready to start dating again, because he had lost his wife a few years before. Oh bless his heart and he was like and I might be 88, but I don't have to look it, so I need you to make me pretty, Heather.

Storie: 17:35

And so I did.

Heather: 17:36

You should have seen him strutting out of the dentist's office.

Storie: 17:38

Really, you had to have a picture of him with you after that, of him with you after that.

Heather: 17:43

Yes, I did. It's probably on my last phone, but anyways.

Storie: 17:48

It stuck with you, it stuck with me you really care, I do, I do.

Heather: 17:52

I just remember him strutting out of there.

Storie: 17:54

Did you ever see him again after that?

Heather: 17:56

No, no, he was 88, so I don't know how much longer he made it.

Storie: 18:00

I bet he found that little lady. Because of his smile he probably moved off and went over.

Heather: 18:06

Living on the beach, went on vacation Drinking margaritas.

Storie: 18:08

Wouldn't you? Yes, absolutely so. What would you say is for the business owners and entrepreneurs out there? What would you say is something to your younger self or to yourself when you first started, you wish you had known. Now as an entrepreneur.

Heather: 18:28

Wow, Um, how much work you really do need to put into it. Um and just, you know, I had no idea at all I'm like. Well, I've worked in dentistry 30 years and I know how to whiten teeth. They're just going to find me.

Storie: 18:40

Right.

Heather: 18:41

Uh no no.

Storie: 18:42

So what other areas? Just put yourself out there.

Heather: 18:47

Don't be afraid to walk. Walk into a room of 75 people you've never met and just own it.

Heather: 18:50

And if you are confident in what you do and you believe in yourself, go say hi to the person you've never met. Go shake hands. Yeah, don't hide in the corner. And if you start going to networking groups, don't gravitate to the same people. Don't sit next to that person. I mean, I get it, I've made friends, but go talk to the people you've never met before. Go shake their hand, Go introduce yourself and ask more questions than you talk about yourself.

Storie: 19:17

Yeah, I feel like you've run into that a couple times.

Heather: 19:20

Yes, just a few.

Storie: 19:22

So would you say you learned anything through the past three years of having your own business on how to not only bring in clients to make them aware of you? But what would you say? The key factors are in retaining and getting referrals from clients.

Heather: 19:38

Follow through is huge. If you say you're going to do it, do it Right. And I literally handwrite thank you cards and mail them to people, wow, and I follow up and I take a before picture and then I have them send me their after picture Awesome, because it's 48 hours later, oh okay. And then send them a side-by-side and let them have that. And it's just their teeth, it's not their face, oh okay. And but yeah, customer service is huge.

Storie: 20:05

You really create a relationship with them, very much so, I think.

Heather: 20:08

In any industry I know I don't want to work with people that I can't have a relationship with in some way right, Exactly, and some people you know, because you can't really talk when you're getting your teeth whitened. Touche, I didn't think about that Sometimes you know, I realize people's time is important, but you know I just my clients mean a lot to me and I'm just sitting there chatting and all of a sudden I realized it's been 20 minutes and I'm like, okay, we better like do what you came here for.

Storie: 20:33

Hey, that's a lot better than counting every minute in your head sitting in a dental office, right, that's true, we're just chatting it up. And then I'm like, okay, all right, let's, let's, let's get your teeth whitened and then we can chat after. I love it. That's awesome, that you actually not only make them secure but confident in themselves.

Heather: 20:53

For months and years to come. Yes, yes. And then you know they were. And people do business with people who they know like and trust. Yes, and they refer me their friends, and you know someone tells you to go somewhere. You know you're going to believe them. That's your friend.

Storie: 21:07

Absolutely. Referrals are everything.

Heather: 21:09

They really are.

Storie: 21:10

I know that if someone refers someone to me one, they know I'm going to go do all my research anyway. But I trust them already. Yeah, without even me. I mean, it's so true, it's important to to to give those referrals out there, right? If you have a friend and you believe in them, share it Exactly, do you? Have a friend and you believe in them. Share it exactly. Do you um have people that you still work with that you would refer to, or they refer to you because of that?

Heather: 21:34

oh, for sure, that's awesome, for sure, um, and I do, you know, just um, I tell people like I love my hairdresser, so you know, if you need a hairdresser, I'm going to tell you who to go to right especially. I have curly hair. Not everyone knows how to cut curly hair.

Storie: 21:47

Please help me, I need your hairdresser's number too. So, on the horizon, say your five-year goals for this. Where do you want to be in five years with this business?

Heather: 22:00

Well, I would love to be so busy I need to hire, because right now it's me. Yeah, because it's amazing the stuff you can learn as a business owner on how to do. I mean, I just finish my taxes and do it myself. But anyways, wow, I'd love to be so busy that I don't have time to do that, that I am paying people, but I really want to always have an in-studio, and then I really want my whitening on wheels.

Storie: 22:27

Man, I think you're going to get it. I think so too, Because it's just such a cute little phrase, one but man.

Heather: 22:32

And it can be. You know the BS mobile rolling through town. Bright smiles by Heather.

Storie: 22:37

You know what Y'all? I'm going to start using her lines. I'm just saying so as we finish up now tell me more about your cohorts, which you did coming up right. You're going to be across the street, that's right Is what you say. How can people reach you to either obtain your mobile services or to come in and just visit?

Heather: 23:00

you? Yeah, and I do free consultations too. I have had people come in and just have questions. Okay, I think some of that is just because they're nervous and they want to make sure that they feel comfortable with me, absolutely. But yeah, my website's easy Just smiles by Heather. I love it, and then you can book your own appointments on my website. You can also book your mobile service on my website, which is nice.

Storie: 23:19

Wow, so um do you on your social media same thing.

Heather: 23:23

bright smiles by Heather all my socials bright smiles by Heather.

Storie: 23:26

I love it. And can they book on the social media, or should they give you a call or go to the website?

Heather: 23:31

There's links. Okay, you can just get it. It goes right to my website.

Storie: 23:35

Awesome. So you have to promise me, once you get that whitening on wheels, you're going to come back and update us.

Heather: 23:41

Oh yeah, okay, yeah, your BS mobile will be rolling through.

Storie: 23:45

I love it.

Heather: 23:46

Thank you, heather for joining us today. Thank you for having me. This was fun.

Storie: 23:49

I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Heather: 23:50

Thank you.

Storie: 23:52

And to all of our listeners out there reach out to Heather, Do something for you. We'll see you next time on Rocket it With Emma.