Speaker 1: 0:30

My name is Dr Ben Liu. I'm the founder and owner of Super Kids Pediatric Dentistry. We've been serving the communities in the DMV for the last 12 years. We have five locations pediatric and orthodontic dental services.

Speaker 2: 0:43

Awesome. Now take me back to the very beginning. What about you started on this whole journey In dentistry, in dentistry.

Speaker 1: 0:50

Yeah, so specifically with pediatrics. From a young age I knew I wanted to work with kids. I remember my parents would invite family friends over and they had little kids and they would know how good I was with kids and just make me babysit them and just say, take care of these kids and we're going to do our own thing. But I enjoyed working with kids from a young age and then throughout high school, when I had to figure out my career, I would volunteer at different child-based organizations and once I got into dentistry it was a no-brainer that I would need to pursue the pediatric route. Dentistry came about primarily because, for two main reasons I liked working with my hands, I wanted to be active. I worked with my hands. And I also wanted a career that would give me the work-life balance that I was seeking for my life, that's amazing, yeah.

Speaker 2: 1:39

So let's talk about the fact that you studied psychology at Johns Hopkins before becoming a dentist. How has that background influenced the way you connect with kids and parents today?

Speaker 1: 1:47

Absolutely so. I started as a biology major when I first entered college, but it was a freshman course in intro to child psychology. That pretty much changed everything for me. It was a fascinating course just understanding, I mean, you know, how the child brain works, how the child mind works. It's amazingly complex, in some ways even more complex than the adult mind, and so learning about that and again with my background, you know, wanting to work with kids I said this this is great. So I changed my major over to psychology and, you know, went, went deep in and it's helped me a lot at many steps throughout my career. I'm a child dentist. Kids don't really want to come and open their mouth freely for me to stick metal instruments into their mouth. So having to convince them of that and work with them and negotiate with them, that's where all the background in the psychology has really kicked in and helped me a lot.

Speaker 2: 2:33

Well, and you have a friendly face and demeanor.

Speaker 1: 2:35

So I think it makes it easier. I tried, I tried.

Speaker 2: 2:38

After dental school and your pediatric specialty training, you started as an associate. What lessons did those early years teach you about running a dental practice?

Speaker 1: 2:46

When I first graduated I worked at four. I accepted four job offers when I first graduated and that was intentional because I wanted to get out there and kind of see what was out there different practices, different kind of people, and also I was heavily in debt so I needed to make a lot of money. So I worked six days a week for the first two years of my career but throughout my time and I worked at different temp offices. So I probably worked about 30 different offices and each one I tried to learn something a little bit different, whether it's about the operations, about the, about the people, about the team members working there and different patients, different demographics and try to pick a little bit of each one. You know little tidbits of information from each one, with the knowledge that later on, when I opened my own practice, the goal was just take the best of each practice that I worked at and kind of meld it into my own practice.

Speaker 2: 3:34

so I think that is so brilliant. Yeah, did your own market research Pretty much. Yeah, did your own like specialty schooling.

Speaker 1: 3:40

Kind of yeah, just knocking on doors asking for jobs, can I get in there and work for a little bit? I'll see what you're doing, so but yeah, that's genius.

Speaker 2: 3:47

Family Super Kids in 2013 was a big leap.

Speaker 1: 3:56

What gave you the courage to start your own practice and what were those early days like? So it's a long story, but long story short. I was put into that role sooner than I thought for a variety of reasons, but I ended up. I actually started with two offices, not just one. I started with two offices and the early days were slow, very slow. There were days where go through all day and you saw two patients or three patients, so it made it. I was nervous, I didn't know whether this would work or not. I remember telling one of my key people at the time that you know this is going to happen and she encouraged me and said this is going to, you're going to be fine. But I wouldn't say it was necessarily courage. It was kind of well, let's just do it and just dive right in and let's see what happens.

Speaker 1: 4:29

That's amazing yeah, scary yes.

Speaker 2: 4:34

Today, Super Kids has grown to multiple locations, more than just the two.

Speaker 1: 4:42

Looking back, what do you think has been the biggest factor in that growth and success? I think people ask me all the time like, how do you do this, how do you manage five offices and all the operations and all that? And I always tell them, like, just don't worry about the little things, focus on the big things. And I've always said that business isn't about people. Think it's about money or accounting or whatever it's. Business is really just about people. It's about everyone. It's about the people that work for you, it's about the clients that you serve.

Speaker 1: 5:04

And so my culture and my entire philosophy has revolved around well, let's do the best by the patient. But then also secondarily, no-transcript, and I can tell you firsthand, I've had patients say to me like I don't know how you have such happy team members, like they enjoy working here. We don't see that a lot and that makes me happy because that validates what I initially thought in terms of running a business. Because you know, when I first started I was like, oh my God, I don't know if I can do this. It's all about numbers and this and that, and you know compliance and law stuff. But if you just focus on the people and have integrity and do things right. You should be okay.

Speaker 2: 5:45

Do you think that's brilliant? Do you think that a lot of that has to do with the multiple jobs that you had when you were learning? Like did you pick up on maybe some experiences that you had? And you're like, I got to make sure I do better than this.

Speaker 1: 6:00

I think it was just again. Working in so many different places and interacting with so many different people, you kind of learn. You know what it takes to. What motivates people. Why are they there, what makes them want to come to work, what makes them happy at work?

Speaker 2: 6:14

Because you had to feel that yourself. You were the one that was coming into work for these people.

Speaker 1: 6:18

Yeah, exactly, I was the new guy. Right, the manager's been there for 30 years and I'm the new guy coming in and I have to work my way in. But I think you know I just got to stay humble. You know, yeah, you're the dentist, you're with a degree and everything, but at the end of the day you're just, you're part of the team. I think team, the team culture and the team concept is really big in my practice and I think that's contributed a lot to our success.

Speaker 2: 6:39

It's beautiful. You often have said fun, patience and a gentle touch are the keys to earning a child's press. Can you share a specific story where you saw the philosophy change a child's experience in a chair?

Speaker 1: 6:50

I think for me the most rewarding experiences are you know, you have the kids come in for the first time to see me and they're just scared, they're holding on to mom and they just don't want to sit in the chair. And you know you have to coax them and convince them. But you can see, having done this for so long and work with so many kids, I can see true. Just, they just don't want to be there, they just want to cooperate. They that are willing to give you a shot. You can see it in there.

Speaker 1: 7:14

It's those that you get in the chair. You're able to convince them and talk to them and say, hey, I know you went to somewhere else and they were not as nice maybe, but we're going to be different here. And then you can see them give you that opening, that chance to okay, show me, how are you different than the previous dentist? I savor that, I love that and I can't name how many patients I've seen where that's happened. And then, when they come in six months later and they plop in the chair, sit back, watch tv and the parents you see the appreciation of the parents.

Speaker 1: 7:40

For me that's the most rewarding part of my job 100 as somebody who has three kids yeah it's always a nightmare when you're like, okay, we're going to dentist and they're like, versus, if you get a different reaction exactly okay, one of my favorite favorite compliments from patients who get this all the time at our offices is that they can't wait to come for their next cleaning and checkup, which is great to hear. Yeah, can you record that? Yeah, exactly.

Speaker 2: 8:04

What role do parents play in building healthy oral habits and how do you see your role as a parent?

Speaker 1: 8:10

Yeah. So it's a triad. It's basically it's me, it's the parent and the child. I yeah, I'm the one you know, the expert, if you will, with the education to you know say, okay, this is what's best for your child's health, Okay, and then telling the parent that and then telling the child like we need your help too, we need your contribution, Do this, do that. We can toy here, we can watch TV here, stuff. But I think, seeing myself as part, you know, on equal footing with them as a partner is what my philosophy is.

Speaker 2: 9:03

Yeah, to scare them out a little bit, yeah. Yeah, you don't want the whistle rush. Yeah. Running a business while being a parent yourself must shape your perspective. How has being a dad to three kids influenced the way that you lead super kids?

Speaker 1: 9:12

Yeah, I think when before I had kids, it definitely think when before I had kids, it definitely changed once. Once I had kids, you know before you know just okay, this is a patient, this is what you must do. But then, after I had kids, this isn't a patient, this is, you know, so-and-so's child. You know the dad's child sitting, dad's sitting right there, and so you need to understand that. And you know, before I'm like, oh my gosh, he's spoiled or this and that. But now that you have your own kids and you spoil your own kids, like, okay, he's not spoiled, he's just. You know, he has certain expectations. You got to work with him on that. So it has changed a lot of my behavior management with children who are anxious, but then also my interactions and speaking with the parent as well.

Speaker 2: 9:50

It's kind of like the fitness trainer who doesn't have any kids and talks about like don't eat your kids, like leftover fries, or it's like wait until you have kids?

Speaker 1: 10:00

Yeah, exactly, exactly, exactly. Looking back at your journey from Chapel Hill to Johns Hopkins, to Columbia, to starting your first practice, what do you feel that you are the most proud of? I'm most proud of my family, personal family, professionally, sure, I mean, you know, created a good office and you know, hopefully people are coming and bringing their kids Offices. Offices, yes, but you know it's, it's, I do everything, obviously, for them. And how I do that is you know, I try to create the best business I can. I'm grounded on no-transcript.

Speaker 2: 10:42

It's beautiful. What advice would you give to young dentists, entrepreneurs or even parents who are just starting their own journeys?

Speaker 1: 10:49

It's three words Just do it, don't think too much. I've said this to friends of mine who have thought about opening a practice and are scared about what's going to happen. I say just do it, you'll figure it out. You're smart, you got a degree in dentistry. This is not as hard as you think it is. Find people that can help you, definitely. I've gotten so much help along the way. But I would say, you know, don't think too much about it, don't think about the consequences of you know what may or may not happen. Just do it, just take a chance on yourself and the magic should happen.

Speaker 2: 11:16

So don't just research it and read about it.

Speaker 1: 11:19

Yeah, to be truthful, yeah, I mean first few. You asked that question, which is that first few. First year or two of when I was opening my own practice. I was online every night. How do you run a dental practice? How do you get billing done? How do you get scheduling done? How do you listen to that? I was putting in a lot of that time, but I enjoyed it because, at the end of the day, like you're doing this for yourself, like you're doing this to improve yourself, and that's for me. It's always about how can you be better today than you were the day before, and if that's just focused on that, you should be okay.

Speaker 2: 11:50

Yeah, I think it's kind of like the whole like how do you get six-pack abs? You can break it out, you just have to start doing the actions.

Speaker 1: 11:57

Exactly, Liposuction. That's easier way. Forgot about that.

Speaker 2: 12:03

Yeah, finally, when you think about the future of Super Kids, what legacy do you hope it leaves for families and the community?

Speaker 1: 12:10

I just hope that one day Super Kids can be synonymous with excellence, if you could kind of phrase it. I would say, the legacy I want to leave is when someone moves to the area, someone says to them go to Super Kids, they're the very best. If I can achieve that legacy, then that's what all this is all about.

Speaker 2: 12:27

That's perfect. Is there anything else that I didn't ask you about that you would love to just add in?

Speaker 1: 12:33

No, I'm okay. Our advice, oh, I would say, like I said earlier, it depends on the audience that's listening. But if you're looking to open your own business whether it's in dentistry or podcasts or marketing just take a chance on yourself. More often than not, you're looking to open your own business, whether it's in dentistry or podcasts or marketing. Just take a chance on yourself. More often than not, you're going to do fine.

Speaker 1: 12:52

Even if you're nervous, even if you're nervous. Yeah, yeah, I've been there. I know all about that, but just got to work through those nerves.

Speaker 2: 13:00

Thank you so much for being here. Thank you very much.

Speaker 1: 13:01

I appreciate it, thank you.