Why Dentists Need a Personal Brand More Than Ads ft. Dr. Tyler Hales | Coffeez

What this episode is about

The main topic discusses the importance of personal branding for dentists, emphasizing that relying on generic marketing strategies compromises their unique identities. Dr. Tyler Hales highlights how building a distinct personal brand can set dentists apart from competitors, instead of succumbing to cookie-cutter marketing approaches that dilute their individual presence in the industry.

Key takeaways

• Dentists: marketing teams make their brands shine, but individuality fades like dental floss in a whirlwind.
• Ditching boring scrubs for bow ties shows how style can break dental stereotypes—who knew oral health could be chic?
• Personal branding turns dentists into trusted influencers; suddenly, they’re more than tooth mechanics—they're style icons.
• Going 'all in' on personal branding? It’s like flossing daily—essential for growth but often neglected by many.
• Influencers thrive on relatability; dentists can succeed too if they trade scrub monotony for charisma and character.

Who speaks in this episode?

• Joe Shalaby (Host) · 17 min speaking

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 5:00: dentistry, Instagram
2. 5:00 – 10:00: dentistry, anesthesiology
3. 10:00 – 15:00: dentistry
4. 15:00 – 20:00: dentistry
5. 20:00 – 25:00: dentistry, Daniel Yang, Madison Lacroy, Instagram
6. 25:00 – 30:00: COVID-19, Rolex, dentistry
7. 35:00 – 40:00: Hail's values, anesthesiology
8. 40:00 – 43:10: Tyler Hails, Instagram, Hailsthetic

Notable quotes from "Why Dentists Need a Personal Brand More Than Ads ft. Dr. Tyler Hales | Coffeez"

• One, dentists aren't great businessmen initially, right? And so they need help.

  about dentistry · at 0:00

• Look like that, a unique look like that in the world of dentistry and just run with it on social media? Yeah, growing up I was always into fashion. I like shopping and things…

  about Instagram · at 0:49

• You need to be. And being this type of dentist, like I love it. I love what I do. I love showcasing that. I love being, in front of the camera more now than ever before.…

  about Tyler Hails · at 6:12

• The effort that we put into making our veneers better each and every time. so now Daniel, his lab is actually next door to my office. We've created this process where it's just…

  about Daniel Yang · at 22:03

• As good as I want to be and as long as I believe that, right? And to be honest, I remember I did this celebrity Madison Lacroy. I did her teeth. I remember going to work the…

  about Madison Lacroy · at 23:32

• Last 5 years. Yeah, co is rough. it's rough for everyone, right? I remember I was on a ski trip with my family and we literally driving back and I'm getting messages about…

  about COVID-19 · at 25:42

• And so now we refer back to that of hey, are these decisions you're making? Are they Hail's values?

  about Hail's values · at 36:50

• That's my business, my dental business. come and see the smiles that we give there and but at the same time just I loved chatting on Instagram and communicating and creating.

  about Hailsthetic · at 42:20

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Tyler Hails — Person · Main guest · 2 mentions · first at 42:09
  Interview subject: a cosmetic dentist discussing personal branding in dentistry, his practice growth via social media, veneer craftsmanship, insurance economics, and his upcoming course for dentists.
• Daniel Yang — Person · Referenced collaborator / dental lab ceramist · 2 mentions · first at 21:20
  Presented as the ceramist/lab partner who helped Tyler improve veneer artistry through porcelain layering and close dentist–lab collaboration; his lab is described as next door to Tyler's office.
• Madison Lacroy — Person · Referenced celebrity patient / case example · 2 mentions · first at 23:37
  Used as a pivotal case that boosted Tyler's confidence and brand momentum; she found him via social media and flew in for a 20-veneer case.

Companies & orgs

• Hailsthetic — Company · Business focus · 1 mention · first at 42:18
  Dr. Tyler Hails' dental business specializing in cosmetic dentistry.
• Instagram — Company · Platform · 4 mentions · first at 0:53
  Key platform for Dr. Tyler Hails' personal branding and marketing strategy.

Products & tech

• Rolex — Product · Referenced product · 2 mentions · first at 28:44
  Used as an example of branding and the value of perceived accomplishment.
  Right. Because Rolex does a very good job at branding.

Concepts & topics

• dentistry — Concept · Core topic · 20 mentions · first at 0:00
  Central theme of the episode, discussing the challenges and opportunities in dentistry, especially in branding and cosmetic dentistry.
• Hail's values — Concept · Personal philosophy · 2 mentions · first at 36:34
  Family values and principles discussed by Dr. Tyler Hails in the context of parenting and legacy.
• anesthesiology — Concept · Referenced profession · 2 mentions · first at 8:16
  Mentioned as the profession of Dr. Tyler Hails' father and grandfather, influencing his initial career aspirations.
  Anesthesia all growing up. My dad was an anesthesiologist, my grandpa was an anesthesiologist. so I was going to follow in their footsteps. I loved the idea behind just the…

Places & events

• COVID-19 — Event · Referenced event · 2 mentions · first at 25:47
  Mentioned in the context of its impact on dental material costs and office closures.

Full transcript with timestamps

0:00 One, dentists aren't great businessmen initially, right? And so they need help. But what they're doing is they're telling dentists, they're saying, "Hey, let me take over marketing for you. Make these trending videos, right?" And what's happening is these dentists aren't actually creating a brand for themselves. They're buying the marketing team's brand because the brand, their brand is just pushing all of it through. So every dentist that's underneath this marketing team, they're just pushing the same brand for every dentist, right? It's not unique at all. and it's not actually building their own personal experience.

0:30 Welcome to another episode of Confidence. Now, when I first met you, I'm like, "This guy looks cool. He's got a bow tie on. He's got a mullet, you know, like he's he's got he's just got class. He's got style." I got to ask you, what is it that motivated you to have a distinguished look like that, a unique look like that in the world of dentistry and just run with it on social media? Yeah, growing up I was always into fashion. Um, I like shopping and things like [clears throat] that, but really the biggest impact for me was actually my grandpa. So, when I was in dental school and I was about to graduate, he was one that always set an example for me. So he was a anesthesiologist and what he would do is he actually got dressed in the morning in his suit and he would drive to work and he would get to the hospital and then he would change into his scrubs and he'd work all day. He would finish his

1:26 day and then he would change back into a suit and drive home, right? And his whole representation was like if I'm going to be the best, I'm going to look the best, right? And that was really the the [clears throat] what he recommended for me when he sat me down and when I was graduating dental school and he told me that that was his advice. He's like if you want to be the best you look the best. And so that was the initial thought is okay well what am I going to do to really stand out and be who I want to be because dentistry is kind of boring. You know, when you think about dentist, uh, you kind of think nerds or you think about, you know, just kind of a ter

2:00 this guy in some scrubs that's going to dig into my mouth and make me go through hell for an hour.

2:04 Yeah. So, it's the way that I can really show my personality, right? I love bow ties. That's something my grandpa was big into. Um, and that's evolved into really being the bow tie dentist and uh and then usually learn from branding what what's important.

2:19 I love it. You know, I love obviously personal branding. I'm a big personal brand guy myself and for me personal branding has totally changed the landscape of my entire business especially and we were just talking about this like for my own personal growth. How has personal branding helped you helped your business and helped you personally?

2:39 Yeah, it's definitely the most important aspect that's really gotten me to the level that I'm at now within dentistry. uh at first when I joined my practice initially um I started taking over the marketing and I looked at all the different aspects and I actually stopped looking at dental marketing because all of the all the marketing companies just suggested the same thing over and over again right paid perclicks like we've got to get SEO we got to get your website um and to me that wasn't really the answer that I was looking for I was like there's no way we're going to really be able to beat anyone else out with this type of marketing Um, and so I started actually looking at other aspects, other businesses and what they were doing. And really influencers, this was really when influencing started to take off. And I was like, why are these people so successful? Why are influencers like people trust

3:28 influencers, right? They ask for their suggestions no matter what. They care about their opinion. And I was like, what is it about these people that are so relatable but also so trustworthy? And it's really their branding. influencers are amazing at branding themselves uh where people trust them and so for me I saw that and I wanted to try to create that within my own brand and so once I started getting into that right it's about letting them see who I am and they understand and then building that within the professional of dentistry really

4:02 that's so cool that what year was that when you started uh building your brand so this was like 2019 was probably when I really started uh focusing on my my personal brand.

4:14 Nice. I barely started in 2023, 2022 2023. But I went all in. I went all in on personal brand. It was like I quit my regular job and just built my brand. Yeah. You know, but then that obviously we were talking about, you know, how that the business has been just exploding as a result of me building my personal brand, investing my personal brand, and I'm personally investing in it. The company's not investing in it. I'm personally investing it because I see the opportunity that's going to be outside because I live now and breathe as my own entity because of personal branding. So the opportunity opportunities just knock all the time. And I feel like that's what it's doing for you because we're meeting at masterminds. I'm sure there's collaboration opportunities going to be more collaborative opportunities every podcast you go on.

5:02 Yeah. And I I think like going allin just like you said is one of the big aspects of what's made you so successful at it, right? because most people don't want to do that. They want to, you know, um, dip their toe in and kind of feel it out and be like, "Okay, is this is this worth it? Is it working?" Um, and really it's not going to be successful.

5:21 And you don't see it. You don't see it. Like you're like, "Why am I building my personal brand?" And then you'll get like your spouse like, "Why are you so egocentric just in front of a camera or whatever, you know?"

5:32 And it's like, "No, this is like what personal branding is, you know, like it's not ego. It's like this is what it takes." Yeah. And and it's interesting like I've learned a lot throughout these years and I think if you actually would go back in high school and you would tell people like hey Dr. Hill or Tyler Hail is going to be right this big cosmetic dentist who's treating celebrities like no one would have believed you right. Um because at that time like I I was very uh just like conservative like I didn't care to be you know the most outgoing person. I didn't need to be the life of the party you know, I enjoyed my friends and and we kind of did our thing. And as we kind of grew this brand, right, it's it's changed definitely changes on who you you need to be. And uh being this type of dentist, like I love it. I love what I do. I love showcasing that. I love being, you know, in front of the camera

6:22 more now than ever before. Uh because it is your brand and you're excited about that and you do have to go all in. It's risky, but when you do it, it's passionate and everything you do is driven towards that.

6:34 Now, we talked about this and you're launching a course and you're like, well, my course is not going to be a traditional dentistry course. My course is going to be how to teach dentists how to brand themselves, which is a course that's never been done.

6:47 And a lot of people, if you talk to a dentist five years ago, they'd be like, that's the most useless course ever. Now you tell dentists I'm launching this course, they're gonna be like, I'm buying that course because they need that course.

7:00 Yeah. Or else they're gonna be extinct. This course needs to happen for dentistry, right? The what what we're seeing trending within dentistry is all the marketing people. Honestly, there's a ton of money in dentistry. Like if you actually look at a lot of marketers, sales people, like they're all trending towards dentistry and getting involved because one, dentists aren't great businessmen initially, right? Um, and so they need help. But what they're doing is they're telling dentists, they're saying, "Hey, let me take over marketing for you. Um, make these trending videos, right?" And what's happening is these dentists aren't actually creating a brand for themselves. They're buying the marketing team's brand. Okay? because the brand their brand is just pushing all of it through other dentist. So every dentist that's underneath this marketing team, they're just pushing the same brand for every dentist, right?

7:48 It's not unique at all and it's not actually building their own personalized brand. So what my idea in this course that I'm going to create is how to take it individual and change the mindset around dentistry and create the brand for themselves.

8:06 I love that. Now, um, before the cameras, before all the clients, what what is it that drew you to dentistry? Why didn't you do anesthesiology? Why didn't you do, you know, some other medicine?

8:20 Yeah. So, I actually wanted to do anesthesia uh all growing up. My dad was an anesthesiologist, my my grandpa was an anesthesiologist. Uh, so I was going to follow in their footsteps. Um, I loved the idea behind just the medicine and being able to help people. Um, and when I was in college, I finally actually started to think for myself and be like, you know, what am I actually passionate about? And it wasn't that my dad or my grandpa pushed me to do this. It just I love the idea of like kind of being a legend and and like following in the footsteps of my my my family. Um, but when I thought about it, it was like that wasn't interesting to me. Um, I was only doing it because of that idea. And so when I went and researched all the different professions within like medicine, which I I enjoyed medicine, I knew that's something I wanted to be in.

9:08 Um dentistry was something where you're working with your hands, you're working with individuals, you're creating relationships, and that was really important to me. Um I love to learn by doing things. I love working with my hands. And so this profession really just kind of fell into my lap when I figured out this is exactly what I want to do. you know, it's uh of all I I mean I of all the medicines I feel like, you know, but you specifically went into cosmetic, which is I don't know is that an extra two years.

9:40 So with cosmetics, it's interesting. There's not really a specialty within cosmetics. So technically, every dentist can say they're a cosmetic dentist. They don't need additional training to do that, right? um they're trying to push now that there is going to be additional training that needs to be done to have the title of cosmetic dentistry, right? Like you you have to go to special training if you want to be an endodonist or an orthodontist or perodonist. These are all specialties and it's a certain degree that you get from it.

10:06 And then an oral maxilio surgeon, it's like another four years. Yeah. Four to six years, right? So you've got to have all this extra training to be able to get that. And to be honest, I see it as a problem because the problem is we're seeing a ton of dentists now just doing cosmetic dentistry without really the right training one. Um, and I think it's a disservice for our patients, but also a disservice for dentistry. Uh, there's a ton of

10:32 because there's a variance in veneers now. You see somebody like, oh, he went to a a cheap doctor.

10:37 Yeah. And unfortunately, I see it right like I've become known to like be the fixer, right? I have to go and fix all those problems from what other dentists are doing. Um, and so again with my course, it's like I want to help these doctors understand real cosmetics and how to take and level up of the expectation to where the cosmetics is, you know, just that becomes the standard, you know, instead of kind of the poor quality that we get.

11:06 Now, I want to talk about a topic that's near on my heart, near on your heart, and that's insurance. A lot of people aren't happy with insurance. You said something about insurance earlier today and let's just dive into insurance. What are your thoughts on insurance? Is it helping the American consumer uh the general Americans out there who have dental insurance? Is it worth getting? And you know, can you use it on on veneers?

11:35 Yeah. So that is one of the questions I get asked the most is can you use my insurance uh towards the veneers right or cosmetics

11:44 and the answer [clears throat] is no. No like there's no way any dental uh insurance

11:49 regardless of what insurance you get or whatever regardless of what insurance you have. I've yet to see a insurance company that does have uh money towards cosmetics. Um now there the problem is that a lot of dentists will be what's called in network right with these insurance companies. Now that insurance company doesn't cover cosmetics right so they they say well we don't cover nothing's going to go to it but what they're doing is they're saying but as a dentist you can't charge whatever you want you have to charge what our fee is. So some dentists, right, are stuck charging $500, $600 for a veneer, right? When the lab cost to get really high-end cosmetics is anywhere between like500 to a,000 to maybe $1,500 just for the lab costs, right? So that means that dentists are having to go to China and get some cheap cheap veneers just to be able to cover that cost, right? So insurance honestly I think is a huge

12:48 disservice to that's a one-off veneer if they broke a tooth. That's oneoff, right? That's not and at the end of the day insurance if you buy insurance, dental insurance, right? You put all this money towards it, they're only going to maximize usually about $1,000 towards your treatment. So let's say you need a crown at the end of the day. Um this year you pay dental insurance every month, right? Well, that crown is worth it cost $1,800, you know, to get it done. But insurance is only cover $1,000. So, their coverage doesn't even always include what an entire amount of uh treatment plan would be.

13:23 And that insurance companies, they haven't increased that amount. It's been $1,000 for like 50 years, right? So, inflation, right? Everything's going up. But dental insurance is refusing to actually put any more towards what your coverage would be. But they're charging you more each year to cover their

13:41 So we feel inflation with our insurance costs, but they don't adjust for inflation to their

13:48 Yeah. providers. Yeah. So, and you're seeing more and more dentists where they're leave, they're going what's called out of network, right? Where they're stopped going in network. The problem is dentists that are in network, they're getting uh the fee that insurance company is demanding for services. So general dentistry like a filling or a crown is so low that dentists are having to overpack their schedule just to kind of get by. You know what I mean? And so it really for the patients if you're going to someone that's trying to pack, you know, 30, 40 fillings in a day, like I wouldn't want that on my mouth. So

14:27 no one wants that. So I would rather pay more, get the service and get a filling that's going to last than try and like get just the cheaper option. 30 40 fillings some dentists are doing a day.

14:38 Yeah, that is a brutal job. Yeah. So, out of dental school, I went and worked out of a medical office. Um, and you had to do that. You're only getting paid $50 per filling, right? And people would come in and they've got a full mouth of cavities because they again haven't seen a dentist in forever. And so, we're filling that schedule full and we're just doing ton and ton of fillings. So, initially I was just doing extractions, fillings all day long.

15:06 Fun. Yeah. On a bunch of people in uh Long Beach in the ghetto. Well, this was this was over in Colorado. Uh and I loved it. Honestly, I learned a ton and I tried to be as create the care that I could, right? Like I tried to do the best work I could and I learned so much

15:24 being able to do that at that time. And I learned that's not the way I wanted to do it the rest of my life. I wanted to do it differently and that's really the stepping stones that have taken me to where I've created what I've created this brand for.

15:37 What's what's your vision with the bow tie doctor? Like what what do you envision with it? How is this brand going to impact dentistry and you know your overall growth strategy?

15:48 Yeah, I want to represent I want to be a representation for dentistry, right? I think that dentistry has a bad bad rap, right? When you think about your dentist, everyone's like, "Well, pain, bad smells, usually a fish tank in the front office, right? And [clears throat] usually not nice. The offices aren't that great." So, I wanted to really change the mindset behind dentistry because what we do can actually be beautiful and can actually make a huge impact, right? Like, getting your cleaning can actually be a comfortable, enjoyable experience.

16:19 H I don't know about a clean being comfortable, enjoyable. How do you do that? You put like Netflix on or something?

16:24 Well, yeah. So, we have TVs now, right? We have blankets. We have um you know, there's new machines that that aren't as painful where you're having to scratch and claw and poke your gums, right? Um there's different topicals or numbing agents that we can use that aren't shots anymore um that we can use. So, there are processes that we can use to make it enjoyable and not have to be just that terrible experience.

16:49 You know, every cleaning I've ever done has not been fun. I would love to be just, you know, chilling, numb, watching Netflix, but the sound alone is like, you know, annoying.

17:03 Yeah. Um, we just, actually, interesting you say that. Yesterday I went bought some Apple headphones, right? And the idea is, right, you've got noise cancelling headphones now. Okay.

17:12 So, there's so much new products out there that like again, we don't think about these things, right? People hate

17:17 people fear dentistry because of sounds and pain, right? So if we can eliminate sound and pain, well how does that experience all of a sudden change?

17:25 Game changer. Yeah. So exactly noise cancelling headphones, right? Uh blankets, comfortable chairs, uh yeah, just the way that we Yeah. Netflix, right? So all these things we can create this process where it's not the same thing that we've had for the past 50 years.

17:44 That's awesome. That's awesome. Now, what was your when you when you were a kid, did you decide like I I know you were thinking that you wanted to be a a doctor in medicine, but was there a moment that sparked your your love for helping helping people feel more confident?

18:06 Um, I mean, I've always enjoyed like leadership as a kid. Like so I was big into sports and always being like a team captain and like watch and helping other kids grow and helping develop, right? That was always a huge passion of mine. Um and I think that that just kind of continued into my professional career where when I started doing dentistry, fillings are are fine, but no one finishes a filling like that's the best experience I've ever had and like I feel so much more confident because this filling's done right. So when I started doing cosmetics and I saw how it changed people's lives like these are the stories that uh that I have from like when someone started with me to like a year later and like their business went from like struggling for 5 years to all of a sudden doubling booming right in one year. And not saying it was all due to the fact of the smile transformation, but they come back and they go, "My

19:06 confidence and the ability to go speak to people in sales like is life-changing." And that was one of the factors that just completely changed it, right? Um, and [clears throat] the psychology behind, okay, what does a smile do for people? If you are having a bad day and you just smile, right? It does. is it changes the chemistry within your brain, within your body to spike certain things to give you confidence, to give you happiness, joy, right? Um, and so when people smile more, there is this um there is a chemical balance that really changes, you know, who they are.

19:45 And so the more I learned about it, the more inc like impact I could see that I could bring when I'm able to give these beautiful smiles and the artistry behind it. Like that's where I love getting crafty and like doing all these little things to make it look real. Um, and to be able to change the look that that people can have in their lives.

20:08 Artistry. I want to dive into that. So you're saying how much artistry is really involved in veneers? cuz I thought it's like you send it to the lab, they give you your veneers, you pop them on. Like do you got to be an artist to do that? Like where are your veneers better than the next guys? Like how do they differ?

20:23 Yeah. So, right again with dentistry, cosmetics always been where dentists didn't really have a say in in much of the veneers. They would send a case to the lab. The lab designs it. The lab does what's called a wax up, sends it back. um the dentist will prep the teeth and then send it to the lab to then design the veneers and there's not a lot of communication on like what is actually needing to be done. Um we get them back and we seed them. So early in my career I did the same thing. I sent it to what I thought at the time was the top cosmetic labs which they say right um and I would try to give them feedback on like here's what I want but I get the cases back and they were never exactly what I wanted. it was always kind of if you looked at all the cosmetic dentistry, everyone was doing pretty much the same thing. There was no variety. Um, and so I finally wanted to make a change. I was like, this is not

21:15 I'm not happy with what I'm getting and I need more control. And so I went and found a ceramist. Um, his name is Daniel Yang and we started to work together and I was like, Dana, we've got to do this differently. Um, and so he showed me how porcelain works. He showed me how he makes every veneer. And then we looked at the natural teeth and we pushed the limits on how do we create that natural characteristics but do it within porcelain. Um and it's not just a one block one color thing. It's actually layering um hand layering porcelain to get that that depth and that reality to it. But it comes with a knowledge between a dentist and a ceramist. And so for us, that's really what makes me different than everyone else and why we've been able to grow so quickly is like the attention to detail, but also the effort that we put into making our veneers better each and every time. Um, so now Daniel, his lab is actually next

22:11 door to my office. We've created this process where it's just so unique and different than anything that's been out done out there.

22:18 That's so cool. So then your your veneers are better than the next guy. I mean, that's that's the goal. Like, I I strive to be the best cosmetic dentist in the world, and my veneers need to represent that.

22:31 And you're the coolest personal brand in dent cosmetic dentistry in the world. So, you know, you got to match up to that.

22:37 Of course, it's all got to match. Um, now, can you walk us through the biggest turning point that led you to building your own personal brand?

22:46 Biggest turning point. [clears throat] Um, and hopefully the audience doesn't need a big turning point. Like maybe this this episode is enough.

22:55 Yeah. I mean, I think it came down to a a mindset to be honest. There was I really was loving cosmetics, but there was still like doubt in my mind a lot where um where I felt like I I could become somebody, right? they always felt like there were better cosmetic dentists out there and um I'm still kind of new and I'm young, right? Um and I finally like realized like just switch that, right? Take away the words of like, oh, I'm anxious. I'm I'm young. I'm inexperienced. And realize that like I'm as good as I want to be and as long as I believe that, right? And to be honest, I remember um I did uh this celebrity Madison Lacroy. I did her teeth. I remember going to work the day that she was coming into the office and we had done [clears throat] a couple big bign big name people be before that. But I I remember walking out my front door, walking to my car and I was like, "Today is the I got I thought to myself like

24:02 today is going to be the first day of the rest of my life." Like and that was the first time I s I felt super confident in like who I was as a dentist and that what I was doing was incredible, right? And maybe it took seeing a celebrity to kind of change my mindset. But the reality was I was creating that for a long long time and she finally saw that and that's why she came to me. But I as soon as I changed that like really started booming because I finally felt confident in myself.

24:30 How'd she find you? Was it Instagram? Yeah, on on social media. Um, but again it it was the branding.

24:37 Celebrities are finding you. Yeah. So, where'd she drive in from LA? No, she's from South Carolina.

24:43 She flew in. Yeah, she flew in from South Carolina. Flew in. And then you How many veneers did she do?

24:48 So, we did 20 veneers on her. So, we did top and bottom uh on her and really turned out

24:54 six figure job. Yeah, it's a it's a big one. Yeah. But, uh yeah, it was fun to kind of work with her. She's an incredible person and you know at the same time a lot of pressure like you know she's on TV she's a beautiful girl like you don't want to screw it up and I think about that with all my patients like I want them to have this beautiful smile and you know the details we put into her veneers you know that was an exciting day because I was like okay like I got this right and that was the confidence that I needed in myself that pushed me to really focus on myself and my brand. Now we talked about something that I think the audience should know about which is the impact that co had on material costs and this is across the board in every industry but how much have we seen material costs go up in the world of dentistry in the last 5 years. Yeah, co co is rough. I mean, it's rough for everyone, right? Um

25:47 I remember I was on a ski trip with my family and we literally driving back and I'm getting messages about everything breaking out and they're basically saying like we're every medical office has to close down, right? And I'm like, man, we are in big trouble. Um because we had the unknown of what we were supposed to do and how long we're going to be closed for. So literally came back. I think we got back on Sunday and like Monday we closed like uh with COVID and [clears throat] we were closed for a long time. Um and it was crazy. The dental in the dental world our supplies went up 4x. Like there's things that like at the time cost a dollar are now close to like five six dollars a piece. Um and it's across the board. Nothing stayed the same after COVID. And to me, I think they're yeah, everything good went up in the world, but at the same time, it's like people took advantage of that opportunity as well. I think that just

26:47 like they're like, "Okay, great. Now we can push everything up." And um and that hurts us because how do I try to give my patients what they want without, you know, my goal is not to increase my fee. My goal is to always be affordable for as many people as it possibly can. But when the underlying cost soares, then everything else has to go up. Um, and then that spiked also, uh, employee pay. So after COVID, the dental field especially, for whatever reason, um, a lot of those employee payments went up. So we paid them a lot more to do the same job. And, uh, I love my staff.

27:24 They're the best in the world. And my goal is always to have them be successful. Um, but it's tough when you're trying to how do you do both, right? How do you make it affordable to patients but also support a staff and

27:35 you know I don't think veneers are affordable. Three grand a tooth is not that affordable.

27:42 Yeah, the good ones definitely right. Um, like if they break a tooth and they got to get a veneer is there a difference between a veneer in veneer quality if they break a tooth versus the veneers that they put in for

27:53 um not for me. So again, there are some doctors that'll be like, "Okay, a crown's going to be cost different than a veneer, right? Or an onlay. There's all these different aspects to it." Um I

28:03 But insurance covers the one veneer. Well, they they'll cover a crown, but they won't cover a veneer, right? No, the difference is a crown covers the back side of the tooth. The veneer covers the front side, but it's both made of porcelain. It's both the process is exactly the same. So why why is it a one over

28:19 cover the back side? Yeah. So like it covers the whole tooth. So the inside of the tooth as well as the front side.

28:25 Okay. So veneer only covers partial of it. Um but you know I think you know at the end of the day what is affordable right? I think that's an that's an important concept because you know is a Rolex affordable?

28:41 No. But how many people have Rolexes? Millions. Right. Because Rolex does a very good job at branding.

28:48 Yeah. I mean, it's affordable if you can get it from Rolex, but well, because people want a Rolex. A Rolex is not a watch. Okay, in reality, you're spending hundreds potentially tens to hundred thousand dollar on on a time piece, right, when you can get one at Walmart if you want. But why do people want Rolex? And why do people spend the money to buy a Rolex? It's because what Rolex has branded themselves is it's like this accomplishment, right? So like uh and I felt this when I opened my office. I was like, "Okay, I I feel like I need to go get a Rolex because we work so hard for this." Like, that's that's my goal, right? Um, and Rolex has done so well at doing that. But people can go and afford a Rolex because that's their it's accomplishment. It's something that they put their money towards and they want that. So, if it's a want, then they're going to go and find a way to make that work.

29:41 Now, let me ask you, um, what did it feel like when you when you emotionally had to walk away from your from your partnership and then you had to go solo? A lot of people, especially because this is an entrepreneurship show, a lot of people right now are struggling with their partners and they're like, "Do I go solo? Should I go solo?

30:01 Should I stay in this partnership or this bad marriage or whatever it is?" Like, what's what did it feel like to go solo? Yeah, that's one of the hardest decisions I ever had to make. When when I join something, I want to be allin to reality and and when I make a commitment, I want to make sure that I fulfill my commitment. That's that's, you know, I I like to live up to my word and that's important to me. Um, and the partnership was great for me for a while. Um, and things slowly began to change, right? Like I really wanted to focus on the branding of the business.

30:35 Um, and I wanted to focus on the branding of myself. um when that differs and all of a sudden uh your partners don't really care about the brand of the business right then how am I supposed to grow that you know there's limitations within when partnerships don't agree

30:51 and if you're building a personal brand like unless he has partners on the bow tie doctor

30:56 yeah right I mean yeah so I had expectations for myself and I wanted to exceed the exceeded those and there there's money and time that I wanted to put into that that weren't

31:06 um you know that resources weren't available. They weren't willing to put those resources. So, um you've got to decide whether it's how good it is for yourself, right? Um and me leaving that partnership was the best decision for myself.

31:23 Yeah. You went Yeah. It just And to be honest, when I was finishing up on that partnership, it was it was hard. Like I've actually been reading my journal uh these last couple uh since the beginning of the year back from two years ago of like that experience because I want to remember like what was my mindset going through all this. And

31:43 you journal every day. I journal almost every day. For how long? So usually only like maybe 15 20 minutes. So I get up my schedule I get up at 4:30. Uh I wake up I go meditate and I and then I journal and I read my Bible. Um, and then I get ready for my day and go work out. I think that your your morning routine is so important. Yeah. Right. Not saying everyone has to wake up at 4:30, but um, you've got to have a system that works for you that gets you ready for your day. Um, and whether that's morning or whether you're a night person, right? There's got to be consistency there. Um, otherwise, you're just living life and you're going through the motions.

32:21 Yeah. That I And I I didn't ask you, but is that your morning routine? wake up 4:30, do your Bible reading, do your journaling, do your workout, then go to the office.

32:32 Yep. So, I do that every single day. I I can't tell you honestly I I can't tell you the last time that I missed the day of doing that. So, every day of work, that's uh that's important for me to start my day. So, morning routine is clutch for me. I have to have a morning routine now. And I'm I'm updating it all the time. I'm like always studying stuff like what can I do? Like today, you know, I I uh I dip my face in ice water.

32:59 That's awesome. And then I was reading the benefits of doing that. I'm like I just added that I'm like, "Oh, that that's a quick one, you know, like 10 seconds."

33:07 Well, it's hard like So I used to get up at like 5:30, right? Yeah. Yeah. No, I got up at 4:30, too.

33:12 And and it's funny because I had a long morning routine today. As I add things to my schedule, my morning routine, it's like it gets earlier and earlier.

33:20 Yeah. And so, yeah, I mean, I still don't have enough time to journal and and you know, I'm on a Bible study while I'm doing a bunch of other stuff. So, I'm like, there's a live Bible study.

33:28 Yeah. That I'm attending, but it's not focused dedicated Bible reading. It's hard to do everything, right? I think uh you've got to find what's really impactful in your in your own life. Um, and then really set make that time for it. And then when there's other things that you want to do, right? And like you said, try something new, add that to it or take away and give it give and take with what you see is working.

33:52 I would have to incorporate a night routine where I prep all my morning stuff like the vitamins and the protein shakes and

33:59 Yeah, that's it's funny you say that because I that's what I do literally before bed. I get I get up, get my blender out, get my pre-workout, my protein shakes, everything's on the table right before I go to bed.

34:11 Yeah. So that because that that'll save me the time in the morning. Yeah. Saves you honestly like 15 minutes. Yeah, that's what I that's the time I need. Then I can incorporate journaling.

34:18 Yeah, there it is. Yeah. So, that's what I got to do. I just realized that. I'm going to try that now. My morning routine go faster.

34:24 Yeah. No, it's true. It's you the morning you can't waste time. It's not worth it.

34:30 And I'm literally like there's my gratitude journal. Just Oh, I didn't have enough time.

34:34 Yeah. [snorts] Well, and I think it's important to go back and read it, right? Yeah. I kept I keep a journal for a long time, but I never read it. And then I was like, well, what am I learning then? uh and I get my kids can read it in the future. Um but no, if you don't look back at the last year, then what are you learning from? And so I've really taken the concept of like uh looking back and and learning from everything I'm doing and then how do I improve each time? If I get better 1% every day, where are you going to end up after a year?

35:04 Yeah. Yeah, you're right. Now, a couple questions uh I have for you. What's a personal goal that you have for yourself? a family goal you have for your family. You got four kids and a business goal you have.

35:20 Yeah. Um that's a good thought. Family goal. Um my goal for my family is actually I really want to travel with my kids. Um I really want them to see the world and so uh my goal is to do you know take them out of the country at least once a year. Have you done that ever?

35:42 Yeah, we took him to New Zealand last year. Okay. Uh we we lived in a van for two weeks and it was the best trip I've ever taken. Like best experience. And my everyone always says you took four kids in a van in New Zealand for two weeks. And like honestly I I love spending time with my kids. Like it's it's my life, right? That's what I work for. That's what I do.

36:04 And like to give them that opportunity like we had no one watching TV, no no shows. and they never once asked for it, right? And it was taking us out of this Orange County bubble and putting us in this environment where we spent time together, but they were so involved in like all the little things that we were doing and it was so intentional and it was amazing and like the time we were able to spend in that two weeks was just incredible and I felt like so impactful for them and we worked on things. We worked on every day we talked about our Hails values, right? So, what does it mean to be a Hails? And what kind of person do we want to be when we show up?

36:42 And um you know, these aren't conversations that we get to have every day when school and sports are going on. And so now we refer back to that of like, hey, you know, are these decisions you're making? Are they Hail's values? Um and so it's taking the time to get away to be able to like really prep for the whole year and what you want them to be. That's, you know, that's beautifully said and how often do we talk to our kids about their values and like what's it mean to be, you know, your legacy name? And that's like that dawned on me like I need to do that more. You like I always say this and I told this to you earlier in the, you know, like if anyone's been benefiting from this podcasting, it's me. Like I [snorts] just re I just,

37:30 you know, I'm receiving mentorship. I'm receiving, you know, wisdom from another father and parenting is hard in Orange County. We're in a bubble and our kids are growing up, you know, affluent. You grew up anesthesiologist. So both parent, you come from a lineage of anesthesiology. So basically, you grew up in abundance.

37:50 Yeah. But you turned out great. How did your family keep you so grounded and how are you keeping your kids so grounded?

37:59 Yeah, my parents did amazing job. I mean, parenting is hard, right? Yeah. Um, and I think all of us parents think we're doing a terrible job for the most part, right? I think we're always like, "Oh, we're screwing up our kids."

38:11 Um, and what I realized is like our parent, all parents are just doing their best. And I I really did look up to my parents. They did a phenomenal job of just loving me and like supporting me all growing up. um and like you know putting pressure on me to like succeed and to work hard and you know they they made opportunities where I could play sports and I learned teamwork I learned leadership um and my dad I remember a lot of times at least once a year not not a ton right but he would sit me down in his office he's like hey let's talk let's have a chat right and um he just really would talk about life and like what's important and I just loved those meaningful talks. Like it's just the time he spent uh really kind of helped me evolve and grow up um with the idea of like having an idea of legend, right?

39:07 Be becoming a legend and um making sure there's a legacy behind Hails or our family and respecting, you know, my elders and my grandparents and like seeing how hard they work to provide this life. like I saw the hard work that they put into giving me abundance, right? Um and I wanted to give back. I wanted to create that for my kids. And so just their example uh has allowed me to become hopefully an example for my kids that hopefully they turn out well.

39:38 Yeah. I mean, I'll tell you, they definitely see me working, you know, they they see that happening and uh but they see because I, you know, I get to work remote and uh as a CEO, I could I'm on the I'm on the go. So, I'm I'm one of those parents that's hyper involved in all their sports and activities and in between, you know, recruiting calls or business development deals, I'm just involved in every single sport they're in. I like to be like involved like they're in basketball. I'm playing. They're in a basketball league. I'm in a basketball league. They're in jiu-jitsu.

40:11 I'm in jiu-jitsu. Yeah. Your hobbies are their hobbies, right? Like every single hobby they got. I got, you know, they collect sports cards. I collect sports cards.

40:19 You know, we go to basketball games together. You know, like, so I'm in the weeds with them just like I am in my business.

40:24 Yeah. Uh, last question for you. When you're in front of the pearly gates, what do you think God's going to tell you? Um [sighs] I hope God says, you know, that good and faithful servant, right? I hope he sees that I'm just not necessarily a puppet, but I'm here to serve him and to do his work. I I always and I try to always think, you know, what does God want me to do and how can I impact his children here on this earth? Um, I think I I I strive to think about, you know, Jesus Christ and his life and like he served so many people and was hated for it. And uh all he did was just show love and kindness and charity. And so it's easy to get into the mindset of comparison and uh you know, anger or these things that put people down, right? Um, but [clears throat] when we realize, you know, that we can, if we're just let God take the reigns and control our lives, you know, we will always end up better

41:39 than we could have ever imagined. And so, I just hope the end day he says that good and faithful servant, you know, and

41:46 well done. I love you. Hey, Tyler, you've been an absolute blessing to have on the show. I hope that you hit every single one of your goals. Um, I hope God continues to bless you abundantly beyond measure. You're an inspiration to many. If people want to connect with you, how do they find you?

42:04 Yeah, so uh, Instagram is I I love Instagram. I'm always on there. Uh, so you can DM me. Uh, it's Dr. Tyler Hails, just dr L. Um, and you can also look at my website. So hailsthetic.com. Uh, that's my my business, my dental business. um come and see the smiles that we give there and uh but at the same time just I loved chatting on Instagram um and uh communicating and creating friends. Love it. Guys, especially if you're in the medical field, make sure you check out Dr. Tyler Hails. This guy is crushing social media as a doctor. The some of the most boring work on the planet, but the most needed work on the planet. God bless you. Thanks for tuning in, guys.

42:50 Thank you.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Why Dentists Need a Personal Brand More Than Ads ft. Dr. Tyler Hales | Coffeez"?

Joe Shalaby (Host).

What is "Why Dentists Need a Personal Brand More Than Ads ft. Dr. Tyler Hales | Coffeez" about?

The main topic discusses the importance of personal branding for dentists, emphasizing that relying on generic marketing strategies compromises their unique identities. Dr. Tyler Hales highlights how building a distinct personal brand can set dentists apart from competitors, instead of succumbing to cookie-cutter marketing approaches that dilute their individual presence in the industry.

What is mentioned in this Coffeez for Closers with Joe Shalaby episode?

10 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Tyler Hails, dentistry, Hailsthetic, Instagram, Daniel Yang, Madison Lacroy. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Why Dentists Need a Personal Brand More Than Ads ft. Dr. Tyler Hales | Coffeez"?

The episode runs 43 min; the transcript is about 8,321 words in 116 timestamped sections.

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