Andy Fairbanks gives a light-hearted look into his journey as a dental technician and how he set up his new lab in the current economic climate.
Howdy, fellow dental folk.
Thank you for taking the time to read some words I’ve written as sensibly as possible.
For those of you who are unaware of the ways of ‘Fairbanks’, well done and stop reading now. If you’ve carried on, fair play – and welcome.
I started my career at the slender and buff age of 17, working for a well-known lab in the centre of Sheffield, which happens to be the best city in the UK, if you weren’t aware.
I stayed at this lab for a few years. The best bit was the smell of sausage from the butchers beneath.
I then bailed to another lab in south Sheffield, my reason being it was in the village I lived in with my parents and I could drive there in 67 seconds – winner. I was there for a good eight or so years before having the urge to ‘go it alone’.
Going it alone
When you go it alone, it appears you sell everything you’ve got, buy a £70 beat-up purple Ford Fiesta and let rip. I set up my first lab in a freezing shizzle hole of a building that was around £200 per month rent. It was so cold the water in the toilet used to freeze over, and my windows were put through on a weekly basis by the beautiful population of humans surrounding me. But great for a 27-year-old lad with no money or clients and a great coloured Fiesta.
A brilliant name came to me after many hours spent mulling it over: Fairbanks Dental Laboratories. I know you’re all thinking: ‘How did he manage to think that up?’ Skills, mate.
I ran Fairbanks Dental Laboratories for 10 years and, during this time, made some awesome friends, had an awesome time, made awesome memories, and moved out the shizzle-hole, all before taking the big decision to call it a day after the birth of our son, Stanley.
Back to the lab
From this point, I opened Fairbanks Dental Consultants, where I helped fellow laboratory owners and dentists get the most out of their businesses. I loved this time away from the bench, made some amazing friends and memories, and got myself into some awkward and funny situations.
Before I knew it, Stanley was starting nursery, wrecking the house, generally being a ‘lad’, and I was missing the bench.
I decided from that point to stop what I was doing and investigate moving back towards the lab world I knew and loved. I took six months off work and focused on starting the new lab idea, and this time, the name needed to be something different.
All the names I was thinking of were either rude or not relevant, so I went with one chosen by a good friend – Promethean Dental Laboratory. No idea what it means, so you’ll have to Google it and let me know!
A lot of people have said it couldn’t have been easy setting up but I found it the complete opposite. The fact I took six months doing nothing but preparing and building made it easy, enjoyable, and exciting.
It was great to be able to do this and take the time with no stress, unlike the first time round.
Sacred spreadsheets
First off was a spreadsheet – we all love a spreadsheet! This helped me get exact figures on how much I needed to run the lab, costing and profits. As well as knowing exactly how much it would cost to build and fit out… ish.
With the new premises sorted, I was ready. The building was empty and raw, and I soon got my head around separating it into different divisions, along with having the world’s biggest Amazon delivery. I bought desks, benches, and worktops, all before deciding they looked shocking and replacing them. Genius idea, spreadsheet working well.
Now fully kitted out with separate rooms and workstations, it was time to get some equipment and materials. I spent a day doing some mega orders, which was fun, but I was surprised by how much materials and equipment had gone up by in the time I was away from the bench. Spreadsheet adjustments!
I also took on a member of staff before having a finished lab. These days, you can’t pass up an opportunity for well-trained, knowledgeable technicians.
The lab ‘all kitted out’
We’re all kitted out in the lab to offer full-service implant and cosmetic restorations. We offer guided surgery through to final restorations and work closely with our clients.
One thing I wasn’t bothered about was in-house milling, and I still feel the same. I prefer to outsource and let it be somebody else’s problem. I found I can make more money at the bench rather than taking the time milling my own units or paying a member of staff to do so. The lab is also much cleaner and slicker – not that I don’t like cleaning!
I had a pool table and surgery in the old lab, which I do miss and would like to have again at some point. My pool game has gone belly up in the past three years and I wouldn’t win any competitions. I also need to add a bar, or at least a beer pump. We do have a putting green though – I just don’t play golf.
One thing I knew for sure was that we needed a decent web page and social media pages. I used a good pal of mine for the website, and I do all the social media myself – I kind of enjoy it. It’s great to see your work in a photo; you can learn a lot from it.
Building a client base
At first, getting new clients on board was slow. We didn’t make any announcement about opening until the lab was fully finished. I knew we needed the time to focus on new clients and not messing about painting or building toilet brushes.
The first month’s turnover was only £2,000, but these were all new clients. If I doubled turnover every month for six months, I’d be happy, according to my spreadsheet.
So, I set a limit of only 10 practices or 20 clients to be on the books, and that soon filled up. By the end of month three, the doors for new clients were closed, there were four of us in the lab, and we were at our target figure with time to breathe.
Enjoy your work
Personally, my favourite cases in the lab are veneer cases. The bigger the better! We do a range of restorations, from model-free crowns, single implants and veneers, to full arches and same day teeth within a practice.
I feel that the years away from the bench made me realise how much I enjoy it, where to place myself, and in what position.
I don’t want to grow the lab much larger than it already is – I’d rather focus on nailing down workflow and strategies so it’s running even slicker.
I’m here to enjoy it, and for my employees to enjoy it just as much. We only work a four-day week with Fridays off, and I don’t want that to change. Who wants to work on a Friday?
My advice for a successful dental lab is know your skill set. If it’s outside your comfort zone, don’t take it on.
Outsource or get another member of staff for these cases. Also, don’t take on clients who give you stress or who you don’t get on with – you should enjoy your work.
As an employee, know your best skill, then gain more and keep going. You’re going to be wanted in years to come, even more than you are today.
For those wanting to start up, go for it. Take your time. Don’t run, just walk.
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