Episode 35: Dr. Anna Cowdin – The Nomad Dentist

Have you seen the “Tiny Homes” featured on HGTV? Well, Dr. Anna Cowdin started up Nomad Dental as a mobile dental practice using the “Tiny Home” style! In this small but jam-packed episode, Dr. Cowdin shares her amazing story of how she first came up with the idea to now serving patients all around Dallas, TX. She joins Glenn and Vinh to discuss topics ranging from her new Flossy Fix business venture to her absolute disdain for Miniature Golf. Notes of Interest *Anna Cowdin is “The Nomad Dentist” in Dallas Texas. *As a millennial, she was nervous about committing to the expense of a single location and saw that people couldn’t take off during the day for their dental appointments. *She started researching mobile dentistry. Retrofitted vehicles can break down easily, so a tiny house we a great option. *People already know about tiny houses, so the concept wasn’t so foreign to people. *Her husband was onboard when she told him about the idea, but several tiny home builders did not want to respond. *After finding someone to build the tiny office, she had trouble finding a company to design the office because it was a new idea. *The plan was ultimately laid out in chalk on their driveway. *The construction process was difficult and required her to drive an hour and a half regularly after dental school classes to problem solve. *Her classmate drove the tiny office to Texas just 2 hours after they finished it. *She finished the rest of the office while 8 months pregnant in her driveway. *Banks do not loan money for a mobile dental clinic unless the clinic has been in business for two years, so they had to personally finance. *Her first patient was a landscaper in the neighborhood in July. It was 6 months from start to finish for her project. *The office is going well and runs mostly on solar. *They stay in each spot for about 2 weeks and rotate through several locations. *The office has one assistant and a marketing specialist. *People are surprised when they walk in for the first time. *Rapid fire questions about little things! *She also runs a dental hygiene subscription box called Flossyfix Links Nifty Thrifty Dentist CE Event – http://niftybackup.getpracticegrowth.com/ce-event/ Nomad Dental – https://www.nomad-dental.com/ Tiny House Central https://www.hgtv.com/shows/tiny-house-living Acknowledgements: “It’s a Small World” property of The Walt Disney Company.