Mike and Katy met whilst he was lecturing in France, and they were both working for a UK-based cosmetic orthodontic company. More than love at first sight, it was a meeting of minds. They both shared the same philosophy towards dental care.
That philosophy is that you, the patient, are in charge.
Fast forward three years to February 2021, and Mike no longer owned his practice, which he had had in Coalville since 2002. Katy was heavily pregnant with twins and on maternity leave. So, with no income and soon to have two additional mouths to feed, what better time to start a start-up dental practice than during lockdown as well?
Both had long dreamed of owning a respected and admired dental practice, and against all odds, the moment had finally arrived. The twins, Penelope and Jemima, were born in April, healthy, 6lb 3 and 6lb 13, respectively. Unfortunately, Katy was quite ill following the birth, and it was a further nine days before she was allowed to come home.
They started the lengthy application process to register the new practice in May, and it was a common occurrence to have Zoom meetings with the twins in slings, fast asleep or being fed whilst they discussed surgery layouts, radiology, and other safety measures.
The build started in July, quickly transforming the former Solicitor’s office into a state-of-the-art dental practice. Mike and Katy have not compromised on the quality of the equipment or furnishings for their new venture. During this time, the twins were in virtually every day, and everyone got quite used to seeing them fast asleep next to an electrician doing his work, or a plasterer making a sudden call for a tea break when a nappy was changed!
Mike and Katy started their recruitment in August, and the first team member they hired was Michelle, whom Mike had worked with for years. She is Peacock Dental Spa’s Practice Manager and runs the place extremely competently and efficiently. The recruitment was hugely successful, and in an industry with perennial staff shortages, they managed to gather a team brimming with experience and enthusiasm.
As ever, the build schedule didn’t quite go to plan, but a monumental effort in the last fortnight saw Peacock Dental Spa pass its registration with the CQ, C, and so they were able to open doors, as planned, on the first of October 2021. They were delighted and honoured to have local Olympian Morgan Lake formally open the spa for them.
The lecture circuit in dentistry is male-dominated, and Katy thrived on rising to that challenge. The more she was surrounded by grey and dowdy suits, the more colourful she became. The term is called ‘Peacocking’.
Mike and Katy have always felt that you should be proud of your smile, and so they adopted the term for their dental practice, along with the hashtags #peacockyoursmile and #dentistrywithcuddles.
A dental ‘Spa’ is a dental practice that provides additional comforts for the patient alongside their treatment. These include a massage cushion, the ever-popular paraffin hand wax and collagen eye patches. You can also choose from a range of complimentary soft drinks, including our own branded coffee, ‘Peacock with a Brazilian’.
The Spa also has a bread maker near the reception. This removes the ‘dentist’ smell and instead infuses the building with the delicious aroma of baking bread.
We wanted to inject (no pun intended) a little glossus in buccinator humour into our Spa (that’s dental speak for ‘tongue in cheek’), and we called upon local company A dozen eggs to help us with that. We wanted our colours to be bright and cheerful, and for our logo to be simple, yet precise and reflect both our work and our name. Do you think we achieved that?
The colours extend through the literature, the chairs and cabinets, staff uniforms and even to the loo paper!
Peacock Dental Spa is in Loughborough Town Centre, on Church Gate. Because it was built during the pandemic, all the safety features introduced due to COVID-19 were incorporated into the build. Heat-exchanging ventilation systems ensure germs are cleared quickly. The building is compliant with the latest cross-infection control methods and is also compliant with the latest fire safety measures.
Your comfort is a core belief of Mike and Katy, so additional details were also introduced:
Mike and Katy are passionate about customer care and believe excellent customer service starts with a happy team. A happy team is a well-trained team, and so we have not one, but two, business coaches (Jas Darar of Reach Business Coaching and Mike Bentley of New Beginnings), plus regular in-house and external training. We also have an annual training weekend to ensure the team is fully up-to-date and on board with all the systems and processes we run.
Our other passion is, of course, our two children, and we enjoy taking them to Queens Park, country walks and canoeing (yes, canoeing!) along Loughborough canal and the Soar. Remember, be a Peacock in a World full of pigeons, and we all look forward to meeting you soon!
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