Why I Started My Dental Practice in Dayton
For many people, starting a business is the professional goal of a lifetime, and we found many other reasons to start a business in the Dayton area.
Why I Started My Dental Practice in Dayton
For many people, starting a business is the professional goal of a lifetime and this decision can be one of the most rewarding professional choices you can make. However, it can also be very challenging and requires a great deal of time and commitment to make the endeavor successful.
There are great number of things to consider when starting a small business, a few are: how much money do I need, will I require a loan, what services will I provide, who will my suppliers be and where do I want my business located? In my profession, one of the most important of these questions is where do I want my practice located?
Originally from Minnesota, I completed dental school in Lincoln, Nebraska, and then moved to Madison, Wisconsin where I completed a general practice residency before entering private practice as an associate. Working as an associate proved to be a valuable experience because I not only learned the business side of dentistry, but also had the opportunity to look at the type of community I would want to be a part of when I started my own business.
After practicing as an associate for four years in both a large and a small community, my wife and I decided we were ready to select where we wanted to begin our own dental practice. We initially looked at relocating to Dayton, Ohio because that is where my wife is from and where her family is located, but after further research we found many other reasons to start a business in the Dayton area.
First, Dayton is one of the more small business friendly cities we could find, and it has more small businesses (defined as fewer than 500 employees) than many of the other cities we researched. Dayton understands small businesses face many of the same challenges larger corporations do and as a result is rich in resources for the small business owner. As we began to look further into Dayton, we saw the city also has a rich history of innovation and entrepreneurship, with some of the more interesting innovations being the airplane, cash register, artificial heart and ice cream cone.
Additional research indicated that Ohio ranks in the top ten in the U.S. for small business survival and friendliness to entrepreneurs. The state also ranked high for their business tax structure. With Dayton’s rich history of innovation and entrepreneurship, support network for small businesses, and the state’s environment for small business owners we started to think this was a great location for us to start a business.
Secondly, we found that Dayton provides an excellent quality of life, which is another major factor to consider when starting a business. According to one Forbes report, Dayton was considered one of America’s most affordable cities. We found this to be true in the areas we researched and ultimately found Dayton to be one of the most affordable markets for homes, goods and services. We also found that the cost of living in Dayton is around 7% less than the national average.
In addition to the lower cost of living, Dayton has excellent higher education programs. According to some reports, the University of Dayton is one of the top 100 schools in the nation, and Sinclair Community College is one of the largest and most highly acclaimed community colleges in the country. This level of training helps produce high quality individuals who can make significant contributions to the community and to small businesses.
Dayton is also home to Wright Patterson Air Force Base – one of the largest U.S. Air Force Bases – and Dayton International Airport, both of which bring many incredible families directly into the area that help support local businesses. Dayton area hospitals and other businesses also attract a large number of great people to the area, and this influx of people is very helpful for small businesses.
Finally, I have found the Dayton area to be a very warm and welcoming community. I often encounter families who have lived in this community for years including my wife’s family, and the one thing I hear over and over is that “this is a great place to raise a family.” We have been in the area now for almost 3 years and feel very fortunate to be a part of this community.
We are grateful we chose to build our dental practice in a community that embraces and supports innovators and entrepreneurs, and provides an excellent quality of life for our family. We are excited to continue establishing our dental practice in the Dayton area and look forward to meeting more of the amazing people that are a part of this great community.
Ryan Long, DDS is the owner of Ryan Long DDS, LLC in Dayton located across the street from the Dayton Mall. He is passionate about providing personalized patient care in his community.
