At-home-teeth-whitening Taken to the Next Level with Rachel Hicks

Welcome to super entrepreneurs podcast. Today we have with us Rachel Hicks. Rachel is the founder of You Whitening, a first of its kind teeth whitening service. They are doing six figures in annual revenue with no prior business experience and no idea what she was doing. Rachel first entered the business world in 2019, launching You Whitening in her house. She previously worked as a dental assistant in a general and orthodontic dentistry. During the pandemic, she was somehow able to keep her business afloat and now has a commercial storefront and recently launched incredibly effective home whitening kits. This is amazing, Rachel. An audience listens to this. Look what Rachel has done. This is incredible. I can't wait to get into speaking about all this, but can you just share with us, Rachel, you got to six figures in like how many years is that three years, less than three years or a little bit over three years. And you have no business knowledge. How did all that work out? Yeah, it's been, it's been a ride and really what, what it's been is I would say my schooling, my education has been experienced. And if it hasn't been for the long and winding road of my dental career, then I wouldn't have been able to build this business. So it really started with obviously learning how to work intraorally. What different things look like a lot different than seeing something in person opposed to seeing something in a textbook. So got that hands-on knowledge. And then I actually jumped into dental sales. So that's when I got to learn all about that was really my university. That was it a course or just part of the company. Yeah. So I launched, worked with the dental sales company here in Canada and got my own territory. It was actually cold territory, which was really interesting. So no previous accounts starting from scratch, lots of fun. So there, I also got to connect with manufacturers. So all together, it all came into having great options to build a teeth whitening business. And it, of course, it was a lot of time to figure out what worked, what didn't, because unfortunately, even in dentistry, it's not focused on very much. There's pretty much one big brand that holds the marketplace. And even with a lot of my dentist friends, they say, even in university, they barely even touch the surface on whitening because that's not their priority. There's this one company that holds that marketplace and they just purchase it. They don't ask any questions. They don't really think about why is that so sensitive or why am I paying so much money for this? It's just something that just we do in the dental world. So when I decided to bring this out of the dental world, it was a lot of learning because teeth whitening is actually unregulated, which is crazy. If you think about it. I never knew that. It's so, especially here in Canada, it's considered a cosmetic service, which means. But it's still, you still put something in your mouth. Like it's, it's still has some chemicals, right? Oh, for sure. Typically you're working with different percentage of peroxides, even carb, either carbamide or hydrogen. So it can be scary. So it's been trying to find this fine balance of bringing it out of the dental world, lowering pricing for the general consumer, because in a dental office, you're looking anywhere from four to $600 a session. So that adds up. That's expensive. So to bring it out of the dental office, it's nice. Obviously our chair time isn't as valuable as a dental office. We're able to bring down that cost and we're going straight to the manufacturer opposed to a distributor. So we're also able to lower our costs there. And then with our dental background knowledge, we're able to provide the service safe and effectively in the cosmetic world. So we get pulled out of the dental world. We do public health and insurance through the personal care space. And here we are. That's incredible. And the relationships you built with the manufacturer had an effect on the success, would you say? Oh, for sure. If I hadn't had that opportunity to be a dental sales rep and get these connections with manufacturers, I wouldn't have known where to go. Or also wouldn't have had that opportunity to get this quality product and to learn really about the difference between carbamide and hydrogen and what causes sensitivity, what doesn't. So it's been great. It's lots of learning and I'm sure I still have tons to learn, but it's been a good start for sure. Yeah. It's funny how things work out, eh? Like you're just going about doing what you need to do as a job, built relationships, found a problem, got the solution and launched it. So now when finding the solution, so first of all, what is the problem here? What was the problem? Was the problem that there are not that many of these teeth whitening companies out there because there is that one or two companies that are pretty big, right? So is it because they're just too big and they took the market and nobody's coming to challenge them? Well, what was the problem? Can you share? So when, when we talk dental space, the problem definitely is there's just this massive company and they just, has been around for so long. They cause a ton of sensitivity because what actually happens is your tooth has different layers to it. And we have, we'd like to call them little pores. They're called tubulose and you put straight hydrogen peroxide at a high level. You're going to get quick absorption, but you're going to shock those tubulose. So I don't know if you've ever done teeth whitening before, but even with something like a crest white strip over the counter, you can get little zaps through your tooth. It's, we call them little zing, little zaps. Yeah. That's, I always get, that's why I don't like doing it because of that feeling, because I get those jolts that you're talking about. I feel there's something major, majorly wrong with my teeth. So I don't want to mess with that. I don't want to take a chance. Exactly. So that's just because it's straight hydrogen and it's just, you're getting some quick absorption and you're shocking those tubulose. So they're not very happy with you. So when you go into a dental office, you're able to get that hydrogen percentage at triple the amount because you're putting on gum protection. Retractor protection for your lips and your cheeks. You're able to really amp up that percentage. So sensitivity is also triple. So what we have found with working with different manufacturers is if you actually mix in carbamide peroxide with hydrogen, you actually get a slower release, so it doesn't shock the tubulose as much, which means it's a very minimal to no sensitivity when you craft the product a different way. So you are going to have not as much of a in your face result. It's still going to look brighter for sure. But that 24 hour period, it's going to continue to break down and that's when you're going to see your full brightening. So it's a little bit of a slower release for sure, but it's 100% worth it. Exactly. And you're not dehydrating the teeth as much. So there's lots of benefits. So Rachel, when you were trying to figure all this out, were you, where were you trying to do this exactly? Were you doing it in the lab or with the manufacturer helping you out? Exactly. So we work with a manufacturer here in Canada and they have set formulations already set up. And then we would go to them and say, we like this one, let's maybe do some slight adjustments. But for the most part, we were able to stick with their original formulas and they're a big manufacturer. They manufacture a lot for the beauty industry and the dental industry. So that has been great to really build a connection with them and then also start to bring to both industries, some different options for them. So on top of you whitening, we've actually just launched professional whitening products as well with them. So we've crafted our own and what we're doing here is our consumer base. What do they say? Your clients will tell you what they want. And I cannot even count the amount of times that people have slid into my DMs, either dental professionals or beauty professionals wanting to know how to do this safe and effectively. So we're listening to the market and we're also now helping others supply safe and effective product as well. So you didn't really have to reinvent the wheel. You went with what they already had and launched it. So when it comes to at home teeth whitening kits that you can buy at Costco and other places, shoppers right in Canada, how does that differentiate from you? Is that what you just explained? That's how it differentiates? Yeah, great question. So if you're buying anything over the counter, it legally has to be a lower percent of hydrogen or carbamide because you have no gum protection. So we really wouldn't want that peroxide to get on your gums. Super uncomfortable. You're going to have some zinging. So when you go in person for whitening, if that's your dental office, a beauty professional, et cetera, there are differences between the two, but still to your side whitening, you are getting higher strengths because we're putting on a gum protection to cover your gums and a cheek retractor to keep your lips and your cheeks out of the way. So then that's why we can safely apply higher levels of peroxide because you're soft tissues. So these are in session. So with somebody in office, so that is keeping your soft tissues safe. Now, if you're doing at home though, you can still get great results with at home products. You just would want to make sure that it is either just a carbamide or a mixture of hydrogen and carbamide so you don't get those shocks. But with a lower percentage, again, it can give great results. It's just, you have to be more consistent and do it more often than a straight intersession with a higher percentage. So definitely pros and cons to both. Depends on your style. If you are not somebody who can wear something consistently 20 minutes a day for five to seven days, then probably take home whitening is not for you. If you would prefer to have something done all in under 90 minutes, then a chair side session would be for you. But of course, chair side is going to be more expensive than a take home kit. So the name of the company is You Whitening. So when the, when you're doing it in the clinic, does that affect the name? Is there a different name or is it still the same name? Yeah. So if you come see us, we're You Whitening. So that would be ours. But if you are a dental office or a beauty clinic, just looking to source our gels, then we would go through professional whitening products and that's where you can grab our gels with what we've done is again, we've listened to the market. We've taken our label off of our gels and just put a tooth so that it blends in with your business because private labeling and white labeling, exactly. It's expensive. You have to buy tons of bulk. You have to get all the proper insurance. So what we've done is just put this label on, it's going to blend in. It's minimal labeling, no branding and you're ready to rock. That's awesome. Rachel, are you going to go out to the States and other countries as well with the product? We hope to, it's just every area is a little bit slightly different on your whitening regulations. It's still pretty gray all over. So most likely, so that's our hopes. So tell me about your mindset here. Were you always entrepreneurship oriented? I think I was. Whereas growing up, did you always want to start a business? I think deep down, I always was. I always early teenage switched jobs. I'm a post-secondary dropout times two. So jobs at a university and college. And I think it really just came down to, I did have that entrepreneur spirit, but I didn't know where to focus it. And around the pandemic, or just when I was beginning this, it just happened that way, it wasn't something that you were overly thinking about, meaning that during that time, you're seeing some pandemic, I don't know what's going to happen with my job, let me look at business. Was it that type of scenario or it just, you just, you step by step went into this business without realizing which one, which option is it? A little bit of both. When I was in the dental field, I was always so frustrated. Even in sales, I still had to work a part-time serving job, bartending. So I was exhausted and just wanting more. Like I kept saying, I want more, but I didn't know what that more was. So what happened was when COVID hit, us sales reps, we got laid off. So then I had a little bit more time to start playing around with some different ideas, ordering some different gels, just practice technique and different formulas, and that was huge because you don't want to launch something unless you've really figured out what works and what doesn't. Yeah. That's wonderful, Rachel. You always, we always feel we can do so much more. We always feel like we are worth so much more. We can do so much more because I feel that every human being has a purpose. That's why we're here. Like we need to do, we need to do something while we're experiencing this experience. And when we don't, we have that frustration. We don't know what's going to happen in the future. And especially when we know we can do better and we know we can do more, but we don't, when we don't. And then that also creates that blockage and frustration is dude, I can do this. I know, but why am I not doing it? Why am I not taking a step? So it's a lot of the belief structure within us and our subconscious that controls all that, but it seems like there was this, the switch, like there was this extra layer of belief towards having success in your business. Somewhere around that time that triggered all of this. Would you agree to that? I think for sure that final breaking point of being laid off and realizing that somebody else had a control over my finances, then what I did, that was the final straw of, okay, let's build something for yourself. Yeah. No, great work, Rachel. I'm glad that you came to the other side. I really appreciate it. And I got a chance to meet you as well. I love, I say this in almost all episodes, but I just absolutely love this stuff and hearing what people have done and how they have created something, innovated, something unique, different, and how it can help people. So it's great what you do. And I appreciate it. And I continue to hope that you grow into different countries and follow the regulations of course, but expand all over the world. We always like to ask this question from our guests is what do you feel your innermost superpower is that got you to this point in your life? I would say it's really communication. I feel like communicating not only with clients, but with other manufacturers, distributors, et cetera, learning how to communicate and you can learn that in so many different ways. For example, surveying, bartending, retail options, communication is huge. If you don't know how to communicate, it definitely is an unused superpower that needs to be coming out more often because communication makes the world go around, especially entrepreneurship. Oh yeah, no, I agree, Rachel. And it bonds other human beings together when you communicate effectively and you transfer that information, that knowledge to another human brain or mind. And they get to take that in and understand it and connect to you. Vibrationally, it's a huge aspect of our existence. And if you're lacking communication, that's definitely something that everyone should get into and work on. And I can tell when I, when you speak, there's that calmness, right? There's, there's no rush to what you're explaining. You're just explaining it very calmly, thoroughly, accurately, and you just take your time with it and that's very important. Oh, thanks so much. No, no problem at all. Is there anything that you would like to share with the audience when it comes to entrepreneurship or someone that's in the workforce? Nothing wrong with working a job, but obviously we want more and more people going to entrepreneurship because it does make a difference in the world. And what would you like to share with someone that is working a nine to five or working a job, they're dabbling with some side hustles here and there. They're not sure what they're doing, right? They want to do more. They believe they could do more. They're not doing more. Any kind of advice that you could share because you're coming from the trenches? Yeah. My biggest advice would be, even if you communicate with whatever industry you will want to get into, don't listen to one person. If that one person tells you no or et cetera, I've gone through many different companies of telling me one thing and actually figuring out you can do something else. So it's doing your research, really becoming passionate about one topic and figuring out all of it, because at the end of the day, you probably will eventually know more than even the person on the other side. So make sure that you really understand what you're talking about to make sure that you can make the best decisions. And at the end of the day, obviously we are going to want to make sure that we've tried everything before, just not doing anything. Yeah. No, excellent. Thank you, Rachel. It's like becoming the knowledge, becoming the information and just absolutely falling in love with it and then mastering it. For sure. Yeah, that's excellent. Love it. Thank you so much, Rachel, for taking the time to come on our show today. Like I said, wishing you all the best. And I know everyone in the audience is definitely cheering for you, for what you have accomplished. You're at six figures, seven, eight, nine, 10, whatever you wish, go for it. You got this and make this happen. I appreciate your time, audience. Thank you so much once again for joining us today. If you need to get in touch with Rachel or check out her site or information, there'll be in the show notes. Love the fact that you guys engage on social media with us, share the episode. If you know any dentists or anybody that, that, that works with this whitening with their patients, definitely share this episode, spread the awareness. I love the fact that you guys already spread the awareness, but more than Mary. So we can't grow without you. Thank you so much. Thank you.