Why having a passion for what you do is crucial to your personal and professional journey

Amy Viccars explains why it's so important to be passionate about what you do and how she found herself launching a recruitment company.

My name is Amy, I am a business partner and director of a boutique strategy and architecture recruitment and IT services company; Entasis Partners.

We are market experts who specialise in partnering with organisations across the globe. We help support business growth and change and transform strategies.

'Why is this relevant to the dental industry?' I hear you ask. You would be correct in your questioning.

My path in dentistry

Since 2010 I have worked in the dental industry; specifically within the specialist field of orthodontics.

My journey started with me working as an orthodontic nurse.

I was incredibly grateful to receive multiple promotions. It allowed my role to continually progress and my responsibilities to broaden. 

This, accompanied by familiar challenges no doubt experienced by most in the clinical industry of extremely long working hours and time spent studying in between, saw me transition through to becoming a student for the study of orthodontic therapy; a position at the time that was only a year or two into it’s grounding here in the UK. It was very unfamiliar territory for most.

I secured my dream role on graduating from the University of Central Lancashire in 2013. I was an orthodontic therapist with a focus largely directed upon treating private patients alongside my specialist orthodontist and mentor.

The satisfaction I received from treating patients; helping carve the foundations to what would soon be the making of their newly found confidence, was truly second to none. And that is what got me out of bed in the mornings.

I enjoyed taking the time to get to know each of our patients on a personal level; understanding their concerns, wishes and personal situations to ensure their experience with us under our care was a pleasant one.

The aim was that their expectations would not only be met, but exceeded with what they had hoped we could achieve following the transformation of their smile(s).

Providing 'perfect' results

As my role and professional experiences continued to develop, my passion was growing ever stronger. I wanted to help those around me better their current situation and future selves.

Treating patients, leading our health and safety, clinical audits, marketing and training programmes, my continued desires to help make a positive change soon outgrew my current path that I had paved.

I hadn’t entirely realised this just yet, however I was becoming increasingly more aware of my entrepreneurial instincts and what I was determined to achieve.

My working hours grew, my relationship suffered, my mental health took a hit, my physical health took a detour; specifically my neck. Ever growing un-balanced workloads, and my obsession to perfect my art was rapidly increasing with little to no tolerance for anything but to provide perfected results.

‘Perfect’ – a word that as a clinician you are subconsciously engineered to brainwash yourself with; unfortunately for some to the point of exhaustion.

Not quite clear on how I am now positioned in a recruitment and IT services company? Let me explain...

The path to recruitment

My now husband comes from a recruitment background.

His dreams and passions for a modernised way of working within business was equally matched to mine. This instilled a new lease of life into my way of thinking.

After a lot of back and forth, encouragement, and the first to make the final brave decision between us both, he left his current employer of five years and took the first steps to set up his own recruitment company towards the end of 2017.

Like most companies who structure in a non-compete clause within a contract of employment, my husband had the challenge of building his desk from scratch, forbidden from touching any of his previous employer's clients.

To gift him full attention with the build out of his clientele under our new business name, my skills, qualifications and experiences obtained over my years was put to the test.

I was tasked with creating, implementing and over-seeing our business operational functions. This involved building foundations and red tape that embodies the transition from start up to a professional and compliantly functioning organisation.

Marketing, HR, employment of staff, finance management, contract management. The list I very quickly learnt when setting up a business was endless.

We were now for the first time working towards ‘our own future’. Plans to build out our own empire, using all the skills we had obtained over the years to create something new.

I was second to make the tough decision to gradually step away from my clinical role. My focus was shifting towards supporting the build out of our business.

This was a decision that didn’t come lightly. And one that took me two years to fully adopt the courage to step away from full time, after having juggled all our business runnings alongside my clinical work for the first two years of our business journey.

I will always be grateful for the support from my husband throughout this transitional period. This gifted me the opportunity to be a lot kinder to myself, and eventually my time.

We are now stepping into our fifth year here at Entasis Partners. I couldn’t be prouder of all we have achieved; both as business partners as well as a team.

We presently stand as a team of seven, soon to be re-locating for our third office move. Very exciting!

Steppingstones

With a personal professional career of 16 years across industries, I can truly say that every steppingstone throughout my career has lead me to where I am today.

Every day is a learning day. We can take a lesson from every situation, which continuously presents you with new opportunities.

We are big believers in placing our team first. They are our work family and it is crucially important that they continue to feel heard and encouraged to be the best possible versions of themselves.

With emphasis on the hybrid working model, motivation levels are maintained allowing staff empowerment.

Goals are set to instil focus, and aims are drawn up to gift each a desired outcome and purpose of intention.

What to look forward to

Over these coming months, I will share insight into our recruitment services industry.

Now more than ever is the time to make your voice known and work towards your dreams.

The only thing that is stopping you is your own self-doubts.

• I will share the value behind the implementation of digital transformation within any business from a strategic enterprise architecture level
• A CV masterclass and how to avoid common mistakes to ensure you have client buy in
• Insight in how to stand out in recruitment as a profession
• Myth busting job interview questions and misconceptions. 

Enjoy the journey and the destination will take care of itself.