Bev James for the EBA interviews entrepreneur, Alistair McCance from Ortho Pro-Teknia Clearstep for the 2nd Business in the Spotlight. Alistair has been part of the EBA Business Growth Days since April.

• Tell me about your business

OPT is an Orthodontic manufacturing company. We produce Clearstep the Clear Brace. We also provide training to dentists that may have never have done Orthodontics before.

We also run the Clearstep Diagnostic Faculty through which we diagnose and create treatment plans dentists. These treatment plans are made by specialist orthodontists to ensure the best course of treatment for the patient. We provide ongoing support from start to finish on every case, providing technical advice from specialist orthodontists and highly trained registered orthodontic technicians.

Clearstep the Clear Brace is an aesthetically pleasing method of straightening teeth “invisibly”. The product is sold directly to Dentists and Orthodontists alike.

The Company has grown dramatically over the last 3 years. Staff numbers have risen from 12 – 70 and counting! These are very exciting times, as over the last 18 months we have been planning & implementing a new digital manufacturing process. This went live yesterday, 1st September. This revolutionary manufacturing process gives us a scalable model of expanding the business in the future and also it is easily replicated, this is important as it is likely we may need to set up production facilities in other key countries in the future.

Our approach to Orthodontics is both comprehensive and simple. We set our simple to follow plans or courses of treatment. We know that no one appliance can do everything. We cherry pick, both new innovative ideas, coupled with traditional successful methods to achieve the optimum result on every case, whilst keeping time scales and costs to a minimum.

• When did you set it up?

The Company was set up in 2004 and has been under constant development. Over the last few years every aspect of the business has been improved and with regular feedback from our clients, the Company has improved and increased in size. Due to our rapid expansion we have had to take on new premises nearby and are currently undergoing extensive work on client management systems, internal Databases and also very importantly, our website.

We have always searched for the best way of meeting our clients’ needs. Therefore we have exciting plans for our website to be E-commerce, interactive & informative. Dentists are busy people, with busy clinics, we understand this and have some excellent webinar training packages coming out where dentists can learn about our products and services at their convenience, as well as benefiting from our extensive knowledge and support via forums and case study sections. We also provide them with face to face interaction if remote is not for them and we hold regular seminars and training events for the dentists where they can further their orthodontic skill set and knowledge. To date these have been very successful.

• How did you come up with your BIG business idea?

Our Chairman, Dr Andrew McCance, is a practising Orthodontic Specialist with many years experience and vast qualifications in the field, therefore we benefit from first hand feedback on each individual product, new or otherwise. Prior to inventing Clearstep, he was continually asked in his practice, for a method of straightening teeth that could not been seen and a treatment that would not impact on their daily life.

Other Companies on the market at the time were claiming to offer solutions with Clear braces, but with low success rates and an inability to tackle severe problems or treat children.

Taking this into account, the Clearstep system was born. Dr McCance wanted to treat all severities of cases, not just simple cases like competitors and also provide such a solution for as broad an age range as possible.

To achieve such a claim, he understood that we would have to use a combination of appliances and methods to achieve this. The system is backed by extensive research and knowledge by the Chairman who is the main driver of our Research & Development department. We work in a tough market but it is this innovation that will enable the company to stay ahead of the game.

Being lead by a Clinical Specialist has enabled us to look at our products and services from our customers perspectives. Andrew is revered in the Orthodontic world and our customers enjoy the benefits on many years of experience and feel they are in safe hands.

• What is your unique selling point (USP)?

We have clients all over the world and an ever growing number across Europe. Being UK based enables us to provide the products in relatively short time scales. Through our combination approach we are able to treat all severities of cases no matter how difficult and also we treat child cases.

It is a myth that orthodontics is only available to children and many adults are pleasantly surprised that they can have that smile they have always wanted.
The training and diagnostic faculties allow us to capture many years of hard work and experience in the orthodontic world and extend this to our clients through simple to follow treatment plans and educational courses. No matter the level of experience in orthodontics a dentist may have, we are able to meet their needs and that of the patient. To make sure that the dentists have support and guidance throughout each case, we provide assistance through our highly trained customer service teams who have constant access to highly trained orthodontic technicians. These technicians have trained with us for many years and have developed a great deal of knowledge and experience working closely with our chairman and other specialists in the company. We are quickly becoming known as a knowledge provider for the advise and help we offer. There are many plans for the future and increasing our support service and help through a specialist panel is one of the favoured ideas that we have already started the ball rolling on.

• What has been your biggest business challenge to date?

I would say that the biggest challenge to date has been to find a digital solution to manufacturing.

We have been successful with a manual process and do fantastic work with highly skilled laboratory staff. This is a fine model if our aspirations were to service a small number of UK dentists. But our plans are far greater than that. We have had interest from many other countries and large numbers of practitioners who want the benefit of our expertise and the access to our product. For us to try and stand up on a world scene with the manual production method would be suicide. It is timely, expensive and very highly skilled with long training periods. We needed a scalable model that fit with our expansion plans.

However although we are enthused about the new digital method that we have worked so hard to have, this has been a trying time for all the staff. They have been uncertain about their future and also apprehensive about the new process because it is such a change to how they have been working. I feel we have dealt with this very well and allayed any fears that have arisen. I am very proud of each person in the company as they have always shown a dedication and vested interest in the success of Clearstep. Without this support from the ground up, it would have been a much harder road to where we have come. I am very happy to say that the managers have been so dedicated to helping people through this difficult period that we have not lost a single person due to the current changes.

• What element of the business do you enjoy the most?

I enjoy working with people; I have never enjoyed being tied to a desk. Talking, motivating and problem solving are the most exciting parts of my day. There are no problems only solutions! I am very interested in investing in people and we are currently sponsoring several individuals through college for various courses. Some of the staff have just completed their NVQs in management and other courses. I think giving back is very important.

• What is your favourite motivational quote?

When questioned in an interview, Mohammed Ali was asked “What would you be doing if you were not the best boxer in the world?” his response was “I’d be the best bin man in the world”. No matter what task lies ahead of you or what challenge faces you at any particular moment, you must always give 100%.

• What personal attributes do you think contributes to success in business?

Passion and belief, knowing that you can never stop learning.
Being a good listener, keeping calm, never loosing control.
I love working under pressure as I believe that it brings the best out of me.
I really enjoy being taken out of my comfort zone. I enjoy role plays and being challenged.
Being goal oriented, always working towards a vision.
Having the ability within your infrastructure and the staff around you to systematically step back and check your position and see if you are on the right track.
Remaining unphased by difficult situations.
Believing there are no problems, only solutions.
Engaging and motivating people around you to feel the same.

• How important is social media to your business?

It has become apparent after being with the EBA and speaking with Steve Clarke (an EBA Millionaire Mentor), that social media will become very important and we are currently exploring all avenues to see where they can fit in.

• What one piece of advice would you give someone thinking of starting a business for the first time?

You can plan and plan and plan, but you must get on and implement! Forecasting and business planning is crucial but this is not what it’s all about.
The doing is the hardest part and it’s all too easy to keep waiting for the right time. Don’t miss your opportunity because you were scared to take the first step.
If you are truly passionate about what you are doing, you will make it work! Set a goal and go for it! Good luck! I think that it is extremely important to find others to bounce ideas off of, just because you are the director or owner or whatever you title, everyone needs support and guidance. Here’s the plug for the EBA, no seriously, we have had a great time meeting other people who are passionate about their business and Steve Clarke has been fantastic and very exciting to talk to and learn from.

• Why did you join the EBA?

There were two reasons.  Personal development is very important to me and I am always keen to surround myself with people who have a lot of knowledge or advice to give.  I can then soak up as much as I can from them, gaining inspiration from their advice and success.

• Where did you hear about the EBA?

I saw an advert for the one day seminar with James Caan and I attended it.  I was impressed with the layout of the business growth days and decided to sign up.

• What have been the core benefits so far?

Breaking down the business into different niches and therefore understanding our USP’s to a fuller extend and how we could/should best exploit them.  I have also enjoyed learning more about aspects of business that I was unsure on and I am learning more about my personal strengths and our company strengths as a direct result.

• What would be the main reason you could recommend the EBA to date?

There are two reasons, to date:

1. I am very impressed with Steve Clarke and with the pace he works at.  It matches the pace in which our company moves!
2. There are major benefits for businesses and individuals as there is a wide variety of businesses attending the business growth days from one man bands to large corporates.  There is much to be learnt from anyone working with the EBA, especially being exposed to the Millionaire Mentors who have different stories and expertise.

Alistair McCance
Managing Director OPT Ltd
Email: Alistair.McCance@clearstep.co.uk
Website: www.clearstep.co.uk

IN SUMMARY
Bev James says: “I love the fact that Alistair lists one of the top personal attributes of a business owner as having passion and belief and knowing that you can never stop learning along with the fact that Alister enjoys being taken out of his comfort zone and being challenged. This is the attitude of a successful entrepreneur and I am delighted that EBA will be able to support Ortho Pro-Teknia Clearstep with what we feel is an outstanding product.”

Steve Clarke says: “What an honour and pleasure it is to work with Alistair and his team as their business mentor. I was invited to their facility for our first mentoring session and I’m so pleased I went along: what an eye opener!  I have five children and they’ve all been through the traditional “Train Track” orthodontic treatment at one point or another so I could immediately see the benefits of the Clear Step method.

OPT have been trading very successfully to date, but with one foot firmly on the brake …  intentionally. They have a unique niche in the market. They showed me just how complex and skilled the manual craftsmanship is that enables them to deliver a first class quality product. This was recognised as not only a barrier to entry, but also a limiting factor for their own growth, hence the ‘foot on the brake.’ Alistair and the team have come up with an incredible solution which has revolutionised their production and delivers total scalability. They are now poised for great things!

This is a company to watch. They have all the right ingredients for incredible success; Visionary leadership, unique quality product, receptive market and a highly motivated team. I feel very excited and privileged to be involved at this pivotal time of their growth.”

James Caan says: “Reviewing the business from a new perspective because of the mentoring has clearly enabled Alistair to fully understand how important it was to identify the niche(s) in his business. His customers of today, tomorrow and the future need to know what the USP for the business is. Customers will always have a subliminal thought process which runs something like “why should I buy from you?” It’s very clear that this company enjoys a fabulous international reputation and I think Clearstep the Clear Brace – the invisible brace for adults and children, is a terrific innovative product! By finding a digital solution for the manufacturing now puts the business in a totally different league. I am always pleased to read about a business owner who is passionate about taking care of themselves AND their business and wanting to achieve their very best!”