Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Bruce Chou, Co-Founder, and CEO of FutureDMD, located in Burnaby, BC, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
FutureDMD is a For Purpose organization with a mission to cultivate and inspire the next generation of passionate dentists while serving humanity one smile at a time. Our customers are future dentists (pre-dental students) who desire to one day become passionate dentists. Proceeds from our mentorship mission are donated to support one more family weekly.
Tell us about yourself
I have been a full-time general dentist for over seven years and a partner in a successful dental practice. FutureDMD has nothing to do with fixing teeth; rather, it is a mentorship program to cultivate passionate dentists whose mission is to serve people.
FutureDMD was founded because, during my career in dentistry, I constantly hear stories from dentists around me that are burnt out and miserable. I ask myself if they have achieved their dream of becoming a dentist and accumulated all the wealth, why are they so unhappy?
I started to realize that my passion for what I did was not driven by how much wealth I had built but by the ability to serve others. Happy dentists share the same values. This insight has led me on the mission to cultivate the next generation of passionate dentists by creating a mentorship program to guide students who are pursuing dentistry as a career. By guiding the pre-dental students at the start of their journey and reminding them that being a dentist is truly about serving others first, my hope is to inspire more passionate dentists.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
FutureDMD was founded in 2020 at the start of the pandemic when pre-dental students were unable to shadow dental clinics and therefore lacked the chance to gain valuable insight into their career path. As a non-profit, for-purpose organization, we have created a strong core team consisting of passionate dentist mentors and future dentists who volunteer their time to this mission.
Since then, our team has hosted over 20 live modules and created three unique programs: Virtual Dental Shadowing Preparation Program, Mastering the Dental School Application Program, and Personal Statement Mastery program. Our events were held live over Zoom, and we have mentored over 2000+ students from across the world to date. All our programs are now OnDemand, where students have continued to learn through our recorded programs.
Through our programs, FutureDMD has also raised over $30,000 CAD and supported close to 100 families to date. Every single week we continue this mission, and one day our goal is to support one more family a day! We have partnered with companies like Align Technology (Invisalign), Dentsply, and DAT Boosters/Crusher, who also believe in our vision and have generously sponsored FutureDMD's growth.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
The hardest thing as a founder is for others to believe in my vision. However, I realized any mission that serves humanity in a positive way would naturally gain traction. Our challenge and goal are for every future dentist and current dentist to experience what FutureDMD has to offer!
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Have a strong mission to serve.
- Be humble during the process.
- The secret to fulfillment is to realize that the whole point of growing a business is to be growing yourself during the process. Failure and challenges are good for you because it's the only way to be better.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.futuredmd.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2943296645996181
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/future.dmd/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
Turn your craft into recurring revenue with Subkit. Start your subscription offering in minutes and supercharge it with growth levers. Get early access here.
