A Crieff woman who runs her own mobile dental hygiene business said the idea all started as a “casual joke” with older patients.
While Fiona Perry was working in a dental practice, it hit her that there was a potential need for a mobile service.
Four years ago, she put her inheritance from her aunt Frances who had passed away, and since then has run FlyingSmiles. She cycles to customers’ homes, rather than them having to come to her.
Fiona answered our questions on her biggest struggles, achievements and more.
How and why did you start in business?
It all started in a dental practice as a casual joke.
I would ask my older patients ‘have you got on your Power of Attorney that you’ll need to have this implant crown cleaned when you can’t get to the dental practice?’.
This got me thinking – would anyone want to clean food out from between their loved ones’ teeth?
The idea of providing a mobile dental hygiene service really started to blossom after I did some dementia training.
I shaped the idea in my head as I travelled around South America for 6 months with my husband and daughter.
Not long after returning, my dear Auntie Frances passed away, and in 2020 I was able to put her inheritance towards starting FlyingSmiles.
How did you get to where you are today?
I did it on my own, although I did have fantastic support from family and friends who believed in what I had to offer.
There was definitely some menopausal rage, which gave me the grit and determination to start up on my own.
But I couldn’t have done it without listening to the needs of my patients and going wherever I was needed.
Although I live near Crieff, I’m often over towards Angus and I regularly visit patients in the Western Isles.
Who helped you?
At the start there wasn’t really anyone to guide me because, as far as I was aware, FlyingSmiles was unique.
Business Gateway Tayside were great at supporting the business side of things, but when it came to the dental specifics, it was all on me.
Locally, the Federation of Small Businesses, Growbiz and the Perthshire Businesswomen’s Network helped to give me that initial business confidence.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever had?
You know more than they do.
What is your biggest mistake?
Since a mobile dental hygiene service didn’t really exist before, I wasn’t sure what to charge at the start.
It was a mistake to not believe in my own worth. I’m confident that I now have my pricing right, and I have excellent customer feedback to prove it.
What is your greatest achievement?
It’s difficult juggling being a business owner, a mother, a wife and a friend, and it’s a daily achievement.
Professionally, I feel I’ve helped get the dental profession talking about doing dentistry differently.
By training, coaching and mentoring others in the profession, it was great to see my first colleague go live with their own mobile business.
How are you managing rapidly rising costs, and how could the government help?
Unfortunately, I’m paying six times more to register with Healthcare Improvement Scotland than if I was running my business in England.
When I started the fee was £2,200 per year and now it’s up to £3,500.
I don’t want FlyingSmiles to be unique. Fees like this are restricting entrepreneurs from starting businesses and providing services that the public need.
Luckily, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) are on the case and are helping me work with the Scottish Government to bring about some positive change.
What do you still hope to achieve?
I want FlyingSmiles be known widely as a quality mobile dentistry business. I want it to be the norm, not the unusual.
What do you do to relax?
I love being outdoors in the garden, doing circuits in the park and going out on my bike. I enjoy swimming, sailing, a good book and a glass of white wine.
What are you currently reading, listening to or glued to on TV?
I’m an avid reader. At the moment I’m reading “Someday, Maybe” by Onyi Nwabineli, which dives into the emotions and journey of grief.
What do you waste your money on?
I spend a week sailing on the tall ships – something extra, but definitely not a waste of money.
What’s the first thing you do when you get up in the morning?
Pour myself a cup of tea and dive into a fictional story.
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