A Year in the Life of Kim Sung Ho
A year and a half ago, I vividly remember how I felt when Mr. Kang said, “Why don’t you take over Isaly Dental?” I was half excited and half worried.
I’ve always loved trying new things, and a network hospital is something I’ve wanted to do since I was an undergraduate student, so I was excited. But at the same time, I was also vaguely nervous about opening the first clinic in Gangnam, which is a battleground. Moreover, I felt a sense of pressure and gravity because I knew how important a puzzle Isaly Dental was to the company.
On a personal level, it was my busiest time as my twin sons were just born, but I decided to take on the challenge because I knew I could learn a lot from this opportunity and if I succeeded, it would bring great growth to the company. This was possible thanks to the advice of my father, who told me to “go for it” and the belief of my wife, who was supportive and encouraging.
Getting Ready: Building Trust with Content
One of the most important things I worked on when I was preparing to open my practice was content creation. We took the most basic knowledge of dentistry and made it easy for everyone to understand. Isali’s dental model is “a clinic where everyone can feel comfortable.
As a result, the content we created at the time has been very helpful. It has been instrumental in helping patients understand and agree to treatment during patient counseling. I’m also proud that the content is still being used to train new hires because it’s something that everyone in the company should know.
For me, the first anxiety I have before going to the doctor is “What kind of doctor will he be?” I think video content is the best channel to relieve this anxiety because it’s a place where I entrust my body and health.
With the supply of doctors increasing every year and competition getting fiercer, content is becoming more of a necessity than an option.
Seolleung: The birth of a dental clinic like no other
I was most proud of the opening of Seolleung Station. It was the moment when the ‘dental clinic that never existed in the world’ that Dr. Kang and I talked about day and night appeared in the world. I have a clear memory of Dr. Kang saying, “Imagination has been realized,” when he first came. The Isaly Dental was a new challenge and innovation in the dental world.
I must also mention the teamwork of Dr. Jin Hye-min and managers Jae-hee Choi and Hyun-ah Park. Dr. Hye-min, a veteran dentist who advised me from various perspectives, Jae-hee, who I trusted more than anyone else, and Hyun-ah, who actively helped me through the chaotic situation at the beginning of the opening.
Everyone did their part better than expected, which is why the hospital got established so quickly. We stayed up late after the 9 p.m. clinic to discuss system improvements and took the last train home together every day, something I wouldn’t have been able to do on my own.
The most unfamiliar part at first was money advice and organization. But I quickly got used to it. When I’m done, patients often say, “I’ve never been to a hospital like this before.” It’s a positive strangeness. It’s a positive strangeness.
Since the director is highly involved in the entire process of Isalee Dental, there is a lot of communication, and since it is a room type that combines a consultation room and a treatment room, I feel a lot of human connection beyond doctors and patients. At the beginning of the opening of the Seolleung Station branch, I had a lot of time to listen to the patients’ stories, so there were all kinds of conversations like a local love room. I even heard about the necklace my son-in-law bought for me.
No. 2 Sinnonhyeon: Another Beginning
As soon as the hospital was stabilized, an even bigger challenge lay ahead. It was time to open the second branch in the more fierce commercial area of Sinnon County. Before we could enjoy the fruits of our labor at the stabilized hospital, we had to start from zero again. I don’t think I realized how hard it was to work in such a frenetic pace.
But they were confident that they had done it before. They applied the same formula that worked in Seonleung: providing the best possible satisfaction to patients and building on reviews and word-of-mouth. As a result, Sinnonhyeon, which is only five months old, is quickly stabilizing.
The reactions of his peers have also changed. Before the opening of Seolleung Station, most of them were full of doubts, “Will it work?” But now that we have opened Sinsa Station after Seolleung and Sinnonhyeon, they are very supportive. I think it is becoming a new wind in the dental world, which is stained by low-cost implants and bleeding competition.
For a hospital where everyone is happy
I believe that the way Isaly Dental is today is half the success. Both personally and as a company. It was the most learning and growing year of my life, and the company gained intangible assets of experience and data, regardless of the future expansion of Isaly Dental.
Ultimately, my dream is to create a hospital where both patients and doctors are satisfied. I want to create a virtuous cycle where the minish in such a hospital will naturally benefit from it and provide better care based on it.
Together with Dr. Taehoon Kim, Mr. Dongsoo Lee, and Mr. Wonhak Kim, who joined us when Mochigua Group and Minishtech merged, we are furthering this vision.
Currently, I have combined my practice with the network business unit. I really enjoy the combination of being a physician in the field, meeting and counseling clients, and being a company employee in the back office to support them. It’s a very different role, so there’s never a dull moment, but at the same time, it’s rewarding to see the work connect and make an impact.
As a medical-based company, Minish Technology can’t grow without knowing the medical field. That’s why the directors should be more active in helping the company. I hope that the path I am walking will inspire and help many people.
The past year has been challenging, but the learning and growth we’ve experienced along the way has been invaluable. Now it’s time to start again.
