In Shasta’s words
How Paragon began.
Do you know how some people eat, sleep, breathe sports? Well, that's me, but with dentistry. Sometimes I truly think it is coursing through my veins. I love it; I think it loves me. We are a match, and here's why; many years ago, I applied for a front desk position at a dental practice with literally no experience in the field. I never dreamed I would get a callback, but then I did and miraculously was hired.
Two days after starting, the office manager, who just so happened to be the only other front office team member, walked out; she just quit. And the dentist handed lil ole me the keys to the kingdom. Boy, was I not ready! I didn't know what a prophy was, resin was a foreign language, and a ledger looked like I needed a degree from Harvard to comprehend. I knew literally nothing, zilch, except the fact that I couldn't let her down. I needed the job, and I needed to get it right. I had to learn quickly.
Google became my best friend. I was on a first-name basis with our software support team, and I worked the longest hours of my life. But I did it; I taught myself all the ins and outs to successfully run a dental practice. And successful we were! Eventually, I ventured out into the industry, and I was able to increase my knowledge with first-hand experience, amazing mentors and colleagues, continuing education, dental conventions, and some of the best servant leaders a gal could ask for.
A few weeks after taking a position as an office manager in a very small dental practice, I discovered my predecessor had left the office's finances in a dire state. In fact, the dentist had been forced to take out a second mortgage simply to meet payroll. Witnessing the loyalty and care for his team motivated me to exhaust all possibilities to collect every dollar owed to the practice, quickly increasing insurance and patient revenue.
