Today we’d like to introduce you to Jizal Seikali.
Jizal, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My name is Jizal El Seikali and I was born in Beirut, Lebanon. My family and I were able to flee the Lebanese Civil War in 1988 and immigrate to Cleveland, Ohio. I am one of six children and jokingly referred to as “number four”. We grew up in a small suburb west of Cleveland known as Avon Lake, where I completed my primary education, elementary through high school. After graduation in 2004, I decided to stay local and attend college at Cleveland State University.
My experience in the dental field began even before I started college. At the time, I was an apprentice for a general dentist who was teaching me about being a dental assistant and a receptionist. I was quickly intrigued by the artistic value and patience it took when working in such a small space. Dentistry is unique in restorations and design when helping each patient achieve their ideal smile.
After my freshman year in college, I decided to pursue dentistry in the military. I completed my Advanced Individual Training in 2006 and continued my college education while serving. I declared my major as Pre-med with a focus in dentistry and I also joined ROTC at John Carroll University. I graduated both programs in 2010 and was quickly deployed soon after for Active Duty.
I returned home and completed my military commitment in 2014. I decided to get back into school where I enrolled in the Expanded Functions Dental Auxiliary program at Case Western Reserve University. I graduated a year later and was able to start putting my artistic skills back to work. I gained so much experience working in different offices for several years, which is what lead me to start my company, DenTemp, in 2018.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Like any endeavor in life, there have been plenty of challenges I have had to face on my journey. The first one being, plan A doesn’t always work out, which is why it’s okay to walk away…
I was convinced that when I completed my military obligation, I was going to be accepted into dental school and become a doctor within a few years. After getting my feet wet in the EFDA program and working with several doctors soon after, I come to the conclusion that being a dentist was not my calling. I wanted to continue helping people, but what I realized is that my dental friends were each facing their own challenges. With such a high turnover in the dental field, I wanted to come up with a solution that allowed dental professionals to not only make their own schedule, but also set the pay rate they deserve.
I had to come up with a platform that brought my vision to life, which leads me to my next challenge. Finding a web developer is a very simple task, but hiring a competent one who can execute your expectations is a completely different obstacle. I have spent way more time and money on developers who have promised, but never delivered. My website is still a working progress, but finally in a place where I am able to connect offices and dental professionals alike.
Leading me to my next challenge, the United States Patent and Trademark Office. When I filed for my LLC in 2018, I also hired a lawyer to ensure that I was completing all the necessary paperwork for DenTemp. Although, there are hundreds of other companies with the same name, I knew that once my company became national, I had to clarify what services I provided. Once approved by the USPTO, I received a letter in the mail from a company that is suing DenTemp for the Trademark and logo. More time and money spent so that I was able to keep the name.
With so many roadblocks and hurdles to overcome, the biggest challenge from the beginning has been marketing this niche company within the dental industry. Most people assume that DenTemp is a staffing agency because that is all we have known for the past several years. My goal is being able to connect dental professionals in a way that has never been done before. My hard work and persistence will pay off regardless of all continued barriers we face.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about DenTemp?
My main objective is to build a dental community where we as healthcare professionals, are not only helping people, but helping each other. The name DenTemp stems from Dental Temps, which focuses on providing assistance to offices who need help covering temporary shifts including sick days, vacation days, maternity leave, and any other instances.
With females making up the majority of almost every dental practice, I was able to discern that most of their needs were not being met, resulting in the frequent turnovers. This may not be the case for every office, but is definitely a cause for concern regarding most. I personally have friends who work at multiple offices just to take care of their household and children. Temp agencies help, but are not a reliable source of income.
DenTemp is a unique platform that addresses the main issue all temp agencies lack, transparency. Offices and professionals get to review a full profile, but they are also able to rate each other. For example, Julie is a dental hygienist who is asking for $45/hr and is available on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Her profile includes a photo, her education, work experience, skills, certificates, and other basic information. It also has a section where you can review her rating based on punctuality, dress code, and how well she worked with patients. This information is not something temp agencies take the time to learn, let alone disclose.
What sets DenTemp apart is that offices are able to post both temporary and permanent positions available. Being able to contact these dental professionals directly is so important. Searching by dental position and availability saves time from posting a job that needs an immediate response. If a staff member calls in sick the evening before or the morning of, the website is available to members at any time.
I am most proud of how DenTemp is providing a much needed service that is both time and cost effective. We are addressing a well known issue in our industry and building a community and a dental market you can trust.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
DenTemp started off strong and was progressing well early in the Beta trial of the website. We were gaining momentum in the Columbus area because of all the young dentists who were interested in the new tech. Shortly after the ODA (Ohio Dental Association) conference in October 2019, we had approximately 500 members who were successfully utilizing the site.
What now seems like a lifetime ago, Covid impacted DenTemp in a unique way. Once all of the dental offices shut down, everyone was at a stand still and because we were still in Beta, I was able to address many of the functionality issues with the website. I was also able to take courses provided by JumpStart that helped me put together a better business plan and go-to-market strategy. I thought I had a good understanding of my business, but they gave me additional resources and tools to grow my company. All of these skills and ideas have only helped evolve my business to become better.
I have learned many important lessons due to Covid, but one of the most important is that although things may never go back to how they were before, I will continue to focus on my goal of helping people and no matter what, keep moving forward.
Pricing:
- $50 monthly per office
- $500 annually per office
- No charge for dental professionals
Contact Info:
- Email: contact@den-temp.com
- Website: www.den-temp.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dentemp_llc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dentemp/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/dentempllc
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZSluLgoFNH9-uzh0wr91kg
