The brothers and co-founders of Ultrasmile talk about the most important lessons they've learnt setting up a business

Most sectors have their equivalent of the Oscars—in dentistry, it's the National Private Dentistry Awards. So when in 2006, one-year-old Docklands-based practice Ultrasmile won Practice of the Year and Best Patient Care (among others) it was a Hollywood moment. Khoi Nghiem, practice manager and co-founder of Ultrasmile with his brother Thang, sees winning is the reward for hard graft, personal financial investment and a bit of foresight.

The brothers invested heavily in order to ensure they had "one of the most technologically advanced practices in the world". It dented their finances—"we needed to spend an awful lot of money"—but was central to their business plan: Khoi says if they've learnt one thing, it's to invest in every part of the business early in order to reap the rewards. "My brother is passionate about dentistry," explains Khoi. "He's trained all around the world and taken courses with the best cosmetic dentists. There was a market for high-end dentistry, American-style, over here."

The brothers also recognised the value of investing in people: "You never have enough time to do everything, so it's key to get the right staff in," says Khoi. "Once they've bought into your concept, the rest becomes a lot easier." He says if employees don't meet your own high standards, "don't be afraid to let them go". In the service industry, he explains, "everything revolves around the client. There's so much competition out there, you have to stay ahead and do that bit more. The service level in the UK in general is way below that of the US. You really need to work at customer service, motivate your staff and make sure everyone's involved."