Strategies for Scalability

When Dr. Amy Jackson first opened her orthodontics practice in 2002, it was her primary goal to serve the San Antonio community through her work. As one of The Bank of San Antonio’s first clients, Dr. Jackson’s relationship with the bank began in 2007. Over the last 15 years, Dr. Jackson has relied on her bankers and their thought partnership to help her grow and scale her businesses from ideation and inception to successfully operating entities.  

"The Bank of San Antonio has really been the instrumental local partner that I have used to grow my businesses. I’ve been working with The Bank of San Antonio for a long, long time. They’ve been so good to me and to my businesses, and I really value my relationship with them."

—Dr. Amy Jackson  

Not only does Dr. Jackson own and manage her South Texas Orthodontics practice, but in recent years she identified a need in her market for more easily replaceable retainers and has since launched an international business called Retainers For Life. By using the latest intraoral scanning and 3D printing technologies, Retainers For Life takes the added cost, time and headache out of ordering replacement retainers at your orthodontist’s office by offering an online replacement service that’s as easy as a few clicks of a button and delivers a new retainer directly to your door at a fraction of the cost.

The most important tool that has powered Dr. Jackson's growth and scale of Retainers For Life has been ACH (Automated Clearing House) Payments. With a patient referral and commission structure system that allows partnering orthodontics practices across the United States, Canada and now Australia to mutually benefit from using Retainers For Life, implementing automated payment processes was essential to enable Dr. Jackson to expand operations.  

She uses ACH Payments in lieu of writing checks by hand, saving her time and making her processes more efficient. “In the beginning of the business I was signing stacks of checks, and I liked that because I could see every check that was coming across my desk and I was aware of where the money was going,” says Dr. Jackson. “However, as you grow and scale, that really is not sustainable.” 

As Dr. Jackson has developed and grown Retainers For Life over the past few years, Maria Breen, Executive Vice President, Private Banking Manager at The Bank of San Antonio has helped her position the company for scalability.

"As a business, it sometimes is hard to tell the story about where you're going financially and why you need the funding at the time that you need it. But when I told Maria the story of Retainers For Life and how it came about, she was not only a great listener, but she was so positive and encouraging."

—Dr. Amy Jackson 

“Just to have somebody behind you that is supporting you and giving you tailwind is really helpful," says Dr. Jackson, when talking about her relationship with Maria Breen.

“There are ups and downs in any business. To be able to tell your story to a banker like Maria who thinks in numbers but can still understand and relate to your business is invaluable.”

"As an entrepreneurial bank we get a lot of energy from our clients that share this same spirit. Seeing Dr. Jackson identify an opportunity to improve efficiency in her practice and the lives of her patients has been rewarding. Being able to play a role in helping her develop the idea and seeing it roll out across the country is why we're here. Dr. Jackson embodies our mission — To grow-through grit and curiosity."

—Maria Breen