Dr. Carla Renata Sarni, 38 years old, is the founder of one of the largest dental clinic franchises in the country, Sorridents Clínicas Odontológicas (Sorridents Dental Clinics).

Carla, who was born in Pitangueiras in the state of São Paulo, was always attracted to the area of healthcare. While attending the technical high school for Data Processing and Teacher Training, she took the admission exams for Dentistry in Alfenas - MG, and was accepted at the age of 16. In 1995, the doctor completed her course and chose to return to São Paulo to begin her career. She achieved a position as an outsourced dentist at a dental office in the eastern part of the city.

After three months of work, Carla managed to build up an enviable portfolio of clients thanks to her charisma, dedication, and love of her job. During the same period, Carla opened her own clinic, where she started to work in partnership with a fellow professional. At that time, Carla was still attending a postgraduate specialization course as an oral and maxillofacial surgeon.

The persistent dental surgeon realized at that time that she could bring together two of her dreams and achieve success: promote oral health for everyone and also enable her clinic to grow significantly. The path she laid out and the strategy she adopted were right on target! Given the high quality of the services provided and the focus of care on patients’ needs, demand grew and it quickly became necessary to expand the office.

By 2003, Sorridents Clínicas Odontológicas already had 19 units in operation. At that time, Dr. Renata chose to license her brand in order to continue with the expansion. By 2006, just three years after the start of the licensing process, the dental surgeon had 87 clinics in operation. In order to monitor the administration of each of the clinics and standardize care, the team led by the doctor carried out market and business feasibility studies and concluded that the time was right to start the brand franchising process. They formulated the business model and started to work under the system by converting all the licensed units into franchisees. Sorridents Clínicas Odontológicas now had 175 units throughout the country and expects to reach its target of 500 clinics throughout Brazil by 2016.

According to Dr. Renata, the secret of her success was her desire to help. “I chose my profession very early on and over the years I discovered that there was a greater motive for my early choice. I was not looking for status or wealth. My purpose was always to help people in need, regardless of their financial conditions. I worked and continue to work hard, and I am dedicated and love what I do. I believe that respect for others was the key to my professional growth,” she explained.