How We Started a Laboratory During the Pandemic

After 35 years in the industry, I had finally achieved my goal of becoming a laboratory owner. My son, Eric Rounds, also a technician, and I opened our own C&B lab, CAD Crafted Dental Studio, in Palm Desert, CA. There was just one problem: we opened on February 1, 2020, just as COVID-19 cases were beginning to hit the U.S.

We were so excited to open but, just six weeks later, dentists were shut down. Our startup costs were about $45,000 and we had already drained our savings by leasing the space and buying all our equipment and materials. As the pandemic continued, we were panicked we wouldn’t make it.

We cut back to a four-day workweek, spent our downtime painting and putting the finishing touches on the space, and continued handling clients’ emergency cases but, by May, our sales were down to just $12,000. We applied for two different pandemic loans but, because we were a brand-new business, we weren’t approved. Luckily, our family...