220. Rising Costs and Brand Resilience with Dental Hygiene Nation

What started as a side hustle in dental hygiene school turned into a wildly successful lifestyle brand. Caitlyn Cochran shares how she built Dental Hygiene Nation from Etsy orders in her dorm room to a full-blown eCommerce business. She and Michelle talk about community, niching down, and trusting the slow-and-steady brand building process. If you've ever struggled to increase your prices, tackle limiting beliefs as an entrepreneur, or show up online as a founder, this episode will give you the insights to quell those fears.

 

Caitlyn Cochran is the founder and Chief Toothy Officer of Dental Hygiene Nation, a brand specializing in dental apparel and accessories. What began as a vital Twitter page in 2012 evolved into a thriving online store launched in 2015. In addition to her product line, Caitlyn also leads Dental Hygiene Seminars, an educational initiative designed to support dental hygiene students in successfully passing their national board exams. Through her innovative approach, Caitlyn has become a respected voice in the dental community, empowering future dental professionals to achieve their goals. ------------------------ In today's episode, we cover the following:

• Dental Hygiene Nation's origin story
• Their vision and worldbuilding
• The struggles of business owners in 2025
• Communicating price changes and value to customers
• Branding for a niche audience
• How DHN built a loyal following by listening and engaging
• Scaling slowly and sustainably
• Knowing when to go all in
• Leveraging social media for growth
• Creating merch that sells and resonates
• Building a team without losing your brand voice
• Learning to see yourself as a CEO
• Why you don’t need to be mainstream to succeed

----------------------- RESOURCES:

• Get 10% off Dental Hygiene Nation goodies with code KMA
• Episode 057: Client Case Study - Dental Hygiene Nation
• Episode 131: Building a Merch Brand with Caitlyn Rastetter of Dental Hygiene Nation
• Episode 171: Dynamic Strategies for Optimizing Content and UGC

----------------------- GUEST INFO: To learn more about Caitlyn and Dental Hygiene Nation, follow their Instagram and TikTok @DTHYNation, on Facebook @DentalHygieneNation and visit their website, DentalHygieneNation.com ----------------------- Social media in 2025 is pure chaos—platforms are shifting, algorithms are unpredictable, and keeping up feels like a full-time job. That’s why we're sharing our 2025 Social Media Webinar that we share with all of our clients. It's a no-BS breakdown of what’s working, what’s dead, and how to build a strategy that actually delivers. Whether you’re a brand owner or a social media pro, this resource is your shortcut to navigating the wild west of online marketing. Tune in at MKWCreative.co/resources/p/2025socialmedia ----------------------- WORK WITH MKW CREATIVE CO.   Connect on social with Michelle at:

• Kiss My Aesthetic Facebook Group
• Instagram
• Tik Tok

----------------------- Did you know that the fuel of the POD and the KMA Team runs on coffee? ;) If you love the content shared in the KMA podcast, you're welcome to invite us to a cup of coffee any time - Buy Me a Coffee! ----------------------- This episode is brought to you by Zencastr. Create high quality video and audio content. Get your first two weeks free at https://zencastr.com/?via=kma. ----------------------- This episode of the Kiss My Aesthetic Podcast is brought to you by Audible. Get your first month free at www.audible.com/kma.   This episode was edited by Berta Wired Theme music by: Eliza Rosevera and Nathan Menard