This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Dr. Haley Abivardi, DMD (above, right), and Dr. Goly Abivardi, DMD, the 56- and 52-year-old co-CEOs and founders of vVardis, based in Zug and Zurich. It’s been edited for length and clarity.
We’re sisters and best friends who founded vVardis, a healthcare company in the dental med-tech space. Dr. Haley oversees the financial part of the business, Dr. Goly manages tech, and the rest we do jointly.
Here’s how we got started and what a typical day in our lives as co-CEOs looks like.
Dr. Goly: Haley and I studied medicine and dentistry at the University of Zurich. I always wanted to be a dentist like her. Haley completed her studies before me.
We first led a public pediatric dental clinic in a rural area of Switzerland together, treating children from low-income families. We realized we had to change something in dentistry because of ineffective technologies, parents’ lack of awareness, and anxiety about seeing the dentist.
Haley and I built the first dental support organization, or DSO, in Switzerland. We gave our patients the best technologies available, but we still couldn’t provide the kind of help we wanted to offer.
Dr. Haley: We came up with the idea of a fear-free dental office in our 20s. We put all of our savings together, about $100,000, and got a seven-figure loan. We opened Swiss Smile in the main station in Zurich at the end of 2002.
Our office was open every day from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Within a short time, the concept became successful, so we began opening more offices. We also went abroad, opening fear-free DSO offices in India, Russia, and other countries.
Dr. Goly: One day, we discovered a formulation that can treat small cavities non-invasively, without a drill.
Dr. Haley: We sold everything and put all our resources into supporting this new technology to make this solution available to everyone. Now, we’re in our 50s, and we’ve put a total of $100 million into this.
Dr. Goly: We’re constantly connected to our business and have a 24/7 mentality.
We typically wake up at 4 a.m. when in Europe and 2 a.m. when in the US
Dr. Goly: We live separately in Switzerland with our families. When we’re in the US, we share an apartment in New York City, and we wake up at 2 a.m. because our team in Switzerland starts at 8 a.m.
We both grab our phones and check emails to see if we missed anything, address any important emails, and make quick decisions.
I work out when I have the time. After that, I take a shower and get ready. I listen to podcasts and news, such as the Financial Times, as I get ready for the day.
Dr. Haley: If I have time, I go on the cross trainer for 10 minutes, with the news on in the background.
I love coffee and always make an Americano, but half of it is milk. My sister also likes coffee and drinks Americanos with less milk than me.
Dr. Goly: I skip breakfast and do an interval diet.
On a daily basis, Haley and I do our own hair and makeup, either very early in the morning or late at night. For onstage events and photo shoots, we have hair and makeup professionally done.
We go to the office five days a week, wherever we are
Dr. Goly: I start the day by reviewing priorities, focusing on the company’s important issues, and then contacting the team to see if they need any support.
Our days are full of meetings. We no longer practice dental care.
Dr. Haley: Goly and I have clearly defined areas, topics, and functions where we work alone and those we handle together. Consequently, we take some meetings together and handle others separately.
The morning meetings are for our team to go through their weekly checklist and for us to answer any questions.
There are things that can derail our day, such as a change in business focus, an emergency in the family, or a travel reschedule, but we focus on what’s important, and then we tell others we need to postpone the meeting to another time if our day gets derailed.
We’re flexible but have a light lunch wherever we are.
Dr. Goly: I usually get a salad and eat it at my desk. Haley gets a salad most days as well, but also likes to get a McDonald’s Happy Meal. It’s actually good in Switzerland, so it’s a fast lunch — always fast.
Dr. Haley: If we have a lunch meeting, then it’s a longer lunch.
Our afternoons are a bit more flexible, but we also have physical meetings and virtual meetings. Our customers take priority.
Sometimes we leave the office at 1 a.m. in Switzerland because we still have meetings with the US team
Dr. Goly: There are times when I’m getting home at 2 a.m.
Dr. Haley: I’m married and have four children. Goly is married and has two children. Normally, we travel together, but we travel separately at times, depending on the business topic of the meeting or event.
When I’m in Switzerland, I try to leave the office around 6 p.m. so I can cook dinner, because I love cooking.
When I have time and the family has eaten, I sometimes go back to the office — when everyone in my home has gone to sleep.
Dr. Goly: We both have nannies to help with the children. I like to cook when I have time, and I’m at home. I know what my children love to eat. I cook for the whole week, portion it, and put everything ready in the freezer so the children can eat when I’m traveling.
After dinner, I’ll sometimes watch Netflix or Disney+ with my kids. They’re happy when their mom is sitting next to them, but they know I’m still working because I’ll have my phone out doing some light work.
We go to bed around midnight and don’t work much on the weekends
Dr. Goly: I go to bed around midnight, when our US team is also done for the day.
Dr. Haley: On Sundays, I cook a big breakfast for the whole family, with pancakes, eggs, bacon, and everything.
Dr. Goly: We try to be at home with our family on weekends.
Our mission is to help people, and we believe it really matters — that’s why we work as much as we do.
We go to bed, sleep for four and a half hours, wake up, and do it all over again.
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