Both Her Businesses Were Hit on the Same Day. What Would You Do? | Debora Carrier
The Dental Handoff
264 views
What would you do if two businesses you'd spent years building were hit on the same day?
Debora Carrier faced that question when a change in certification guidelines disrupted the business model behind CPR Sisters while the factory her uniform company had relied on for 15 years also shut down.
For a moment, she wondered: “Do I just retire?”
Instead, she pivoted.
In this episode of The Dental Handoff, Dr. Kelly Tanner sits down with Debora to talk about what happened when both of her companies took a serious hit at once, how she rebuilt both, and the networking approach she credits for most of what she's built.
In This Episode:
• Why being told “you’ll never get into hygiene school” motivated Debora to get in at 17.
• How a fashion show fundraiser in hygiene school unexpectedly launched her modeling career.
• How CPR Sisters grew from office recertification classes into helping bring defibrillators to schools across Georgia, including work supported by a $1 million American Heart Association grant.
• How the “thermostat wars” inspired Twice As Nice Uniforms and how a chance connection led to her only investor.
• What it takes to start a business after 50: Debora launched her uniform company at 55.
• The day both businesses faced a crisis: a CPR certification guideline change disrupted one business model, while her uniform factory shut down.
• Why Debora says, “I’m pretty much nothing without my factory.”
• How both businesses recovered, including uniform customers returning after 10 years and placing larger orders than before.
• “No-goal networking”: how Debora builds connections without approaching every conversation with an agenda.
• The temperature-regulating fabrics, copper-thread technology, and new pajama line behind her uniform business.
00:00 – Both Businesses Hit Crisis Mode. Would You Retire?
00:31 – Meet Debora Carrier
01:39 – Her Counselor Said She’d Never Get Into Hygiene School
02:29 – The Fashion Show That Launched Her Modeling Career
05:27 – Balancing Dental Hygiene, Modeling, and Motherhood
08:06 – Why She Started CPR Sisters
09:12 – Two Mothers Changed Her CPR Mission
10:33 – The Thermostat Wars That Inspired a Business
11:46 – Starting a Business at 55: The $500,000 Challenge
12:30 – How She Found Her Investor
14:06 – “I Make That Luck”: No-Goal Networking
15:12 – Want to Start a Business but Don’t Know What?
17:18 – Start With the Idea That Lights You Up
17:48 – Both Businesses Take a Terrible Turn
19:19 – What Happened to CPR Sisters?
20:04 – A Guideline Change Disrupts the Business Overnight
20:28 – The Hybrid Model That Kept CPR Sisters Going
21:40 – Bad News Hits Her Uniform Business, Too
22:03 – Her Factory Shuts Down
22:30 – How the Uniform Business Recovered
23:24 – From Scrubs to Temperature-Regulating Pajamas
24:29 – Turning Setbacks Into Opportunities
25:17 – Why She Kept Smiling Through the Crisis
26:18 – What Every Setback Taught Her
27:03 – Final Encouragement and How to Connect
Connect with Debora Carrier:
Debora Carrier, RDH Founder & CEO, Twice as Nice Uniforms | Co-Founder, The CPR Sisters | 2025 Sunstar GUM/RDH Award of Distinction – Entrepreneur Category Winner
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/deboracarrier
https://twiceasniceuniforms.com/
Stay Connected with Us!
Want to keep up with the latest in dental hygiene, leadership, and professional growth?
📘 Follow us on Facebook: Next Level DH Facebook: Nextleveldh
📸 Join the conversation on Instagram: @nextleveldh
💼 Connect with Kelly on LinkedIn: LinkedIn: kellygtanner
Your next level starts here – let’s grow together!
1 Comments
Both Her Businesses Were Hit on the Same Day. What Would You Do? | Debora Carrier
The Dental Handoff
264 views
What would you do if two businesses you'd spent years building were hit on the same day?
Debora Carrier faced that question when a change in certification guidelines disrupted the business model behind CPR Sisters while the factory her uniform company had relied on for 15 years also shut down.
For a moment, she wondered: “Do I just retire?”
Instead, she pivoted.
In this episode of The Dental Handoff, Dr. Kelly Tanner sits down with Debora to talk about what happened when both of her companies took a serious hit at once, how she rebuilt both, and the networking approach she credits for most of what she's built.
In This Episode:
• Why being told “you’ll never get into hygiene school” motivated Debora to get in at 17.
• How a fashion show fundraiser in hygiene school unexpectedly launched her modeling career.
• How CPR Sisters grew from office recertification classes into helping bring defibrillators to schools across Georgia, including work supported by a $1 million American Heart Association grant.
• How the “thermostat wars” inspired Twice As Nice Uniforms and how a chance connection led to her only investor.
• What it takes to start a business after 50: Debora launched her uniform company at 55.
• The day both businesses faced a crisis: a CPR certification guideline change disrupted one business model, while her uniform factory shut down.
• Why Debora says, “I’m pretty much nothing without my factory.”
• How both businesses recovered, including uniform customers returning after 10 years and placing larger orders than before.
• “No-goal networking”: how Debora builds connections without approaching every conversation with an agenda.
• The temperature-regulating fabrics, copper-thread technology, and new pajama line behind her uniform business.
00:00 – Both Businesses Hit Crisis Mode. Would You Retire?
00:31 – Meet Debora Carrier
01:39 – Her Counselor Said She’d Never Get Into Hygiene School
02:29 – The Fashion Show That Launched Her Modeling Career
05:27 – Balancing Dental Hygiene, Modeling, and Motherhood
08:06 – Why She Started CPR Sisters
09:12 – Two Mothers Changed Her CPR Mission
10:33 – The Thermostat Wars That Inspired a Business
11:46 – Starting a Business at 55: The $500,000 Challenge
12:30 – How She Found Her Investor
14:06 – “I Make That Luck”: No-Goal Networking
15:12 – Want to Start a Business but Don’t Know What?
17:18 – Start With the Idea That Lights You Up
17:48 – Both Businesses Take a Terrible Turn
19:19 – What Happened to CPR Sisters?
20:04 – A Guideline Change Disrupts the Business Overnight
20:28 – The Hybrid Model That Kept CPR Sisters Going
21:40 – Bad News Hits Her Uniform Business, Too
22:03 – Her Factory Shuts Down
22:30 – How the Uniform Business Recovered
23:24 – From Scrubs to Temperature-Regulating Pajamas
24:29 – Turning Setbacks Into Opportunities
25:17 – Why She Kept Smiling Through the Crisis
26:18 – What Every Setback Taught Her
27:03 – Final Encouragement and How to Connect
Connect with Debora Carrier:
Debora Carrier, RDH Founder & CEO, Twice as Nice Uniforms | Co-Founder, The CPR Sisters | 2025 Sunstar GUM/RDH Award of Distinction – Entrepreneur Category Winner
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/deboracarrier
https://twiceasniceuniforms.com/
Stay Connected with Us!
Want to keep up with the latest in dental hygiene, leadership, and professional growth?
📘 Follow us on Facebook: Next Level DH Facebook: Nextleveldh
📸 Join the conversation on Instagram: @nextleveldh
💼 Connect with Kelly on LinkedIn: LinkedIn: kellygtanner
Your next level starts here – let’s grow together!
Debora Carrier actually reached the point of asking herself, “Do I just retire?”
Instead, she found a way forward.
For the dental professionals watching: Have you ever thought about building something outside your clinical role? What's holding you back—the timing, money, idea, or fear of starting?