The Power of Pivoting: From Loss to Leadership
- Nov 12
- 2 min read
By Brittany Rogars
When people hear “pivot,” they often imagine one sharp turn that changes everything. In reality, it’s usually a series of walls you run into before you realize you’ve been building in the wrong direction. I’ve learned this firsthand - not just once, but multiple times throughout my career.
The first wall was deeply personal. In 2019, I lost my best friend to addiction. In the middle of that grief, I launched a handcrafted soap business in her memory, donating a portion of profits to addiction recovery organizations.
It gave me purpose when I felt completely unmoored. But just as the business was gaining traction, I lost my sense of smell and had to shut it down.
I didn’t just lose a business - I lost the very thing I’d created to keep her memory alive. That was the moment I pivoted into what became my true calling: founding SKF Practice Solutions, a consulting firm that helps dental practices streamline systems, reduce burnout, and operate with more ease.
SKF grew quickly, but growth always comes with new walls. In 2023, my “simple” goal of automating a single client email revealed how unsustainable our operations really were. I was managing 12 products by hand, missing deadlines, and turning away clients. The breakthrough came when we overhauled our tech stack, moved into a new CRM, and documented every step of our processes. Within a year, we doubled our income and reduced stress across the board.
Another wall came through hiring. I brought on a longtime friend, certain she’d be the partner I needed to run the company. But she wasn’t a core value fit. Deadlines slipped, morale dropped, and I found myself working late nights to pick up the slack. Letting her go was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made - but it forced me to lead with our values, using them as a filter for every hire, project, and decision. Today, my team is stronger, aligned, and fully committed to our mission.
Each of these pivots reshaped not only my business but also who I am as a leader. Over the past two years, I’ve expanded into my personal brand, writing Pivot With Purpose Playbook, launching The Dental Decoders podcast, and stepping onto keynote stages.
My work now reaches not just dental professionals, but women and entrepreneurs ready to break out of survival mode and build lives rooted in clarity, confidence, and purpose.
If I’ve learned anything, it’s this: every wall is an invitation. You can keep slamming into it, or you can step back, reassess, and build a better way forward. That’s the real power of pivoting - it’s not about changing directions once, it’s about staying flexible, values-driven, and willing to rebuild until you find what truly works.
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