On summer mornings in Iowa City, Kyle Gustofson and Ben Freiberg trade handpieces for squeegees.
As students at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics, Gustofson and Freiberg spend their summers running Window Docs, the business they started together. What began as a way to earn money during dental school has become a lesson in entrepreneurship, teamwork, and community building.
The idea was simple: provide a service people already need while building a business they could manage alongside their studies.
Gustofson and Freiberg realized window cleaning is always in demand; the only thing they needed to develop was the courage to find customers.
The name Window Docs incorporates both their identity as dental students and the professionalism they bring to every job.
Like many startups, Window Docs began with persistence.
"It all started with door-to-door sales," explains Freiberg, "When we didn't have clients scheduled, we'd knock on doors and offer to clean windows that day."
As referrals grew, so did the business — and the learning curve.
One of the biggest challenges for the duo wasn't finding customers; it was building the systems behind the scenes to support their growth.
The experience of running a small business —forming an LLC, securing insurance, managing employees and scheduling, to name a few— enhanced what they were learning in their dental curriculum.
Balancing classes and a growing business required discipline. Gustofson and Freiberg are conscientious about not spreading themselves too thin, which requires planning, organization, and delegation.
Looking to the future, Gustofson and Freiberg hope to partner with the College of Dentistry to hire first- and second-year dental students, providing them with flexible work while keeping the business connected to the college community.
For students considering entrepreneurship, Freiberg's advice is simple: "Start now. You don't have to reinvent the wheel. If you're driven and disciplined, you can make almost anything work."
For Gustofson and Freiberg, Window Docs is more than a summer job – it's proof that valuable lessons can happen outside the classroom.
