How To Start A Practice From Scratch

Passionate about dentistry? Yeah, me too. In fact, I decided to be a dentist at the ripe old age of 5 years old and planned my life accordingly. Some might call that a calling.

Little did I know that my life aspiration of becoming a dentist would be met with high student loan debt, working countless dead end jobs, low income and finally becoming a CEO without the corresponding business training. Didn’t the fact that I wanted to help people and create beautiful smiles count for something?

How did I get here?

After completing dental school, I did a residency. This gave me time to figure out where I wanted to live and gain more clinical experience. Residencies don’t generally pay much, so I amassed more debt. It is an incredible burden to be consumed with debt. Concerned with my loan repayment kicking in along with bills and other responsibilities, I started working as an independent contractor while also working through a temp agency. I literally worked in a different office every day before eventually settling in into one cosmetic dental office on Tuesdays and Thursdays, another HMO practice on Mondays and Wednesdays, and a third office-prosthodontist owned on Fridays and Saturdays. I worked seven days a week, including working retail in the evenings and on weekends. It’s safe to say that I am not afraid of hard work, but this was INSANE! I was exhausted. Slowly, I began to resent what I was doing and question my life decisions. What was it all for? After all I had gone to school for a very long time, and one of the rewards should have been the ability to make a decent living.

Just when it seemed I couldn’t take anymore, I received an offer to work as an associate for a group practice. There were five owners who worked short shifts (one day or evening of the week), and I was the only full time dentist. Being the only dentist was good for me, as it forced me to figure things out fro myself, whether a patient or administrative issue. It also allowed me to run the clinic as if it were mine. It fell on my shoulders to come up with a recall system, collections system and serve somewhat as a liaison between the staff and owners. And, while I enjoyed working in an environment where I could go to another dentist for advice, it rapidly occurred to me that I had no real input on the direction the practice was going. I wasn’t included in any executive decisions, and no matter what I told the staff members, it was clear that they didn’t have to answer to me. To top matters, off, I wasn’t being compensated much. So, I decided to open my own practice.

Setting up a new practice was no easy feat. But, I was prepared. I researched extensively and planned every single detail for two years before opening the doors. I visualized exactly how I wanted my practice to look, run and feel. I wrote down everything that I dreamed for my practice-downtown, in a high-rise professional building with panoramic views; I wanted soothing earth tone colors, soft jazz, aromatherapy, a massage room and state of the art technology. I planned…and planned…and planned.

Being the consummate planner, I hired a consulting group-the best golf player in the world has a coach, so why not employ this concept as a dentist? My business coaches were instrumental once the practice opened, but the steps to construction and putting the practice together in totality were left up to me.

So, it is possible to set up your own practice and change your life.

Wouldn't it be great if someone would document the process of starting a new dental business? Yes, it is a dental practice, but it also happens to be a business.

After achieving my lifelong goal of becoming a dentist, launching my dream dental practice, developing systems that would make my practice a top performing business (known for great customer service, efficiency and beautiful dentistry), and helping other dentists start and manage their practices, I documented my second new dental practice start-up. In this course, I share how you can do it too!

Finally, there is a place where you can learn and implement at your own pace (in the privacy of your own environment). You can start your own dental practice and not have to spend tens of thousands of dollars to consultants on the process.

Are you ready to join the successful entrepreneurs and start your own practice?