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  • #914: This Is Your Ideal Marketing Growth Strategy

    #914: This Is Your Ideal Marketing Growth Strategy

    · Dental A Team Podcast

    Josh Scott of Studio EightyEight is back for more! He joins Kiera to talk about the marriage of creativity with performance marketing for dental practices, how to pull meaning from conversations when talking about dentistry, why putting yourself out there actually helps your patients, and more.

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    Transcript:

    The Dental A Team (00:00.526)

    Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera And today I am so jazzed. have one of my dearest friends and I don't mean that like as a podcast intro, like truly this person is someone that I just count as one of my greatest friends. And I'm so excited to welcome Josh Scott, CEO, founder, Studio EightyEight Marketing. They have the best swag. I was just telling Josh, I wore their sweatshirt all summer long. I am a terrible ambassador. I don't take pictures and post, but I love your swag. So Josh, welcome to the podcast. How are you today?

    Hey, I'm great. It's always good to be here. looking forward to this all week when I see it show up on my calendar. And yeah, you know, I don't know that I believe you, Kiera. You say you wear the flag, but I've never seen proof of it. So we can talk like that on a podcast, but just saying I've never seen it. You know, I should like stop this podcast right now and run upstairs and go grab it. So then we have the, all the social proof, which I think I'm going to do. So we're just going to hit stop. All right, Josh. So, like I said, we were going to hit stop and

    for the world to see. All right. It exists. It exists. All right. I love this sweatshirt so much, truly. And I love you guys so much, but like your swag this year was my favorite swag of all because the sweatshirt just feels like a nice hug and I appreciate that it's your company, but it doesn't feel like I'm just wearing like swag, like EightyEight You've got the nice like sports attire to it. So it felt good that I wasn't like.

    Studio EightyEight I need to work on our Dental A Team. Cause I'm like, when I send you swag, it's like be Dental A Team today. Of letting me still be a human, but also that. So it does exist. I hope that my marketing team takes this crops it. It's on here. We'll tag you. We're going to use this clip for like the next three years. That's what's going to happen. Yeah. No, it's fun. Our team, they, so, so first off with swag, it's like, try to give people stuff that they would actually wear. So it's not just like,

    blatant, you like you look like a team member of ours when you're wearing our stuff because you're just all EightyEight out. But, and they have a theme every year. So this year was this whole athletic company kind of vibe, which was a ton of fun next year. We're already like in concepts for, we do it in Q1 every year. So already in concepts, this whole like camping, kind of like modern camping theme. It's kind of fun. Like, they're, they're all geeked out about the videos. They're going to shoot around it. The, know, we're looking at like little tin mugs and things like that.

    The Dental A Team (02:22.413)

    So it's fun, but I always encourage, this is a good segue, because I encourage dental practices, like when they do swag, sometimes it's just like their logo, really big on the shirt or the hat or whatever. It's like nobody wants to wear a hat that says XYZ dental. But dentistry is so easy. If you just put, get a trucker hat, put smile on the front of it, put your logo on the back, smile more, smile bigger, let's all smile. That message is so...

    awesome to like wear out in the world. And people love that. I've got this one sweatshirt from a dental practice to smile more on the back. And what's funny is when I wear it's a really cool hoodie. When I wear it, like people talk to me. They're like, yeah, I love that. You know, like, yeah, the world needs a smile more. And sometimes like when I'm traveling, I'm pretty introverted. And I had this on one time. It was like eight people kept talking to me and I was like, okay, I remember to never wear this again when I'm traveling because it actually creates conversation. And I'm trying to like check out from.

    So I love it. And I think like good call to that because it can be so easy. And that's what I actually love about you guys with your marketing is your marketing is so very intentional. And I think dental practices can have it be very intentional, but it's very easy and it's fun. And I think you guys make it fun. And that's actually why I love you guys as marketing people that I recommend you guys do so many great things, your rebrands, your websites, your marketing. So

    Josh, we were talking before about how there's kind of like these two parts to marketing that practices have really struggled with up until now within marketing. let's kind of like just do some chit chat on marketing. We'll probably like morph into CEO. Like I don't even know where we're going to go today, but we're just going to have a good time. Cause when Josh and I podcast, it's since the first podcast we ever did together, it's been a comical, like comedy show, either pre post or in the middle. And I think that's why we both love to podcast.

    Yeah. Awesome. No, I think in dentistry, it's what's really interesting is up until this point, like historically from a dental marketing standpoint, if we go 10 years ago when the 15, whenever when digital started to come around, everybody got real focused on what we call the marketing services. like SEO, digital ads, some social media and, and dental marketing companies on the whole have been really bad at what they've put out. And so they almost kind of do this, like what's this minimum viable product we can put out.

    The Dental A Team (04:43.819)

    at a recurring retainer rate, like 500 bucks a month, a thousand bucks a month, 250, whatever, and just do enough to get by. Lots of stock content, how can we replicate it, how can we scale it, do it at an MVP, and just get it done and collect revenue. And so that was the state of dental marketing for a while. When we came around, I kind of had this different vision of, it felt like nobody was doing creative work. So I kind of came in with this whole creative agency approach of.

    let's make beautiful brands and websites and photography and video. Cause I felt like all things being equal. If you're just looking at a bunch of stock websites, the first one that's kind of waves your hand and says, Hey, we're different. Look at us. It's just going to win. Like the Gary V says, the creative is the variable. And I've always believed that. But now, so, so then it kind of led us to this point where people were having to choose and they would say like, okay, like our competitors, their biggest knock against us was okay. Beautiful websites. Like they would actually concede that like,

    beautiful websites, but they're not going to score good on Google. If you come with us, they're going to score better on Google. And so we almost had this war of, okay, you can speak to humans and do something that's designed really well, but Google doesn't like it. Or you do something that Google is going to score well, but like it just is not connecting with humans. And so maybe we get a lot of traffic to it, but we're not converting at a high rate. And so it just becomes this kind of cycle.

    And what we've been able to do the last couple of years is I really challenged that belief within our agency and just said like, guys, can we do something that's still gonna connect with humans? Like you're still gonna feel something, but can we also build amazing SEO into it? Can we build amazing ad strategies that get that same traffic, but now they're gonna convert higher. And so for me, it almost became this like custom story-driven creative meets performance marketing.

    And that's really like the most ideal growth strategy out there. And so we spend the last two years really, mean, we've hired SEO specialists, ad specialists. I honestly think right now, mean, our two SEO specialists, I would probably put them up against any dental marketing SEO in the country at this point. And it's kind of led us in this whole reorganization because now our marketing services are starting to take off and

    The Dental A Team (06:57.801)

    internally, we're trying to actually marry that too. Like, okay, we've got a creative agency on one side and a performance marketing agency on the other. And it's, you know, it starts breaking stuff and then you're like, okay, these systems don't work. And so that's been a ton of fun. is, yeah. of fun, like air quotes. I that's the CEO fun, right? Like, it's so fun. I know. And this is what happens. It's like you, as a company, as a business, you find a better way to serve clients and you're like, yes, let's do that.

    and you get a year or so into and you're like, this is like breaking a lot of stuff that we have to now go back and rebuild. This is the fun when they're like, hey, start your own business, your freedom and you know, then you get into and you're like, this is a lot of work and energy. But we're having a ton of fun with it. And I think that that's really where the so kind of a history of dental marketing and where it's at today is I think being able to bring the both, both of those together, like this best of both worlds. If we're talking about growing a practice, it's

    custom creative storytelling content with performance marketing. Man, if you can put those together, like you can grow a practice. And I think something I really love about you guys is I think as dentists who are a bit more introvert, like you say, you're introverted traveling. I think they feel very similar that way too. And it's like, my gosh, but I have to now be all online or in order for me to have this, have to be this like very bubbly. Like, I mean, there's some amazing doctors out there that have actually done it.

    But I really love that you guys don't make them be anything that they're not. And that's like your whole premise of what you guys do for marketing is like, no, you be authentic to you. So if you're outgoing and extroverted, like let's do that and let's build your marketing message around that. But if you're more introverted and more person, like you want to, you want to keep that close to you, that's also fine. And so really just giving people the playground of be who you want to be and tell your story the way you want to tell it and run your practice the way you want to.

    And you're ultimately going to attract patients who jive with that. Like you don't have to be a one size fits all to be successful. And that's something I've just always loved about your guys' style, your approach, and the way you operate. Yeah, it's probably the biggest pushback we get when we talk to potential clients. And to be honest, I would imagine people don't reach out to us because of this as well. But they're like, Josh, I don't really have a story. Or I don't know what my story is.

    The Dental A Team (09:15.495)

    or I saw these clients that you showed in this speech, but like I'm not them, you know, cause sometimes we tend to show the more sexy work, the work that we're really proud of and people like, yeah, but that's a brand new startup and that space looks amazing. And my space just does not look like that. And so there's this barrier to it. And what I would say is there's a couple of things is number one, like everybody has a story and that's part of our job and our discovery is to really pull that out, you know, with questions like, why did you even go into dentistry? Like why choose this profession?

    why this location, why this path of CE that you've decided to commit to. Those types of things really help us put together, okay, here's the why behind it. The other part of it is it doesn't have to be entirely like your personal story either. It's really more the story of the practice. And some people are real okay with those intertwining and it kind of meshing into the gray. And then some people are like, nope, they compartmentalize it. Here's my business, here's my personal life. They are completely separate.

    And so like, get that too. I'm like, well, then the storyline becomes the practice. Like, why is this practice here? Why should patients choose you? Why is your team better? If given the choice of any practice in the community, you say patients should come here first. Why? Like, let's explore some of that. So it's a little intimidating to approach it. And I mean, need to hear the doctors right now. mean, with video, it's, nobody likes being on video and watching themselves. And so that's, that's also, they're like, so I need video.

    I'm like, well, your site's gonna perform way better with a video. Okay, I'm trusting, I'm like, trust me, our team's gonna be great, it's gonna be interview style, you're really gonna feel at ease, but that's another big hurdle to overcome sometimes. And I just have to say, as someone, I mean, I had to learn video pretty early on in my career of Dental A Team, and I remember there was a company called...

    drive and we hired a marketing company. I $80,000 in three months with zero ROI and I made probably I kid you not 200 videos. Like I literally pulled our operations manual. I should have the team pull some of these videos from the archive for you. Like there's one where I buy into cake and I ate so much frosting that it actually hit my uvula and I started gagging, but I was so committed to finishing this video, not redoing it that I like. And then I like,

    The Dental A Team (11:38.079)

    I'm crying and laughing and keep going like commercial. Another one I'm pulling the operations manual out of the oven as like a turkey dinner like I'm dressed like like the amount of video nonsense that I did was ridiculous. But I think it was really great because it taught me like nothing's perfect. And I think even now you don't have to be perfect to get this. But what I love is I actually use you guys if you go on to Denali teams website, I love I always say if you want to feel like a million bucks.

    Like even better than going to the spa or getting your hair done or anything like that. Like men, I don't know what you guys do to feel like posh and luxurious. Like maybe it's like getting a like well tailored suit. Like Josh, what is it for men? Like for girls it's like we go get our hair done, we get our lashes down, we get a makeover. What's like the equivalent for men? You know, I can get down with a good, you know, massage and a manicure. Like I'm not gonna lie, but I'm not talking about most.

    man, you know, maybe a football game with a beer. can, I can go that way too. So whatever it is where it makes you feel the most posh. always say, if you want to feel that way in photography and video studio, EightyEight will make you feel that way. And that's something I have always loved about you. say like my best photos, my best photo shoots, my best video shoots always are studio EightyEight can tell without a doubt. Like you guys have this, you must have set presets. Like honestly, all the photos look the same. Like you can tell that they're just as incredible and I always feel my best. And so

    We actually had you guys come out this year. Our team did our company retreat in Disneyland and you guys were so nice to accommodate because that's where I flew my whole team in. all virtual and we actually did a photo shoot in our hotel. Like I kid you not the things Studio EightyEight can do and make look incredible is off the charts. We went over to an office and they were so kind and accommodating for us and then we came back and they actually interviewed me and I was so nervous about this interview and I do this for a living.

    and I've worked with you guys before I've gone through your brand pieces and I love that through your brand exercise. It's actually not hard. you just answer questions that are very simple. And then you guys, Studio EightyEight like delivers what I have inside of me that I don't know how to explain in a, creative artistic way, which I think is beyond magic that you were able to do. but to the interview in the video part, they did just ask me questions and I just rifted.

    The Dental A Team (13:56.201)

    And I rifted for quite some time and they're so nice. I love people on the other side of the camera that are giving like the head nod, like very intentional. They're so good at it. They're so nice. Like that's something I think you guys do incredibly well. And, I saw the final product. was interesting. I was out for a little while this year and I came back and I saw this final part. I didn't even know it was on the website and I happened to be looking at our website and it was so incredible to see my, my story and my life.

    You guys were able to parse it together. I like it super emotional about it because you don't realize it's in you. You don't realize that that's a part of you. And I think you guys are just like, that's why I love Josh. I think you just see people for who they really are and you bring that to light in a way that's so safe and so accommodating and so just special. I think is probably the best way. feel like the way you present our photography and the way you present our websites and the way you present brands and the way you present video.

    Is you take someone who doesn't know how to express themselves like so many of us feel like we're alone or people don't get it like I was just watching Survivor last night and every single person on the show is saying like you just feel so alone you feel like people don't get you you feel like you've been an outcast your whole life or you feel like you know, why am I the one doing this and I'm like every single freaking person on this planet feels that way and yet working with you guys you just it's like it's almost like the way I'm envisioning it is almost like you

    pull out this like little green sprig of life that I didn't even know was a part of me. And I feel like I'm pretty confident. I know who I am and like I can tell my story, but it's just magic how you pull that together. So doctors or teams or any company worried about it. One, you guys are just so good at it. But like I said, I feel like you're able to take who we are and create masterpieces that we didn't even know were a part of us. And you're welcome to use that as like a testimonial, because honestly, I didn't intend to any of this.

    I'm just going keep letting you talk. don't even. But it really is. It's just like the little glitter moments that you don't realize are a part of you is what I think you guys bring, which is probably why I rep your swag all the time. Like, because I think it's just magical of what you're able to create for people. And again, like I've done how many sessions with you guys, like Josh, you and I have gone through so many rounds of my brand and my life and my story. And I feel like you guys know me, but you weren't even there this time. It was your team.

    The Dental A Team (16:19.245)

    And they were able to bring this out of me. And I just watched it and I was like, yeah, that's exactly how I want Dennis to feel. That's exactly how I want people to feel. That is my life. That's why I freaking built this company to serve people on that level. And I just think mad kudos to you. And yeah, it's a testimony that I didn't mean on a podcast, but I just think it is magic to watch you guys like spring to life stories that people don't even realize. So if you're questioning, like I don't even feel like I've got a story.

    You probably have this story. You just don't know how to put the pieces together. And if you don't think about it and you just interview, you guys are very creative and talented at pulling it all together. Yeah. Well, thank you so much. I mean, that's, and I know it's obviously very heartfelt. David was out with you guys recently and he's, he's one of our full-time photographers. He just is on the West coast. He used to actually live here in Columbus and that's how we got to meet him. He came to me and said, Hey, I want to move to LA. And I was like, fine, just handle everything, you know, like West of the Rockies. And so

    he's an amazing guy. And I'll tell you, part of our process is like with those content creators, the talent has to be there for sure. But what a lot of people don't realize is the missing piece is the human component. like it isn't anything, but they have to be able to, mean, we, go through training on like interview skills. We go through training on, you know, walking into a room of, of, like a dental practice and you've got, you know, six to eight females there and they've got some anxiety about what's happening. And they were just told.

    24 hours before that they're gonna have their photos taken and you gotta be able to go in and like manage a room and manage people. I mean, we train on posing because you can't just like put people together and expect a great team photo either. There's a lot of like science and intentionality that goes around that. And so we've worked really hard on that stuff. But like you're right. mean, we, it's, we had a client recently and what I, what I loved what she said was we delivered the photography and video and, and,

    And she, I think she was texting Joanna and I and she just said, this is who I thought I was, but I wasn't sure. And when your stuff came back, it was like that person I thought I was, like I am that person, you know? And she saw that on the other side. It's almost like you get to see how the world sees you. And I think so much of it is like, we're just in it day to day. like,

    The Dental A Team (18:37.111)

    Having a grip on that story and even like your impact on the world on the day to day is so hard, I mean, because we just like, we get up, see like the starts and the stops. We see the times we just like failed or said something we shouldn't have and had to go back and fix it. We see we're dealing with a client that's not working well or a patient or a team member's attitude and every day can just be like that. And you get to the end of it you're like.

    I don't know, man. feel like I'm surviving. I feel like I'm trying to build something, but it's just like, we're going against gravity. Just trying to make it happen. And when somebody else comes along and they go, they almost step back and get this 30,000 foot view. It's almost like the, like the movie screen view. Like they, they force you to almost like sit up towards the back of the movie theater and zoom out on your life. And now you're seeing it play in this like feature film. And yeah, you have these moments where you're like, this is amazing. Like this is worth it. This is.

    actually, like this is actually beautiful, like it's actually moving me. And that's an amazing thing to be able to do. I think we all, so going back, I think we all have that in us. It just takes somebody to come along and go, no, this is practice you're building. Like the world needs this. Like this is beautiful. And I love like when I get to talk to entrepreneurs and CEOs and dental owners, cause I'm like, you guys are actively, like here's what you don't realize. You're actively participating in creation. Like you're building something that did not exist there before.

    So like that's, that's this amazing thing and you're doing it for the better of the world. Like what, what better story? Let's just take that. What better story is there out there than that? It's just not. So entrepreneurs, I'm like, yeah, like this is what you're doing. of course you have moments when you're tired. Of course you feel exhausted. Of course you feel drained. You're like putting your energy out there to actually create something that has never existed before for the better of humanity. Like,

    it's going to drain you, it's going to zap you day to day. You're going to be like, there's nothing special happening here. And so I had to come along and go, but there is, and here's what we see is so powerful. And as you were saying that I couldn't help but think about, there's this company called story worth, like not a plug for them whatsoever. I just happened to, my husband's parents are quite a bit older and, my parents are like, my husband, I are both very fortunate that both of our parents are still alive.

    The Dental A Team (20:59.781)

    And I decided this year I was going to have maybe make like a little competition between his parents and mine, just as I, my thought of how I could get these stories done. but I'm having his parents and my parents write stories every single week and we're going to compile it and put together books for, all of my siblings, all my husband's siblings. And I know like the grandchildren and everybody just kind of wants these stories. And it's interesting because his parents and my parents both were like, I don't want to write these stories. There's really nothing to say.

    Because I think we minimize our stories and our lives. And we're like, but I'm not Walt Disney, or I'm not Gandhi, or I'm not Mother Teresa. But we don't realize that 99 % of the population is not them. We're all just average day people. But those average day people are the people that impact and change. And so for my in-laws, them writing their story, no, this isn't going to be a best seller. I'm not going to go put it out there. But it's not meant to be. It's meant to serve our family and the people that are connected to my in-laws and to my parents.

    just like in your practice, your story and your practice and why you even built this is not meant to be for every single patient in the United States or across the globe. It's meant to be in your niche of the people that you're meant to serve and that you're there to serve. And so I really just love that you said like you bring it to the forefront and it's been really fun to watch my in-laws and my parents this year see that they actually do have a story. And again, it's through prompts. Like you said, it's like very simple things that they didn't even realize.

    But it's been so magical to learn about them in an easy way. And that's, think, what you guys do really well. so, but I did the same thing with my mom. This whole thing, know, story worth Joanna did with her mom and for Mother's Day and I did it for my mom. And it's like she's not as consistent as I would like her to be with them. But competition Josh, got both parents going against each other and it's great. They've all done it. We're consistent.

    That's a great idea. But it's like every now and then, and because she's just up earlier than me, like I get up and I get my email and it sends them to me. And so I get this and a couple of times I've been like, I'm so busy, my email box is full, but I forced myself to stop and I read it. And sometimes I'm just like, this is fascinating. Like, you know, even thinking about like what she came out of and how she raised us and you're right. And then when they all get kind of stitched together, it's going to create this like, you know, amazing story.

    The Dental A Team (23:21.227)

    I was at the ODA two weeks ago, Ohio dental association, and I was walking the trade show floor. We usually actually don't support it, but there were some speakers there and we did a reception and all that. So we had a team on the floor and I'm walking and I just know a lot of people. So it's just like, you're stopping every so often, but notice this new marketing company on the floor. And I forget what their name was, but their display was kind of modern and minimal. And I was like, okay. Like it kind of caught my eye. All the guys have like the Nike dunk pandas on.

    which is what my team wears at conferences. so immediately I get into this like, dude, they're knocking us off. They're stealing our shoes. We wear these shoes. So I was like, I'm going to go have some fun with them. So I just walked up. I said, hey man, I like the kicks. And he was like, thanks, thanks. I said, yeah. I said, my team wears those at conferences. We've been doing that for a little while now. And he's like, your team? I was like, yeah. I said, we're just over a couple rows. I said, Studio EightyEight And he's like, Studio EightyEight And I'm like, yeah, I'm Josh. I was like, Gavin, I read his name title. Nice to meet you.

    And he goes, you're Josh with studio EightyEight I'm like, at this point, like, yeah. So a couple of his team members come over and he was like, dude, you, he tells his team members, he's like, guys, we've learned everything we know from this guy and their company. I'm like, then I'm like, great. Because I get agencies that come up to us and they're like, do we follow your stuff? We're building an agency. We're doing the exact same thing. I'm like, amazing. Yeah. Copy our stuff and build another business. so that's a whole nother conversation, but.

    He goes, he's like, were the first one to bring custom photography and video into dental. And I'm like, I was like, bro, I don't know about that. I'm sure people did custom photography before that. And he was like, no, but you were the original disruptor of that whole thing. And I was like, we were probably the first one to create a business model around it and be able to take it nationwide in a way that was profitable and that served the profession. So was like,

    Yeah, but it was like that. So he's repeating the storyline back. It was actually, it was very like, kind of, I don't know, was like sincere and it was cool. It was like this, you know, interaction, but I was like, I've never thought of myself like that. But when somebody says it and then you're kind like, well, I mean, maybe, I don't know. I'm a disruptor, who knows? But yeah. I love it. I love it. And I think like, as you were saying that, I think so many of us don't realize how impactful what we're doing.

    The Dental A Team (25:43.946)

    is I was just reading an article this morning and they said, what's the most impactful book you've ever read? And they said, shoe dog. And shoe dog came up at another conference and another conference. And that's literally just a story about Nike. And I guarantee you that person when they're and I don't know their name. I have not read it. It's on my queue because I saw it again of like reading the most impactful book. But I just think most of the things that impact us the most are people's stories.

    The things that we remember our people stories the things like and even if it's a small thing and it's not some person like Walt Disney or Gandhi or Nike So many of those stories just need to be told and I think we're in a day and age like you look at social media like people watch videos because it's telling stories and they're entertaining and it's fun for us and yet if I go on Jason's Social versus mine. We have two very different algorithms Like Jason has a little bit of dark humor on there and I'm like, my gosh, you watch this like I'm laughing but I feel like

    a little embarrassed that I'm laughing at it. Like Jason and he, like, he just thinks it's hilarious. Whereas he comes on mine and it's like all Taylor Swift. So like very different algorithms, but yet people are building content for different people. And so that's the whole point of like these practices. Like you're not meant to serve every person. You're meant to serve the people that you were like truly destined to serve. And I think that's what I love about dentistry is the lives that we get to change and the magic we get to create. Like you create that magic for these owners of being able to see like

    their work come to life, like you said, the masterpiece while dentists are being able to create those smiles for all these patients and let their life become a masterpiece as well. So I just think it's lovely. I really do. And I think, I think we downplay how incredible we are. And I think I'm here to propose like there might be a better way, obviously not in the egotistical way, but in the way of like, I did do some good things and I did take some hard risks and I did it because I want to serve these people. Yeah.

    Like there's nothing like we should be sharing that more. And obviously people know my mission is to positively impact the world of dental. And I'm like, the way you do that is by showing up as you and you do that by, doing these things day in and day out. So I think it's just, it's a lovely thing that you guys do. And I would say if you haven't gone through the brand exercise or had your photography or had the videos, like try it. Because like you said, I think you get a zoom out from someone else's perspective and see your life and not in an egotistical way, just in a like, dang.

    The Dental A Team (28:09.002)

    Like I have done a few things in this world and I think it makes the suck days of success not as hard. because you're like, wow, there has been something that's been made. So again, this wasn't the intent of the podcast. just naturally came probably cause I put the sweatshirt on. feel more in studio EightyEight mode. Well, I think here's kind of one of my, my recent thesis because I was reworking a keynote recently and for next year. And I was like, we're

    If marketing is all just about data and KPIs and analytics and all this stuff, we just, we just end up with this kind of like empty thing of just literally trying to drive traffic to get this knowing like, okay, for every thousand people we convert at like 2%. So like, let's, let's get 10,000 people in and a hundred thousand people. And we're, driving traffic for the sake of this like minimal possible conversion. And I think just in our world, and it's going to have to be like this as we move forward, people need to feel some.

    And that's the side of marketing we don't talk a lot about. And I'm actually very empathetic to it because on one side we've got ROI and KPIs and data and we can prove something's working. And to be honest, it's easier to throw a couple thousand dollars at Google and end up with new patients in the chair than it is to go, how do I build a brand? Because that's so subjective and it feels like it's all like feeling and things and the way photography makes people feel and the way they connected with this video and.

    the user experience on the website, like how many clicks do they have to go? It's all that very subjective, like subtle stuff and building a brand is hard. Like there's, there's not a lot of checkpoints along the way. Like, I doing a good job? You know, our son recently left for college about six weeks ago. He went to university Cincinnati, which is about two hours away. So he's not so far, but I remember that whole thing of, as soon as he decides he's going to Cincinnati, it starts this clock like,

    as a parent, you're just like on the clock. It's like, there's okay, 45 days till he's gone and start shrinking. And what I probably wasn't prepared for is it really smacks you in the face with this one major question, which is, did we do enough? Because now the time is, it almost is like the time is shrinking. You've got 45 days left. Did you do enough the last 18 years? Cause now he's leaving and, that's, it's a, it's a tough question. Like were we enough? And especially on Joanna's side, it was, it was very

    The Dental A Team (30:31.018)

    You know, there's a lot of emotion to it. Like I got 45 days. had these 12 conversations I need to have with them. And, but you're also like, but I can't shove them in that time either. You just have to trust. And I go back to like, okay, so how would I know that I was a good parent? There's no data. There's no KPIs. There's no like ROI on this along the way. But I remember things like there was this moment, like when he was eight and I watched him interact with some adults and he used some manners and you're like, okay, like

    I actually can't believe he learned that, you I remember his very last volleyball game as a varsity in high school, they went to the regional finals and they ended up losing. And so it was like this emotional night, but one of the dads came up to us and said, hey, I just need to tell you, like, Kaden's been a great leader on this team. His son was a freshman. And he said, they were very intentional about, this is not just the seniors team, this is all their team.

    taking what they learned and pouring it into the freshmen. said, you may or may not hear that all the time, but he said, your son is not only a great leader, but he's a great man. And my son just looks up to him so much. And it's moments like those where you're like, okay, I might've done enough, you know? But it's in building a brand is a lot like that. It's just, hard to get your hands around. And so I think that's sometimes why we skew the other way of just give me data, let me throw money at it, give me data, give me KPIs. And then it's either it's working or it's not working. And we move on to the next thing.

    where building a brand is like, it's two years, five years, 10 years, it's a lifetime, but it's harder. Yeah. And I think it's important for doctors to realize in teams that what you're building is a legacy for as long as you're doing it for. It doesn't have to be a lifetime forever, but you are building a brand and you are a brand and what you're doing is changing lives. so recognizing that, and I think like,

    not to add so much weight to it that it feels daunting, but to add enough weight where you realize like what you're doing is important and what you're creating in those patients. Like I don't think I was on a podcast earlier and I said in dentistry, we're not heart surgeons, but we are smile surgeons and giving that confidence to our patients. I think that we undermine possibly the incredible work that we're doing for society and the confidence we're able to give all these patients.

    The Dental A Team (32:51.942)

    is something that I do think is worthwhile. like the patients need to find out, they need to find you because otherwise they're gonna go to someone else and not to say another dentist isn't as good, but I guarantee you the doctors that are listening to this podcast and the ones that are working with companies like Studio EightyEight you're the ones that I would want my patients to go to and my family to go to. so it's like when we're in a world where anybody can be found, we need to have our best doctors standing out. And I believe that that's our moral obligation to serve patients at the highest level.

    Just like I believe the best doctors need to be out there and the best surgeons need to be out there because like we only have one set of teeth. And so if you can help save more teeth and more smiles, I think it's like it's a no brainer that you need to have your brand and your business very, very readily available. So Josh, I just love this podcast. I felt all the feels. I feel like so many doctors just need to share their stories. And so people are interested. How do they work with Studio EightyEight? How do they connect with you? Like I said, you guys, I have gone through, I think everything Studio EightyEight does.

    I've done their brand, I've done their photography, I've done their websites. It's an incredible experience and it's very easy. So how can people even just dip their toe into this if they're interested? Yeah, for sure. A couple of best ways to reach out. Number one, I'm on Instagram at Joshua Scott. So I'm still in my accounts and DMs. So just send me a message if you heard this podcast. Just even say, hey, I heard the Dental A Team podcast. You'll get a response from me. Ask me anything.

    I'm more or less, I'm like, I'll offer you advice all day long. I'll take a look at your stuff and just give you my professional opinion on it. and then if you want to reach out to studio EightyEight or get specifics there, it's, go to the website, s8e8.com letter S number 8 letter E number 8.com. there's a bunch of buttons there. can submit to get in touch with somebody and they can walk you through our packages and what we do and see if it's potentially a good fit for you. I love it. I would say if nothing else.

    Just make sure that you are, you're sharing your story like the little story worth of our parents because that's so important for people to see you you don't have to be the video. You don't have to be all the different things. You do it on your level and your terms of what you are. But I do believe that the world needs you. Patients need you. So in the most loving way, don't be selfish and like hide yourself away, share yourself because this world needs you. Josh, thanks for being on the podcast today. It was such a good time with you. Of course. I always enjoy it. Appreciate it.

    The Dental A Team (35:14.154)

    Yeah, none of this was scripted, which is a ton of fun. You just kind of get on and, you know, when you can talk to a friend and it just goes wherever it's, it's always a lot of fun. It's a good time. And for all of you listening, thanks for listening and I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.

  • #913: How To Win Your Patients Over

    #913: How To Win Your Patients Over

    · Dental A Team Podcast

    Kiera is a guest on Dr. Gallagher’s Podcast in this crossover episode! There is a lot of important ground covered here, including how to establish the ideal practice flow, the differences in consulting between speciality and general practices, why being a human being feels like a lost art, how to hire the best people, and more.

    Episode resources:

    Listen to Dr. Gallagher’s Podcast: Apple, Spotify, YouTube

    Reach out to Tiff, Britt, and Dana

    Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar

    Practice Momentum Group Consulting

    Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast

    Become Dental A-Team Platinum!

    Review the podcast

    Transcript:

    Brendan (00:02.346)

    Of the Dental A Team, this is Kiera Dent, right? So this is, I love that it's dent because there's dental dentin, part of the tooth and stuff. So it's just perfect. It really worked well. And you have a consulting agency, right? Dental A Team. And how many years have you been in around?

    Kiera Dent (00:16.95)

    Yeah.

    Kiera Dent (00:25.494)

    Thank you.

    Kiera Dent (00:30.976)

    Yeah, so we've, the company is almost eight years old. She's about to have her eighth birthday in November, but yeah, it's been fun. It was a complete random idea that I came up with to start it, honestly, to help a bunch of dental students and here we are. So it's been a really fun place to be.

    Brendan (00:49.738)

    Two more months and eight years, congrats!

    Kiera Dent (00:51.796)

    I know. Thank you. Thank you. It came from, I worked at Midwestern University's Dental College for three years while my husband did pharmacy school. And one of the students straight out of school said, hey, Kiera, I want you to come help me start my practice. And I said, my gosh, like, absolutely. I've always wanted to be a practice owner. I was a dental assistant and a treatment coordinator and an office manager prior. And so I went and I helped her start her practice and

    We took our practice from 500,000 to 2.4 million in nine months and opened our second location. And then I thought, my gosh, like if I could help her do this, there's all my other like favorite dental students. Like I'm sure I could probably be a resource and a help for them. And so that's really what spurred the consulting company. I had never worked with a consultant before. And then I started helping practices and adding, you know, 25,000 of production to their schedules very quickly. I was adding, increasing case acceptance to a hundred percent.

    within one day and I just thought, okay, there's something about this and it doesn't have to be hard, but I'm gonna be a resource for all those dentists in school because you guys go to school and you're so passionate about what you're doing, but then there's the business side of it. And so if I could be a resource, a trusted resource, knowing what you're learning in school, so that way you guys can be so successful, positively impact your world, help your community, help your team, help your patients, and you guys are living your best lives.

    That really is what spurred me into being a consultant. So here we are all with the love. have no clue what consultants should do. I just keep making up what I believe my students from Midwestern would want to have and just keep coming from love of you guys, just doing the best to support dentistry and us supporting you in that vision.

    Brendan (02:30.004)

    Excellent. And so you're not at Midwestern anymore. That was only in the beginning for those years. So roughly eight years ago.

    Kiera Dent (02:33.068)

    Mm -mm. Yep. Yep. I worked there for three years. No, so three years. And then I went and I worked in Colorado for two years. And then I started the company in 2016. Yeah, 2016. So it was great. It was a good time. And here we are now, eight years later.

    Brendan (02:48.904)

    And in Colorado, that was the practice that you brought them from X to that would be roughly five X. Wow. Well done. Well done. So they started for a year there. You knew them. You had a good rapport, good relationship with them over a year or two. You grew it from that. then you're like, and that's when you decided, OK, let's scale. How did you take that next step from there? So it was just you working at her practice. Right. And then from there, you said.

    Kiera Dent (02:55.008)

    Mm -hmm. Yeah. Thanks.

    you

    Kiera Dent (03:08.384)

    Totally.

    Kiera Dent (03:13.344)

    Mm -hmm. Yep.

    Brendan (03:16.136)

    So you don't work with her anymore. was like a see you later. I'm going to figure it better.

    Kiera Dent (03:18.072)

    No. It was incredible. And we had such a good run. And I have to give mad kudos to her as a dentist, because I think we were really a dynamic duo. I came in with amazing like management and TC skills. We both didn't know what we were doing. And I think that that's part of doctors opening practices. But kudos to her for bringing me on because she knew I knew pieces she didn't know how to do.

    but yeah, it was, I think more her vision. We both were very gung -ho. We wanted to serve more. We wanted to have a bigger impact and footprint. And so it was, we got this practice going and then we bought our second location and then there ended up getting like seven practices all together. But things I learned from that was, it was over the course of like five, six, I ended up leaving. She continued. and it was something very interesting that those are like sexy numbers to put up on a scoreboard and.

    Brendan (04:00.019)

    In two years?

    Kiera Dent (04:12.268)

    Everybody always has the bright eyes of like, my gosh, like how did you do that? But I think my obsession has come, like her and I were both on like death row. Like we were working 2 a to 10 p It was insanity to try and get that success. And while yes, there's sexy numbers on the board, we both realized that there's more to life than what we were doing. And are we gonna just like slay and try and drive this through or is there maybe something more to this? so yes, it was, we did part ways and I'm just so proud of everything that she created.

    But I, like one, my marriage, my life, all of those things were falling apart. And I realized me traveling back and forth from Reno Tahoe area to Colorado all the time was just really hard on my marriage. I wasn't seeing my husband. I was completely anorexic. I was like 98 pounds and I'm 5 '8". And it was just, everything felt like it was deteriorating. And so that was where it had to be like, let's do a step back. Her life was deteriorating. And I thought...

    there has to be a better way to success than what we've done. Like, yes, we've got sexy numbers to throw up on the board. Yes, we've got all these cool things, but is there not a better way that we can do this where you can have an incredible family and you can have incredible numbers and you can have a thriving business. And that really has become my passion and obsession is helping more dentists live a fulfilled life, hitting up those sexy big numbers or whatever they want to do, but still maintain their life, their identity, their freedom is really what I'm obsessed with within our company and our culture.

    and really helping dentists get that life.

    Brendan (05:41.89)

    yeah, and that's such a great pitch to where it's let's let's seize that life that we dreamed of again. love that now in where it started to get a little rocky there speaking of Colorado, but while it started to happen was that the first two years when you were there was that within the five six years when she scaled to seven or so practices first two

    Kiera Dent (05:47.68)

    Yeah.

    Kiera Dent (05:51.634)

    Hahaha

    Kiera Dent (05:55.564)

    Mm

    Kiera Dent (05:59.692)

    No, so that was my first two years. Yeah, absolutely. And both of us were there. And I think that that happens, right? You've got all the student debt. I used to call her 2.5, like when she's hunched over, not like good ergonomics. I'm like, hey, 2.5, we're 2.5 million debt. Like with student loans, the practice acquisition, within our first couple of months of owning the practice, our building was being torn down. So we had to move our patient base to another location, build up another practice. So

    And I think oftentimes it's how people come out, right? Like you've got a lot of debt, you've been sitting in residency for so long, or you've been in school for so long or whatever it is, or you're an associate and you feel like, okay, I bought this practice. I think there's this like innate desire to just hit the ground running, but we forget that that can only sustain for so long. Like we are human bodies, we are not human robots. And realizing that there's...

    so much that can happen. We also were very naive. We did not have systems in place and we just kept adding more fuel to our fire that was already burning and blazing bigger than we were. And so we got to a good place. We were hiring other doctors, but I think that that's where my obsession has come of, like, let's give systems. And I just got off a podcast with one of our doctors that we work with and her and her husband are kind of thriving and jamming the same way I was.

    But what they've done differently is we like, we're really specific of let's get all these systems in place before we buy our second location. And like, let's slow to grow rather than like fly to die. Like it was a very different model and they're thriving and they're happy and their marriage is incredible. There's different, like both are available to us. I think I'd prefer, let's take the, take the sustainable route that's very doable that keeps your passion alive rather than killing you off at the beginning.

    Brendan (07:46.548)

    Yeah, yeah. So when you translate into systems and processes, I, so coming from a clinician, a provider background system and processes, I have an idea, you know, like the system I'm thinking of is like the computer or no, but really in a practice setting, if I could just have some insight to what you mean behind that developing systems and processes before you buy that second practice, what were some of those systems, if I can, if I can know.

    Kiera Dent (07:51.178)

    Of course.

    Kiera Dent (08:01.321)

    Yeah.

    Kiera Dent (08:06.102)

    Sure.

    Kiera Dent (08:16.015)

    Of course, yeah. And this is what I just geek out on. This is why we have the podcast. It's like tactical, practical with ease. So it's like, do you have a process for how you're doing our billing process? And in Dental A Team, I actually made 12 categories that kind of fall within the 12 months of systems to have. So there's your office management. You've got your practice profitability and your numbers. We have our dental assistants and how we set up our rooms and our operatories. We have our handoffs. We have our

    like how we hire and onboard people. We have our operations manual completed. We have our treatment tracker and case acceptance. We have our hygiene protocols to put those into play to make sure our hygiene teams diagnosing and we're treating patients the same way. We have our doctor optimization where we're really working on like, what are the clinical skill sets of our doctors and are we maximizing their skills within? And so those are what I mean by systems. And I'll be completely honest. We were like just two girls flying by the seat of our pants.

    So like we did not have a process for billing. We did not have a process for scheduling. It was just like dump it in and we'll figure out how to do it versus like you can have, I mean, I've added multiple millions to people's schedules just by having block scheduling with ease and they're out by four o 'clock, they're out by three o 'clock. We're putting up really hard, like great numbers. The patients are happy, the team is happy. Like literally I have a practice that I took from 2 million to 4 .5 million just by changing their block scheduling.

    And so it's like, these are the simple systems that maybe you don't have to go buy another practice unless a DSO or something like that is what you're trying to do. But let's make sure that we have those, because I've also gone to offices and they're like, we're completely maxed out on our space and I find an operatory there. We don't actually have to go buy a bigger building. We can keep it here. We can systematize it here. We can maximize, like, are we doing our handoffs? Are we collecting before they leave? Are we having proper treatment plans?

    Are we tracking our case acceptance? Are we watching the things that like our hygiene teams doing? What's our hygienists producing per hour? Are there ways that we can help our patients more? What's our morning huddle? Those systems in place make it clockwork where it's very predictable magic behind the scenes. Like we know we will have magic in our practice because we have systems in place. And maybe we don't have to go for the multi -practices unless that's our drive and our desire, then by all means, let's do it.

    Kiera Dent (10:37.408)

    but let's make it to where we can stamp it out. I promise you, like you look at McDonald's, think that's the easiest one. They were the crowning jewel of systems. They were not stamping this out haphazardly. They were looking for the efficiency and making it to where each new place would have the same exact experience just in a different location. What's your experience and your practice and how can you go replicate that with ease is really what I mean by systems behind the scenes.

    Brendan (10:43.572)

    Mmm.

    Brendan (11:01.556)

    Yeah, and were you doing all this at Midwestern?

    Kiera Dent (11:05.67)

    No. So at Midwestern, if you recall, I feel like I was your tooth lunch lady. I handed out all the teeth, the composite, the like all the things I don't know in the simulation center. So I worked with the first and second year students and helped with the radiology and all of that. But prior to that, I was a dental assistant, a treatment coordinator, a scheduler, a biller. I just wanted to get a discount on my husband's tuition. I'll be fully honest. And it just had to work out. So then I became this cute little tooth lunch lady. Like, here's your teeth, here's your composite, here's your bands.

    Brendan (11:32.958)

    Hahaha

    Kiera Dent (11:34.99)

    And then went and helped her in Colorado and then started helping other dentists just really.

    Brendan (11:40.084)

    Yeah. And Midwestern, because there are two Midwesterns, there's Arizona and Illinois, right? You were in Arizona, was going to say, because Reno, Nevada. Are you still in Reno, Nevada?

    Kiera Dent (11:43.262)

    Arizona. We are. Yep. So we still live here. My husband ditches residency here because my family lives over in California. So it was the closest location without paying California tax. Yeah.

    Brendan (11:57.16)

    Wonderful wonderful and just just just step back to being at Midwestern have you ever seen it like a show or a movie or something where The guy or girl moves the plant that's in the shade into the light and then all of a sudden the flower blooms I Feel like that's where you moved yourself out of the shade into the light not to make the old figurative But I literally see like because because now you're killing it you're consulting with all these practices and stuff doing so no, that's a really

    Kiera Dent (12:11.338)

    Yes.

    Kiera Dent (12:22.262)

    Thank you.

    Brendan (12:25.662)

    First of all, the story is incredible because you've to appreciate someone who takes that hop, skip and a jump gets into the environment. That's a maybe it's a risk and it just they blossom. that's, you know, I don't want to, I don't want to be like a radio show here, but I, know, I really seek for the optimism in people's lives. There's a lot of fear going on these days. There's a lot of skepticism, a lot of conspiracies, and it's really nice to find let's let's hone back in together and let's really get into the nitty gritty of the good things.

    Kiera Dent (12:37.568)

    Thank you.

    Brendan (12:54.898)

    and success stories. yeah, so that's just, wanted to touch that really there because I really appreciate that. You know, we need, we need risk takers and we need to admire those and understand how they did it. Okay. So moving on, can you just shout out your podcast on, so everyone knows?

    Kiera Dent (12:55.308)

    Totally.

    Kiera Dent (12:58.7)

    Thank you.

    Kiera Dent (13:07.916)

    Yeah, of course. Yeah, we have the Dental A Team podcast. Gosh, I think I'm about up to, we might have surpassed our 900 mark and headed towards our 1000 mark of episodes. So definitely try to have a ton of resources for free out there. And for any dentists out there listening or students, like I love the students. Clearly I have a very soft spot in my heart for students and residents, people who want to grow. But if you go to our website, TheDentalATeam.com, we have our podcast link.

    And literally you go and you type in anything, treatment planning, scheduling, verbiage for dropping insurance, like you name it. I probably have a podcast or two on them and all of our databases there for you. So trying really hard just to give back. and like you said, my goal is to positively impact the world of dentistry in the greatest way possible and just remind us of how like blessed we are to be able to change people's lives through dentistry. And, I truly believe that owning a practice should not be hard. It does not need to be hard. You can still have everything you want. So yeah.

    Our podcast, The Dental A Team, love to have you there. Thank you for that shout out.

    Brendan (14:10.314)

    Yeah, thank you. Thank you. Now continuing, if you can do me a favor and on your Instagram, the bio, if you can just change, I think you changed the name of your handle, your organization, the company, the podcast, that handle changed in your bio. I think it's, might've been an older handle, but you can't click it is what I mean. We just got to fix that. That'll help out your followers so that they can make the link between you and you know, and your consulting group. Just something I noticed, but yeah. So, so moving on for there.

    Kiera Dent (14:12.897)

    Yes.

    Kiera Dent (14:19.965)

    Mm

    Kiera Dent (14:26.842)

    sure.

    Kiera Dent (14:32.118)

    Yeah.

    Thank you.

    Brendan (14:37.852)

    So you have the pockets you have on providers and stuff. You just had Dr. Jason Auer back on. I just saw him last week at the Amos conference, which is pretty cool. And I had him on the podcast last year. That's a lot of fun. How often do you meet with providers, owners, DSOs versus private practices? I'm curious what the percentages are there. And then the percentages of providers versus do you ever talk with other

    Kiera Dent (14:43.36)

    Okay.

    Brendan (15:06.74)

    people that consult for practices.

    Kiera Dent (15:09.022)

    Yeah, for sure. So hopefully I understood your question. I'll answer and if I missed it, please, I'm here for it. But our consulting primarily focuses on GP practices. We have a really strong pediatric following as well. Some OS, some ortho. We kind of dabble in all of the specialties a little bit, but really GP and our niche is to work with the practice owners. We sometimes will work with their associates, so the doctors and then also the team. As I found,

    Like we put so much out there for the doctors. Like everybody is targeting the doctors. Why would they not? The doctors are the buyer, the doctors are the ones running the practice. But I realized if we can elevate the team as well and we can teach the team to think like owners and we can get the team inspired and excited, that's 90 % of the battle of having a successful practice. So we coach both. We raise up office managers. We build leadership teams. We do quarterlies. I do work with startup practices all the way up to multi -level DSOs.

    And so really kind of everything in between my sweet spots, usually the two, three, four, five locations is really what I love to do or practice owners who are wanting to grow and possibly sell to a DSO. I love the startups. love to give them the system so they really do well. Exponentially, we have an entire CE online database that's got operations manual and all those pieces, but really my body has physically been in over 250 dental practices. I used to travel about

    265 days a year. And so I now have cut that back and I don't travel as much as I used to for work. I do more for fun, but that's really kind of our nutshell. And then we bring all of our doctors together and I love to get doctors to just share. from the brand new owner to the experienced owner, having them collaborate together in mastermind settings where there's so much knowledge, I get to see it. Most people don't get to be in 200 offices. They don't get to work with 200 teams.

    But to bring all these teams together and bring all these doctors together, that's where we elevate and lift everybody up. And so it's really fun. So hopefully that answered your question, but if not, ask any other ones about that.

    Brendan (17:15.124)

    Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, that definitely answers it. And what kind of percentages are you at now versus in the beginning working with DSOs versus smaller private practices? I'm curious.

    Kiera Dent (17:23.66)

    Gotcha. So we're more like, I would say 90 % are our private practices and 10 % are the DSOs. However, a lot of our practices do sell to those larger DSOs, which I think is just a common piece right now. But I am very pro not, I don't have a one size fits all. Our consulting is very much, what does that doctor want to do? And some doctors are like, Kiera, I get emails from DSOs every other day, but that's not what I want to do.

    And my job's not to say like, let's build it to sell to a DSO. My job is to say, Brendan, what life do you want to have? What do we want to do? Where do you want to be? Like, what do you want your financial retirements to be? How much time do you want off from the practice? And let's build your practice to suit your life and fulfill your life. Because if you are happy and thriving, everything else will fall into place.

    Brendan (18:10.516)

    Yeah, I would like everything else to fall into place one day. Hopefully nine months after graduating, that's the goal. I did already sign with a practice. It's a multi -practice out on Long Island. How many practices have you worked with on Long Island?

    Kiera Dent (18:12.492)

    It will.

    Kiera Dent (18:20.351)

    Amazing.

    Long Island, I've actually had two over there. So I've definitely been up in that area. I had a practice in the Bronx, definitely not dental 365. I used to work with an office named Brian Stimler. He was out there and then there was another office in there just slipping. This was, mean, we're talking six years ago that was in Long Island. I like, I could see them. I just cannot remember their name. I'll look it up post show and let you know.

    Brendan (18:27.786)

    10 .0365, who, who, can I know?

    Kiera Dent (18:46.829)

    But yeah, I'm flying out to Canadaigua on Sunday to go and work with a practice up there. So I still come out that way, but I don't have any more on Long Island.

    Brendan (18:56.02)

    That's all right. Wow. Okay. So you're all over the U S Canada at all. Cause you mentioned.

    Kiera Dent (18:59.198)

    Mm -hmm. So I have consulted in Canada. I've consulted in Australia and New Zealand as well. I was trying to do the whole international thing. We have lots of listeners international, which is super fun. But I almost got deported from Canada on one of my visits. after that, which I thought Canada of all the places. So almost the client told me just to say I was going for fun. so I did. They like searched my phone.

    Brendan (19:15.546)

    What? How did that happen?

    Kiera Dent (19:27.722)

    They were like, what are your clients? What do you do? Like, what do these friends do? They're dentists and they told me, technically I'm allowed to go over there to collect data without a visa, but if not, that they could deport me. I was so scared. I've never been that scared in my entire life. I was shaking. I definitely went and visited by Niagara Falls. Like I literally was a whole complete tourist. I told my clients like, I'm sorry, we'll not be doing anything. We still have a good giggle from that time. But yeah, after that, I just stopped.

    Traveling International for development.

    Brendan (19:57.802)

    Is that by plane, car? Like what?

    Kiera Dent (20:00.308)

    It was in the airport. I should have. So it's funny. I was actually in Canandaigua and their practice was in Toronto and it was like a two, maybe a two hour drive across the border. And I should have done that. But my assistant at the time, like we were just new, we were young and I had someone booking travel for me. And so she flew me back to Newark and then flew me to Toronto. And when I did that going through Toronto customs, I was rookie.

    The things I did wrong one I was dressed like a business professional on a Saturday Two I was trying to be so super ultra honest and put that I had peanuts like I had nuts in my bag Which was so dumb like I wasn't eating it there like I don't know what my thought process was on it And I remember getting a pink line across my little document going into Canada Which sent me to the right not to the left. I was sitting there waiting forever then I started to wonder like

    Why am I in this line? Like usually this is a faster thing. Then I started to get nervous. like I have contracts and things like that in my email. Luckily when I got up there, the lady was not having any, anything like we were not getting onto good terms. Like they're very strict at border control. And luckily my, they're so mean.

    Brendan (21:14.794)

    They are like for like it's good to be strict, but you're there for business. What's wrong with I don't like why are they stopping? I don't know what and the peanuts. What's wrong with peanuts?

    Kiera Dent (21:22.152)

    So they say, are you bringing any nuts with you? And I was like, why did I say yes to that? Just don't eat them while you're over there if you accidentally, or throw them away. I don't know what my deal was. yeah, but then on my flight back, my client was like, you're fine. You got over. And I said, I don't think I'm fine. And truth be told, when I went back to the airport, there's a code that they'll put on some tickets. I couldn't check in. So when I was flying back, I wasn't allowed to check in on.

    line said go to the airport. I printed my ticket and I got four S's on my boarding pass, which then meant I got searched up and down left and right. The really cool thing is because I do work in dental offices, my bag and my shoes actually flagged that I had bomb making materials on me. They asked what I do for work and what my husband does for work, found out we were in healthcare, which I mean, there are some things that we do have in dental offices that probably could contribute.

    Brendan (21:56.554)

    no, yeah.

    Kiera Dent (22:20.214)

    So when they found out I worked in healthcare, I was allowed to go, everything was fine. I got to the gate, I got searched again at the gate, and then finally I was able to fly back home. So I have never been so excited to see the US flag flying after. So that was my end of international consulting. I've still consulted people in Canada, but they have to come over to the US. I'll meet them right at the border, but we do it all in the US now. So that was a good lesson learned early on.

    Brendan (22:46.665)

    Okay.

    Yeah, yeah, fair enough. And you could probably do a bit virtual. Why do you need to meet in person? I'm curious.

    Kiera Dent (22:54.74)

    Yeah. So that was like really what I built the company on and we've since shifted and whatnot. But what I found was like going to people's offices, like I went to one office, I'd been consulting them for about six months and I walked in and they had paper charts. Never once did paper charts come up on any of our calls. And I'm like, excuse me, we have paper charts in this office. Like how was that never a conversation? And what I realized is what me as a consultant might see that maybe isn't like

    a good flow or good things, a dentist who's been doing this for years might not even know that that's abnormal. And so sometimes being able to see the practice can really help. It can really help us evaluate. We can get the team on board. So that's been something that's been really fun. But we've also now learned that, like, I think after seeing so many practices myself, we know a lot more of the questions to ask of the team pieces of the flow. There's different ways. mean, COVID really helped exponentially grow that virtual piece. And honestly, we can get, I would say,

    We're like 98 % as good of results virtually as we were getting in person. So the only thing I think people miss is just like us being with their teams. So now we're flying all of our doctors and teams together. So we're still able to influence. And we learned through COVID, we did virtual team events and teams love it. Like we ship swag boxes and we really learned how to have this like fun, engaging experience virtually that teams get bought into. And then it's cheaper for the doctors not to have to fly an entire team.

    Brendan (23:58.548)

    if could.

    Kiera Dent (24:22.092)

    to a location as well.

    Brendan (24:23.956)

    Right, right, right, right. I just thought of a couple things to ask you really quickly. Have you ever met Paul Vigario of SurfCT? No, okay, they're an IT company. They do a bunch of things, but you were mentioning kind of, I forget the exact word you used, but you were saying like building up and motivating the team of the dental office. He uses the word empower, which I thought was interesting. I didn't know if you guys had crossed paths or something, but he would be a good person to connections in the network. The other thing is I could,

    Kiera Dent (24:31.658)

    I have not. That'd be a one.

    Kiera Dent (24:42.221)

    Mm

    Kiera Dent (24:50.944)

    Yeah.

    Brendan (24:53.8)

    I wanted to ask you because you like to go your at least you started the business by going in person to these offices. Do you have any recommendations that you make as far as the flow? Because you have the waiting room and then you have the operatories and all double chairs. Maybe if consult consulting group, consult rooms and follow up rooms next to them. And then towards the end on the way out, it's different from the entrance because people got dental treatment and they got to make that payment. Hopefully before they leave the office. Is that anything that you evaluate and make better or

    Kiera Dent (25:19.717)

    Mm -hmm.

    Kiera Dent (25:23.564)

    Totally. Yeah. One of my offices, they're a very big booming practice. They do over 14 million a year in one location. And I went up to their office and it's kind of my running joke. said, you guys, I don't even want to put this on my resume that I did this for your practice. We're talking big booming practice, huge practice. They've been doing amazing for years. What I implemented in their practice were flowers that I went and bought from the store.

    and put in vases at their checkout location because what I noticed is they were not getting a high of cases closed because there was no privacy. It was too big of a thing. And I also noticed the flow was really confusing because people were coming from both directions and they were actually running into each other. Patients were backing up, patients were leaving. And I'm I'm kind of embarrassed that like, Kiera Dent came in, Dental A Team, and I put flowers on your checkout.

    But what happened was their case acceptance skyrocketed. The patient flow I practiced with the entire team. Because what's crazy is those little things we don't think about, but the patient experience exponentially increases and our case acceptance goes up exponentially. So I'm like a miracle girl in practices. Case acceptance is my jam. Having really smooth flows for practices is really what I love to do. And so yes, in my perfect world, if I get to see your blueprints before you build the practice,

    Always having an in and an out because it really helps but if like the practice is how it is Let's figure out flows Sometimes I'll just add a little bench by the checkout where people can actually seat their patients so the patient's not leaving the door Little different things where you can hand like a route slip or anything of communication like the baton passing between the front and the back office so that way everything is just so clean and what's going on between the front to the back and having that flow very

    very easy. But yeah, that's something I really love to see. Because just one small little thing or in big offices, I do like a direction and a flow of traffic. So that way we're getting all patients going through one door, getting them to check out, there's a set process. I call it like the HOV lane or the like, so they're just a quick checkout, like a speedy checkout, send them to this person. If they're a longer one, put them here, have different people that are better with different skill sets at those two seats.

    Brendan (27:16.394)

    Interesting.

    Brendan (27:30.378)

    I like that.

    Kiera Dent (27:41.61)

    Sometimes on the check -in, I'll have people take payments, so we're not backing them up. In really large practices, when they start to get bigger and bigger, I will start to have the clinical team, like very easy. If they just need a fluoride payment, just swipe that card in the back, very easy. We can get credit cards on file. And then there's checks and balances to make sure none of it gets missed because more hands in pots can oftentimes lead to chaos. But if it's a systematized way, you can do so much with a flow and make everybody's life so much easier.

    Brendan (28:09.738)

    Absolutely. So then at least to my next question and right on that, virtually, how do you assess someone's patient flow and the routes and finding that HOV lane?

    Kiera Dent (28:18.348)

    So, oftentimes we will still go to practices, but if I'm not in a practice, it's really simple. Like do a little FaceTime video with me, like walk me through your practice, show me what your patients are doing. and what's really fun about our consulting is when you've seen so many offices, you can like within 10 minutes of being in a practice, I already know what they could do to improve very quickly. Cause you just see it. It's like we're playing a game and I spot it. And so just do a fast, easy FaceTime. I've got an office right now and

    We work through their entire flow virtually and everything's moving really well. So just an easy FaceTime or a Zoom will take me around the whole office and we can just pick up a small little change here or there.

    Brendan (28:59.998)

    that a lot. Are you only working with general dentistry? Can you come over and work in oral surgery at least a little bit? Maybe.

    Kiera Dent (29:05.782)

    course. Yeah, we have three OS offices right now. So yes, we do branch out to other specialties. OS is fun. I like working with GPs that did implants and things which I get there's a world of like OS you're more trained. GPs love to dabble. I think like I'm not here for that debate but I am here for I love OS. I think OS is so awesome the things that we can do for patients I think.

    being able to give people confidence back, being able to do it with so much ease. I love surgery, I love surgery cases, I love implants, I love bone grafting. We did a ramus and we harvested the ramus for an implant and it did not go well. So I have a lot of respect for MaxoFacial who do it well because ours was not a good experience. But it's just fascinating the thing. So yes, we definitely work in OS and help with that.

    Brendan (29:43.08)

    A lot of fun, yeah.

    Kiera Dent (30:04.202)

    And they're just different things.

    Brendan (30:04.532)

    You said, yeah, you said three office. Is it three different offices or like one organization or the three different organizations? Okay. Okay. It is one of the max. I'm curious, max, Dr. Iraq's.

    Kiera Dent (30:09.652)

    Mm -hmm. Mm -hmm. Yeah. Yep. Yeah. No, no. I would love to just go see how they do it because I think I'd learn so much. And that's the other fun thing. I am always, I tell offices, I'm like, I'm here to teach you any tip and piece that can make your life easier, but I'm also here to learn from you too. So much of what we do in our consulting, yes, came from experiences and things we brought to it.

    But there's so many great ideas that I see in offices that I'm obsessed with. I've seen really awesome ways to cut down supply costs just with tip -out bins. I've seen awesome ways with flow. I've seen really awesome things with things you do in the waiting room. There's just so many cool things when you go and see offices. So I would love to go see Mac's offices. What are they doing? What's their patient experience like? What's their team experience like? Because offices...

    Brendan (30:45.567)

    Mm.

    Brendan (31:01.587)

    Yeah.

    Kiera Dent (31:05.164)

    It's usually dependent upon the owner doctor. I'm like, you can easily, I usually within like five or 10 minutes of meeting a team, I can tell, will they be successful or not? And most of it is due to the owner doctor and how they are. Dr. Jason, he's incredible. He has such a heart of gold. He's very committed to where he's going. I'm like, he, he like plants success everywhere he goes because of who he is. like, his team of course is thriving. know they're thriving without even seeing his office. So yeah, it'd be really fun to go see him.

    Brendan (31:14.452)

    Hmm

    Brendan (31:34.132)

    They are, they really are. And you need to meet Megan Dwyer too. She's like his go -to, maybe you know of her though. Yeah, they are, their organization is pretty incredible. Of the DSOs, I would put them at the top of the list, I think. Moving forward, I'm very curious to see, because they're fairly new. They've been in it for a bit, but they're fairly new. I'm curious to see where they go. I still have a couple more questions if you have some more time. What's, so here's a quick one. What's something you like to spot the,

    Kiera Dent (31:34.986)

    Thank

    Kiera Dent (31:47.104)

    Mm

    Kiera Dent (31:57.546)

    Yeah, of course I do. Yeah, absolutely.

    Brendan (32:03.838)

    The gaps, I love that. What's one difference you see in oral surgery offices that's different from the general dentist office?

    Kiera Dent (32:11.3)

    Wes is just big treatment plans most of the time. Like it's a, we're not, we're there to build a relationship. We're there to love them, but we're not there. Like you're not there Dennis forever. Like you guys are there for very much a specialty. And so like the way you schedule an OS practice compared to how I schedule a GP practice, the relationship building with an OS practice, a lot of it's going to be relationship building with all your GPS in the area where GPs.

    are more about just attracting patients in. So that's something I see a lot, but OS is, I think OS is helping the doctors. OS has a reputation of like, pop that anesthetic in, take the teeth out and off they go. It's kind of a little bit more, it is a little more rash. And so just helping those doctors realize like that experience is getting you the reputation all the way out. Like you're an incredible surgeon.

    Brendan (32:59.06)

    more rash. Yeah.

    Kiera Dent (33:08.372)

    Make sure the bedside manners match your expertise. Make sure that patient feels your love for them because dentistry is such an intimate experience. Like nowhere do you let a stranger put their fingers in your mouth. Like it's just, weird. Like we literally let these strangers do it. It's very weird. And so helping those, is. And then a lot of OS, I noticed that they're such brilliant surgeons that they struggle with team dynamics a lot.

    Brendan (33:19.388)

    It is. It's your mouth. Yeah.

    Very vulnerable, yeah.

    Kiera Dent (33:35.424)

    That's something I noticed more so in OS than I noticed in GP. so helping them see like you are this incredible surgeon and I want you to be the expert there. And I also want you to be a human to your team. Like Dr. Jason is, he is a very different OS. He doesn't have that chip. He doesn't have the, which I mean, my husband's in medicine too. And there's some surgeons who have that chip on their shoulder and they're total jerks. And like I watched even in the healthcare, some doctors are such

    Brendan (33:36.088)

    Kiera Dent (34:03.67)

    jerks to their team. And I'm like, you get so much more further if your team's behind you than you do by like barking orders at them or telling them. And I understand surgery is stressful. Like if we mess up, the surgery has some not so great side effects to it. And so I understand the need for that perfection, but I'm like, teach your team with those perfect systems that you want it perfect every time and then love on them when they do great things too is something I noticed. Now that's not like

    Brendan (34:13.524)

    Mm -hmm.

    Kiera Dent (34:32.006)

    blanket statement because there's GP doctors that have that need that exact same advice. But that is something I think it's just OS is it's fast. It's like shucking teeth all day long and

    Brendan (34:42.046)

    Yeah, no, it's so it's so disappointing though. And I completely connected with that. I'm surrounded by such brilliant people. Some of the people that have gotten just at my program, don't want to mention the program, but at my program surrounded by other oral surgery surgeons and residents that have gotten the top scores in the country. And but there's just such a disconnect where they're like, they just think it's taken out teeth. And I get made fun of for taking a long, I like to take a long time at the consult. I'll ask you three times before you walk out. Are there any questions that I can answer for you? You know, I don't care if that's annoying.

    or if I'm taking too long and the assistants are bugging me or making fun of me from the hallway and stuff. But it's that patient experience. It's exactly what you said. And I make a lot of content on the side, make fun of that too. But no, I'm really connecting with you on that. It's such an important thing. And I cannot stand that ego. I don't care if you have a DDS and an MD. We are human beings. And outside of the clinic, you're Josh. You're just Peter. You know, I'm just Brendan, right?

    Kiera Dent (35:38.956)

    Thank

    Brendan (35:41.066)

    You're not talking to this and that. And you know, obviously there's so many amazing people out there and you know, those are some of my friends. So I'm not talking about them, but it's an interesting thing. It's so weird to find such a predominance of that ego and elevated mindset. And I've found dentists who are just the same exact thing too. For another time though, but yeah, feel like we're going on to that. But it does, comes down to the patient experience. And I really do appreciate that.

    Kiera Dent (36:02.861)

    you

    Kiera Dent (36:09.398)

    for sharing.

    Brendan (36:11.074)

    man, I just missed there were another two things that I had lined up ready to go. shouldn't have said anything.

    Kiera Dent (36:18.49)

    No, you're good. I think though, as you said that, I think the greatest thing that doctors can do is build that confidence in your patient. I tell all my treatment coordinators and consultors and doctors, I'm like, they are not here buying dentistry. They are buying your confidence. They are buying your, that you're going to get the best results because I'm like, people forget that like we live in dental Tinder.

    Like there is another dentist, there's another maxofacial somewhere else that can get like, they can do the same thing. And I'm like, they're buying you, they're buying your confidence, they're buying what you can give them of the dream and the hope. And so yes, like I love to ask what questions do you have for me? I want you to be rock solid leaving here. That helps that patient know one, what questions do you have for me is great. It's open -ended. I'm getting them to say yes to me rather than no to me.

    Two, I'm telling them how I want them to feel. I want them to feel rock solid, confident, moving forward. What questions do you have for me? If they tell me they want to check with their spouse, absolutely, I want you to check with your spouse. What questions do think your spouse will ask you? That way I can make sure you're fully prepared for it. That's my way I can get past it and find out what's really taking this patient back. When they're like, hey, I need to check my work schedule, absolutely no problem.

    Let's add you to the schedule. So me, Kiera Dent, who's ditzy over here, doesn't forget about you, Brendan. I never want to let you slip through the cracks. I'll just pop you on the schedule. You give me a call when you get to work, if that doesn't work for you, because I would hate to let you slip through the cracks. So many little things where we're making that patient the VIP. I feel like in today's world, it's funny because we think that there's so much competition out there, but I'm like, it's actually really easy to stand out and it's called being kind. I think the world has gone through the COVID crank.

    I think we've become very self -centered in a lot of ways in the world. And I'm like, the greatest way for us to give incredible patient experience is to be kind, to show up as a human being, to sit knee to knee with them on their level. Like you said, what questions do you have for me? I think we've kind of forgotten how to be human beings. We've become human robots. And that's how you can actually stand out in today's world. I'm like, it's such an easy way to get an edge is to just be kind and to treat them.

    Kiera Dent (38:27.828)

    and make sure that they're rock solid confident is going to be the way to win those patients. And then like, I don't care whatever you do have great bedside manners. but I remember my ER doctor when I had an appendix burst, I loved my ER doctor, I loved him and he was so busy, but he made me feel so taken care of. And my husband went out to while I was waiting in the room and he's like, our doctor is literally running between rooms, but as soon as he gets the door, he like walks in so slow and like, Kiera I'm here, whatever questions you have.

    and then would like book it as soon as he left the room. I never felt that rush. I felt like he was taking great care of me. And I think that's a great way for all dentists to have an edge and to win the patients that need to be served by you.

    Brendan (39:11.21)

    Yeah, you need to have that humanistic quality to you it and just back to you were saying how it's like tinder There's always another it's like there's always gonna be another oral surgeon who's taller. There's always gonna be on their dentists That's better looking That's that's so funny And just just a few more questions. I I got back to it by the way the Within those first two years, I'm curious I want to just just if we could touch into the secret sauce a little bit here

    Kiera Dent (39:23.628)

    Sure.

    Kiera Dent (39:28.768)

    Yep. Good.

    Brendan (39:40.884)

    Cause I'm going to start in this practice next August, August 15th. And I am, I want to, I want you to come over and do a whole revamp and we figure out what's going on. The offices, the practices, I'll pay for it. However we got to do it. But within those first two years, I'll be working for someone, but you were with someone who had started her own practice or was working in.

    Kiera Dent (39:59.724)

    Nope, we started it. We bought it from a retiring doctor. Yep.

    Brendan (40:01.61)

    Start from there. What were some of those key things, maybe two or three things, if you could touch on them that got her from the, regardless of the numbers, but what got really the scaling going? You said systems and processes, so you got those going. Is there another one or two things that I should be looking for in my first two years? I got a two -year contract, that's where I signed. I want to be a partner there one day. What's something I should be looking into to find or bring to the table to be that missing piece, if you can share something, one or two things.

    Kiera Dent (40:19.724)

    Thank

    Mm

    Kiera Dent (40:29.78)

    Yeah, of course. So I think I'd find out where are the gaps in that practice right now. What are the things that the owner doctor maybe doesn't enjoy doing? Are they really amazing with numbers? Are they really amazing with the team? Are they really amazing clinicians? Because usually people have a natural gravitation to something. And so when I look at practices and partnerships, I work a lot with partners and helping doctors come together.

    Brendan (40:40.36)

    you

    Kiera Dent (40:55.94)

    is what's the complimentary piece? So like when I have a husband wife duo in a practice, I'm like, all right, one of you is probably naturally gifted with the team and one of you is probably naturally gifted with numbers. That usually tends to be the dynamic I see with partners. When there's multiple partners in there, we obviously bring different skill sets to the table. But I would say go find out as a partner, if your skill sets the team or if it's numbers, I also say that that can't be your crutch either.

    You still need to go learn the other side of it. So that way you can be a resource for them. So just because you might not like numbers, go figure it out, figure out how they do the billing, go talk to the front office, have them like you sit in the chair and physically send the bill. So you understand what that process is like. So you know how you can help support your team as well. And also how you can check and audit the numbers in the books. I really love when doctors come in with an owner mindset and there's also gotta be a level of appreciation.

    while there's also confidence. So recognizing that that doctor took all the risk to build this practice for you, I think goes a long way. But then at the same time, you need to come in with something that they don't have that you're going to bring in. really being observant of what don't they like or what are the gaps? How's the team doing? Are we doing team meetings, listening to podcasts? And then also remembering that you're a leader. So I think you leading, no matter if you care to do it or not.

    as a doctor, you're just a natural leader to your team. We are always going to follow you. We're always going to respect you because you're our doctor. And so I think those are the pieces, but I feel pretend this was your practice. What things would you have to know? You'd have to know the numbers. You'd have to know what profitability is. You'd have to know what your EBITDA is. You'd have to know the billing processes. You'd have to know how to hire and fire. You'd have to know the HR portion of it. You also have to be a great clinician. And so as you like, usually I say your first six -ish months, you got to be a bang of

    clinician. Like I need you to come in, I need you to produce, I want you to do all these things and really learn that mentorship piece and then like start to take on those little pieces of the practice ownership. So when you come to the table, you're not just bringing a check to buy into the practice, you're bringing skills that are very valuable to this practice that's complimentary to what they have already.

    Brendan (43:05.994)

    Excellent and thank you for that. We actually are doing some stuff on the marketing side so I'm very glad that you mentioned those things. Okay great so we'll be touching base throughout next year. I start August 15th so we'll be doing that. We'll be touching base. Is your work expensive?

    Kiera Dent (43:18.355)

    I'm caught.

    Kiera Dent (43:28.199)

    Yeah, of course. So we do online and we do in person and really we try to customize it to your practice. And so all of our fees have always been covered by either the amount we reduce in your overhead or the production we add to your practice. I've never once not had our consulting paid for and we range anywhere from like ,600 a month all the way up to $4 ,500 a month, depending upon the amount that we would be doing, whether we're coming to your practice, whether we're coming out here.

    what different pieces we're doing and how much hands -on. But really, my goal is how can we help people succeed and flourish is what I love to do.

    Brendan (44:00.468)

    next one.

    Brendan (44:06.354)

    Excellent. And you have a team, I'm sure you have other people who's Shelby, by the way, she's just, she helps coordinates things or.

    Kiera Dent (44:12.441)

    Yes, Shelby is my executive assistant and our customer success. And she really so she does all of my scheduling and coordinating, which is incredible. And then she also takes care of all of our clients, too. So she's beautiful. She's incredible. I hired her. She was my next door neighbor, actually. And I was like, I was like, this girl takes care of my plants when I'm on the road. She just noticed my plants were dying and started watering them for me. She just like randomly check in on me. She was a waitress. And I'm like,

    Brendan (44:28.468)

    Amazing! That's great!

    Kiera Dent (44:40.138)

    This girl loves people so much. want her in my life and on my team. so, yeah, we've worked together for almost four years now and she's just truly incredible.

    Brendan (44:50.922)

    That's amazing. that's so nice that it's like a family business. Yeah!

    Kiera Dent (44:53.44)

    So look for good talent. I know, look for good talent everywhere. I've hired people from my next door neighbor. I've hired people from friends of friends. I've hired people from church. You always gotta be on the lookout for incredible talent because those people are the people you want in your life.

    Brendan (45:09.428)

    How do you find the roles for them in your company? I'm curious, because with one of my marketing startups right now, with the co -founders, that's what we're looking for. We need this and this done. But then finding the right people, you know, on top of the day -to -day, the nine -to -five, you found people at church, neighbor. And they just happened to fit that thing that was missing at that one time, or they molded, you trained them. I'm curious.

    Kiera Dent (45:23.98)

    Sure.

    Kiera Dent (45:31.168)

    Thank

    both. So I think it's important, like whenever I tell people like, hey, we're going to try and find a role. And we don't know, I just say, great, like, let's write down everything, like, just dump it all on a list of everything that you are either doing, or you need to delegate out or things you'd like to not be doing. And then let's see if we can cluster it. So can we lump tasks together? Like for me, I need someone to book my travel, I need someone to do my emails, check the mail, like take care of my clients when I was on the road.

    All that really falls into an assistant role. And then I was able to go find that person. And when I first did it, just dumped everything on a list. I went back with a pink highlighter, my favorite color. And I'm like, these are things that truly only I can do. And it's a good ego test because 90 % of that list is not only you can do. They're probably like 5 or 10%. That truly are tasks that only you can do. And then I looked at the ones that took me the most amount of time. And then I was like, OK.

    Who could I hire for this? And that's how I started hiring these different positions. Now, a lot of times, you kind of know an assistant role or an executive assistant role or a manager role or a marketing person. And then I'll either put posts out there, job postings out there. I write my posts. I hate jobs to where I'm like, I don't know. I make them very fun because I really love that person and I want them to come be with us and realize how great of a position this will be for them. But no, there's so much that can be done.

    with freelancers, like my first personal assistant I hired for 500 bucks a month. like, I don't even know what I'm having you do, but like, know I need you. So like more tasks will come as you take on more things and I'll just like keep paying you. And so then they just morph. And usually those personal assistants or those assistants that are kind of at random, like jack of all trades, master of nothing, they really just... So I found my first one on Indeed. I hired her. I just put an ad out.

    Brendan (47:20.446)

    Yeah. Where did you find that person, by the way?

    Brendan (47:27.518)

    Thank you.

    Kiera Dent (47:28.876)

    Viva HR is a great resource too, that I love. I'm happy to share a link with all the listeners. It's $99 a month and you can post on all the platforms, unlimited ads. And I was like spending $15 ,000 a year on job postings for a while. This has cut down a huge expense for us. So I do post there. but I write mine very fun. So I like talk about how fun our company is. I talk about our Disneyland retreats. go on, I talk about like, what's your favorite cupcake flavor. So that way it's just very intentional. And then for them to come back to me.

    I do tell them they have to respond back with certain things. And if people don't do it, I just weed through. But yeah, the first personal assistant I hired, she was a college student. She came from a great company in the area. And she just loved me from day one. For personal assistants, I have a really good process that I'm happy to share with anyone trying to hire this role, where we make them do certain things like book a trip for me, schedule this dinner thing. And I look to see their thought processes and how long it takes them. So I kind of test them through the interview process.

    So she was hired from Indeed. Another one was hired. Shelby was my next door neighbor. But yeah, they just come from all over random. But I found the best people for that role are usually from hospitality. So waitresses, servers, Starbucks. Anyone in that service tanning anything in that world where you've got to really be high end nice. I love a waitress or a waiter because they've got to watch so many people.

    Brendan (48:26.388)

    Mmm.

    Kiera Dent (48:53.376)

    They serve a bunch of people. They're very fast paced. Like that's a good person who matches me. I love to bring those people in. but yeah, that's, so that's where I find those people. But indeed, honestly, college towns, a lot of people in college town just want like, I don't need them full time. So they're really good role to bring in part time. But I found the ones that are in college usually are the best ones for that personal assistant. And then

    Brendan (48:56.67)

    Yes.

    Brendan (49:01.642)

    Speaking of tanning, yeah, this light isn't doing me any good. But all right, anyways, start, keep going, keep going. I'm very worried.

    Kiera Dent (49:21.036)

    depending on what they're going into school for. Shelby was going to school for business administration, so it was a perfect match for her. My other one was going to school for teaching, so she was with me through the time she got her degree, and now we're still really good friends after that too.

    Brendan (49:34.026)

    Amazing. You're brilliant. This is one system in process to another. I really appreciate this. I really do. Excellent.

    Kiera Dent (49:38.73)

    Thank you. Thank you. I want to make your life easy. So whatever we can do to like simplify and ease people's lives. That's what we're here for.

    Brendan (49:47.046)

    Yeah, absolutely. Thank you so much for coming on. No, I'm just now you're we're hitting the cap where there's there's a lot to take in here. Can you do me a favor and please go and take a look at Max's offices and everything like within this year so that afterwards that we can talk stealing double things.

    Kiera Dent (50:04.46)

    Right. Exactly. Well, he's so great because he's been on your podcast earlier today. He just mentioned he was like, everybody thinks they're competitors. And the reality is we're not competitors. There's enough teeth to go around. There's enough like all, all ships rise, like all tides rise all ships. And I love that perspective. I'm like, we need more people like him. I guarantee you if you went and saw his offices, he'd take you around. And that's the type of doctors. Like, we attract these doctors.

    Brendan (50:28.84)

    I did actually, yeah.

    Kiera Dent (50:32.32)

    who want to give to others, who want to lift each other up, that want to share their best ideas. And that's what I'm committed to just creating more of because the more we celebrate, the more we share, the more we lift each other up and we give all these ideas, like I will happily give anything I can for you because the more you can succeed, the more you're going to rise other people up with you as well. So why not? The world needs more goodness and more positivity. So let's create it.

    Brendan (50:56.21)

    It does. does. The one thing because he has a corporation now. It's a big organization. They're amazing. They're beautiful. But then there's going to be certain ceilings and walls and what you can and can't do. Unfortunately. And I was very I saw his offices and he is outstanding and his team is great. They're lot of fun. They're a lot of fun. And I I love that. But I just saw the path to kind of I don't know where I'm going to make it. And I want to try to go towards administrative in addition to

    taking out teeth and doing the oral surgery. And I felt that in a DSO, there would be certain boundaries that might prevent that growth. And I'm sure you understand that, right? Especially with your story of the blossoming, right? So yeah, I could do, and then there was one person that their organization hired that I knew of that probably wouldn't work well, but butting heads kind of stuff. So you have to make decisions as you move on. So I'd be very curious if I was to work there.

    Kiera Dent (51:47.148)

    Sure.

    Brendan (51:52.126)

    We wouldn't have a future of a project together of building, creating systems and processes. So you know what I mean? Like, and this is kind of like how I like to connect. had a great conversation today. I can't thank you for not coming on. You have such a busy schedule. Shelby's great, by the way. I'm all over the place. It's only me here right now. And one day learning from you, maybe I could scale, but thank you so much for coming on. I'm going to, I'm going to be posting this on whatever platforms we can. I'm sorry that you're recording this with the backwards Riverside. Thanks.

    Kiera Dent (51:57.299)

    Sure.

    Kiera Dent (52:06.41)

    Thank you.

    Brendan (52:21.78)

    for Shelby to putting that together though. Yeah, thank you. I know we're hitting that hour mark. So I want to be conscious of your time. Maybe we could do part two sometime in the future. Or maybe when you come through, if you can. Can I, I know you have a team now, in the future, revamping the practice and stuff. Is there a different price from getting you versus a team member, a delegate? How does that work?

    Kiera Dent (52:22.841)

    Yeah, of course. Thank you.

    Kiera Dent (52:31.18)

    Thank

    Kiera Dent (52:34.516)

    Yeah.

    Kiera Dent (52:45.453)

    Yeah, great question. I have always tried to make sure that whomever I hire is just as good as me, if not better. I even tell other people, I'm like, honestly, my consultants are usually better than me due to the fact that all they do is consulting. And so they're truly incredible for it. So I have never wanted to have a different fee for myself or for consultants. And so currently, it's the same fee. I just don't take on as many clients. However, with that said,

    certain people that we've connected with and if I'm in the area and it works out, by all means, I'm happy to come. And even sometimes it's me plus a consultant because I just, my biggest expectation of ourselves is I feel like we have got to be there for clients. Like when I need my coach, I need her. And so we are so on top of it that I would never want to have it where I am busy, I'm on podcasts, the clients can't get in touch. So I always, if I even am on an office,

    I pair myself with another consultant just so you guys always have support and you're never left due to the fact that I am busy and I do travel. absolutely, there's no extra fee if it's me or someone else. So yeah, that would be, but honestly, our consultants, I only bring on consultants in our company that have my experience or better, that they've had to grow multiple practices, that they have the dental experience, that they've got the passion for dentistry, that they've grown multiple practices.

    because I don't feel like if you haven't been in their shoes, it's very hard to convince people of what to do or to even have that empathy. yeah, so that's how we operate. But now if I didn't bring on people that were just as good as me, if not better, I think that'd be a flaw of myself as well.

    Brendan (54:23.924)

    That's such a good idea. Do you ever get all your teams, the consultants together on the podcast all at once? How often do you do that?

    Kiera Dent (54:29.482)

    We do. actually did one. It was actually really weird to have all of us on there because like virtually you don't know who's going next. So was kind of this like weird dynamic. But we all do get together. It was one of those like, it's always like, there's a little bit of a delay and then like we're all consultants. So we're kind of like sharks. No one wants to like sit back. So it was just like really weird. I'm like, guys, like it'd be so fun with podcasts together. And then we were like, that was really, really weird. So Maxis3.

    Brendan (54:51.155)

    Yeah.

    Kiera Dent (54:58.538)

    But usually two of us will get together. But yeah, the consultants are truly magical. And I'm just so lucky to have such a great team of people who just have the passion and the love for their clients and their patients and their team that they're just really, really amazing people.

    Brendan (55:14.363)

    Have you seen that meme of the Spider -Man where they're like in a square and they're all pointing at each other and they all look exactly like feel like that where it's like, are you gonna go? Are you gonna go next on the?

    Kiera Dent (55:17.994)

    Yeah.

    Kiera Dent (55:23.702)

    Well, and it's hard because like everybody's screen, like if you're on Google meet or on Riverside, like all the boxes for each screen are in different spots. So it's not like we can be like the top, the bottom, like all of us are different. so, yeah, but our team does get together every day. We've, I've just found in a virtual company, you've got to keep that team morale and have fun. And so it's so fun that we like, when we see each other in person, it's like, nothing has passed by, which I really am so proud of our team for doing. So it's been fun.

    Brendan (55:50.826)

    You got a powerful team then that you guys all respect each other. You guys are friends. That's a group that's hard to find. You must, I mean, you're the leader in the organization that must have been, it's just, it's probably another testament to you that you know how to pick the right team members. You have a feel for people. That's interesting. I've learned a lot about you today and I appreciate it was a slow start to the conversation, but I feel like we got to a really good place and I can't think of her coming on. This is, I've been very impressed. Thank you for doing what you do. I'm looking forward to seeing where we can go in the future.

    Kiera Dent (56:14.751)

    Thank you.

    Brendan (56:19.006)

    when I finally, I gotta get out of this residency program and start practicing, hopefully.

    Kiera Dent (56:22.325)

    Enjoy it. Learn as much as you can through residency. That's why I tell all my doctors, I'm like, go through it through residency. Learn everything you can. Get your bedside manners up. Get your speed up. Get your skillset up. Get so confident in that. Get your treatment planning up because then you're going to walk in and now people are paying you as the doctor, as this private practice. They're not coming to you because they have to. So like take this as the most beautiful, amazing, like couple of months and just soak in everything you possibly can.

    Because private practice is not like residency or dental school or anything like that. Now you have to be the one that like is really the magician that turns it on and gets people to follow you because they love you, not because they have to come to it.

    Brendan (57:03.732)

    Yes. Yes, that's going to be lesson one. You'll have to teach me how to empower the team. I want everyone on the same playing field.

    Brendan (57:32.478)

    Anyway, so thank you. won't take up any of your night. I know you got the family to get to, but thank you so much.

    Kiera Dent (57:38.547)

    Absolutely, thank you so much as well.

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  • #912: Are You On Track For 2024 To End?

    #912: Are You On Track For 2024 To End?

    · Dental A Team Podcast

    Kiera gives listeners advice on what they should be checking in on with their practices as 2024 begins to wind down. This could be finances, operations, staffing, or personal health. She also encourages setting strategic goals as you begin to forecast 2025.

    Episode resources:

    Reach out to Kiera

    Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar

    Practice Momentum Group Consulting

    Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast

    Become Dental A-Team Platinum!

    Review the podcast

    Transcript:

    Kiera Dent (00:00.842)

    Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera Welcome to the podcast. I hope today is just an incredible day for you. I hope you're loving it. I hope you just remember, hey, we're in dentistry and dentistry is the most incredible thing that we can ever be a part of. You guys, just think it's absolutely magic of what we get to do. It's absolutely incredible of the lives we get to live. It's absolutely incredible of the lives we get to serve and to help every day between our teams and our patients and our community. Like it is just magic.

    that we get to be here. And so I hope all of you today, just like write maybe a little letter of gratitude of how grateful you are for this life that you get to live, for this practice you get to be a part of, for this community that you get to be a part of. Maybe journal it, maybe text it to somebody, because I truly do believe that we build momentum and seeing the good in our world is truly, I think, a talent. I think it's a muscle that we have to strengthen day in and day out. And that's really what I try to do on the podcast is bring you tactical

    while also positively impacting your world. And so please share this with someone, leave us those five star reviews, download this podcast, put it in the Facebook groups, tag us while you're listening, whatever feels right to you, because you doing that helps other people see this and other people who might be in darkness or not knowing where they're going or maybe not feeling as optimistic about where we're at in dentistry. This can be a great resource and a gift for them. So please share and just thank you for all of you that have shared and made Dental A Team Podcast the greatest podcast out there for dentistry.

    All right, today I'm excited because it's end of year. And end of year for me is like exciting and exhilarating and sometimes daunting. So I really, in our private consulting within Dental A Team, we actually do this where we prep our doctors and our teams to look at the next year and to really go through a deep dive review. This is actually my favorite time of year with our offices to deep dive them through.

    What should we be looking at with it being end of year? So today on the podcast, I'm going to just take you guys briefly through it, but just know if you want that deep dive, please come join us on TheDentalATeam.com book a call with us, reach out. [email protected]. I am obsessed with planning and preparing and making sure our offices are thriving without worry. That doesn't mean that every day is a great day, but it does mean that they always know the Dental A Team is going to prepare them and be planning ahead with them and looking down the line with them.

    Kiera Dent (02:21.346)

    because that's what I feel like we need to do. And so often we're very reactive because we forgot to be proactive. And so that's what I'm obsessed with doing with our offices and doing it with ease. And so every quarter having a way to check in on these things, every quarter we assess where we're at and where do we need to go and really being able to do that within our practices. So today, just thinking about end of year, a few things that you guys should be looking at as a quick highlight, like this is a very high level. I spend a good chunk of time preparing this for our doctors. We do it in our private doctor.

    mastermind that we have every single month together. And then with our private clients, definitely working on this. just did it with my clients prepping for end of year. and like I said, I will give you a high level so you guys can have a taste of it. And then if you want to go deeper and one -on -one with your practice, be sure to join us. It is never too late to join. It's never too late to take the step to a different life. It's never too late to reach out for an expert who can guide you. And I would just encourage you, if you've been on the fence or you've been thinking about it for a while, do it, give yourself the greatest gift to have.

    resource in your pocket. We never know when things will be hard for us. We never know when those days will come. This year, I haven't shared this publicly, but I had a really, really hard year this year, probably the hardest year I've ever had in business. And I just think about what did I do to be prepared for that? I could never have planned for that to happen in my life. It happened so unexpectedly. It kind of came out of left field on me. And I think about how did I get through that? got through that with an incredible team, truly of people who supported me through it.

    And I got through it with incredible coaches. Had I not built that incredible network of my business coach, my financial coach, my CPA who's there with me, my lawyer team, I have a legal team, my personal trainer, my physical therapist. If I would not have had my mental therapist that I go to for therapy as well, that seven people in addition to my family and my team that were there supporting me, I would not have made it through.

    And I had no clue that that hard time was coming. There were no warning signs. It came out of left field. And so I just think like, we never know when that's going to be there, but having that advisory board around us to support us, to guide us, to give us the direction when we can't see it is truly, I think, the greatest gift I've ever given myself, the most confidence I've ever given myself as a business owner. And so I think that's where the passion comes of.

    Kiera Dent (04:42.75)

    You don't know what you don't know. You don't know what's coming ahead. But what we do know is we can always be proactively prepared for it. And so I think I have proactively prepared for the last seven years to be to this place. I brought in experts. I don't want to know everything, but I know as a business owner, it's my responsibility to know all those things. So I hire people. I have great consultants. I have great coaches. I have great people on my team to make sure that our business is always where it needs to be, no matter what my life cycle is.

    So with that, I think that that's actually something great to start off with for end of year. Where are you at with your advisory board? you have an amazing consultant? Do you have an incredible CPA that guides you? Does your CPA look ahead and do you know your tax planning? Where are you at right now for the end of the year? Are you prepared with that? Do you need to start saving? Do you need to make end of year expenses? Consulting, equipment, CE, different things that you want to do to grow your team for next year and for your business for next year.

    Do you have a CPA that's proactive or are they reactive and just send you a bill? Because to me, they're a partner in the business with me and I expect them to be a partner with me. I expect them to be looking down the line where I'm not seeing things. Do you have a financial advisor that's making sure that you're on track for where you want to be when you retire and that all this work that you're doing is actually going to the work and the lifestyle that you want to have when you're done working. Do you have a plan for bringing in associates in an exit plan? What does your exit plan look like and do you have that mapped out?

    with your consultant, with your financial advisor, with your CPA. So all of you are rowing in the same direction. And if not, let's get that in place. Let's look at this year. How did we do? Did we hit the goals we want? Did we not hit the goals? Why? I want you to get to the root cause of why. Why did we or why did we not? And I want you to answer it with no excuses. It's very easy to say, we didn't hire, but is that really true? Or did we just not look outside the box? There's outside the box thinking there are people everywhere.

    And to me, I don't allow myself to have excuses for end of year. What happened? Why did we get here? What was the root cause of it? And I push my clients. I don't let them just give me the easy of like, Kiera, it was a hard year. Yes, I always wrap them with a hug. Yes, I'm always there as a support. And yes, I'm always there to ask the hard questions because if we don't have someone asking the hard questions and answering them ourselves, honestly, we are going to stay in a rut of excuses rather than action and execution. And to me, that's the, that's the worst place to be because you can't get out of it.

    Kiera Dent (07:04.11)

    We're constantly sitting in this swirl that we can't get out of. And so really having somebody that doesn't let you off the hook. I think that's why my clients are with me for so long is because they know that I'm gonna guide them to where they wanna go. I'm gonna ask the hard questions, I'm gonna support them, but we're also gonna get like, we're gonna GSD and get some work done. And so looking at yourself, why did you or why did you not? Now setting goals for next year, it should be at least a 10 % growth minimum.

    Unless you're in heavy growth mode, then it could be higher than that. But something I've learned in a lot of the coaching and trainings that I've gone through is let's make sure our goals are super achievable and attainable because that actually builds momentum for practices. Bringing on new doctors, looking at our forecasting. We have our doctors go through and they forecast out how many days off they're going to be taking throughout the year. Doctors, I want you to take time off. Let's do that. Let's plan for that. And let's make sure that we have a plan in place to set appropriate goals.

    with the time you're taking off to plan and prepare for it. So we're not just haphazardly setting goals, but we're actually strategically knowing where we need to go and what we need to do. So right now should be a time where we're forecasting out what raises, what hires, what are our costs gonna be? What's the time off that we're going to be doing to make sure our goals are very realistic for next year as well. Right now you should be assessing every department, what's going well, what can we improve on? Looking at your marketing efforts, looking at your accounting efforts, looking at your advice from your financial advisor efforts.

    All these things are the things you need to be doing right now to be preparing for the end of the year to make sure that we're on a great foot to ring in 2025. I really have learned that having a good plan in place, having somebody who, who like really pushes me to answer these questions. I love it. I love to be challenged. I love to look, I love to ask the questions. I love to get my team on board. So me myself as the owner, I need to do this first.

    Then I take it to my team and I ask them the same questions. And then together we co -create the answers together that all of us are bought into. What's our bonus? If we're going to have a bonus, what's our profit share? If we're going to do a profit share, why are we working towards these goals? What is it getting us? Is it giving us the life that we ultimately want to be living? And if not, let's make some changes to make sure it is. Are you happy with the work you're doing? you fulfilled? would say 80 % of the time it's okay. There's going to be 20 % where we do not feel fulfilled and that's okay.

    Kiera Dent (09:20.462)

    But 80 % of the time, do you feel fulfilled? Are you excited to go to work? Are you making the money that you want to be making? Is your team compensated the way you want to pay them? Do we need to make some adjustments and some improvements? You guys, what's crazy cool about dentistry is every single thing that you want to do is fully within your control. All of it. We just need to be proactively planning rather than reactively responding. So proactively plan rather than reactively respond. I want you to be having the dreamiest life.

    I want you to know that next year you're going to hit the goals with ease rather than hoping and wishing and praying on everything, single possible star that we're going to hit it. I have an office right now that's been trying to add some doctors to their practice and our goals are a little shaky because we planned, we prepared. I mean, we've been working six months to find the right doctor. We're not willing to just hire a doctor, but we've been working. And when I look at that, it'd be really easy for me as a coach to be like, guys, like great job. Like we did it.

    But we looked at it and we said, all right, what do we need to do to make it strong? What do we need to do to find this person? We are not going to take the excuses with my team. We've been trying to hire consultants. So if you know anybody, don't worry, we're not poaching from your practice. But if you know someone who's ready to take their next step and become a consultant, please email me. [email protected] or just send in your resume. We actually have it online. Like I said, we do not take anybody from practices. We consult. But if you know anybody, send them our way. But when we went to our meeting,

    I asked our team, said, all right, what other things have we not done? We just keep doing the same thing and that's freaking insanity. I'm like, I'm crazy about it. You guys are crazy about it. They are out there. What do we need to do to change? And it was interesting because when we came into it with that mindset, we came up with some incredible solutions that we have never thought of, but it was a must, not a wish. And so for you as end of year, how can we make your goals for next year be musts, not wishes?

    How can we think outside the box? How can we like not let ourselves off the hook? How can we be like this office where it was like, all right, we've got to find a doctor. We've got to do these things for us. We need to find consultants. We're not going to take this hiring's hard. That's for the weak. That's for the offices that aren't really here for it. Yes, that's true. It's fact, but guess what? Life's not fair. And you guys are better than that. All of us are better than that. So let's rise up to the potential that we have within us instead of falling to the mediocrity that is so easily available. Let's rise up.

    Kiera Dent (11:47.788)

    Let's be better next year, but let's do it with ease and fun and confetti and glitter and all the happiness because I don't believe that rising up has to be hard. I believe it needs to be disciplined and executed. I believe that we need to truly have good people around us and good support systems around us. I believe that every possible thing we want is out there. We just have to figure out how to find it and how to get there.

    And honestly, right now I am truly here to say that Dental A Team has two incredible consulting models. We are rolling out something that I have never done before. And I am so excited. We are bringing people in person for the first time in Dental A Team's life, because I decided I want people to have these conversations together face to face in person. I want people to have an opportunity for experts of dentists just like them to come together where they can actually share their best ideas with each other. We have brilliant.

    Brilliant brilliant doctors within our community and I cannot wait to bring them all together I can't wait to quarterly like really like Sexy whiteboard it out and like get to the root causes of your practice and do it with your coach and with a community of doctors Just like you I am so excited to be doing that We also have our online virtual one of a mastermind group that people are literally obsessed with either one There's one -on -one. There's custom for you

    But I am so jazzed about it and it's time. It's time for you to take care of you. It's time for you to take care of your practice. This beautiful, precious team and community and patients that you've been blessed with. It's time to rise up and let's proactively take charge. You guys like, honestly, we have never once not paid for ourselves in consulting. We always cover our costs and we give you so much freedom. If there's an asterisk, because I had someone come to me and they're like, Kiera, you said all this on the podcast and

    that's not what happened. And I did prove that we did exactly what we said, but you also can't have the excuse of not showing up as well. You also have to do the hard things. You have to fire the people that are hard. You have to hire the people. You have to think outside the box. You have to be committed to these results as well, instead of sitting back and having blame and excuse. And to this doctor, if they are listening, there is so much love with this and there is absolutely no judgment because all of us are at different spaces in our world. But I know as a coach and a consultant.

    Kiera Dent (14:07.854)

    that there is an opportunity for all of us to rise up. And if we get rid of that amazing best friend who's there with all the excuses and we bring on the one who has the solutions and that's more of the one we listen to versus the excuses one, your life will be different. Your life will be better. Your practice will thrive with more ease than you could have ever imagined. And I can't wait to have you be a part of it. So reach out. [email protected]. Let's get you guys to that level and truly take the time right now to make sure that 2025 is successful with ease.

    not with a hope and a wish. I promise it's possible. I'm here to help you. I am so proud of you for being on this journey. You're doing better than you think you are. Make sure you have the support around you as well, because then it can be done with massive ease. And with that, thanks for listening. I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.

  • #911: Building Your Perfect Day Is as Easy as This

    #911: Building Your Perfect Day Is as Easy as This

    · Dental A Team Podcast

    Often when scheduling appointments, it’s all about the patient. But what about the doctor or team members? Britt and Tiff give tips for scheduling while keeping efficiency and quality in mind (for both parties).

    Episode resources:

    Reach out to Tiff and Britt

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    Review the podcast

    Transcript:

    The Dental A Team (00:01.057)

    Hello everyone out there listening. I am so excited to be here today. I have snagged the one and only Britt Stone again today to do some podcasting with me. Britt, how are you today?

    Britt (00:13.087)

    doing great. I mean, we're cooling off a little here in Arizona and it's a great time of year. Fall's beautiful.

    The Dental A Team (00:19.89)

    I agree. I loved the weekend weather. I know you weren't here for all of it. You had an awesome vacation, but it was really truly beautiful. And then I saw, well, Sunday got a little bit warmer. We went for a hike and we were like, well, this is a little bit warmer. And then I saw, gosh, by Thursday we're supposed to be like 95 again. So it's only here for, I think the heat's only here for a moment again. And then we'll drop back down, but it has been a wild.

    summer, like it's still summer here. I don't know how we're still experiencing summer. And I know, Brett, you and I both grew up here and I think people always ask us like, how do you do it? And we're like, I don't know, it's like three months of heat. And I think this year they challenged us and they were like, the universe was like, I'm gonna give you six months. And then their nature said, no, we're gonna like see if you can handle this. I feel as though I've never experienced anything like this in my life of living here.

    Britt (01:10.389)

    I mean, we broke some records. Sometimes that's an exciting thing and sometimes that's not an exciting thing to say.

    The Dental A Team (01:16.857)

    Totally agree. Not the records I wanted to break, but that's okay. We're still alive. You guys were still surviving. and I think we both probably, yeah. And I think we both probably can still say that we love where we live. So I love it. Love it. Love it. Thank you for being here. today I really wanted to pick your brain on some efficient appointment, scheduling, tips and tricks for the doctors out there. I really want to speak to, we always speak to both doctors and teams, but I really wanted to speak to doctors today and I wanted to

    Britt (01:23.351)

    I'm not trying any place.

    The Dental A Team (01:46.223)

    pick your brain a little extra because I you've really, really hard on some efficiency tips within the, you know, cost world as well. So we'll dive more into that. But Britt, from hygiene perspective as well, dental assistant perspective, we've got all of those different spaces. I'm really, really looking at efficient appointment scheduling. And for me, I'm constantly reminding teams, team members and

    doctors because I think doctors will stick their foot in their mouth sometimes too, to really, really look at what's working well for your practices flow. Like what's going to work best for you. And as the doctor of the practice, like when do you want to do these appointments? Do you want to do a root canal at 8 a.m.? Maybe possibly like do the root canal at 8 a.m. Right? Do you want to do a root canal at 2 p.m.? Would you rather do it, you know, after lunch, before lunch? Like where do you feel the most yourself?

    and the happiest to do these procedures because if we're just constantly looking at where the patient wants to come in, what's convenient for the patient, that's not always going to give them the best experience. So in that moment of scheduling.

    The patient might be excited and happy because they got the appointment that they wanted, but when they get there for the appointment, are they getting the best experience that they possibly can based on the flow and energy of the practice? Or did we just schedule you something super late in the day when you're exhausted and tired and you've been working so hard or you had pizza for lunch and you're like, I don't want to do this freaking root canal. Like, I don't know. know my doctor that I worked with side by side for years, hated nothing more than coming back from lunch and having

    fillings, like interproximal fillings and crown seats for three hours. He was like, this is going to be the worst three hours of the day because it was so much movement. It's like, just want one crowd, like, or one long appointment, right? Like I just needed one patient with three crowns. Like I just want one something long that we can just sit down, dig in, be done. All of that like crazy running around and like sporadic energy.

    The Dental A Team (03:48.869)

    for him needed to be earlier in the day when he was more like spry, right? He's just like ready to run. And I could appreciate that too because I felt the very same. And so when we figured that out for this doctor specifically, we were able to really switch the way the day works. It was better for me as his assistant.

    It was easier for me when I was doing scheduling and the patients actually had a better experience. So when I think of effective and efficient appointment scheduling, it's one of the first places that my brain goes is really what does the doctor want? I think we tend to look at what do our patients want? What does our team want? Our team wants easy and it's easy to let the patient dictate the schedule. But we forget to say the doctors, what do you want your day to look like? And I think

    Today, focusing super hard on that doctor aspect and really leveling up how much the doctors take into consideration and take that control on within that is what I'm here for today. Britt, what are your thoughts on that efficient appointment scheduling and from a doctor's side, like a doctor's angle, what could that look like for them?

    Britt (05:00.515)

    with you and everyone's different right some doctors want the big things in the morning and the smaller things in the afternoon some function the opposite and the reason why ultimately we want to know what doctor wants and how they're gonna work best is because one when doctors always are limiting factor right so like when we can have them functioning at their best everything's gonna run a little bit smoother and so like you said when it comes to guiding patients in the schedule think of

    What's going to help everything over all run smoother? Because that's going to give the patient a better experience. The team's going to be functioning a little bit better. The day's just going to run smoother when our limiting factor, which is doctor, is able to function at their best. And when they're functioning at their best, they're also going to be the most efficient. So I love that when it comes to taking that into account.

    And we'll talk about some things today that are even some like good like numbers or metrics to know of and be aware of to see like, it working? Is it not? Where are we? What can we improve upon? Right? Because at the end of the day, I know all my doctors, right? We want to be able to also like produce as much as we can in the time we're there, right? You're spending time away from your family, you're working. So how can we do the most with the time that you are spending at the office? And it does come down to scheduling and there's some ways to track it to know exactly how we're doing.

    with this, whenever I start to talk numbers, I'll always say, we always want patient experience to be fantastic. And of course, quality of work to be fantastic, which we know you guys do as well. And there is a point where you can like push that line a little too far. So when we're talking about these things, even when it comes to scheduling, quality of work and quality of patient experience are always top of mind. we make sure we remember those. But some good numbers to look at to see how we're doing when it comes to scheduling will be like your doctor

    production per hour. So do you know how it's averaging out so you can take your whole entire month? How many hours did you work in that month, are patient hours? We know you guys work a lot more hours, but how many patient hours did you work? And what's your production per hour? Because that's when it comes to efficiency or how is our block schedule working. That's kind of what we're playing with is how much can you do within the time that you have? And if that number is low or not where we need it to be, then

    Britt (07:17.377)

    How can we be more efficient, schedule more appropriately with the correct production, or tighten up the schedule if we can and still giving that a great experience and the quality that we need to have there. What can we do to get that production per hour up? So it's a good number for doctors to track. If you don't know your number, figure it out, super easy. What did you produce last month? How many patient hours did you have available on the schedule?

    divide it and it'll give you your production per hour and then you know where you're starting and then you know where you can go.

    The Dental A Team (07:51.121)

    I love to do that formula as well in looking for open hours on the schedule because it really, really shows us how efficient or effective we could have been or what we could have produced as well. So efficient appointment scheduling, think with the block scheduling, you guys, we talk about block scheduling all the time. So we're not gonna dive into block scheduling a ton today. There are a million podcasts on it. Like reach out to us, [email protected] if you need more information on that.

    So we're not going to do that right now, but when you do have that set, which is what Britt and I were alluding to, like where do you want to do these procedures? Where do you want them scheduled? How do you want your day to flow? When you have those things set, meaning you have to know how long it takes you and your assistant to complete certain appointments, you need to know.

    how many of each appointment you need in a day to get to your production projections, right? Like what's my goal for production per day? I'm gonna build that out and do a perfect day schedule and then I'm gonna go back through and like Britt said, really count my hours. And you can do this for hygiene, you can do this for a doctor, count how many hours were available to be scheduled and divide your production by that to get your dollar per hour, to get your hygienist dollar per hour.

    If you've got assistants who are operating as producers because they're FDs or whatever you've got in your state, you can do it for all of those different spaces and really see how well you or your associate or your high-dense or dental assistants are really paying for yourselves and what that could look like. Now on the flip side of that, I like to go in then and say, okay, well, this is my dollar per hour goal. Owner doctors, Britt.

    Tell me if I'm completely off base here. I'm typically gonna have my owner doctors 850 plus per hour. My associates, I'm like 550 to 750. I would love to see an associate at 850. Totally possible. Owner doctors, I would love to see you closer to like 1050, 1200. Like those are the numbers I would love. PPOs, like they're gonna drastically change that for you. But we can work around it and it's the time of year to ask for being pieces, all those pieces. So we don't need to get into that today, but those are like.

    The Dental A Team (10:04.485)

    good goals to mull around. So then what I do on that note of the schedule, right, is look at these were my available hours. Well, as I'm doing my available hours, I'm also going to count my open hours. I just did this actually. I was in Utah a couple weeks ago with a prized practice and I just did this for him because he's like, tiff, like, we just tanked. I don't know what happened. And so I went through the whole year and I did available hours.

    Britt (10:22.58)

    Thank

    The Dental A Team (10:33.214)

    And then at the same time, I had one screen was available hours. The screen over here was open hours and it was how many for each provider I did the doctor, I did all of his hygienists and I did it for each one. And I said, okay, so we're about 40 to 50,000 off from the goal we've set this year. Let me show you where it's at. And we could literally pinpoint the month that had enough open hours just for him alone, not even including hygiene that was that gap.

    the month, like not even just production for sure. You can say like, we were down a little bit here, but there was a month that he should have far exceeded the production, the monthly production goal that they had set that he was still under. But you could easily see because we had that perfect day scheduling in, we had the blocks in there. We were able to easily see how much he should have been doing and then calculate it backwards and forward. So we could do the lab measures to see

    Why didn't we hit those goals and where was it and how could we have been more efficient with our appointments? And then the lead measures to see, okay, well, if that's the case, what do we have to do moving forward? So I love that you said to do that. And I think, too, what you're alluding to and what you're getting to with that is really looking at what are you doing now? Because then you can see, am I using this time efficiently and effectively? Like perhaps you've got the perfect day schedule in there.

    and you've got your blocks, but maybe you did it two years ago or even six months ago and you're like, I'm still not where I thought I would be. So now go back through and see one, what were your open hours? And then two, is it actually working? Cause Brett, think I'm, you know, I've experienced this and tell me if you have where I've gone in and doctors are like either scheduled, not enough time.

    for certain things and they're going late and now patients are like, but we're using blocks. And I'm like, but these patients are like waiting, like there's such an issue here. Or they're scheduled too long and then they've been done for an hour before the patient gets back. But on the schedule, they're not changing it. And so there's no reality set in. Have you seen that as well where doctors are like, well, I'm full and practices, right? Our teams are like filling the white space, it's full, but it's still not reaching goals.

    Britt (12:57.111)

    Yeah, and though agreed and you're right on your numbers. I'm like 500 minimum That's my low end for anyone per hour that you should be hitting so if you're not there Hey, that's an opportunity for you to get there and know where a benchmark is and agreed in a PPO office 500 to 850 like it's it's attainable fee for service and

    Just to kind of clarify one thing when you say owner doctor right getting that 850 or plus Even easily some doctors into like thousand pretty easily or more Owner doctors usually when you start to bring on associates you get to do the more complex things that you like Usually to do and so you're getting those higher dollar procedures while associates are taking care of some of the lower dollar one Which is why we say that so just to give a little context behind some of those numbers

    and agreed when we look at open space or how we're scheduling, then it's like, right, if I'm able to produce $850 an hour and I've just got like 30 minutes of slush time in there that we're not using, that's like opportunity costs. That's like 400 bucks easy that we're losing that if we scheduled better.

    We could have added another $400 in that day just with that 30 minutes when it comes to scheduling. So starting to see the schedule in that way, it's not just full or not. It's what's the quality of the things that you fill it with and looking at those open space, like what's the opportunity cost? it is, it'll take your production per hour real quick when you've got that open space, because it's a big zero in there. So filling the schedule.

    which I know everyone wants a full schedule, but it's like, all right, what are we doing and what do we need to work on and are we filling it in the right way? So just viewing the schedule in that way and helping your team to see it, right? Sometimes team members don't see it that way, but you see it that way now and helping them to understand what we could put in there. And with timing, when it comes to efficiency in the schedule, right? If doctors...

    Britt (14:57.449)

    always give time for your assistants. So I'm not saying like tighten up your schedule so much and forget about your assistants and the time they need to turn around a room or do what they need to do. But it might be a good time if you're not hitting the production per hour that you want to, to start kind of seeing how long does it actually take you to do procedures and do a time study and say, all right, how long does it take? Can we schedule smarter or more efficiently with reality of how long it takes instead of kind of adding in some buffer time?

    The Dental A Team (15:25.663)

    Totally, totally makes sense. And something you said there was really that cost per hour that you just lost with that slush time. So there's that happy medium, you guys, that Britt is mentioning where it's like patient experience, right? Patient experience trumps everything. And so you need that slush for the patient experience, fine, but really evaluate, did you actually need it? So there's a lot of practices we work with that the doctors are like, I need to build relationship.

    100 % we are relationship driven people and we are a relationship driven company. So we are never going to discredit that or take that away from you. But what tools are we using to help build that relationship? Is your support team supporting you in that? Are they passing off information? Are they having conversations with you, with the patient? You know, are they just standing there stoic and quiet like, I'm waiting for you to initiate, right? Like your dental assistant needs to be like,

    engaged and having conversations because if that's all on you, it's going to take you extra time and you're in there for a very short amount of time in comparison to your support team, whether it's hygiene or dental assistance. So ensuring that they're giving you that proper information and those handoffs and really involving you in conversations that they are or have had with the patient far outweighs and exponentially increases that relationship with the patient. And so it.

    decreases the amount of time and effort you're having to put in to create that relationship and to add that extra value. You're actually adding more value because they feel a relationship with two or three or how many ever of you there are, they're feeling that relationship with multiple people and they feel an attachment to the practice. so take some of the stress off yourselves, ask the support team to really support you, right? Call them your support team. That's what they are there.

    to do, especially your dental assistants, they're there to support you and support the patient and see how can I increase the efficiency, the timing, right? The experience without making things longer. Because now that 30 minute slash time, that potentially $400, right? You can slide something else in there and know your patient got a better experience potentially.

    The Dental A Team (17:44.809)

    than what they may have with that slush time, right? Patients wanna be in and out as well. You've just gotta do it in a way that doesn't feel rushed. And number one, your treatment has to be good. Your work needs to be good. You've gotta take the time that you need to accomplish great dentistry and then make everything else really, really efficient and effective. People appreciate that. People appreciate when you value their time as well.

    and you're not just kind of dilly-dallying. You're like, yeah, let's get this done. It's gonna be freaking amazing. And as long as you keep that high energy there, they're gonna trust it they're gonna come back. Britt, you have this incredible sheet that you showed us recently for consultants. You've been working your tail off on. We don't even talk about the whole sheet, but kind of talk for a second about how you're doing the cost analysis by procedure, maybe even just like a crown, like to really

    not only look at your doctor per hour, dollar per hour doctors, but also to look at how effective is the cost management per hour or per procedure. So walk us through that just real quick and they can get a little smidgen of an idea.

    Britt (18:58.399)

    Yeah, some of the things that we'll work through with our clients when we know, all right, let's look at how efficient we're running and what the cost is for things is looking at what does it actually cost us for a procedure? like breaking it down by the amount of time, how much is like the facility costs? How much does it cost me for my assistant? How much am I paying the doctor associate for this procedure? And then what's my lab fee? What's the cost of all the supplies that are used for that procedure?

    So I can truly see what is that overhead for that procedure. And especially for some of our lab procedures, especially when you get to like your all on X cases or sleep appliances even, places where depending on where you've got your fee or what insurance fees that you're contracted with.

    The Dental A Team (19:39.098)

    for sure.

    Britt (19:47.209)

    Sometimes that profitability is not so great or sometimes even in the negative on some of these procedures Which just allows you that information allows you one. It's a reality check a gut check a little bit Allows us to straddle up strategize a little bit better to see all right What procedures are worth us doing right? I'll say if you love doing it then let's figure out a way to do it to where it's also Profitable so it makes business sense along with the things that you love to do If you don't love to do it and it's not super profitable for you

    maybe you refer those things out because it's just not necessarily like completely worth the time. But until you start to kind of look at those things and know what the cost is, you don't have the information to make some of these decisions. And also it'll help you to guide you on insurance plans we are in network with.

    When we get to the point of being able to go out of network, what ones do we want to go out of network with because our profitability on those procedures are just so low. So it's just good information to have to dig in to see, all right, where are we?

    and you can play around with time, right? And efficiency. If you can go from 90 minutes to 60 minutes for something, that's gonna impact your profitability on that procedure. And it might just be that little switch if we can do it a little more efficiently that allows us to be like, okay, that makes business sense for us to do that procedure. We just need to ensure that we're not taking a ridiculous amount of time on it.

    The Dental A Team (21:11.642)

    Yeah, I totally agree. I love that. And it made me think of a client that I have near and dear to my heart that was doing all on X cases in his practice. he liked them. He thought he loved them. And he got real tired of them real quickly. And we did a little cost analysis and really saw that, well, he realized for one that he brought them in because he thought they were going to be game changer for the practice. And it was going to be this

    Britt (21:24.599)

    you

    The Dental A Team (21:41.62)

    lucrative situation where he could take a step back and he could do a couple all-in-x's a month and be done. Like he didn't have to do all of these other little pieces. And so he thought, that's going to bump production collections. My overhead is going to be fantastic. I'm going to be profitable and I'm going to do less. And so he brought all-in-x in-house and come to find out, right? It's a lot of freaking work. And he was not, he wasn't bad at them. He was fantastic at them, but the follow-up.

    And the denture work like who loves like if you love dentures, like you better shout it to the world because there are doctors out there that need to know you're there. We need to know where you are because we need to send you all of our dentures. Okay. If you love them, shout it to the world, right? Shout it from the rooftops. And he just was like, this is a pain in the butt to follow up and how many post-op appointments there are and adjustments and the dentures are this denture broke and I've got to remake it and I've got another lab cost and I've got

    Britt (22:26.187)

    Thank you.

    The Dental A Team (22:39.102)

    So when we did that kind of cost and time analysis, he realized real quickly, because when he came to us, he's like, I am, he has like 72 % overhead. He's like, where's my profitability? Right? He's like, I'm doing all my nexes. I'm like, well, let's figure that out. And so we realized real quickly that something that he semi liked that he thought he would love, that he thought was going to be a game changer for his practice was actually costing him money and losing profitability for the practice because of

    just all of the pieces that were involved. And he was like, you know, I don't like it that much. Like I'm really not like, I'm really trying to get my feet wet with it. And it's a lot to deal with. It's a lot to handle. And Tiff, don't think I actually want to do this. I was like, fantastic, start referring them out. That's, it's okay. That's why oral surgeons are here. That's why, you know, there are other people who do love to do it. And for my oral surgery practices, like they are incredibly lucrative. They are a really great.

    tool for those practices because they're not doing fillings and crowns and crown seats and limited exams and re care exams and new patients with it. So for this specific doctor, we did exactly that where we did this cost analysis, we did this appointment efficiency analysis, really looked at his dollar per hour, his hygiene dollar per hour, his open hour, like we did all of these things that we're talking about you guys and came down to what is it that you want to do in your practice?

    And what are you doing that you're trying to save your practice with or create something that you don't actually love that could be costing you money and time. So we had to really take that analysis. Like he also, you know, hates doing fillings. So we're trying to figure that out, but most doctors are like, get these fillings off my schedule. So, you know, we try to figure that efficiency piece out too, but I think when it comes down to it, these steps that you're saying to take.

    really are the make or break to really figuring out what your practice looks like and what it could look like. So inventory wise, right, I would say go through and make sure that your appointments are the way that you want them and the length of time that you want them. And encourage your team, you guys, when you go long or when you go short on an appointment, change it on the appointment book so you can see the reality because then I'm gonna tell you, like Britt said, I want you to go back.

    The Dental A Team (24:57.214)

    through and do an analysis of your actual dollar per hour. So in comparison to your production, what was your actual dollar per hour? And also look at your open hour time. So what could you have produced if we had scheduled more effectively? And then also I would go through on your procedures and do this cost analysis because I do think hand in hand with the appointment efficiency goes this. You want an efficient and excelled patient experience.

    and you want an efficient appointment and to know your dollar per hour that you're supposed to be getting in conjunction to what the cost is per procedure based on the time you're taking, I think is just like the magic sauce of really figuring out what you can do with your practice.

    I would do those things. And if you need help with them, if you need ideas, if you're like, I don't understand this cost analysis thing, because you guys, it was over my head for a split second too. And I was like, wait, say that again. Just reach out, [email protected] re-listen to this podcast, obviously, but always reach out. You guys were here for that. So Britt, is there anything that I missed in those action items or last minute thoughts you want to give to these incredible doctors who are listening today?

    Britt (26:13.717)

    Yeah, I think those are great action items to take and I think.

    This is for our doctors that you're banging your head against the wall like how am I not as profitable as I want to be, right? What are the issues? Or you're like, I don't think we can fit anything else into our schedule, but I'm not as profitable as I want to be. These are the things that are going to give you the information to bring some reality to it. And sometimes it can be those conversations of like, hey, we've got those doctors, we've got those people we love them who are a little chatty and you can still have a great place to experience and not talk so long.

    So like sometimes that's the reality of like, hey

    We make a choice, right? Either let's adjust that, still chat, but like, it doesn't have to be as long and we can fit a little bit more into your schedule. Or like, you get a little bit more time for talking and we're as profitable as we can be or as efficient as we can be with our schedule if that's the ultimate patient experience you want to have. And so I'll just allow you to make smarter decisions. I mean, I've had some doctors that are in rural areas when it comes to certain types of procedures that maybe aren't the most profitable, but they're like, hey, I want to be able to provide that to my community.

    Awesome. I love that. Let's just be aware of it, see if there's anything we can do to manage the overhead and make it efficient. And then we may just manage how many of them that we do out in one day or one week or one month to ensure your space to kind of make up the difference with other procedures.

    The Dental A Team (27:38.389)

    Yeah, okay, awesome. You guys, this was incredible. Britt, thank you so much for always being open to diving into more numbers with me than we do on a lot of the podcasts. This one or one is super dedicated to our amazing doctors who are out there really just trying to make sure that you're giving the best to your patients and that you're getting the best for yourselves because we at the Don't Ateam truly believe if you are giving exactly what people.

    deserve if you're giving that experience that people deserve when they come to a dental practice, you will reap the rewards. And those rewards should be insane profitability. In our opinion, you should be insanely profitable. You should be living your dream life because you're giving an incredible thing to patients that they can't get anywhere else. So with that said, go do these things, go figure it out. If you need help, if you are a current client, reach out to your consultant, or to our consulting team because we're here to help you with that.

    If you're not yet a client and you're a future client or you're someone who's just listening because you love listening to our voices, reach out. Hello at thedoubleAteam.com. You guys, we're here to help you and we will give you whatever information that we possibly can because we just want everyone to experience the best lives you truly possibly can. So Britt, thank you so much for being here. I cannot wait to hear how everyone loves this podcast, so drop a five star review below.

    We wanna hear how much you love this. We wanna know how much you love diving into the numbers side and really, really effective doctor style items. Like I'm so excited for this one. So Britt, thank you everyone. Have a great rest of your day.

  • #910: How To Turn 4 Dental Practice Tricks Into Treats!

    #910: How To Turn 4 Dental Practice Tricks Into Treats!

    · Dental A Team Podcast

    Happy Halloween! In this episode, Kiera lists four “tricks” in dental practices that might scare a practice owner off, and gives advice on how to turn them into treats.

    Leaking revenue

    A team that doesn’t care about company goals

    Untapped potential holding you back

    Low case acceptance and high overhead

    Episode resources:

    Reach out to Kiera

    Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar

    Practice Momentum Group Consulting

    Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast

    Become Dental A-Team Platinum!

    Review the podcast

    Transcript:

    Kiera Dent (00:01.09)

    Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera and happy Halloween -y. man, I love Halloween. This year, I'm so excited. We have some really, really, really special neighbors and they have two kids and they have definitely allowed us to be a part of their family. And so they're now six -year -old son. They have a six -year -old and a two -year -old. Their six -year -old plans our Halloween costumes for us. If you know anything about Kiera Dent or if you don't, my mom was very much not.

    pro having her kids trick or treat. My mom is very, very, very conventional and she did not want to teach her children. She felt like trick or treating was slightly like begging and she did not want her children to be that way. And so I do not, I do not endorse that nor agree with that. And my mom has since changed, but that was her beliefs as a young mom. so trick or treating, she had us go what's called pick a treat where we would actually take treats to our friends instead of trick or treating. And so

    Actually last year, 2023 was the first time that Kiera Dent actually went trick or treating. And it was with this family that takes us with us. Last year we were Incredibles. And this year he has given, this little boy has given all of us the assignment of something from Toy Story. He plans every one of us who we're going to be. So this year I get to be Little Bo Peep. My husband's Woody. Don't worry. We'll definitely post up some pictures for you guys, but happy Halloween. I hope you have the best time. I hope it's fun, but.

    What I wanted to do today is one, thank you guys for being a part of our podcast family. But two, remind you, please share this podcast with someone fun. Today's gonna be a fun one. These are things that should scare you as a dental practice owner. Our goal is to help you learn to overcome them and running practice does not need to be scary. So come and join our consulting with us. There's no tricks, just treats for you guys. And I'm gonna give you guys four little things that probably do scare you as practice owners and ways to overcome them.

    We're going to do a little trick or treating here where I might trick, I might treat. Of course I'm going to treat guys. Here we go. but please share this podcast with those around you. And thank you for being a part of our Dental A Team podcast family. If I could give you a giant hug right now and just tell you how much I love and appreciate you for who you are and the special things that you bring to dentistry and to this world. And, just you being here, no matter what you do or don't do is a huge blessing to those around you and in my life as well, even though I might not know you personally.

    Kiera Dent (02:26.07)

    I feel you, I feel your energy and I'm so grateful for you. just share this with someone that you feel could use that huge giant hug of love and appreciation and probably just like some fun and some support. with that, right. Number one possible scary thing in a practice is revenue leaks in your practice. So what are some of those things that are leaking out revenue that if we just were able to patch up that hole might actually be able to help you. So things such as inefficient scheduling, billing errors, uncollected payments.

    So I want you guys to look at your practices and see where are our revenue leaks. I think this could be a really fun almost scavenger hunt for you and your team to think about like, where are all the ways that we might be losing money on imperfect handoffs, on not billing out all the procedures that we do, on not having the correct dollar amounts attached to those. Keir Dents practice definitely sent out a $0 crown. We billed it straight to insurance. You better believe they were so happy to send me the EOB on that. That is a revenue leak in our practice. so,

    on our inefficient scheduling? Have you built in the block schedules? Have you created a perfect day schedule? Are we working and role playing on how we can get people perfectly in there? Are we looking for same day treatment opportunities? That's a huge revenue leak within your practice. Looking for those same days, you get raving fans out of it and you're also able to help a ton of people with it. So can we actually help you guys close up that revenue leak and make it even better? What about the billing errors? Like I mentioned, attaching the correct things to our procedures so we get our money in within those.

    20 to 30 days the first time and we're not having to rebuild or reattaching like setting up a process and a policy that we all follow every single time. Make that quick checklist, have it in the notes. We just grab it and go and everybody's there with it. It makes it so much easier. Uncollected payments, I can't tell you how many offices just let patients leave without stopping at the front desk or getting credit cards on file so that way we can bill these patients very quickly and collect. It's so easy. You guys, I have all of my stuff on autopay. I go to the therapist, I credit card on file, click, paid, done.

    At my chiropractor same thing at my therapist my my physical therapist same thing at my gym person All these quick ways like you guys we live in a world of credit cards on file. We have Apple pay We have all these different pieces. Can we do that there? And what are the revenue leaks within your practice? Those are just some to get your your mind spurring But really look at that because that could be very scary in a practice. You're doing the work Let's make sure you're getting paid for it. Like I said, no tricks just treats. It does not need to be scary

    Kiera Dent (04:50.132)

    Number two, your team not caring about your company goals. Well, that can feel scary because doctors can feel like, I'm rowing this boat all by myself and it can feel awful. And so let's get your team to care about the goals. How can this help give them a better life? How can this help them help more patients? How can we get them on board and excited? I have an office right now and we're rolling out sleep in their practice and I cannot wait. We're making it all fun. They're going to get like part of the bonus and the rewards of helping more patients not die from sleep.

    That's incredible. That's such a fun way to do it. And so looking for ways, people don't care about things that they're not passionate about. No surprise, right? Like that's a very easy thing. Kiera, give us some wisdom here. But I think sometimes simplicity and remembering what we already know is half the point of learning. And a lot of times learning is just remembering what we already know. And so getting our team, like what inspires them? Why do we want to hit these goals? How many patients do we want to serve together as a team? And oftentimes if your team doesn't care about the goals,

    guess what, they might not be your right team. You want people that are obsessed about hitting these goals. You want people that are excited about building this practice. It's gonna serve so many patients. And so you also, as the owner and the leader, need to feel that way about it. Oftentimes when teens don't care about goals, it's because the owner doesn't actually care. And I say that with love and a huge giant hug and no judgment, because sometimes it's hard to stay motivated as owners. Sometimes we need someone to pick us up.

    You guys, am so appreciative over these last couple of months. I've had some personal things in my life and so grateful for the coaches in my life that literally have like lifted me up with love and support and helped me figure out what is my vision? What is my path? I have probably five really strong people in my life and I'm so grateful. I happily pay them. so, I could not do this without all five of them. And just so thankful that I have that support system around me because

    A lot of times it is hard to keep trying to figure it out on your own day in and day out. And so really being able to have that from your team and have that support is something absolutely magical. All right, number three is untapped potential losing you money. So things like, could we do some CE within our practice? Could we do helping a lot of our team start like learning to scan or taking impressions, or could we add Invisalign or could we add sleep to our practice?

    Kiera Dent (07:09.886)

    Or what other things are untapped potential within every team member? Could we do better with our treatment plan acceptance? Can we do better with how we schedule our practice? But what is this untapped potential? If I was looking at your practice today, what I think that your practice is a brand new baby, like in the life cycle of a business. Is it maybe a toddler? Is it maybe like a teenager? Is it a young adult? Is it like in its prime? Is it a dying practice, like getting a little bit older to retirement? Or is it on its way to death?

    There's untapped potential within all of those lifespans. And so what's our way that we're able to find that untapped potential because there's so much opportunity. I have offices right now that are, we've just added very simple things to the practice and we've been able to take them from a $2 million practice to a $4 million practice just by adding in some untapped potential with them. Are there untapped potential within like the operatories in the space within your practice?

    Is there untapped potential around your hygienist being able to offer fluoride to every patient or fluoride therapy where it's toothpaste and fluoride treatments? Is there untapped potential with us scanning for night guards? Is there untapped potential with us looking for same day treatment opportunities? These are fun little things that could be spooky and scary, but if we look at them, make them fun. Now, I'm gonna put a huge like asterisk caveat with this.

    We do not wanna add all these things at the exact same time because that is very scary and daunting for our team, but we can brainstorm and like throw everything on a board and then pick the thing that's the easiest, least amount of effort with the greatest impact. And that's what we wanna go implement and execute on our practice. right, number four of things that are scary, no tricks, just treats today, of low case acceptance and high overhead. So kind of technically two in one.

    So low case acceptance, that can feel really scary. It can make doctors feel like patients don't like me. It can make treatment coordinators feel like, we're just not closing cases. Case acceptance to me just tells a story. One, are we doing incredible with how we're presenting treatment? Doctors, are you using that NDTR next visit date, time, the re -care, there we go. Are you doing that and putting the bow on every single treatment plan that you're giving?

    Kiera Dent (09:20.032)

    Are you diagnosing with confidence? Are we doing quadrant dentistry rather than solo tooth dentistry? Are you confident on how you're presenting it to the patient? Are you possibly planting weeds in your flower garden by giving them obstacles as opposed to opportunities without realizing it? After doctors give this the most amazing confident treatment plan, they put the bow of NDTR on it. Team members, are we all taking that perfect hand off, scheduling them first and then having our team present the treatment plans and the finance?

    Are we leading with insurance? Because if you better believe if I'm any part of your life, you will never lead with insurance. You will always lead with what we need to do. And then we will help the patient say yes to the treatment. Low case acceptance to me tells what are the doctors confident in, what's the treatment coordinator confident in, and where are awesome opportunities to grow. I love case acceptance. I'm obsessed with it. I'm obsessed with helping offices. I have literally taken a practice from 9 million.

    to over 40 million just by working with them on case acceptance. I kid you not, there's multiple practices in it. They are incredible. And we just work on case acceptance over and over and over over over and over and over and over over again, because we know that that's what's gonna help more patients have a happier life. So when I look at this, I love it. It tells me what is that treatment coordinator afraid of? What does that treatment coordinator need to break through? What does that doctor need to break through? I can look to see the type of treatment plans just by looking at your case acceptance.

    And so looking at this and how can we boost it? Now, if it's too high, I know we are actually not diagnosing enough. If it's too low, I know we're not closing and it's a happy medium. If you're presenting implants and high cases, it should be a little bit lower. If we're doing a single tooth dentistry and general dentistry more so, you should have a much higher case acceptance. So looking at that, because that can feel very eerie in a practice of like, what are we doing wrong? Oftentimes it's not what are we doing wrong? It's what are we saying? That's actually not helping us get to our case acceptance that we want.

    So play the game, have fun with it because that case acceptance fills the schedule. Now if our schedule is too full and we're not hitting our goals, let's look to see what are we diagnosing doctors? Let's see, are we truly diagnosing full comprehensive care or are we diagnosing what we think they want? No, those are questions for you to answer that can feel spooky and eerie, but they do not need to be. Just be confident, the patient's there. It's not your fault they're there. It's not your fault that they have this treatment. It didn't get there overnight and now you have the amazing opportunity to educate them.

    Kiera Dent (11:40.93)

    help them get healthy again and become like so fulfilled by having that confident smile again. And then that in turn can also reduce your overhead. Looking at our P &L consistently, making sure that we're not overpaying for things that we don't need, but also making sure that our revenue we're producing what we need to be producing for our practice. These are things that I am obsessed with. I love them. It doesn't need to be spooky for you. It really just needs to be fun for you. And so that's why at this Halloweeny time,

    No tricks, just treat. And within our consulting, we have our online version and we also have our in -person version and both of them give you a way for these spooky things to actually be done with ease. So I'd love for you guys to come try it out. Like, what's it gonna hurt you to come and be a part of a community of people of like -minded dentists, to have consultants at your fingertips that literally will give you the answers to all these spooky things and also get your team on board with you.

    to come and either be in person and meet us. We're literally getting ready to have our doctors in person together and work on your business from the minds of brilliant people to be able to lift you and your practice to the highest heights that are out of this world, to be able to have consistent accountability in your practice of people that hold you to a higher standard and grow you. Come join us and be a part of it. I'd love for you to come try it out. Running a practice truly does not need to be scary. So come try us. I'd love to have you.

    No tricks, just treats for all of you. You guys, I am obsessed with dentistry. I'm obsessed with helping you guys have the life that you deserve to live and that you're worthy to live and that you have every capacity to have. I'm obsessed with getting your team on board with you. So come try us out. Hello @ TheDentalATeam .com or just go to TheDentalATeam.com. Book a call with us. You guys, it's not scary. We literally like meet you with open arms and a huge hug. And we're there, whether you are on the top of your game or you are at the bottom of your game, anywhere in between.

    We're there for you and I can't wait for you guys. end of year. It's a great time for you to be looking at these things, to make decisions, to make sure that next year that you are successful without knowing that it's maybe going to happen or not, but being confident that it will happen for you. Now is the time for you to take action, to not have it be scary and to have the best, best life that you could ever imagine. Reach out. [email protected]. And as always, thanks for listening and I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.

  • #909: How to Stay Consistent During the End-of-Year Rush

    #909: How to Stay Consistent During the End-of-Year Rush

    · Dental A Team Podcast

    Tiff and Britt are here to give advice on how to maintain consistency during the busiest times. They talk about keeping a positive mindset when things become stressful, how to avoid getting stuck in “fix mode,” how to find what tasks you can automate, and more.

    Episode resources:

    Reach out to Tiff and Britt

    Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar

    Practice Momentum Group Consulting

    Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast

    Become Dental A-Team Platinum!

    Review the podcast

    Transcript:

    The Dental A Team (00:02.11)

    O my gosh, Dental A Team listeners, I am here today with the one and only Brittany Stone. I am so excited. I bring you Dana a lot and Dana is freaking fantastic. You guys know how much I love my time with her. But recently, I have been mixing it up a little bit and I love it. I get my couple hours a month of just one -on -one solo time with you, Britt. So thank you. I love having you here. I love that we're in different colors today. I think it spices it up a little bit.

    How are you on this beautiful Friday when we're recording right now? It's Friday and it's freaking beautiful outside, right?

    Britt (00:38.059)

    I know Arizona, it's like the end of summertime where it starts to break a little bit in the heat. We're like, my gosh, this is why I live here. yeah, that's right. This is the reason why. I like that I got a full name today. It's always fun when that comes out and I get called by my full name. So I'm excited to be here. know, anytime I get with you consultants, anyone on our team, especially one -on -one, it's my favorite.

    The Dental A Team (00:49.495)

    You got it.

    The Dental A Team (01:01.005)

    I love it. love it. I had I had a client today actually on our coaching call say, what's the weather like out there? Like, are you is it cooling down? And I was like, no, it was like 101 the other day, I think he got down to like 95. But there was 99. And like, we're all over the place. And I told my friend the other day, she's like, gosh.

    it's supposed to be fall, like where's our fall? Where Arizona is, and we don't get fall, we get ideal hiking weather. So we are walking into ideal outdoors weather in Arizona. There's no fall. We just get our hiking season until now May. So here we go, ready to hike.

    Britt (01:36.779)

    we can get back outdoors. know Tiff today is like, should I go for a run? And I'm like, should I go for a ride tomorrow? Probably. Like now we can liven back up and be outside.

    The Dental A Team (01:46.702)

    I was actually thinking that last night when I was like, gosh, dang it, what do do? And I was like, Britt would totally be on a ride right now if she could. I love it. I love it. Well, I want to hear from you guys. What do you do when it's nice outside? And I hope that some of you are in some beautiful weather as well. I know we've got some Arizona listeners out there for sure. But we've got listeners all over the country. And honestly, we have listeners outside the country. So I love hearing about the weather. I love thinking about that. And I love just making sure that

    Britt (01:52.384)

    -huh.

    The Dental A Team (02:12.777)

    No matter what your experience with Dental A Team is top notch and we are here for it. So you guys today, I really want to talk about busy season because with fall coming, with winter coming, being in fall, all of these pieces, your busy season is about to really, really hit in the dental practice. I know for a lot of pediatric practices that summer. So sorry guys, you're coming out of your busy season, but for majority.

    Britt (02:38.145)

    Congratulations.

    The Dental A Team (02:38.89)

    Yeah, they were crazy, right? just did analysis with my Peto practice this morning in July and August were freaking bananas for them, but September is starting to slow down. So with October coming as well. So here we are in the middle of it all in the thick of it all and hopefully you guys have already done things to ramp up that schedule from September to October now looking freaking amazing and really just getting into it maybe within the year benefit letters things like that. I know we put all the suggestions out there.

    But as it gets busier, I know me and I think you know me. I you probably know me better than most people in my life at this point. I tend to, as it gets busier, get more and more and more forgetful. And I don't know if I'm the only one out there, but I'm forgetful by nature just in general. a very forgetful human being and I don't mean to be, but it's just who I am and I have to love myself for it. But as things get busier, especially when I was in practice,

    this time of year where it's like that end of year rush, get the end of your benefits done, prep for the new year that's still busy, we tend to forget to focus in on that ultimate patient experience. And those pieces that we do that really set us apart from other practices, they get forgotten. Those are the first things to go. It's kind of like forgetting the chocolate chips and the chocolate chip cookies and you ended up with these bomb sugar cookies because you forgot that stuff or

    Britt (04:00.307)

    You

    The Dental A Team (04:03.164)

    the baking powder or whatever. Like we just, start forgetting those little things. And Brett, I really wanted to talk with you today because I know you coach a lot of practices and especially in our group practice realm, you have a ton of practices in there, you and Dana and the other consultants that really come together every week to talk about these kinds of things. And in preparation for that, I wanted to pick your brain and see what do you have practices doing right now or what have they been doing and how do you

    Truly help your practices prep for this busy season to really keep that patient experience at the forefront and top notch. What are you doing and how can our listeners do something maybe a little bit different, something they can pick up?

    Britt (04:45.471)

    Yeah, end of the year we know it gets busy. I always say once Halloween hits, it's like poof, like we're in January because that seems to be the holiday that after that all the rest of them come along and it goes real fast. And in the dental world, we are really busy on top of it because people are coming in to utilize their end of year benefits, whatever it may be, getting stuff done before the holidays or in between their travels. While our team has also taken some time off for the holidays.

    The Dental A Team (04:58.983)

    That's so true.

    Britt (05:14.707)

    So I think it's a time that number one thing I would say is remember the things to be consistent at, right? So be consistent at our huddle, be consistent at making sure we have a plan on how we're gonna tackle the day. Because if you start with that strong foundation, keep it consistent, it's gonna help you to make sure that like, all right, we can handle this. And it's not gonna get too wild for us to where we kind of hit that frazzled zone where we start to forget about that patient experience. So I think.

    That's number one, is stay consistent on the things that are gonna help you. And I always say, if you're leaving morning cuddle saying, well, we'll just figure it out. my gosh, it gives me anxiety. No, we won't, it'll get crazy. So figure it out before you leave morning cuddle when those things get added in and even add a little like reminder, right? We're here for team and patients. So let's make sure our team and our patients have an awesome day today. I think even just that to keep it a little bit top of mind can go a long ways.

    The Dental A Team (05:54.873)

    hahahaha

    The Dental A Team (06:13.067)

    I love that. I love that the consistency of it and really finding those pieces that create the magic when you're not busy. So you said like morning huddle, making sure our team is prepared and making sure our focus there is too, that our team has a good experience because when we have a happy team and our teams enjoying what they're doing, it just translates to the patient experience so easily. So staying consistent in those pieces and

    If you don't have a good morning huddle routine, like reach out, we've got a million of them and we've got a million ideas, a million podcasts on them. And writing those things down, right? Make sure that the systems and processes, even if you're in the thick of the busy right now, write it down. What's working for you guys? What's separating you from the others? What's projecting your success today?

    so that you can keep doing those over again. And Britt, it makes me think I have this conversation with practices and honestly with people in my life constantly, I hate nothing more in life than wasted time. And to me, Britt knows this. It makes me so angry inside and it makes me wanna just like leave whatever situation it is, right? I'm just like, this was so absurd to me.

    Britt (07:17.665)

    That's accurate. It's accurate. 100%.

    The Dental A Team (07:31.458)

    So, and I say that meaning I don't wanna do things that aren't getting the result that I intended. And if I'm doing things consistently that are not getting the result that I wanted, that is wasted time because I could have been doing something that was getting the results I wanted. And what I tell practices and friends and family is like, you're literally running the definition of insanity. If you feel insane, you feel crazy, you feel...

    spun up and out of this world out of control, it's probably because somewhere you're running the definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result. And with what you're saying, kind of combining those things, it's really taking back that control and seeing what's working that you're doing consistently. And when you're busy, how do you maintain the control over that consistency? How do you ensure that those things stay top of mind for you?

    Britt (08:09.291)

    Thank

    The Dental A Team (08:29.344)

    I love that I get on a, you know, I get on a time tangent. So you guys like don't even test me on that. It's not worth it. It's like my biggest pet peeve and Britt does. Go ahead.

    Britt (08:39.967)

    You have a really good point and I think a lot of times it's easy for us to get stuck in what's not working or like picking the things that go wrong and any practice we walk into there are a lot of things you are doing that are working. So I think it's big to recognize whenever we're evaluating what's going on within the practice, what is working for us because I guarantee you there are things that are working for you.

    The Dental A Team (08:47.487)

    Yes.

    Britt (09:09.483)

    And we don't want to lose sight because sometimes we try to fix another issue and we get rid of something that's working for us and then it doesn't turn out the way we want it to. So I just want to kind of highlight that a little bit. Like that's an important statement that you made is focus on what's working, focus on the wins. They're in there, they're out there. Don't just focus on the bad things. And keeping those things that are working top of mind are just as important as working on improving the things that aren't working.

    The Dental A Team (09:37.368)

    I love that so much. And I work with clients constantly on that very topic because it is really easy to get lost in that. And I always say that it's like, you've got a new haircut, and you decided bangs were your jam this time. And you're like, I'm doing bangs and your hairdresser's like, cool, let's do it. You get bangs and we're like 1990s style bangs and we're walking down the street.

    and somebody walks by and is like, my gosh, you did it. Your bangs look amazing. And 10 people tell you your bangs look freaking amazing and your hair is bomb. And then one person walks by and they're like, ooh, I don't know if I would have done bangs. When we go home and we look in the mirror, we're like, should I have done bangs? One person out of 11 said, don't know about that. And we're contemplating whether we made the right decision or not because it is so much easier to find and look at and

    and be stuck on what's not working, what's wrong, how do I fix this, do I do better, than it is to look at what could be right. And when we start with what's working, rather than starting with what's not working, we can easily see what systems and processes are creating what's working and can any of those apply to what's not working. But if we flip it, we're stuck on fixing.

    we get stuck in fix mode and we say, what's not working? How do I fix this? Instead of saying what's not working and how or what is working and how do I do more of this? Efficiency you guys like that is just efficiency and time management. those are Kira Dent says like efficiency will be on my tombstone on my grave one day because that is what I live my life by and this is why because it just doesn't my brain cannot comprehend.

    doing something for no reason. There is a reason behind everything and we have to be intentional about it or we go crazy. And in the midst of being busy, that intentionality gets dropped. We're just doing, we're taking everything in as it comes and we're like, my gosh, I'm inundated. have so many things to do. Front office is checking out, checking in answering the phone and sending claims at the same time. Like one person is doing all of these things.

    The Dental A Team (11:52.476)

    And we're like an octopus in every space dental assistants, they're running four chairs because we had emergencies at the front office was like, no, we can do it. It's fine. One more crown before the end of the year. Don't worry. And my dental assistants are like, I'm going to kill you. And we've all got these octopus arms running all over the efficiency piece, the intentionality, the integrity of it all, the action ability that gets left to the side because we're just moving. And those are the days you guys that I run into the most walls.

    Those are the days I wake up the next morning with bruises and I'm like, how did this even happen? I don't remember, but I've ran into 15 walls because the universe is like slow down, slow down and do the things that matter. So in the midst of being busy, the patient experience actually drops. And what I've seen happen is we cram a ton and I just talked to a practice actually yesterday about this and I was like, this is what happened. You guys got busy. So we get busy.

    And we're like, I don't have time for all of that stuff that worked to get us busy. You guys, that's the point. I don't have time for re -care calls and re -care is booked out for three months anyways. Why am I calling them? And then what does three months from now look like for a hygienist, Britt?

    Britt (13:06.635)

    We got holes in it and then all of a sudden we're like, well shoot, why are there holes in the schedule?

    The Dental A Team (13:11.036)

    Because we stopped doing what worked to fill that schedule. And when we're busy, we stop doing those pieces, or we stop looking for a workaround. If I don't have time for calls, what can I automate to ensure that the information is still getting out there that people are still getting touch points? Can I ramp up emails and text messages? If I can't get on the phone? Like what can I automate that keeps those touch points going and keeps that relationship building? Because this practice I talked to yesterday had a stellar

    month, stellar month, they were like, this was one of our best months ever. Get into the next month. Three weeks later, they're like, it has sucked. It has tanked. We've had no patients. I have not treatment planned anything. And I'm like, well, you're gonna have them next month is gonna tank too. Because guess what we did is in our busy month, we lived it up. We partied it out. It's like getting that giant paycheck in your 20s. And you were like, yes, like I got paid. And now I'm going out for the weekend.

    But then in three weeks, we're like, shoot, is due. I wish I had the money. That's kind of what we're playing here. We're like, awesome, we've got all of this excess and we're going to live it up and we're going to party. And then comes the fall and we break down. So giving your patients the ultimate experience when you're busy, you guys, my biggest, biggest, biggest suggestion is to automate what you can find the pieces that you don't have to.

    Do every single time on your own. There's a ton of automated pieces out there There's virtual assistants that you can hire to help offload some pieces even that the phone calls and the touch points to Patients reaching out to them while your stuff is busy like whatever that looks like I can I consider that an automation if I have a virtual Assistant who's not physically in the practice busy with me. That's an automation I can automate I can pull things off of my team

    send it over to my virtual assistant and automate it from there. Making sure that systems and processes are actually being written down that we know what they look like. like Britt, like you said, staying consistent with those things that are working like morning huddles. How can our team win? How can our patients win? And really, really, really using like checklists. I know that's so mundane and so elementary, but Britt.

    The Dental A Team (15:33.944)

    How have you seen it? You've had a ton of clients before. You work with clients now, like I said, on that group basis. I know there's a stark difference between a practice that uses checklists and a practice that doesn't use checklists. And what have you seen in your experience from each?

    Britt (15:50.815)

    Yeah, I mean, I'll also just plug that like I personally am a checklist person, right? Because I couple things. I don't want to have to spend the energy to try to remember it when I can just write it down or have it on a checklist and make my life easier. Like, no, no pride in that. Like I'm not trying to be the one that like, my brains are like vault. I'll remember everything. It's not.

    The Dental A Team (16:04.747)

    Yep. Yep.

    Britt (16:15.443)

    I if our congratulations, I haven't met any one of those. But so I'm a big checklist person. And that's the difference. It helps with the consistency, right? Because everyone's trying to do their best, right? Everyone wants to get all the things done and make sure they don't drop anything. But nature of human beings, like if we don't have it somewhere to make sure that we're getting all the things done, it falls in, especially when we're busy, right? That it's like we get to the end of the day and it's like

    I don't, what did I do today? Like, I don't know, did I get all the things on? I don't know, I'm so tired, I'm just gonna go home and we'll like try to do it again tomorrow. But when you have a and I love, especially for a front desk, a checklist that has like times in it. So it's like, clean things, midday things, afternoon things, or something, however you wanna organize it that's gonna help you, so then we don't get to the end of the day and have this whole checklist of things to do.

    The Dental A Team (16:52.278)

    Okay.

    The Dental A Team (16:59.125)

    Yes.

    Britt (17:09.545)

    And front desk, you get pulled in a million different directions. So it's like, all right, once I'm done checking someone out, where was I? What do I need to be focused on? I can go back to my checklist. yeah, this is the next thing I need to get done. anything for me, TIFF is efficiency. And I'm like, if I can automate something and not have to use my brain to try to remember it, like, hallelujah, I don't want to waste energy where I don't have to. If I don't have to memorize something, I'm not going to waste the energy to try to memorize something. Because I'd rather spend my energy on other things.

    The Dental A Team (17:34.91)

    Agreed.

    I totally agree. I totally agree. I have to highlight you said, like, we're not vaults. We're not going to remember everything. And I like to think that I'm special in that, like, gosh, what is wrong with my brain? Like, you don't know how many times I've been like reminded of something I was supposed to do that I forgot. I'm like, what is wrong with my brain? Why can't I do this? Right? Like, I just need to understand it's okay. And then I'm not the only one. Like, I'm not alone. Mine is special. Like, I know that. Like, I know.

    I'm pretty bad, but I use Blitz. I've got checklists, I've got Post -Fit Notes, I've got things in my calendar. We use ClickUp reminders. That's been fantastic with our company and that's a way to automate those checklists. actually have a pediatric practice out in Virginia and they have, Virginia and Maryland, they have all of their checklists, all of their end of day sheets, all of their monthly sheets, their, gosh, like the sterilization checklist. Everything is in ClickUp.

    And so the team goes into ClickUp and they go in and or Asana any of those styles, especially for our administrative team, those are super helpful, you guys makes it really easy. I've got other teams that have it written and they'll do the laminated sheets with the dry erase markers and maybe they've got a big team. so they'll take a picture and they'll slack it into the team space at the end of every day. So it's not physically being turned in, but it's on.

    automation like that. So I know we have automations in Slack that help us remember to fill out our KPIs or to go into our click up and update it like we have things that come automated as well. So that we remember things and as consultants, like we've got, you know, a handful of freaking clients to try to remember everything on and something you said about that, like, our brains not evolved. It's so funny to me, because for me, I can still recall, gosh,

    The Dental A Team (19:33.458)

    I've been with Dental A Team at this point for a little over seven years. So I have been out of my practice for seven years. So 10, 15 years ago is when I was with these patients. I can still recall multiple patients. I remember what they do for a living, their names, right? I could probably come up with their date of birth if I tried hard enough. I know what their kids did. Like I was thinking just the other day about

    this family that I loved and she was always so sweet. She always wanted to like come in and talk to me about Brody and what is Brody doing? And her son loved Legos. And Brody at this time, Brody's 16 now and Brody at this time was like three. She's like, I can't wait for him to get into Legos. I'll have to bring you some Lego sets when he's ready to get rid of them. And I was thinking about it because Brody now is that kid's age then playing with Legos. But I was like, how in the world is it okay for me to be able to remember that conversation?

    from 13 years ago, but I cannot tell you what I did yesterday and did I accomplish all my notes and get everything done. Like that is so far beyond comprehension to me and frustrates me so much, but it is just the point. Like we remember things that hit us on an emotional level or a trigger level. Like we remember things for God only knows why, but we forget the other pieces. And it's just crazy to me, but.

    Anyways, Britt, tell me I guess.

    Britt (20:59.859)

    It's human nature, right? We're all humans. And that's at the end of the day. I sometimes we want to think that we're not human, but guess what? Everybody's human. So do the things to help yourself out, especially when you know you're heading into those busy times. And then I want to plug like a soft thing for patient experience too. I think this is helpful always, but especially when we get busy. I think that dental practices, right? We're all multitaskers. think front desk might.

    The Dental A Team (21:08.474)

    We are all human, that's fair.

    Britt (21:27.541)

    take the cake, like everyone assistance hygienists, we multitask a little different though. But I think right, we're pulled in a lot of different directions, but we want to be there. The best thing you can do is be there present with your patient when you're actually right in front of them. And so when you walk into that patient, like, just take a deep breath, like, as simple as that, just take a deep breath. So it kind of signifies like, all right, like this is where I'm at. So you can be present with that patient.

    The Dental A Team (21:41.146)

    there.

    Britt (21:54.613)

    So even though it's a busy time, you might be an assistant running three different chairs or something, you know, but if when you walk up to that patient and you look at them in the face and you take a deep breath so you can actually be there with them, I think that goes a really long ways that like, no matter what else, they may have waited a few minutes, but it goes back to the people remember how you make them feel. And if you can be there with them, like that's the piece they're gonna remember.

    The Dental A Team (22:18.575)

    Totally. I love that you said that because that is so important. And that's part of those pieces of, we said to go back and figure out what separates you from the other practices and your intentionality and your relationship is probably what separates you from the practice down the road. They're billing, they're seeing patients, they're doing the x -rays, they're diagnosing however they want to diagnose, but those are the pieces, those soft skills, those are the pieces that do separate you. So automate.

    as much as you can on the other side of that so that you have the time, the space, the availability to be intentional with those pieces when you're busy. So absolutely. Okay, biggest pieces, biggest takeaways from today, you guys, write your systems and your protocols down, know what they are, take inventory of what's working and how you got there. What's working? How did you get there? And can you apply it in other areas? Use checklists, you guys, and do more of what's working.

    less of what's not working, automate the pieces that you can so that you can spend time focusing on those pieces that truly separate you from the practice down the road because you are different and that is so magical and you need to really, really, really hone in on those pieces when you're busy. That's the most important part and it's the first part that gets dropped. Britt, thank you so much for today. I knew that you have some incredible insights to this one.

    I appreciate you being here today. Of course. All right, guys, go do these things. Don't wait. I know you're in the thick of it right now. I know you're busy and you're like, tiff, Brett, I don't even have time for these things. Make the time because it's worth it. Don't let January, February, March tank because we didn't do the work right now. So go do the things. Brett likes to say choose your hard. Is it hard today or is it going to be hard later? And later usually means longer. So do the hard right now.

    Britt (23:45.905)

    Yeah, thanks for having me.

    Britt (24:07.381)

    Mm

    The Dental A Team (24:13.806)

    we're drop us a five star review because as always, we'd like to know how you enjoyed this podcast and reach out anytime. Hello@TheDentalATeam .com. We are here to help you. I mean, we can't wait to meet you.

  • #908: Book Club: Prioritize A Higher Level of Fun (!!!)

    #908: Book Club: Prioritize A Higher Level of Fun (!!!)

    · Dental A Team Podcast

    Kiera and Dana download the latest Dental A-Team book, The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again by Catherine Price. Specifically, the two discuss why it’s so important to strive for playfulness, connection, and fun even in the workplace, as well as a new DAT project — coming March 2025!

    Find the full book club rundown here!

    Episode resources:

    Reach out to Kiera

    Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar

    Practice Momentum Group Consulting

    Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast

    Become Dental A-Team Platinum!

    Review the podcast

    Transcript:

    Kiera Dent (00:01.026)

    Hello, Dental A Team listeners, this is Kiera and I am so pumped. I got the one and only Dana with me, usually Tiff and Dana podcast. And today Dana and I are gonna podcast. How are you, Dana?

    Dana (00:11.532)

    I'm good. I'm excited to be here. I know it's been too long and it's a fun space, so I'm glad I'm here.

    Kiera Dent (00:17.514)

    I agree. told Shelbi, I was like, record. Can we start getting the consultants on with me too? Like I enjoy solo casting, but it'd be fun to hang. So I'm super glad. And today you guys, Dana and I are bringing you a special treat. We are going to book club podcast. Dana, Britt and I are probably the ones who actually book club in our company. So we're the constant three that do it. And I, as Dana this morning, I was like, did you by chance read that book? Because if so, I'd love a podcast guest with me on it.

    Thank you, Dana, for coming to the rescue with me. But I think it's gonna be great. Our podcast, our book club for this month is The Power of Fun, How to Feel Alive Again by Katherine Price. And honestly, Dana, I think you might know this, but maybe you don't. The reason I chose this podcast or this book was because the confetti was on the front. Like, that was why I chose it. On the book cover, there was confetti. Ryan Isaac and I were talking about it, because I think I sent him the book of like, Probably Die with Zero or

    profit first, like some like hard book and he's like, why don't we have more fun books, Kiera? So that's actually where it came from. But I'm super curious. Kind of let's dive into this book. If you guys didn't read it, totally fine. If you did, I think it's a slower read. I think Dana felt the same, but I think that there was a lot of good nuggets for now. And I'm all about how we can create more fun because I think adults forget how to have fun. That's I think my biggest takeaway is like, we've forgotten how to have fun. And she gave some good tips on how to have more fun in our lives.

    What about you, Dana? What do you think?

    Dana (01:46.936)

    Yeah. Yeah. I mean, there was a lot for me to take away. I don't think I've ever like, categorized my fun, or like, thought about creating space for fun. Like I think I'm a person that has a lot of fun, and I laugh a lot and there's a lot of joy in my life. But I did definitely like reframe my like, okay, well, what level of fun am I having and prioritizing that higher level of fun or what she calls true fun in my life.

    Kiera Dent (02:14.752)

    Yeah, absolutely. And she kind of talked about like, well, I loved a lot that she talks about is how much of our society has actually shifted us to not have as much fun. And I think one of my favorite takeaways in the book was when she talked about how like, our cell phones were actually designed to be like slot machines. And so like slot machines are intent, like, so much study has gone into keeping people like in the slot machine mode. And yet if we're doing that with our phones, gosh, like our world is crazy to think about. And so

    helping us find ways to minimize distractions. And something she said is like, when you're not fully present, you're not happy. And so how can we be like in the moment having fun and like we're spending so much time consuming, but she said like, phones are actually causing constant stress and higher cortisol levels. And so playfulness, connection and fun are the things that we should be going for. And that's like laughing, being in nature, being purposeful and being present. And like times when we feel most alive are when we're actually playing. And I just thought it was such an interesting mindset of like,

    great, my phone's a freaking slot machine, which we all know. It's a heavily addictive, we're constantly wanting to go to it. And yet that's actually what's causing us to not have as much fun, which I don't know, like to be debated, like is it true? Is it not true? And this is where Dana and I love to book club. This is how we actually book club is we talk about like, well, what do you think? How do you feel about that? What are like your thoughts? So Dana, tell me your thoughts. Let's have a real book club, Denali team style today.

    Dana (03:34.574)

    Yeah, I mean, I do think that like, I can admit my phone can be a distraction and I can think that I'm enjoying something but if I put it away and I do something else, like, I can definitely see that I enjoy that other thing more, right? And so I think we tend to hold on to the phone or do the phone thing because in the moment it's like, yeah, scrolling, tick tock, I'm laughing, right? Or looking and catching up with family on Instagram, like that's fun.

    Kiera Dent (03:56.097)

    Mm-hmm.

    Dana (03:59.982)

    But when I put the phone away and I focus on connecting with the people around me and being really playful and engaging, I feel like that is definitely a different level of fun. And so I think that it it's prioritizing those moments and understanding that like what your phone really lacks is that connection.

    Kiera Dent (04:21.944)

    Right, for sure. And I think some people might argue like is connection really fun? And like, do I actually need that? And do I want that? And I just think like, again, the books are here for conversation. They're here to challenge our beliefs and to question and to see like, what are we doing? And what really is that way? But what I thought was interesting is, so over the summer, I had some things that came up for me and I was very disconnected from my phone. And I'm not gonna lie to you.

    for like the first three days. And that happens every time I go on vacation. I don't know about you, Dana, but literally every time I go on vacation, I have like withdrawal. So Jason and I will intentionally go to places where I to like shut my phone off. I don't have service. I will purposely not buy service when I go places. And it's like a withdrawal. And I feel angry for usually like my first two-ish days, sometimes even up to three, which I don't know if that's a good thing or not. But I thought about it and over the summer when I didn't have my phone, it was crazy how like,

    I want to say carefree, I became, but I went through the withdrawal period first of feeling angry, mad, annoyed, like, just give me my freaking phone. It was weird. And I'm like, gosh, am I like a, like literally having withdrawals, leaving this addiction? I don't know. Or was it like chicken and the egg, or was it like cause and effect? I don't know. So I don't know, Dane, if you've got thoughts on that, but those are the things that I've been thinking of. like, is it really true or is it not?

    Dana (05:43.374)

    Yeah, I definitely go through like, I would say more like anxious, like am I going to miss something that's important or am I going to so like the anxiousness at first, I will say that I do have like when we go on family vacations or we go camping or we do those things, like I will put my phone in a drawer even if I don't have service. But then the flip side of that is I get really upset that I didn't snap photos because I'm like, I want to be in the moment. I want to remember the moment like with my eyes and be super present. But then I get home and I'm like, I didn't take any pictures.

    Kiera Dent (06:03.658)

    I agree.

    Kiera Dent (06:12.33)

    I know, because like, but that's all we have, right? Are the memories and the photos and photos can like, Jarrett, it's even crazy because like Apple vision right now has a quote unquote live. And I was at this thing in an Apple vision, like guru came to our little conference. Like we got all these Apple vision pros and they said, like, what we're doing is like, we're creating time travel. Like I kid you not, this was part of their pitch for Apple vision pro, because what they said is like, if you do the video in live, you can put the Apple vision pro on and it is

    Simulated as if you are really back in that moment So like taking the videos which I think is like perpetuating us having our video so we can relive the moment rather than living in the moment is Contrary to I think how you have fun and so I think that there's like I think that's why she categorizes the fun within the book I think that's why she has you look at it because I don't think it's an all-or-nothing But there is a company I was talking with Jason Tonori shout out to him when I was up at his practice and we were talking about and there's this company called Brick

    like a brick wall and the purpose of the brick is what you do is you actually like tap your phone and you brick your phone so we basically put our phones back into brick mode like remember when we used to have brick phones and all they did was like call and kind of text like that's actually the purpose and what this company is about because so often and it's crazy because when you brick your phone you literally have nothing on there and it's wild how much you like it's almost like phantom hands go to the scroll or phantom hands go to

    Siri or phantom hands go to Safari, like all these things that I don't think we realize how dependent and reliant we are on it when it's like, no, I want to go on a hike and just use my phone for this. But then on the hike, it's like, well, let's check where we're going to go for lunch. Well, I don't have that. And I've got to go back to survival skills of like, all right, I guess we like drive to the town and figure that. So it is this like interesting concept, but I'm curious if we had like less phones, would we be happier?

    Or is there like this or like have more fun or is there maybe a middle ground Dana and this is something we're obviously just rifting on right now and we don't have answers to it. We're just talking, talking shop here. What do think?

    Dana (08:13.028)

    Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I think with anything, right? Like anything is great for you in small doses. And then, you know, when it can be large doses, maybe it's not so good for you. you know, my hope is that there is a middle ground on this and that we can use technology and advance in technology and use our phone. But also, I think big takeaway from this book is making space for more fun.

    Kiera Dent (08:39.668)

    And Dana, what are some of the things like, how do you make space for Murphun? Like, what did you take away from the book or what are you applying in your own life? I'm putting you on the spot. Maybe you, I don't know.

    Dana (08:45.218)

    Yeah. No, that's okay. No, I like that she kind of like went through like one big thing I'll use myself as an example, right? As a mama for like, something that she suggested is just making time as far as like looking at the things that you have to do and making sure like with your partner in my instance, like my husband, like that those things are distributed evenly, right? So that like, I'm not the one that's making all the doctor's appointments and coordinating all of the kids schedules and doing those things helps to create space when those

    roles are divided evenly, there's more space for both of us to be able to prioritize fun. She talked about like organizing your physical and mental space. So using a planner and making sure that you plan for things and you've got deep, you know, deep work and focus time. And then outside of that, when you get lots of things done in your deep work time, it frees you up time to have more fun. Physical space, you know, she talked about just like organizing your physical space so that

    when those things are organized, you don't have to constantly be cleaning up clutter or doing those things. It frees you up more. So I thought she had a lot of great suggestions that I think most of us can apply something to to buy a little bit of time.

    Kiera Dent (09:57.034)

    Right. And I'm, I am obsessed about this. So this summer I went and attended a bunch of conferences with Tony Robbins about, he calls it his RPM, Rapid Planning Method. And like I learned about it and I hated it. And then for some reason it clicked this year. And I'm actually super freaking pumped because like non-shameless plug here, our new, like we're rolling out a little bit different of our consulting program and we are bringing people in person.

    and I'm super jazzed if you're interested and you want to come like mastermind with doctor to our brilliant and it's a leadership. it's you and your OM and then we actually help take it back to your team for you. So like still doing all the pieces. We focus in on your business for a nice retreat time. And then we're also going to work with you quarterly. Plus you still have your customized calls. Like it's like 99 % Dental A Team. We're just now bringing you guys in person to mastermind together and with us. And like the fun, exciting part of it is

    I actually am so excited because I am so passionate about life and dentistry. Like I realized life is my passion, dentistry is my platform. And so how can I help more dentists and more people have more time in their lives, but do it in the way that is fun? And so part of Tony's thing that we're actually going to incorporate like styles of Tony, but made Kiera's way and then tied into dentistry for your practice is Tony had us go through and actually map out like the categories of our life. And I'm so pumped because I'm going to help dentists do this again.

    like taking from Tony Robbins and then adapted to Kiera's way of how I want to do it. But it was so magical because Dana, I actually built a category of fun because I realized I never did fun and I didn't actually like schedule fun. And so every week when I'm looking at my week, I look for like, where am I connected to Jason? What am I doing for the business? What am I doing for like, and I call our house like our Oasis, there's also power and language. So like, it's not just Jason, it's like my forever love story with Jason and then

    fun. Like I wrote like life is meant to be fun and playful and like have the sprinkles and the confettis. And so every week as I've been doing this for the last couple of months, prepping and preparing and like fine tuning how I want to do it with our doctors. So don't worry, like it will be so much business. But if you don't have the life that's fun and fulfilling for you, we missed the mark in my opinion, which is why I'm so excited. And if you're interested and you want to be a part of our inaugural like beta group with us, like please join us. It's gonna be freaking magic. But like

    Kiera Dent (12:19.512)

    It's been awesome Dana because I feel my life is more balanced and I hate the word balanced because work and fun are not equal. Like they're not, but they feel balanced. And I feel like every week I look forward to like, what is my fun? And if it's not in my calendar, I'm like, well shoot, I need to have more fun. And it is the same thing of like, can I delegate these things to Jason or someone else? So that way we can have more time. You can look for like different apps or using people are like, hey, we're doing all these tasks. Could we?

    Could we hire a nanny for this or could we hire like this summer I hired a lawn care company and I thought it was so dumb, but Jason did so many projects that he's never done because we didn't have to mow the lawn. And it's just like a little test that I tried to do. We've since gotten rid of them and he's back to mowing the lawn. But the idea is like we're building our lives and having that fun element in there, not just doing our work and like the drudgery day in day out. So to me, it felt like much more intentional with our time.

    than just being on autopilot, which is what I'm so excited about. Like, yes, of course, it's 90 % business, but if I miss the mark of your life being what you want it to be, I feel like we've failed. So that's actually what I'm so excited about. And if that jazzes you reach out, hello at thedeadlyteam.com. I can't tell you how excited I am. This has been a project in the making for years and it's coming to life March, 2025. So get ready, reach out. And even if it's fine, like it's too late, we have multiples throughout the year. So like, don't even panic. You'll be able to be a part of it, but

    And it's still everything Dental A Team is offered with team integration and doctor integration and practice. But like, how can I help people have more fun and have a life that's more purposeful and meaningful is what just lights my fire Dana. And I think that that's the whole premise of this book.

    Dana (13:56.172)

    Yeah. Yeah. And, and I think it's just like, understanding what building in fun gets you because like, when I have fun, I am definitely more creative. I am definitely able to focus, right? Because I had an output of energy somewhere else. And I can definitely focus. It does help fight burnout, right? Which we always fear for teams is are they going to get burnt out? And I think that when there's fun built in, it helps fight those things off. It helps fight off stress. When you build those things in and, and

    Yeah, I think that that's, you're right. Work and fun never are necessarily balanced, but they definitely, fun can help work not feel so overwhelming.

    Kiera Dent (14:38.145)

    couldn't agree with you more. And I love that you brought up the point about burnout because like, everybody's looking for the master like bullet of how do we avoid burnout? And I'm like, I think it's just having more fun in life. Like, can we allow ourselves those simple pleasures in life? Think of how much time as children we spent playing and creative and shutting our minds off. And now it's like nose to the grindstone like robots. And it's been interesting because as I've, I've changed my schedule up, like I said, I'm testing on myself as the lab rat here to the not like

    let's keep it more like PR. I'm testing on myself as the beta test here, and then we're gonna take it to other people. But what I found is, if I have this shut off time, and I have this time where I can be more creative and more fun, my ideas for the business come so much faster and easier, rather than trying to like plow through. And I realized there's like a different mode of creative and like operative. And there's, it's two different parts of our brain. And so it's like,

    Dana (15:10.754)

    video.

    Kiera Dent (15:34.456)

    to me, it kind of took away the guilt of like, go have fun because I actually, like simultaneously, I'm actually working on the business. Like whatever I'm doing here is actually there. So if I'm organizing my house, I'm organizing my business. If I'm having fun, I'm having fun in the business. Like they go energetically across the boards and like my best ideas have literally come when I'm hiking or when I'm on the water and I'm like, my gosh, that's a great idea. Or I'm on vacation because everything else is shut off. And I think that's the whole point is like giving our brains like through this fun, a time of shut off where it's just

    and everything almost goes into like rest mode, even though we're actively having fun doing something and being playful and laughing.

    So with that, I think for all of you, have more fun. How can your practices have more fun? How can your life have more fun? I think that it's just, if you don't enjoy the book, that's okay. I felt like it was a bit of a slower read, but I think the principle of how can we have more fun and how can we build more fun into our life. And if you need help like I did, be sure to join us. Platinum is coming your way and it's gonna be freaking fun. If you're like, I need systems and I need one-on-one help, great, we've got that for you too.

    Obviously we do systems and whatnot within Platinum, but it's really about how can we create your life and have your practices there. It's just gonna be magic. So reach out, join us. Hello at thedeadlineteam.com. Dana, thanks for podcasting on having some more fun with me.

    Dana (16:52.324)

    Yeah, absolutely, anytime.

    Kiera Dent (16:54.696)

    I loved it. And for those of you who are on our book club with us, next month we are going to have Deep Who Not How, The Formula To Achieve Bigger Goals Through Accelerating Teamwork by Dan Sullivan. I'm obsessed with Dan Sullivan. Like I love Dan Sullivan so much. I literally met Dan Sullivan at a conference and I like geeked out and was just like, my gosh, I need to talk to you. Like literally has changed my life and...

    Now you guys can have who, not how, which I think is a really awesome one, especially with hiring and all the different pieces, like who do we need, not how do we always do this and rely on ourselves. So get ready for that. Dana, thanks for being on the pod with me today. Of course, and for all of you listening, thanks for listening and I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.

    Dana (17:32.578)

    Yeah, thanks for having me.

  • #907: Successful Step-by-Step From 4 Ops to 8 Ops and Insane Growth

    #907: Successful Step-by-Step From 4 Ops to 8 Ops and Insane Growth

    · Dental A Team Podcast

    Kiera speaks with Drs. Nick and Whitney Forsythe about their journey of being married and buying (then growing) a dental practice, and where they are now. Points include not letting work ruin a personal life, laying the groundwork for a good reputation, managing schedules, and more.

    Episode resources:

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    Transcript:

    The Dental A Team (00:00.634)

    Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera and I am so giddy. I had this grandiose idea that I wanted to start bringing on some of my favorite people, my favorite doctors, and I could not be more excited to bring on these two doctors, Dr. Nick and Dr. Whitney. Our story goes so far back. I actually knew both of these two in dental school. I watched them fall in love, get married, have a baby, like all the things. They have two babies. They've got their practice and I just thought it'd be really fun for them to come on.

    because I think they have a really magical story of their practice and their practice journey and the things that we've gone on. So Nick and Whitney, welcome to the show. Two of my faves. How are you today? So good. for having us. Of course. It's so fun because we talk every single month and you guys are for years. Like how many years? About five, six years we've been doing this and you guys are my 6 a.m. call. We have had that call for years. And to just see where you're at now just makes me so happy.

    when I don't have my 6 a.m. call with you and I start calls, I'm like, well, my day started funny because it's all good. But it's been so fun over the years. We've just done a lot of fun things. And so I think you guys just have a very fun, like practice journey that you've been on. And I think like, let's just share some of the things as much as you guys want to. But really, I mean, I think you guys need to just share how you fell in love in dental school. Like who saw each other first? Because I don't even know this, Whitney, you were a year ahead of Nick.

    And it's just been fun for me to watch you like in the tooth lunch. Like I was the lunch lady. I just watched everybody fall in love and you guys were the cutest couple. Like who noticed who first? How did you guys actually meet? I need to know that. I was the cougar. It was just welcome week when they had all those like freshmen events. And then I was like, you're together so much too, that like everyone's kind of like, man, like you guys should meet up. And we, I got her number after a test, like a basic test.

    test no makeup. I remember walking you know we'd walk back and forth to the class and seeing you and you're like my gosh you guys you saw the progression.

    The Dental A Team (02:16.637)

    Whitney was a year ahead of Nick and it was just fun to watch like because Whitney you're a little more reserved which I'm shocked and so happy that you are on the podcast. Nick is the social butterfly in the relationship but still like you've got your reservations and whatnot but I was like watching Whitney like fall in love Nick was so cute and I just loved watching both of you and two of you. You two are I mean I think everybody finds their perfect match but you two are just like such an incredible couple and then I remember Nick you reached out to me you know so we're thinking about buying a practice Kiera what do you think and I was like

    Well, I think you guys should do it. And then lo and behold, move back up to Washington. You got your practice there. You bought a fee for service practice. I was scared out of my mind and I'm like, whoo fee for service practice. Everyone's kind of scared. Yeah, we get checks. would definitely say, I mean, you have to go with what you feel and you helped us look, we looked for.

    I was still in school. think we looked for two years. think our main issue was just finding a big enough practice or at least that we can grow into for both of the banks. And I think a lot of people were checking us on like, it's not going to be enough or there's a lot of things. we found, you know, after a while, I think if you look at enough deals, you finally get a sense of what feels good. And it did feel good. And we...

    Yeah, I mean, at the end, even at the final hour, people were still kind of like, should you do this? it worked out really well. You were with us every step. I mean, it's been an honor and it's been fun. And I just thought like, it's fun to share stories because I mean, even on a coaching call we had the other morning, it wasn't planned. And I didn't even realize we had the podcast coming up when we kind of went like on a little memory lane journey, which is what spurred the idea for this podcast of like,

    what you've been through to get here. And I mean, for full transparency, it was two doctors and a four-op practice that was fee for service. To say I was a little nervous is an understatement. was like, you guys, two doctors, like you're going to cannibalize this one practice. And like, it's okay. We'll just send one of you off to be an associate. like four new patients a month. Yeah. low new patients, but he had good will in the community. He was ramping down. I think we,

    The Dental A Team (04:38.605)

    We maxed out his current impatience to begin with. We came in, we had to be soft changes, I think we called it with you, because we had, I think, four or five 30-year vets in the practice that stayed with us all the way, I mean, until recently, so just retired. But we, our idea, you know, we, with kids, we swapped off days. We didn't work all the time. It was just too much.

    But we kind of cleared the patient base and the team was so much on our side. It was so helpful. We always in the background, I knew we needed more rooms. had someone look at the building. We bought the building as well, which I'm so glad we did. They kind of said, we think you can get two or three more. And we were like, okay, hopefully we'll cross that when we get there. And then we, you know,

    Probably every year we've talked about this every year. Okay. When's the remodel build out more rooms going to happen? 2020 happens. So that occurred. And then finally last year we got serious about it and really looked at the numbers and yeah, it was a lot. Our accountant once again was like, are you sure? This is how.

    Talking with you and really finding like the break even point. we do this build out, what do we have to produce monthly? Is that a realistic thing? And I think that's what helped me throughout this whole process that I'm just like more analytical and I need to see the numbers before I go forward. We bought the practice for 650 was doing eight 50 maybe we.

    You know, grew, had to replace everything, not visual, I would say. So a lot of my men, but I think we, we were starting to peak at like 1.6 and you know, definitely making huge jumps, but it was peaking all at the right time. We started, it took us a good year to prep for the build-out. So we're planning a full remodel, adding three chairs.

    The Dental A Team (06:52.301)

    One more hygienist. Another hygienist. we started to, we were just talking about this. We started to pre-ramp up everything. It all hit, you know, we had all of a gone from four new patients a month to 50 new patients a month. We do accept Delta Premier, but that was it. So it was a good amount. We felt like we were also on pace. All of sudden we couldn't fit in anybody else and we needed it.

    And so it kind of turned at just the right moment. And it really, I think all the pre-work with you, especially, know, you, Whitney and you are so much better than me at that. I'm like, of like, it will work out maybe. Whitney definitely, you and Whitney had the numbers, you had the forms for her and she had filled them out and you guys had talked like exactly how much we needed to produce. What was the bottom, you know, if things went.

    the worst it could go. So that like really calmed us. I mean, like, we're like, okay, here's the exact numbers, the exact patients. that was the exact employees. mean, we went from five employees to now like we have 15. it's like, when do you hire them? You know, we kind of, over staff in the beginning, for sure. Yeah. The biggest thing we could have done is over staffing for a moment so that you're ready and everyone's trained. were worried about.

    training and, yeah, all of the assistants are just super independent now, which was a big thing with more ops. And I remember talking to you, you gave us goals the year before, like, okay, here's where your assistants need to be. Here's how many you should have. So we had like really checked those boxes and it was like, gosh, I'm so glad we did that. Cause it's just a lot. It's a lot going on. It really is. And something like.

    I just am so proud of both of you. And I love you guys are what five, six years into your practice ownership and you're still in love because I remember when we very first started, I was like, we have to keep you guys also happily married. I have very vested interest in you, but like your practice needs you too as well. And so I think that's been something really lovely to watch both of you do as well. Like Nick, you really come into your role. Like you're really incredible with the team and Whitney's great with the team. She's also really good with numbers. And so we've kind of divided like.

    The Dental A Team (09:14.325)

    Nick, take these areas, Whitney, you take these areas. But something I think is so paramount to note, I wanted you guys to get more ops sooner. Do remember? Like it was every all the time from like two doctors for ops. I don't know how this is going to work out. And you were also super adamant with me of like we're not working Fridays. Like you had a baby pretty soon into practice ownership. Then you had a second baby. And something that I just want to highlight that I think you guys have done exceptionally well is you work really, really well together as a team. So that's one thing to highlight.

    Two, I feel like actually, like you said, Nick, the tipping point was perfect. Like we knew we wanted to expand to more ops, but I think actually like hindsight's 2020, which we're looking at today. I actually think you guys did really well because we maximize every like possible thing we could do other than adding Fridays or another associate. were adding Fridays. Like we were having to do it. Yeah. Cause it was just too, we were almost losing patients because we were too far up of doubt.

    And that was, so we were hitting and you told us that we were going to hit that point. Right. Like we're sure. Okay. So if we get to this, this is what we're going to do. And it was always like a short-term plan. So we'll do this just for a little while. but I also think it was smart. mean, could you imagine if we would have added in all these ops and you had four new patients a month? Like that would have been. Like we would have made it work, but it wouldn't have been as smart. And so I think you guys have just really played your cards right. And, I remember.

    Gosh, I think it was last year I was in your practice and we mapped out your block schedule. And I'm like, all right guys, this is what you'll be producing. And I remember taking it to you, you were both producing. I talked to you at the end of the day and you both laughed at me and you're like, there's no way, Kiera. Like that's ridiculous. And now to see all the construction go through, but Whitney and Nick, you're right. Like we literally built the plans of.

    low end, high end. And I think that that has actually served you really well. We know the numbers, we know the BAMs, we know where you need to be. You guys are producing. Something I've noticed that I think you guys have done ridiculously well is you haven't allowed the practice to destroy your marriage or your life. Like you guys are parents. You really have prioritized being parents. Like it's so cute to see you as parents. You also prioritize your marriage. You also have friends. Like Nick, I know your family's close by.

    The Dental A Team (11:30.017)

    How have you guys done that successfully? Because your practice has grown. It's blossomed. Like we just went down memory lane and going from 650 to where you are today is just, I think it's surpassed all of our wildest dreams. I knew you guys would do it, but how have you guys been able to like keep that balance? Cause I think so many people want your life, but they don't know how to do it. I think you guys have just done it really well. So any thoughts? I'm genuinely curious. I don't know the answer. So kind of give me some feedback on that. That's so nice of you. Yeah. We, we definitely.

    We call you our marriage counselor as well as our business coach and our consultant. it's nice to be so intentional about it. I think it forces us. It doesn't sound romantic, but like we schedule one date a month at least. mean, having a nanny helps. She watches the kids a couple of days a week and now we schedule her out.

    You know, we also use Nick's parents a lot and Nick's family. So it's just like, have to schedule it and it sounds silly, but that's what we've done. And then just, our goal every year we like, okay, we want to take one vacation a quarter. I think that's been really important, even if it's just a long weekend, a week here, long weekend, next quarter, it's just, yeah, being super intentional about it. And otherwise you do burnout. For sure.

    And it does get busy and I feel like the first year we didn't have that figured out. we basically, mean, especially without kids, this was our life. This was our baby. so putting the work in front end, guess, paid off. But yeah. And keeping it. Yeah. At our meetings, we do spend time. Like you told us we plan out our personal and our business. So we keep it very like we have to plan it out. And if we do it, it.

    I mean, we do appreciate it, especially like that one trip a quarter or just something short, just to like take your mind off of it. Cause especially husband and wife, mean, it's all we talk about. It's all we talk about. It's really hard. we have to be like, okay, we're not going to talk about it. We're to do something else. Yeah. Which I think is just awesome. And it is something that I love and you guys do it so well is we do plan your personal life and your professional life. And then we check in on it. I mean, I love this year's scorecard. It's like, did you take your one trip for this quarter? Because I'm,

    The Dental A Team (13:49.709)

    Like, why do we not track our personal lives like we do our business life? And so I just think it's been fun to watch you evolve. And Whitney, think something that you just did so beautifully was you really wanted to be a mom and a dentist. And so I thought it was fun where we brainstormed through it and you're like, this is how many days I want to work. And we started low end and high end. Like, what do we have? But we never, I thought we did a really good job of not putting pressure on you to, have to work this many days to produce. We built the practice.

    with the expansion to be able to sustain whether you wanted to come back full time, whether you want to come back part time, but we did it on like lowest amount of hours. And we knew Nick could do that. And I think that that was just something I don't know how was that for you as a mom? Like maybe you can speak to that. I mean, it did come with guilt. That was so such a huge decision. Like I want this practice to thrive, but I also want to be a mom. So finding that balance. mean, I don't

    definitely don't have it all figured out, that's for sure. But setting boundaries I think is important. Like, okay, I will work two to two and a half days and that's it. We have to make it work or we'll find other options. Like I'm pretty set in my ways about that because I don't want to get like, they're only little ones. So I don't want to give that up. And it's hard as a couple.

    to, you know, if there's a hygienist down or if someone's down, it's hard not to sub in. Cause it's like, we're, we have to really, we have to set rules. we, we will sub in and help, but we have to go, okay, like let's treat this like we're, you know, like we can't just to like make family a priority, which is good. I think that's so hard though. Like, how do you guys do it? Is it just like, we hold each other accountable because you are dentists. There's two of you, which actually I love.

    know, like, Nick's sick, Whitney can cover and if Whitney's sick, Nick can cover and when Whitney's out on maternity leave, like Nick can be there and we can schedule your lives that way but like how do you hold those boundaries strong? II don't know and maybe it's just you guys have decided that family life is the most important thing for you and that's going to be our number one motive because I think it's so easy to slip and be like, well, we'll just cover here. We'll just do this. Like, do have any tips on that because I think that might be a secret sauce to your success. You know what?

    The Dental A Team (16:05.741)

    Looking at the numbers like if I'm sub in for hygiene I say You know how much am I gonna lose today? Can we fit these people in here and there like is it worth my time and worth? truly losing time with my kids for a thousand dollars like just breaking it down or you know, whatever the goal of twenty three hundred dollars like

    Can I make that up in a clear letter case? Yes, I could. it's like just, yeah, priorities, I guess. Yeah. And there, mean, for sure for Whitney Moore, I mean, there's stress and guilt, tears, you know, I mean, it's just, we really have to communicate. I mean, that's the biggest thing. I think that's the biggest thing between us. It forces us as business owners when we're having our meetings, we have to talk about it. And it's almost like you're, you're pushed.

    further as a couple because you just have to have these conversations like, it, know, do you want to do it? And we have to feel comfortable like just saying no, or, you know, kind of having those tougher talks with each other so that we can, we have to be on the same team, you know, as much as possible. I think that that's something also that I love watching you too, is you're very supportive of each other. And it's been that way all the time. And like, you'll kind of have like the little.

    Like we know each other's pieces. Like Whitney's going to freak out about numbers and Nick's going to take a longer time to write notes. Like we just know it. And so we build things and we'll like, we'll have some comedy around it. But I think you two are truly on each other's is no competition. Like his wins are totally my wins and vice versa. That's yeah. I love that. We definitely know like, I have a lot, we know each other's like pitfalls. know we're going to fall short and it's always like.

    But both of us are motivated on our own. It's not like someone's intentionally doing something. We're really not competitive with each other. Like one of us, like during the day we will swap schedules. I think that's been the biggest thing too for the build out is separating our own specialties. Like he does a lot of surgery. He did the year long residency and more sleep and clear liners. So it's like finding those niches as well. I think, you know, there are

    The Dental A Team (18:23.117)

    a lot of your people that you work with, know there's bigger clinics and we're pretty small time compared to a lot of people, we getting those specialty sections down, getting the systems down, and not like we have perfect systems, but like really pushing clear liners early, just like not with the patients, but just bringing it up and then getting that rotation down so we can bring like a really nice.

    And then it feels good to the patients and it's a clean system. the, you're delivering like a high end, you know, just going through those, cause there's, you're going to make mistakes. And same thing with me. did that the Alabama implant education residency, and that was a big decision for us. Cause I had to be gone a lot, but getting it, getting the systems in order to be able to like do an implant for somebody and know for a fact, like.

    They're going to love it. They're not going to be in pain. They're going to tell their friends. And then by the time we built out, were ready to expand. weren't like fumble. mean, of course there's always a little fumbles, but we weren't fumbling as much. We had already gone through the trials. Yeah. For sure. Not giving up because it's easy to be like, you have one bad case. And you're like, I'm never extracting two.

    which I think is amazing. And I really have watched you guys both support and Whitney when you said like his wins are my wins. I know Nick, like when Whitney has her wins. And something I do think has also been very intentionally planned throughout your guys's career is making sure that I think sometimes, especially in like a husband, wife duo or pieces, like, well, Nick is the quote unquote higher producers. So we're just going to put all the pieces and like Whitney, you're going to take the other piece. But we like.

    I knew you guys knew that's never gonna make for you to be happy. And so it was like Whitney, we've got to also build something where you're excited about it. So the clear liners and the sleep and something where you're passionate. We've even talked about sending you to go do implants too at some point when the babies get a little older, if that's what you want to do, but like giving both of you the edge and the niche. But then like you said, it's here to win for both. And so it's like, if I can help Nick out, I'll do this. And if he can help me out, think Whitney, I know you like definitely like helped with like notes or different things like I'll help here and Nick will help here.

    The Dental A Team (20:37.857)

    I just think it's been incredible because I think so many couples can't do that. And so I think you guys have prioritized your marriage, your babies, your life over the practice. And in doing so, you come to the table every time as more complete. I don't know how to explain that better than that. Like, I think you take care of yourselves first. Like you put the oxygen mask on yourself, you take care of each other, and then you come to the practice and you take care of your team, but you're intentional and you follow through. So I was curious. I obviously have my own opinions of what's made you guys successful, but if you were giving any tips to offices,

    even if it's husband wife duos or people that are expanding, what are any of the tips of things? Like you said, I think we were smart to bulk you guys, especially where you're in a small town. We just started hiring. We're like, well, we'll just take them. We'll make the numbers work. But were there any other things that you guys feel have been maybe things that have set you apart? I think we've listed off a few like the implant course, Whitney having her own specialty, being intentional with the time your kids are there, but anything you guys feel that would be tips for couples or people doing an expansion.

    that you feel really helped. Because honestly, I know you say I've got bigger practices, but I don't care about the over the top line. I care about profitability. I care about happiness. And honestly, you guys are huge players in that arena. And you've done it really, really well. So all the tips are here. Yeah. And you do put up big numbers. So let's just like, I think the only other thing we didn't touch on is I'm glad we did wait a little bit to expand until we built our reputation.

    built those Google reviews. And now it's like we get so many referrals, that's our main source, referrals is our main source. So building upon that was important and really having an understanding of like we live in a small town. where our other office is going, a lot of people, it kind of was a happy coincidence. A lot of people dropped Delta, which is the only one we have and or accept.

    It's funny. mean, you really have to be, I think we were talking to just ready for opportunities. Same, same like, with, with getting our systems down, we were kind of like ready to expand our, our reputation. Initially, that was like our first thing, just like pump reviews, get the talent. I said, we did a lot of like town things, especially before kids. have more time. go around, but then, you know, a couple of offices went. Stop.

    The Dental A Team (23:01.261)

    changed hands and didn't do very well. And we were all of a sudden like in a great position to take all those patients. And I feel like we were just always all of we had a few things fall in our lap that we were prepared for. And we, know, if we wouldn't have, I think, put the front end work in, it would have been tough to take advantage. Totally. Yeah. I think like that's actually something I had not pinpointed. So I'm glad you both talked about it. I think you do a really good job of

    looking down the line and also planning for opportunities. So like the expansion, the new patients, the small town, like, and I think you guys both do a really good job. Nick, I know this is your sweet spot, but it's like when there's, I mean, you guys picked up someone from a car accident you were in, like such a random experience, but like, I think a lot of offices like, no, we're not ready for that financially. But you guys are like, nope, we know we're going to need this. So let's hire this person and we'll figure it out. We know we need hygienists, so let's bring them in.

    We know we're going to be expanding. So let's get those systems in place. We know we're going to need to increase our production and like offer a bigger skill set. So like Nick, you go and get implants, Whitney, you clear liners and sleep. We are training the team to be able to do it. Like you literally took your front office person. You knew you'd need a nanny and she then transferred into being a nanny. So we didn't lose someone you already trusted. We brought someone else in. Like literally you guys are constantly looking for those opportunities, but not just looking, but seizing on them. And like, how do you get the guts to do that? Cause I mean,

    I know the one you currently are on, buying the property behind your space. That was freaky, but so brilliant. You're going to have to expand. You're in small town. You're going to have to expand. like, Nick, just, you went, you talked to someone and now lo and behold, you guys purchased the land behind. Like, how do you- I don't have my guts to Nick. I don't rain on his grave. I think if I didn't have Whitney, I would probably be bankrupt already.

    Yeah, we're varying. I'm always trying to buy stuff. It's going to make us better. Shiny object syndrome for sure. I think a big thing that you're talking about too, we kept the employees here. We tried to be as soft. We have to change some things, but we tried to be as soft as we could and having them on our side was huge. And then we build this reputation all of a sudden of being like great people to work for.

    The Dental A Team (25:26.603)

    which so is the person that we bought from. And so then all of sudden you get people, you know, of course you always have, have to do trial and error with some employees, but we've like got this great team and everyone's very supportive and we really invest in someone when we hire them. Like I will, I do some of the HR, but we will like train and train, we'll come in extra, like we will, you know, if your kid's sick.

    I'll help you. know, we really try to make sure like our team feels really good. We try to like bonus them and do, and that has been one of our biggest things because now all of a sudden I don't do, there's like, they're taking over a lot of the stuff and it's really cool to see all all of we have to have team leads and it has made our lives so much better because also we don't have to. That's helped the balance as well.

    Big time, yeah. We don't have to worry as much. were so hands-on. The bottleneck. Almost too, I mean, for sure too much. And we've finally been able to step back and just like so proud of our, we've always been proud of our team, but now it's like, I feel like we've got such a good culture going and it feels really good every day. Everyone's laughing and I mean, patients love that too. They pick up on it. Yeah. And I think that's something I've watched you guys do. You really,

    So many of our calls, like of course we're always talking numbers. we're looking at the metrics, but like so many of the conversations are around the team. Like how do we have the conversation? And I mean, when you say 30 year vets, that was also another worry of like, all right. So we're taking on a practice of four operatories, two doctors and 30 year veterans. And how do we like make sure that we sustain that? But I really just love that you guys, you truly have love for your team. have love and loyalty and you want them to succeed and like.

    It's been amazing. I think there were things when I was like, I don't think I would do that. And you guys are like, nope, this is what we want to do. And you've set the stage of this is how we want to operate our team. I think it's really paid undue dividends for you. just took a long time to get there. So what I'm trying to point out is you have done a lot of freaking groundwork and foundational work and building the reputation and building the reputation in the community, building the reputation with the teams, treating the team really, really well, looking for the opportunities.

    The Dental A Team (27:49.035)

    to now, like I'm not going to say it's easy going and of course you'll always have your pieces, but like there is more smooth flow than there was when you very first started. And like maybe you have any other tips of how you have such a good culture with your team. Like you guys are wicked loyal. I'm like, if you, Nick and Whitney hire you, like they'll be with you until you have grand babies. Like you'll be with them forever. What is it that you guys do? Because some people are like, no, they're hard. We need to fire them. And we have changed out some team members in the time of knowing you. But what do you guys do that you feel?

    sets you apart to have that team that's got such a good reputation in the community. think we try, just like we do with each other, we try to get everyone's back as much as possible. we, you it's hard to say because you can't be like, so, you know, so Lucy goosey, but we really will, like, we will do anything for the team. Like it is so worth it. mean, we want it to be a positive experience.

    flexible or super flexible. we will, we can, I will make whatever work. will hire extra people. Like we have an extra assistant that helps with hygiene. We got to do assistant hygiene, but we'll just like have a, just a fully trained assistant just to always, especially when we're having, it has changed our hygienist attitude in this. They talk in the town. It's such a small town and all of a sudden we're like getting more hygienist.

    hey, can we come work for you in a time where it's so hard to get hygienists? know, we've got, we're just so lucky. Do you remember when you sent me the ad of how much your hygienists were going for in your area? Do you remember that? I think it was like 150 bucks an hour. Like I'm not making this up. Literally on Indeed. And to hear in an area where people are paying $150 for a hygienist, you and I both laughed and I was like, just hire a dentist. We'll like mess with you. But to hear that.

    You guys are just doing some really incredible things that are different. Like you do train up your assistants and you want to make sure they're taken care of. But on the flip side, you have high accountability. Like Whitney, your forms are always filled in and you guys follow through on what you say you're going to do. And if we talk about meetings, you're going to execute with them. And so it's this interesting dynamic of the love and the accountability. And I think people don't realize that you can have both. And I think you guys are a really beautiful example of that. Yeah. Thank you. Of course. Of course.

    The Dental A Team (30:12.119)

    Well, I just wanted to showcase you. think so many people need to hear of where you started, that it is possible to have this balance. I mean, you work four days. Whitney, you're working what? Two days? Two and Two and a half. Yeah. Two and a half. You're a mom. You have a nanny. You get things done. You guys have this dynamic, this amazing dynamic. And what's something I am so proud of you is you are consistent. Like you will always fill out your agendas for our meetings. You will follow through on the action items that you need to do. And I just say mad kudos. Nick looks at Whitney. I know what that look was.

    someone will. But I also think that that's like amazing. Nick, both like you and I both know Whitney's gonna execute on that. I give her way more action items than I give you. I say some things. I also know that you're gonna go in you're gonna produce and you're also gonna have like some of the hard conversations Whitney and I both don't want to do that. And you're like, Yep, I'll go handle that. That's where he thrives. You thrive there, Nick. And so

    What I love is you guys have really looked at each other's strengths and weaknesses. You really helped each other out. And it's like, I'm going to pick up for you versus blaming you. And I think you do that for your team. And I think that's the culture that spread throughout. just like, like all the heart eyes and just so I just am grateful to showcase a couple that has flourished in a town where you were getting four patients, four operatories, a husband, wife duo, they've had two babies.

    and you're able to have the life you want, the practice you want, the team you want. But it also came with some hard work and opportunities that you've taken as well. I mean, shoot, Whitney, some of the calls we get on, it's like, well, let's just go to the spreadsheets. Like, let's figure out the numbers, let's figure it out. But you're constantly observant, you're constantly willing to push the envelope. You guys will try anything. The number of things we tried for new patients is impressive. And every time we got one more new patient, we would celebrate it.

    But thank you guys for just sharing your stories. And I'm going to open it up. Any last things you want to share, say, if not, we'll wrap up. But just really appreciative of both of you. So any last thoughts you've got? my god, we appreciate you. I can't believe it's been five, six years now. And honestly, your call.

    The Dental A Team (32:18.445)

    We always have something to talk about. You can get complacent and you're like, man, what am going to talk to Kiera about? Like, I don't have anything. And then there's always something that you just light our fire every other Tuesday at 6 a.m. I think it like, it's very easy. We get each other. We both get worked up about different things and you're very good at like, you're our sounding board. We're sounding board and we each like the numbers calm Whitney down and kind of talking things out.

    For me, it's just so helpful. that's been great. It's great. to know without you. Well, and I just appreciate, like, you're the people I love to work with because I get so giddy to watch great people flourish, succeed, and have the lives they want. And I agree. I look forward to my calls with you every morning, like every other Tuesday, 6 a.m. I know you're on there. And I think it is something fun. And I appreciate you trusting me to light the fire, to paint the vision, say, no, no, no, we're not getting complacent. Like, where are we headed next?

    and then we start building towards that. So thank you for being on the podcast with me. Thanks for being in my life. And it's fun to watch your journey and your story go from meeting in dental school to now having this incredible life that you get to share just makes me so happy for both of you. Thank you guys. And for all of you listening, I want you to have the success stories of Nick and Whitney. And so reach out anytime. [email protected], but truly.

    Take the nuggets and the gems you just heard from this dynamic couple, this incredible duo who's built this amazing practice in life and implement it in your own lives. And as always, thanks for listening. I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team podcast.

  • #906: 3 Ways a Consultant Can Help You Thrive Now and in 2025

    #906: 3 Ways a Consultant Can Help You Thrive Now and in 2025

    · Dental A Team Podcast

    Did you know? Practices working with the Dental A-Team tend to see a 10 to 30% increase in revenue and at least a 5 to 10% decrease in overhead. In this episode, Kiera talks about key ways hiring a consultant for your practice will boost your success.

    Episode resources:

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    Review the podcast

    Transcript:

    Kiera Dent (00:01.038)

    Hello, Dental A Team listeners, this is Kiera. And today I am so excited because as things are coming to a wrap up at the end of the year, I know a lot of you are possibly talking to your CPAs, financial advisors, looking for all those different areas where you're possibly like, gosh, like maybe your practice is freaking thriving and you're looking for, it's end of year. What can I do? How can I maximize my practice? What are some options? Or maybe you're on the other end where you're like, gosh, 2024 was such a hard year for me. And so just wanted to pop on and let you know.

    three ways that a consultant can help your practice either thrive or come back from surviving into thriving. Because oftentimes we don't realize that consulting can actually propel our practices forward. It's also a complete tax write-off for most practices, which is great if you're thriving and you need to find ways to spend cash and be able to get through the end of the year. Consulting is actually a great option that a lot of offices do, whether it's a pay-in-full option or whether it's monthly payments or even some offices will pay 50 % end of year.

    and then 50 % throughout the rest of the year. So a lot of great options, but the reality is that I love about consulting is I like to invest in things that move me forward. So at the end of most years, I'm looking for what's an area or a gap that I have in my business, whether that's in my marketing department or my sales department or my dentist, like what dentists things can we bring to the practice? But every single thing that I'm adding into my practice, I want to make sure.

    is going to give me an ROI. So an ROI is a return on investment and I don't like to buy things that are just cash. So looking at like, if we were for example, to say buy a car, well, what's the ROI that that's gonna bring and bring money into my practice? Probably nothing. In Dental A Team, our clients tend to see a 10 to 30 % increase in revenue and at least a five to 10 % decrease in overhead. Now it is a two way street. We can give every tool and resource but if clients don't execute,

    then they're obviously not gonna see the same results. However, clients who do see the, who do implement and do receive the results, they actually see incredible value. So we have offices like this year that have added 10,000, 50,000, 100,000, 250,000, multiple millions to their schedules by working with us. We have other offices that have decreased their overhead. I had one office at the beginning of the year start out at 75 % overhead and they are now down to 53 % overhead with intentionality.

    Kiera Dent (02:20.43)

    leadership put into place where their team is actually looking at the numbers and viewing the practice in a way of as a business, not necessarily just as a practice. And so being able to find something where if we spend, say 20,000, can they give me at least 20,000 back and or more? So 40,000, 50,000, can I get a return on my investment is a really great thing to look.

    Other examples are like CBCT scans. Like, can you add that in and how many CBCTs could we do and give better patient care with purchasing these items? Maybe looking for an implant course that we could attend. Maybe looking for CE, but really doing something that's for our team and for every person on our practice to elevate. And that's actually something I love about Dental A Team is we aren't just focused on the doctors. I think going to all these events as business owners,

    I found that the hardest thing for me is when I show up to an event and then I have to come home and bring it back to my team. And it's like, I'm all ramped up and amped up, but the team didn't necessarily get the same excitement that I did. The team wasn't in on all those meetings and different pieces with me. And so therefore I feel like, gosh, like this is sometimes hard to get the buy-in. And so when we built Denali team, I said, hey, what we're actually gonna do is we're gonna build a company where we coach the doctors and we coach the team together.

    So doctors, we hear your plan of your vision. We help you build that vision. And then team members, help you implement and execute and build leadership teams and train your team on the billing and the tactical and all the systems. But we're helping you build the business, the practice of your dreams to be able to give the patient care and the team experience that you desire. And so thinking of those things, and that's kind of where I just wanted to pop in of like, whether your practice is thriving and you're like, Hey, what it's going to take us to the next level. I might consider consulting as an option.

    Or if you're like, gosh, you know, could this CE course move us forward? Possibly. But like, I have offices that go to CE courses, like sleep. How do get your team bought into that? How do you like, and how do we know the CE to implement or not implement? Sometimes having a consultant or a coach can help actually get you more revenue, more value, more buy-in because they're helping guide and coach the team. And Denali team truly is experts at this. And so it's something really fun. So I just wanted to kind of give like some areas where

    Kiera Dent (04:35.488)

    If you're looking for that way to get some money off of your books, consider consulting, consider something that's gonna move you forward. Or whether you're looking for like, gosh, this year was really, really hard for me, we need to figure out those gaps. Either end of that spectrum, I do believe that consultants can help. And when you're looking for a consultant, some great things to look for are number one, has that consultant or consulting company been there, done that and done that successfully in your situation? Have they coached and consulted offices like yours? Do they have testimonials of offices like you?

    Do they know where you want to go and do they have the path that they can show you of where you want to go? So if you're looking for, want to sell to a DSO in the next five years, do they know how to do that and have they helped other clients successfully? If you're like, nope, I want to be in my practice for the next 20 years and I want to have a legacy practice. Have they done that for other people? If you're wanting to expand and buy multi-practices, have they done that? If you're wanting to get your office manager to be doing all the pieces, have they done that? If you're wanting to add in a leadership team so that way everything's not on your shoulders,

    that consultant done that and done that successfully? Have they been in your shoes? And for me, I like it when they'll like selfishly as a business owner, I'm busy. The last thing I want to do is have to go and like learn from my consultant and then go implement it with my team. I really love to have a consultant who teaches me and my team simultaneously. It feels like it allows me to like multiply and double myself rather than trying to do it myself because I feel like there's so much on owners. And so that's something that I just think is niche.

    None of my coaches coach by team. And I really wish that they would because it'd be so much easier to have somebody else besides me coach and educate and get them excited rather than it all leaning on my shoulders. So when we built Dental A Team that was something I was adamant about of I want to make these dentists lives easier. want to make the team's lives easier. I want to be that bridge between doctor and team member and helping us all align and be on the same page. So as you're looking at it and just thinking that's how you're going to vet for a really good consultant.

    Also look to see who is that consultant and do they align with where you want to go? Do they have the same principles, the same values? So for me, ours is we want to positively impact the world of dentistry in the greatest way possible. And I don't believe that dentistry is what makes you your person. I believe it can be a great portion of your identity, but I believe that your life and your family and your hobbies and who you are as a person is the most important. So ours is the yes model. It's you as a person we focus on and what your life, your dream, your team, who you are as people.

    Kiera Dent (06:59.874)

    Then we focus on E for earnings and profitability and making sure that you're profitable as a company. And then S stands for systems and team development. Do we have the systems to run and we're not dependent upon team members so we teams can go on vacation, they can have fun. And as we grow and expand and, or if we lose team members or we need to hire new team members, we have a system in process where it's system dependent, not team dependent. I say it's system dependent, it's team implemented and adds the sprinkles and the sparkles with the team flair to it.

    So we have tried and true systems that we're gonna then be able to go in. What are you looking for? Are you looking for someone who comes in and they are A to Z cookbook and they give you the systems that way? Or are you looking for someone who's going to be more collaborative with you and hear what you want and then be able to add in different pieces for it? What are you looking for and what are the results? And then do their results speak for themselves? Can they tell you consistently they hit this?

    Do you want a doctor community? Do you want a team community? Do you want to go in person and go to events and masterminds? Or do you want to have it virtual? How do you want this to work out? And so really looking at those options are going to be pieces to look for. In Dental A Team we heard, we heard what you guys were saying where you said, we want in-person masterminds. We want to network with these other doctors. We want to learn. so come 2025.

    Welcome, we are going to be meeting you all in person with an elite leadership retreat where it's doctors and leaders coming together. So doctors in their office manager, doctors in their associate partners, coming together and really masterminding on your life, on your practice and on your business. Having a great time where we actually like hot seat on your business and we work on your life and you workshop for a day and a half and meet incredible people. We also are working with your team simultaneously. So what you're learning.

    In person, we're gonna be able to help take back to your team. So we still lift that training your team members for you, putting places, pieces into play. And we also have for newer practices that might need just like the foundations and building blocks of a business where we do it in a group setting where every single month there's a new system that you can implement while also having access to the consultants every single week. So different ways and different pieces and what that looks like for you as consulting.

    Kiera Dent (09:02.422)

    And then let's just think of like, what are some different ways that a practice like truly a consultant should and could help you go to thriving rather than just surviving. And some of the things is like, I think one of the greatest things we do is find the small little areas to make your life exponentially more efficient, whether that's from handoffs, collections, the way we set up our statements, the way we do our confirmations, the way we build our schedules, the way we do our handoffs, like those very small little pieces. People ask me all the time, Kiera, how are you able to like...

    add 30,000 to a schedule in one day. And I'm like, honestly, it's from handoffs, morning huddles and collecting at the end of the day. Like that's all it is. It's nothing hard. It's nothing crazy. But when we get a whole team bought into this process and this system, then the system flows and moves. So it's very simple. So things that I think are super important is can we look and maximize your schedule for increased production? I love to do less work and get more gain. And so how can we work less and make more?

    Like how can we do that and give better VIP patient care? And so I love helping people build out block schedules. Like I was talking to an office earlier and they said, Kiera, should we expand our practice? And I said, well, like, let's look at where you're at and are you maximizing all of what we already have or should we go and like spend more money on it? And so many people don't realize like what we already have, we could like wring it out, squeeze it out a little bit more and there's no extra cost to the practice, but there's actually little efficiencies that we can put into place.

    One of my favorite examples is I walked into an office and they're like, Kiera, we know we need more space. We have no more space for patients in this practice. And we know we need to have a bigger building. Like we're already like, we've got land. We're already building the other building. Like that's our biggest problem. Within about 15 minutes of working with this office, I was able to find where they could add another operatory. They added another operatory and we were exponentially able to increase their practice, but they were so closed because they thought that there's no possible way for us to add.

    anything else into this practice. And yet sometimes just having another set of eyes outside is able to help you see what truly is possible. And so that's something that I'm obsessed with that I love. We're able to add hundreds of thousands to this practice and serve more patients while their other building was being built. It made it a smoother transition as they moved into the next location. And really we ramped up their handoffs, their doctor exams, little small things, tracking our treatment so doctors know what they're diagnosing, tracking our case acceptance, looking to see are there little ways we can do it.

    Kiera Dent (11:28.12)

    have an office that we've added multi-millions to in the course of working with them. And everyone's like, how have you done it? And they said, we hired this coach. And this coach coaches all of our treatment coordinators. And our treatment coordinators then learn little ways to say things, different ways to present things. They're an incredible office at implementing and executing, but it's in these small, little verbiage tips that are able to help them. And so how can we maximize your practice for exponential growth, but do it in the easiest way? Let's not come in and change everything.

    Let's look for the tiny little things. So number one that I feel like a consultant really can do of the three ways they can maximize and optimize your practice from thriving to thriving or surviving to thriving is one, maximizing your practice for optimal. Like I said, looking for those little spots where if we just do one or two little changes, a little verbiage change here, a little collection here, a little change in our scheduling and block scheduling, we really truly can actually make your practice so much more profitable. And something I'm very big on, one of our core values is ease.

    How can we make this so easy for our practices that the team's excited to implement it, the office is excited, and it gets us the great result of helping more patients? So that would be number one of ways that I think a consultant truly can help you thrive in 2025. Number two, consultants are really able to take the numbers of a business and translate them into action to help your practice grow. So, so many dentists come to us and so many office managers come to us and they have no idea how to read a PNL.

    They don't understand what KPI should be. They don't understand how to use the metrics, the numbers of the business as levers in the business of, okay, if we increase this, we can decrease this and we can actually get more of what we're looking for. They have no idea how to do it. And the honest reality is that's okay. You didn't go to dental school to learn business, but a consultant and a really educated consultant can actually help you translate those numbers into action. And so what I'm obsessed with doing is teaching our offices and our leadership teams.

    Let's look at the numbers. Let's figure this out. What should our payroll be? What should our supplies be? What should our labs be? How can we make one or two changes? Do we need to increase our production? Do we need to increase our collections? Do we need to decrease our costs? What is it going to be? And then teaching the team, like the leadership team and our doctors to look at the numbers and say, I love numbers and numbers love me. Because when we can look at the numbers and get so obsessed and excited about these numbers of what's our overhead, what's our profitability.

    Kiera Dent (13:47.456)

    What are our metrics and how can we translate this into helping more patients? Teams then start to look at it and put the puzzle pieces together. For me, numbers are just puzzle pieces and like, how can we put the puzzle pieces together to make this incredible practice grow and thrive and be able to serve and help more patients? So it's something I am obsessed about because if we can get this dialed in for them, guess what? They're going to be able to freaking thrive.

    They're gonna be able to look at the numbers, but not just looking at the numbers, but taking it into action. So if our overhead's high, what do we need to do? A lot of consultants come in and they want to cut. My goal is to not cut unless we're like overspending on supplies and then all we need to do is put a supply tracker into place and bada bing, bada boom, it's all fixed. People now know how much we can budget. You empower them, you teach them, they fill it in. Our supplies are instantly fixed. Same thing with our lab supplies. They can get fixed very quickly.

    So when we look at it and we can just give them the empowerment, give them a simple spreadsheet, give them a simple worksheet, give them the tools and the levers, teams now get excited about it. And I have teams and it was so fun. I was on a call and one of the teams is like, well, we are thinking about this and we're not sure that we want to do this. Cause when we're looking at the numbers, we realize this. And I wanted to cry because when the team is looking at the numbers like a business owner and they're seeing, Hey, do we really need to hire this other employee?

    Or is that gonna impact our overhead and could we band together and do we wanna do this? Or is this something that's a nice to have, but not a must have? Or is it, no, this is a must have and if we hire this other person, this is how many more patients we should be able to serve and it should translate into these kinds of goals. And so many people are like, Kiera, there's no freaking way that you could ever get my team to be that way. And I say, try me. Like truly, I'm very confident in what we do because as a team member myself, I didn't understand numbers. As an owner, like.

    The most liberating day of my life was when I realized that numbers are a superpower and not something to beat myself with. Like when I realized the numbers are truly the treasure map. Like if I'm looking for the clues to success, look at your numbers, look at where you are. You will literally see what you need to do to be able to move forward. And that's something that I think is so empowering, so inviting. And when we can teach doctors and owners and teams to look at their numbers and turn it into actionable help for your practice.

    Kiera Dent (16:03.584)

    you're able to truly thrive. And now success is not something that just is happenstance. Success is something that's very predictable that you can do. So using your numbers would be number two that I think great consultants can do for you and your team. And then number three that I think a consultant really can help you do. So number one, like we said, was optimizing the efficiencies within your practice, finding those pieces. Number two is translating your numbers into actionable ways to help your practice and getting your whole team to be able to see these numbers of

    the yardstick of success of how many patients we're able to help and serve. Number three would be setting and achieving goals. I think setting goals is always tricky. think figuring out projections, I think it's hard when you look at the schedule and you're like, I don't even know what I should set my goals and I wanna take vacations, but I can't take vacations and I'm stuck here and I'm not able to have the family life I want. And I say, again, it's back to the puzzle pieces of numbers and schedules and being able to set realistic goals for your practice. So I tell our offices, I tell my doctors,

    I don't care what schedule you want to have. don't care if you want to be off at three o'clock. I don't care if you want to work three days a week. I don't care if you want to take six weeks of vacation, like whatever you want. Let's like just tell me and then let's plug it in and let's figure out how we're able to, to use our practice and use our schedule and use our team in a way that's going to fulfill all the needs and the wants of the practice. It's so doable. And I think that that's what's so fun for me is to set these goals and help practices and teams reach higher potential than they ever imagined that they could have.

    I remember getting a text from one of my doctors that we coached and he said, Kiera, when you came into our practice and you set a goal of X amount, this practice, they were producing about 200,000 and we looked at it, we figured out the schedule, we did the block scheduling, we optimized the schedule. Again, going back to the number one, optimizing little areas of efficiency for maximum impact. The doctor said, you came in and you said we should be able to produce 300,000 a month. And the doctor said, I did not believe you for one second.

    And he said, and what's crazy is we did 300,000 our first month. did 305 our next month. We did three 10 our third month. And to see them going from 200,000 to 300,000 felt like something that they had never done before. And so helping offices turn dreams into a reality is what lights my freaking soul on fire. Because when I can help you see that like the numbers are there and the schedule is there and all we need to do is bring the pieces together and you're able to have the dream life that you want to have the family time that you want to have the practice that you want.

    Kiera Dent (18:21.902)

    Yes, there areas where we're maybe going to need to make a sacrifice or we realize, can you want to do this? Let's maybe hire an associate or we think outside the box. But really, I believe like my passion is life and my platform is dentistry. And so helping dentists have the life that they want, having teams have the life that they want is where my life, like my life goal and passion is as a consultant because helping so many people achieve this. Like I have doctors and when I met them, we were producing 150 and now we're producing 500,000 a month. And

    The reality is that practice did not believe that this would even be possible. And now they're hitting goals and objectives that they never believed were possible. And they're stretching the envelope and they're figuring it out and they're serving more patients and they're helping more patients and they're truly being the dentist that the community chooses. When I see offices having that and the dentist is having their dream life and they're having more free space for admin time in their world and their team, their leadership team is taking it on. That's what I feel like we've made it. We've made it for that office.

    When I have another office and they tell me, Kiera, every year you do the projections with us, we take it to our CPA and they laugh at us. I'm like, you've got to be crazy. There's no way you're going to hit those numbers. And every year we hit them and we hit them with success. And they're like, Kiera, it's magic because those are numbers that we never believed we'd be able to do. But you break it down so simply. You help us set these realistic goals. You look at our schedule, you look at our providers, you look at the time, we look at what our team can do. We make sure we put our life forward and what we want to be doing so that way we're living our best selves.

    and you help us set and achieve these goals that we never believed were possible. And to me, that setting and achieving the life that you never believed was possible, you always hoped it would be, but we help you achieve that. And so those are three areas that I really feel that consultants can help you either thrive even more or go from surviving to thriving. And like I said, I am so passionate that we built different models for different practices. So if you're a newer practice and you're like, we're just starting out and our budget's not as much, phenomenal, we literally built a program.

    that takes you through the systems that you need, that gives you weekly access to consulting where you can literally come on and ask your questions and send your team because I'm so adamant that we're gonna coach your team and we're gonna coach the doctors and we're gonna teach you to take care of you, to have a profitable practice and have systems that are dependable so you have predictable success rather than hoping and wishing for success. So if you're brand new, there's an option for you and there's a great space and our community is so incredible and people just love it.

    Kiera Dent (20:44.398)

    If you're a practices like, we're a little bit beyond the fundamentals. We're not this newer practice. We want to have more one-on-one help within our practice. Phenomenal. We coach your team. do coaching calls with you and we bring you in person to work on your practice and on your life to make sure that you're getting what you need. If you're like, Hey, we want some help in our practice. We want you to come to our office. Amazing. We have options for that because I believe that consulting isn't a one size fits all. I believe that a practice is not a one size fits all. I believe that a life is not one size fits all.

    I believe that you know where you want to go. And I believe that with the great coach and a great consultant beside you who's been there, done that and done that successfully over and over and over again, you truly can have whatever you want. And so I just wanted to pop on and give you guys some resources that you're looking at the end of the year, whether it's your best year or whether it was your one of your hardest years, there's solutions. And I truly believe that the greatest people of all time, they have a coach and they have a mentor next to them. They have someone that's going to push them. They have someone who's going to grow them. They have someone who's going to work with them.

    someone who's not gonna give up on them when the hard times are there, someone who's gonna guide them, someone who's gonna help their team grow and thrive. And if that's what you're looking for, I'd recommend looking into consulting and seeing, is this an option for you? At Dental A Team, I wanna give you so much value. And so whenever people schedule a call with us, we look at your practice and we give you value. So even if you're not a perfect fit, you're gonna leave with great resources and we're gonna direct you to someone who can help you. If you're a great fit for us and you're someone who's growth minded,

    You're someone who's committed to success. You're someone who wants to grow your team and wants to grow you. You're a great fit for Dental A Team. And if you're like, gosh, I just don't even know what consulting is like, I encourage you to just make the call. It's not gonna hurt to get on a call. It's not gonna hurt to figure it out. It's not going to hurt. The pricing can be anywhere from as low as like $12,000 a year, all the way up to 50,000 a year. There's variable pricing throughout, but I promise you every single one of those dollars that you put in is going to come back to you in ROI of systems.

    of decreased overhead, of increased profitability of your practice, of better case acceptance, of reduced errors on billing, of higher collections. So it's this crazy thing that it's one of those best investments that's going to give you a guaranteed ROI on your investment. And for me, when I'm looking at investments and I'm looking to see where I should invest my money, investing in my team, investing in myself and investing in a way that's going to give me a guaranteed ROI is where I bank.

    Kiera Dent (23:05.548)

    And so I would invite each of you, if you're thinking about it, if there's consultants that are there that jive with you, check, I gave you guys a way to interview a consultant, to look for them. Do you vibe with them? Have they been there? Have they done that successfully? Have they done it successfully in your shoes? Do they understand your practice? Do they understand your team dynamics? We work all across the nation. We work in rural towns. work in...

    the heart of DC, we've got consultants from all over the board, we've got doctors on our our ambassador team that help us with doctor issues, we've got an incredible thriving doctor community that works and helps each other, we have brilliant people that have MBAs and different pieces in business, we have hygienists, we've got dental assistants, we've got regional managers, so the plethora of knowledge within our consulting is insane and so being able to be a part of that community where your questions get answered on a 24-7 basis.

    We have direct access to consultants who know how to grow you and your practice. We're able to truly grow and grow with everybody that's around you and you're around like-minded people because I believe that proximity is power. And when you're around people that are thriving and you're around people that are succeeding and you're able to pick their brains and be able to learn from them, that's how we elevate. I purposely joined Tony Robbins highest level of consulting because I wanted to be around those people. And what's crazy is every time I'm around them, I grow and evolve to the next level because they share tips with me.

    They inspire me. I ask them how they're doing things and they share. And that's what we've created for dentists. So if you want to be a part of it, I'd love to have you reach out. [email protected]. Go on our website, TheDentalATeam.com, book a call, whatever it is. But whatever you choose to do this year, invest in you. Invest and commit that 2025 is not going to be happenstance success. It's going to be guaranteed success. Let's find a way to get you that guaranteed success. And whether it's us, another consulting company, another ROI,

    I don't care what you choose, but make sure you do something different to ensure success for 2025 rather than hope for it. These are three ways that a consultant can help you go from thriving to even higher or from surviving to thriving, whatever end of the spectrum you're on, whatever it is, there's a solution for you. I think check our egos. It's hard. It's hard to ask for help, but it's one of the greatest things. And once you enter the world, you realize no one's there to judge, especially in Dental A Team. My rules are no judgment. Come as you are, show up, add more value.

    Kiera Dent (25:20.566)

    and make sure that you're committed to getting success and that we don't give excuses. If that's who you are, come, come and be a part of it. I'd love to have you. And if I can help in any way, always reach out. [email protected]. This is your life. This is your practice. Your team needs you. You need you. Your patients need you and you deserve the best of the best. So go for it. Let's make 2025 the best it can be. And as always, thanks for listening. I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.

  • #905: All About Fees: Increases, Negotiations, and More

    #905: All About Fees: Increases, Negotiations, and More

    · Dental A Team Podcast

    Tiff and Britt discuss what the end of 2024 should ideally look like as far as fee schedule analyses and negotiations. They touch on comparisons within your area, the right percentile to aim for, when to send out negotiation letters and requests, and more.

    Episode resources:

    Reach out to Tiff and Britt

    Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar

    Practice Momentum Group Consulting

    Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast

    Become Dental A-Team Platinum!

    Review the podcast

    Transcript:

    The Dental A Team (00:01.871)

    Hello, Dental A Team We are back at you again. I have Britt back with me today. We have some fun stuff to talk about and I'm excited for it. Britt think you are fantastic. You're a fantastic brain and I love picking your brain. So thank you for allowing me to do that. And we talked a lot of clinical recently and now I'm like switching your brain because I want to talk business side.

    Britt (00:02.536)

    you

    The Dental A Team (00:29.684)

    great at everything, but those two are like your powerhouse specialties. Always hygiene because you're hygienist by trade and by heart. But the business piece comes still naturally to you too. So I'm excited for today's topic. But what is something I'm totally making this up you guys so it's nervous now.

    Britt (00:48.887)

    I'll say one while you think about it. I'm like, Tiff is very generous. Tiff has a brain too. That's why we're nerdy consultants guys. Like these are the things we talk about with each other all the time.

    The Dental A Team (00:59.801)

    That's so true. That's so true. Thank you. That was very true. We're like, guess what happened? Did you know? What is something that you're excited for, for yourself or Dental A Team, like in the professional world we'll say, for this quarter? What's something you're excited for?

    Britt (01:03.189)

    you

    huh.

    Britt (01:24.503)

    excited. I'll tell you what, I love our group that we have going.

    One, we've got quite a few people that are hitting their best months ever. So that's super fun. And I'm just excited for that group over there and all the things they're going to accomplish over this next quarter. Because it's just fun. It's a fun, like I get to interact with them every single week. And it's just such a good time for me that I'm excited for them to end their year super strong over there.

    The Dental A Team (01:54.958)

    I agree. I agree. I think the doctor community in general that we've been able to create this year and the momentum that they've got going on over there has been so incredible. We've got the two different communities. For those of you who are with our, I'm going to say practice with our company on the group coaching level with Britt that you guys are thinking that you're speaking of now, it's freaking exploding over there. And those doctors are seeing some massive improvements and it's just so cool to see them.

    talking to because I think that's something just in nature that we need naturally as human beings is we need that like family space and they say it takes a village, right? They tell you it takes a village to raise a kid. It takes a village to do anything. We are meant to be in groups and not siloed. And in dentistry, it's so easy to silo ourselves. And I agree. I agree. I think that is a space of excitement this year.

    I love it. I wanted to see what you would say. I'm excited for that as well. And I'm excited to see what's on the horizon for 2025 for the Dental A Team and excited to see who's going to come on that journey with us. And hopefully all of you guys are coming on that podcasting journey with us. You can anticipate that this podcast will forevermore be here as far as we can see. We love delivering this content to you guys. We love being able to reach you in this way.

    And we hope that you have found benefits in it, that you share it, that you tell your friends, because we know, again, it takes a village. we love hearing stories of sharing. We love hearing stories of this podcast. Help me so much. I sent it to my friend. And just to remember you guys, like our mission is to get as much information out into the dental world as we possibly can and reach as many of you as we can. And it takes you to help us with that. So share these as they become.

    your favorites and so helpful in your lives and then share with us too anything that you feel like we could do more of anything any topics or things that you want more of we do pre -schedule these and that is on my to -do list so if you've got ideas I'm here for them.

    Britt (04:04.267)

    you know who to tell you say, Tiff, we want more of this. And she will, with consultants, help us pick out some awesome topics.

    The Dental A Team (04:07.649)

    Yes.

    The Dental A Team (04:11.694)

    Yes, yes, it's one of my favorite things to do. So I'm super excited. Today, I really want to talk about rounding out the end of the year and what that could look like as far as fee analysis, fee schedule analysis, negotiations, all of those pieces, we're getting asked to kind of those questions right now. And I think it's a really great topic to just spread the information on. And if you're waiting longer than like October, November timeframe to get started on this, kudos to you hats off, it's going to be

    going to be a busy road. But October, November timeframe is really when I start pushing clients to start looking at these pieces so that next year we can set you up for a win when it comes to your fees, when it comes to your goals, when it comes to what we're able to accomplish, making sure that we're super set up right away to get into a good group. So these schedule analysis and negotiation.

    Britt, I know you do a ton of this and you work with practices all across the nation that are doing this and in your group calls right now, a lot of this is coming up. So what do you feel like is the number one space to start with when it comes to fee schedule analysis and negotiation? Now, I think a lot of practices arbitrarily are like, I want to negotiate fees and like, how do I do that? And like, there's so many parts and pieces you could start anywhere, but where do you have your practices start?

    from the get go to get on the path of getting this done.

    Britt (05:36.395)

    Yeah, this is a question that actually like it just came up this. Because we have a new client that just like finally closed on a practice and so they're getting into the practice. And so it's like, all right, well, we need to look at things and it's a little older practice. They're going to be transitioning a lot of stuff to upgrade and update it. And fees will be one of those things that they need to look at. And I think the first thing is knowing how your fees compare to like fees in the area.

    So kind of where do we land? Are we low? Are we like in the higher? Are we right in the middle and starting to see where we're at right now compared to our area? Cause everywhere is going to be a little bit different. so that's the first thing that I would start with, cause that's going to help you to know how much do we need? Like, are we behind? Do we need to start increasing and maybe a little bit more, you know, a higher of a percentage than someone else who's already in like the 90, 90 plus percentile?

    So that would be my first step for you.

    The Dental A Team (06:36.475)

    I totally agree. Now you mentioned percentile. On the majority, what do you recommend that they should be at? Because I know it kind of differs. It's kind of all over the place. But if you were to give like a flat rate percentage for majority of the procedures, what should that percentile look like?

    Britt (06:52.663)

    Yeah, and I want practices to be up at like, I want us to be practices that are providing right really high quality, which all our clients do right. And so I really do want them to be in that like, top 25 % is usually my marker somewhere in that top 25, if not 80 % or higher. And just so that we're staying on top of it. And we know entrance always lags. And so I'm like,

    Let's not be crazy high, but let's be at the top and let's keep pushing things forward as far as insurance reimbursements go as well. Because that's another thing, if we don't ever look at our fees and our fees stay low, guess what? Insurance companies go off of that and they say, hey, out of all our doctors, we're paying pretty well if we never increase our fees. So we want to make sure that we stay competitive and that we keep driving things in the right direction while still being fair to our patients.

    The Dental A Team (07:44.308)

    Yeah, I love that. I agree. think something that we forget in dentistry is that we are not the only dental practice. Number one, not that we forget that because there's one on every corner, but the fact that what you're putting out there, what you're sending to the insurance company is impacting dentistry as a whole. So as people don't increase their fees and they don't change them and they stay okay with a $600 reimbursement or a $600 fee for a crown with a

    $250 reimbursement as they stay okay with that over the years, it makes it more difficult for anyone to get the increases. And then all of a sudden this doctor that's been getting $600 for a crown is like, what the heck? Why am I upside down? And why do they pay so little? And I'm like, well, you said it's okay. You didn't change your fees. You've universally said this is what I'm worth for my crown. So I think that's a great reminder.

    And on that just making sure too that in the back of the system, there's always a little button that says your UCR fees go to your insurance companies. I don't need to go on the ledger always because that's a write off and it's like extra work and that's human error availability. So while I'm not saying to put it always on the ledger that way, you can ensure that your UCR fees are going to insurances just so that it's in their system. They're constantly seeing it. They're constantly seeing that $400 write off.

    for the crown or whatever that might be. So I do love that. So getting a fee analysis, well, looking at your fees, number one, then you said, be in that percentile, get those comparisons. Now that comparison needs to be done yearly. And I know a couple of practices that are like, I did it like two years ago, three years ago, I'm fine. If you're not doing it every year, you have that space to fall backwards. And I don't know about you, but I have never seen a space where

    inflation falls backwards or doesn't happen. So if we're not looking at our fees, inflation is still happening. So two, three years, you've had two, three years of inflation stacking on you that you haven't looked at your fees and changed them, increase them or negotiated. getting that fee schedule comparison of your local area practices near you is going to be really, really important. You can hire companies that do it for you.

    The Dental A Team (10:04.31)

    But I also know a lot of Patterson and Henry Schein reps, those people that are, you know, you're ordering your supplies from, they can usually grab one of those pretty quickly and pretty easily for you. So check with those reps as well. And I would surely get your this year's analysis in preparation for 2025. So once you have that analysis, you see where you're at, you're like, gosh, okay, my UCR, my usual and customary rates can increase here, here and here, we kind of

    I don't know, I go through them. And when I was an office manager, I'd sit down with my doctor and we'd go through them almost procedure by procedure to look for it. You're looking for like reds, right? I'm looking for like, this is really out of line. Sometimes I'm changing my wings by $2 or an exam by $3. Sometimes it's only a dollar to get in line, but doing it procedure by procedure really is helpful. So you've got that fee schedule analysis, you're updating it, you're going through it. And then what? What's

    what's next? You're like, cool, I know what I need to do. Now how do I get other people to believe me that this is what I'm worth and get these insurance companies paying more?

    Britt (11:10.261)

    Yeah, and I want to make one quick plug. You mentioned on making sure we're clicking the little button that our fees are going out to insurance companies. Guys, that's like a strong recommendation. It's almost like I have to because what happens if we're not is fees can change and insurance might be paying more. But if you're not submitting your office fee and you're submitting what you thought their fee was, they're going to keep paying the lower fee.

    The Dental A Team (11:23.029)

    Cheers.

    Britt (11:37.471)

    And also a plug for just like evaluating. I know I've seen some practices where I know that that insurance actually pays a higher fee for the service than you're charging as your office fee. And it's a like generally insurance covered procedure. So you're missing out on so much because you're keeping that fee so low. So just a couple of plugs for like the reason why you do it. Those are some of the reasons as it's completely fair. And I know some doctors, right, get afraid of, you know,

    Well, I don't want to increase it. Or some that have a lot of cash paying patients, which is totally understandable. And that can be a factor in deciding how quickly you start to increase things. But when you start to get it on a track of consistently evaluating where your fees are and every year making some sort of increase, and even if it's on your financial policies that you have a line in there that's like, know, fees are like,

    may change over time and if you're doing a big increase, I don't like to cause alarm where alarm is not due. So it can be, hey, you know, on all our treatment plans, make sure we've got a disclaimer if it's good for 30 days, whatever it may be for fees. So when we update them, we honor whatever it is we plan to honor. And then we have a line in there that also says that fees can change, you know, or fees may change. So it's only guaranteed for a certain amount of time.

    The Dental A Team (12:43.104)

    Thank you.

    Britt (13:03.147)

    And that guarantee is not what insurance is gonna pay. That guarantee is just what our fees are that we're charging out. So as long as we have some of those things in place ahead of time, then when we go and increase them, guess what? You go and increase them. And when patients have questions, then you can let them know just like everybody else out there in every other business, right? Our fees will increase over time. We all know, we've all lived in the past.

    couple of years and seeing what's happened with inflation so it shouldn't be a surprise that just like every other industry out there that the dental practice is going to increase their fees over time as well.

    The Dental A Team (13:41.662)

    I completely agree. I completely agree. think you said something really important there of like, making sure that you're honoring what you said and making sure that you're saying everything you need to. And I know, even when I was treatment coordinating and treatment planning patients at the end of the year, that was part of my spiel. Like that was part of what I would say is, I don't know what your insurance is going to decide to do next year. And they may decide not to cover this at all. They may increase the rate so it increases your out of pocket.

    And even if you're out of out of benefits now, like it's never going to be less than it is today. The rates are never going to go down. So at the end of the year, it's definitely something that we can utilize in conversation, but always having those, those caveats of this is good for 30 days or 60 days or 45, whatever it is that your practice has decided. And then honoring those as you move forward, as those changes happen. I know that's a scarcity mindset for a lot of people.

    not just doctors, but even the billing coordinators or the office managers who have to make those changes of like, what are my patients gonna say? What are my patients gonna think? And when we really add it up on a re -care appointment, it typically is less than $10 increase when you go through everything line item by line item. And to me, that's a Starbucks drink. And so it's like, can you allocate a Starbucks drink for me every six months?

    to make sure that you're getting the services that you deserve in the amount of time you deserve. Because what happens if we don't increase our fees, we don't change how we're doing things and how we're being reimbursed, we have to do more in less time. So if we don't ever increase our fees, now we're like, shoot, it's not paying for itself. My hygienist now has to do 40 minute appointments or 50 minute appointments instead of 60 so that we can add another patient every day.

    to get the reimbursement that we need. Or we stay up with the times we figure out what our fees should be. We ask for the increases from insurance companies and we get paid what we should, you guys. That is, I am so strong on that. That is like not even a soft suggestion. That is a strong must. Get paid what you deserve to be paid. And your fees will reflect that. It'll reflect where you're at. If you feel like a $600 crown is what you deserve,

    The Dental A Team (16:07.226)

    then do a $600 crown. I don't I have no qualms about what you decide. Your crown is valued out or whatever procedure it is. I'm just begging you to ensure that you're always staying up to date because the things you want to do with your practice, the things you want to do for your team depend on the money that's coming in that depends on your revenue. And your happiness and your life depends on the revenue of the

    practice and these are easy ways to ensure that you're constantly growing and creating a space that you actually want to live in. So I will always advocate for that and I will always be the push potentially that you guys need and I think Brit is in alignment with that. So once you have those fees, once you've come to terms with it and you guys, if you need help with verbiage by the way, and this one little podcast didn't do it for you, reach out to us. Hello @ The Dental A Team .com.

    Instagram, we're on Instagram all the time. We have our Facebook, we have our Facebook groups, we've got our doctor communities, like reach out to us wherever level you need to and we will help you with all of that. We love that stuff. Burbage is my jam. Communication is my jam. Once you've got those fees in alignment, you need to send out negotiation letters. You need to send out the request to the insurance companies. It's gonna be a very rare occasion. I've personally never seen it. An insurance company is like, hey, guess what? Merry Christmas.

    I'm upping your fees next year, congratulations. Sometimes you might get, I would get EOBs that I'm like, we got paid a dollar extra on this exam. Apparently our fee changed. Sometimes they will just gift it to you, but it's never going to be anything extravagant and it's never going to be anything that's going to get you to the percentile that you're actually looking for if you're not asking for it. So those negotiation letters and those requests, Britt, when do you suggest they start sending those and what's that process look like that?

    that you've worked with clients and kind of worked through that with them.

    Britt (18:03.509)

    Yeah, so with that...

    like starting to evaluate your fees now, right? And start sending those things. like end of year, third, fourth quarter is a good time to go ahead and do it. So then you can start implementing those things in January, right? So that would be the nice thing. It's nice when you have a set time that you usually do it. Because also when you increase those fees, right? Treatment plans, if we have a 30, 60 day guarantee, whatever it may be, then, you know, those patients come back, even if it's already signed, we, it's

    It's very easy for us to know when we need to update treatment plans just systematically for the team. And then it comes down to sending a letter. So usually it's a letter, but you can always contact your insurance company and say, hey, right?

    What do I need to do in order to go ahead and submit for an increase in fees and they can inform you of what that process is. There's also companies out there that help to do it for you if you want to go that route as well. So it depends on, you know, either on your own, find out what the process is with the insurance company, the correct apartment to contact.

    what form it needs to go in and then also reach out to a company if you kind of want to see what their process is and what that would look like. I'll have some tips and tricks. I'll just caution. Sometimes they'll talk about going in an umbrella plan to get some better fees. There's pros and cons to it. That might be a thing for another time, but just know there's pros and cons and understand what that would mean for the office because it's a little bit more administrative effort being under an umbrella plan and making sure

    Britt (19:34.463)

    plans and network with us than just being directly contracted with an insurance company.

    The Dental A Team (19:39.515)

    Totally. That was a really good caveat to mention. I think of fee negotiations the same as I think of signing up with insurances, Like credentialing with insurances, decredentialing, negotiating fees. It's all a very similar process. And in that process, it takes a lot of follow -up. So making sure

    Whenever you start, usually say just like Britt said, fourth quarter, like October, November timeframe, I really want to be through the thick of that by the time next year comes so that I get that renewal right away. And it's not lingering into February, March or April, but now I'm making changes on things. I really like it to be clean at the beginning of the year. So October, November timeframe and those follow ups are, are crucial. That's where I think these companies come in really handy.

    Especially at the end of the year, we're really busy. So we don't have a dedicated someone that can add that to their schedule. That's where I would lean on that or I don't know, virtual assistants, things like that too, that can do that kind of follow up for you to ensure that these letters are being received. They're being put into action just the same as a claim you guys. It's all the same insurance is the same no matter what you're sending them, whatever the piece of paper is that you're sending them electronically or on paper, it's all processing about the same. So it's gonna get

    received and they're like, that's cool. And then they're to be like, let's see if they really care. Do they really want this thing to happen? Do they really want this provider credential? Do they really want to get paid more? And they're going to like let it sit there. So a lot of follow up that goes into that, but make sure you get it done. Timeline is now. If you need help with that, if you need ideas, if you're looking for a company that might help.

    Reach out. We've got a couple of different people that we recommend and that we work very closely with that we've loved over the years. Hello @ The Dental A Team .com. Or if you need a quick like checklist, we've also got all of those always available. So just let us know. Now, action items because we never leave without action items, whether it's a coaching call, an event, or a podcast, you will always have some sort of action items coming to you. So Britt, help me round this out. We need fee schedule comparison.

    Britt (21:38.828)

    you

    Britt (21:50.091)

    Yep, so make sure you do analysis with your area, right? So evaluate your fees. Yep.

    The Dental A Team (21:50.167)

    I'm from a company in Europe.

    The Dental A Team (21:55.166)

    Yep. Then we're gonna percentile it, we're gonna get in that higher percentile. So I think for me, I would say get the fee schedule analysis, evaluate, do your UCR, and do your negotiations kind of simultaneously. I give a deadline, Britt, do you do you agree with my deadline of having your fees, your UCR, usual and customary rates updated by January 15, no matter what next year, have somebody dedicated to it. So somebody is pulling and asking for fee schedule analysis now.

    You're comparing that fee schedule analysis to your current fees. You're sending out negotiation letters to your insurances you're contracted with and you're getting your rates increased by January 15th, no matter what, do or die. Yeah.

    Britt (22:38.389)

    Yep, and I want to add to this just in case you've got some people where you haven't done this before, increasing your fees is not dependent on your insurance fee negotiations. like implement though, that can move forward. Like that piece, whatever you decide on your increases, that can go into play for your office fees. While even if it's not by January 15th, we're still working on getting those negotiations done.

    The Dental A Team (23:02.467)

    Good call. Good call. Thanks for seeing through that. All right, you guys, you've got your actions, you've got your tips, your tricks, if you need more, if you need clarifications, whatever it may be, I'm telling you, I say this every time we are honestly here for you. So reach out. Hello @ The Dental A Team .com drop us a review down low five stars are always appreciated. And we like to know that this was very helpful for you. Give us a share.

    Britt (23:05.601)

    You

    The Dental A Team (23:24.049)

    and give us a download, whatever that looks like so that you can make sure that your other friends in the dental community know to get this done as well. So we're here for you. We love you all. Thank you, Britt, for being here with me today and for helping me through that analysis situation. You're fantastic. All right, everyone. Of course, I will always have you. All right, everyone. Have a great rest of your day. I hope you go listen to other podcasts on here. We do have other ones that...

    Britt (23:39.339)

    Thanks for having

    The Dental A Team (23:49.468)

    relate back to this and back to some of the stories I talked about today. So enjoy your day. We will catch you next time.



  • #904: Getting Creative in a Saturated Market

    #904: Getting Creative in a Saturated Market

    · Dental A Team Podcast

    Kiera and Britt are joined by Dr. Renae Sweeney, a dentist in South Florida who put in a lot of work to make her practices stand out. The three discuss how she was able to effectively find her client base, the importance of staying confident in your goals, and more.

    Episode resources:

    Follow Dr. Sweeney on Instagram!

    Reach out to Tiff, Britt, and Dana

    Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar

    Practice Momentum Group Consulting

    Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast

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    Transcript:

    Kiera Dent (00:00.862)

    Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera and today is just a super fun day. I have two people on here today. I have Dr. Renae Sweeney. You may have seen her on social media. You may know Rafiki. You may know her birds. You may just see her as one of the funniest people on Instagram. And we have the one and only No BS, Stone coming on today. I'll start with Britt. How are you doing today, Britt? Welcome.

    Britt (00:24.645)

    I mean, I'm great. I'm excited to be here. I love when you share my nicknames now with clients since Dr. Sweeney is one of my clients that I get to work with. So you're welcome, Dr. Sweeney. Now you know what my nickname is.

    Kiera Dent (00:31.874)

    Ha ha.

    Kiera Dent (00:35.244)

    you

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (00:36.044)

    Yes, I love it. love it. No, super excited to be here with you guys. Thank you. Thank you.

    Kiera Dent (00:39.221)

    And dr. Sweeney welcome. Yeah, we're so excited Like I love you. I don't know as much about you because Britt has worked with you guys for so many years you and Soon to be hubby, right soon to be

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (00:49.033)

    Yes, yes.

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (00:54.355)

    No, he's so is that it's actually a little bit confusing. So we've actually been married for three years, but we are finally doing our wedding this year. So I know it's like a little bit confusing because yes, we're we're having our wedding actually in six weeks. Funny enough. But yes, we've been married for three years already, which is crazy.

    Kiera Dent (01:02.249)

    Okay

    Kiera Dent (01:09.398)

    That's amazing. Okay, so married we've been like Britt has worked with you and your husband we can now say husband but like wedding that's exciting. That's gonna be so fun. So I thought it'd just be fun to like bring both of you on. I want to know all about your bird like everybody I think I want to know some about your social media. But I thought it'd be really fun for you and Britt to kind of go on like a little walk of like how you guys were how you guys met Britt told me that she loves working with you and

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (01:17.706)

    Yes.

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (01:30.73)

    Mm -hmm.

    Kiera Dent (01:35.82)

    Dr. Molina because you guys are truly like a dynamite couple. You're willing to try everything. You guys have grown so much. You've gone from one practice to two practices looking for a third. So Britt, I'm going to kind of let you like jump in and guide and navigate on some ways too. But really, I think it's just going to be fun of like, let's go on like a walk down memory lane of what are some of the things you guys have done to get to this level. And Renae, you're so fun. Like you're so happy and so vibrant and yet you guys have a lot going on. So I will kind of turn it to Britt.

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (01:36.64)

    Yes.

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (01:43.478)

    Mm -hmm. Mm -hmm.

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (01:58.923)

    Thank

    Kiera Dent (02:02.348)

    Have fun, let's do a little walk down memory lane and of course I'm gonna interject because I'm gonna have a ton of questions.

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (02:06.879)

    Yeah.

    Britt (02:07.97)

    Well, the fun thing of the walk down memory lane, I think is that I worked with Dr. Molina first, right? And one location and Dr. Sweeney, you were still, think, working somewhere else, right?

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (02:14.547)

    Yes.

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (02:20.489)

    Yeah, so when we when we bought the first practice, I was still working actually like at a corporate office. So I've kind of been in my background, worked for a nonprofit, worked for private practice, worked for corporate offices all before I like we bought a second location, which is the location that I'm mainly at. So yes, you did start with kind of like him on the side. So I was like in that but kind of indirectly in it. But yes, so which is crazy, because I think it's been like over three years now, which is wild.

    Kiera Dent (02:49.068)

    I just remember calling Dr. Molina one day. Like we were just having a conversation. He's like, what on earth? Amazon just threw a package in our pool. Like that was literally like the conversation I had with him and it feels so telling of his personality. You guys are in Florida. You're in a very saturated area, which I love because you found success in a saturated area, but you've been behind the scenes. You bought a practice that was mostly Spanish speaking and I'm sure your Spanish was like not quite there yet. So.

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (03:00.545)

    Yes.

    Yes.

    It was.

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (03:11.73)

    Yes. yeah.

    Kiera Dent (03:15.33)

    That's a fun, like, hey, let's treat these patients and not even be able to sell to them. Cool. So anyway, Britt, keep going. I'm excited. It's like fun things about both of you. Very entertaining couple for sure.

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (03:19.282)

    Yes, yes.

    Britt (03:26.565)

    They are 100%. I love them. And I love that now I get to work with both of them. Because once we had practice number one, when practice number two came into play, that's when Dr. Sweeney and I got to connect a little bit more to where I got to start working with both practices and her one -on -one. Sometimes I get to see both of them when we like hop on calls together and they're in the same place. But it's been fun having second location. know they've got big dreams and aspirations, which I think Dr. Sweeney can tell us a little bit more about. But I do.

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (03:33.563)

    Okay.

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (03:41.799)

    Mm -hmm.

    Britt (03:55.525)

    love working with them because I think you both were pretty clear on where you want to go from the beginning, right? Like, you know where you want to go practice wise. Dr. Molina has been big on making sure we get all the systems into play. So like, know we're going to be doing this more. So let's make sure we've got things in play. And then it's been fun because now you've got another practice that you're working on. You've transitioned, stabilizing, agreed with Kiera. It's like you're in an area where, you know, you know that there's competition and you guys are creative and get out there. And Kiera, I'll add.

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (04:00.391)

    Thanks.

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (04:06.812)

    Mm -hmm. Right.

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (04:22.362)

    Mm

    Britt (04:24.975)

    I know that Dr. Sweeney is working on her Spanish, so like, who's getting there?

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (04:27.336)

    Yes, it's funny because now I'm like, have patients now who like have stayed with the practice, know, since prior to me purchasing or acquiring the office till now. And I just had a patient the other day who was like, my gosh, you're like, you're doing so well. Like you sound like you're fluent in Spanish now, which I am by no means like actually fluent. But yeah, it's I always tell people I'm like, careful what you wish for. Because I always used to say like years ago,

    Kiera Dent (04:28.608)

    Hola!

    Kiera Dent (04:48.589)

    you

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (04:53.841)

    before I ever really knew like where I would end up or how things would be. I was said that I wanted to learn Spanish more and I was like, be careful what you wish for. Cause I got exactly what I wish for unknowingly with it. But yeah, so it's, it's been a work in progress, but it's awesome. I love it. And it's, as you said, it's a very unique area that we're in South Florida and like Miami, like as a whole is just very, very different. And I think the unique part about learning Spanish here, I was so impatient. This is that it's not just one type of Spanish because you have people who are from Venezuela,

    Kiera Dent (05:02.056)

    Hahaha

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (05:23.736)

    Puerto Rico, Colombia, Cuba, like you have so many different dialects of it. So for me, I have to like learn a word like six different ways in Spanish, but my patients are awesome about it. My staff is bilingual and awesome about it. So like they've helped me so much. And it's something that like, it's just another like challenge that I get to take on, but it was definitely like a big challenge having to overcome as a new dentist coming out, buying a practice and finding out like.

    Kiera Dent (05:32.778)

    you

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (05:49.358)

    in the process of it that it was such a heavily Spanish speaking practice as someone who is not fluent in Spanish and really at the time didn't really speak Spanish at all. But I think it just goes to show that if you're willing to put in the effort and the time, how much you really can, what you can do and the challenges you can overcome and really, it's just so much, so many things are possible if you're just willing to take the time and learn and dedicate towards it.

    Kiera Dent (06:14.744)

    So like dive into that a little more for me, Dr. Sweeney. I am dying to know like, what do you guys do differently from your perspective? Obviously like with Britt's help and with different things you guys have done, like what do you feel has been like some key pieces to your success or how do you get that grit? Cause I think a lot of people would have been like, I'm not signing on the dotted line on this practice or I'm going to give up on this. Like it's a saturated market. It feels like you don't allow yourself excuses. So kind of walk me through like, what are some of the things that you feel have really set you guys up to be as successful as you've been?

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (06:21.391)

    Mm -hmm.

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (06:35.907)

    Right.

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (06:43.906)

    Right. So in the process of ours, it was definitely unique. Like you don't know what you don't know. Right. So, I mean, even in the process of getting that office, there were so many things that we were still learning. Because yes, we already had one practice on our belt. But again, every practice acquisition, every practices, it's just different. You're dealing with different owners, sellers, brokers. Like there's just so many different key parts that are.

    It's different in every single deal and even that we're seeing as we're looking for a third practice now. So we really didn't know up until right before closing, basically, most of our documents and things were kind of said and done that we found out that it was portrayed to us that it was, there was obviously Spanish speaking patients, which is just a very normal thing in South Florida across the board. Most places that you work at, they want you to be bilingual. that was, I figured that was, we were gonna have that, but it wasn't until really closing that we found out.

    out that it was such a high majority of the office was Spanish speaking, which

    I remember after we met with the owner that day, because it was different in this deal that we didn't really meet the owner until at the very end. So more or less, unfortunately, the broker kind of misled us a little bit. again, this is, you know, just comes with I'm sure you guys have seen a lot with just different practices, you deal with different people. Right. So I remember we went home after that meeting and we kind of looked at each other and we're like, what do we do? You know, and I remember I was very panicked because I'm like, I don't I'm not fluent in Spanish. Like, should we do this? Should we not? You know, and then we kind of ultimately made the decision that we're like, you know, it's

    a good opportunity. You I'm willing to learn the Spanish, like all of the staff is bilingual. And for anybody who's from South Florida, they will know that like Miami versus where we are in Broward County, it's about 30 minutes like north.

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (08:25.076)

    Yes, you have patients who speak Spanish, but it's slightly different. There are patients who know more English. It's just a little bit different environment. So was like, I think we can navigate it. think we can do this. And I had said, I always wanted to learn Spanish more. I was already kind in the process of trying. So was like, you know what? This is going to be my push that it's sink or swim. Like really, it truly is. And that's how it is with owning your own business, having your own company, your own office. Is that way anyway, that it really is like sink or swim. Like you have to just learn how to figure it out. And I was like, okay, this is just another challenge. We're going to take it on. So definitely, I think we made it a little bit

    harder for myself in the process, but long term I'm super grateful for it because like I said, it's just a very unique environment that we get to be in. I get to be a part of a community that...

    is different from what I grew up with, is different from what I, you know, was a part of before. And it was something that I wanted to be a part of and wanted to understand more about. And I just love it. My patients have been super great in the process of like, I've never had anyone be upset with me of getting something wrong. If anything, I think they like try to help me more with learning. And they're like super proud when they come back and they're like, my gosh, you're doing so well with your Spanish. You're able to do this. And for me, I always tell people like, sure, could I get away with not speaking Spanish and relying on my staff? Absolutely. But like for me,

    Kiera Dent (09:30.05)

    I

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (09:37.854)

    personally that was a big thing because i'm like then i now lose a different level of connection with my patients and again i know people who do that i came from an office where the per se owner didn't speak spanish and we were in a very predominantly spanish speaking area so you can definitely get away with that but for me i was like you know i don't want to lose that aspect of it and i know that it's something that like i can do again it's just

    have to dedicate the time and effort will i ever be at that point where i'm fully fluent probably not at this point hopeful that like we can get close but you know i think it's just one of those things that like when you really are willing to set your mind to it and have a vision for what you want and how you want things to be like you'll just do what it takes to get there no matter how long it takes because more than anything i'm like now we're i'm

    little bit more than two years into this office. And I'm like, time is going to go by no matter what. like, if I keep taking steps forward and keep dedicating the time and effort, whether that's to learning Spanish, whether that's to our systems or, or to, you know, the vision that we have for these offices, like you're going to get there eventually. And before, know, like, it might not be as fast as I want it to be, but it's

    when you look back in time, like you get there and then for other people, they're like, my gosh, this happened so fast, you know, so we oftentimes, I think things feel with progression. I'm sure you guys can even feel that way, you know, with your own businesses is that progression sometimes feels a lot slower to us as we're in it and we're doing it day to day. But you know,

    in the long run when we look at other people, it's easy to think that success happens so fast for them. So very long -winded response of all of that. But all that is to just say is that's how I think we try to look at everything with our practices, is that just taking steps forward and towards our dedicated goal every single day, you're gonna get there eventually, and you just have to stick with it, knowing that things are gonna be up and down with stuff, but just stick towards it, and you will get there.

    Kiera Dent (11:03.776)

    Mm -hmm. I like it.

    Kiera Dent (11:16.842)

    Mm

    Kiera Dent (11:22.594)

    Totally. Yeah, no, think kudos to you. I think that shows like your guys' entrepreneurial spirit, the grit. And I just had a conference and Tony Robbins said, people overestimate what they're going to be able to accomplish in a year and underestimate what they're going to be able to accomplish in a decade. And I really think that that's lovely because I think so many people, it's hard. Like you can think like, I'll be fluent in Spanish in a year, but like maybe in a decade, you're actually going to be super fluent within this.

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (11:28.537)

    Mm

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (11:38.555)

    Yes.

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (11:45.357)

    Mm -hmm. Yeah

    Kiera Dent (11:50.402)

    And like, look how far you've come in two years and this patient base, but also like looking at your, which I didn't really give into your bio of like you were a previous bar fit, hit fitness instructor. You taught classes throughout dental school. Then you taught it while you were in your first practice. You also are a former D1 dance team. You have your degree. You have like three Instagram accounts. So it's not just one, but three. And I'm sure with every other child and animal or whatever you choose to add to your life.

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (11:52.475)

    Mm -hmm.

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (12:04.827)

    Mm -hmm.

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (12:18.247)

    Mwahahahaha

    Kiera Dent (12:19.778)

    They'll probably have their own page too. But I think also like some people might look at that and be like, my gosh, she's her. But I'm like, no, what I love about you and the reason I wanted you on the podcast is because I feel like you have this grit and determination, but I feel it's because you have this guiding star of where you want to go. How did you get so clear on your vision of where you wanted to go? Like, was it just innate? Did you say like, this is the goal we're going for? Did you unravel, be like, all right, this is what our life's going to be? How did you get so confident on your goals of where you're headed?

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (12:31.587)

    Mm -hmm.

    Mm -hmm.

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (12:46.544)

    Yeah, I that's a great question and side note, I'm like the quote that you said with Tony Robbins is super funny because I actually just put up a post I think like a day or two days ago and I used that in the caption as well. Like the first time, like when I heard that I was like, this is so good. And I actually didn't even realize it was from Tony Robbins, but side note, so that was really funny. Yes, but it's so true, so true. No, it's such a good question. So I think on a lot of different fronts, like if someone had asked me years ago, like I...

    Kiera Dent (12:55.681)

    Hahaha

    Yes.

    There you go. Now you know. He said it literally at the conference. So there you have it.

    Kiera Dent (13:12.12)

    you

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (13:12.963)

    never thought I would move to Florida, let alone have a monkey, a golden conure, like have multiple practices. So like, I cannot say this is like from a young age, like where I thought I would be, but I think, but a couple of different things, I think for sure, you know, Dr. Molina, give him so like, Raul, I give him so much credit for a lot of things because he truly is.

    like such an entrepreneur through and through. And him and I always talk about it. I truly believe that that was like a God given gift for him. So for us, like at the end of the day, our faith is like super, super ingrained into every single thing that we do. So he has a very good vision that we have, you know, has been implanted in him and that we have worked on together and kind of always are continually talking about revisiting.

    Where we want things to be where we like see our practices where we see our life where we see different things heading and at the At the base of it. We always say that you know, we have these goals. We have these things in mind But we always come back to like God where do you want us to be? do you want us to land? What is this supposed to look like for us and we very much like follow in accordance to that so like it's truly been a blessing that we've been able to do all that we have and like where we're at in life and we're super super grateful and thankful for it and we always just say that you know, like

    whenever we think we want to head towards, like we start aiming and heading towards that. And if it doesn't work, like we know we're going to get turned around and we're going to head back to like the other direction that we're supposed to be in. But yeah, it's something that I think we always keep revisiting that at the core of it. We always say like our mission and our vision for just our offices is that we really want to change the way that people think about going to the dentist and give them an excellent experience across the board. And what that can look like can be super different. I came from a background where

    from a young age, it was always very instilled in me of really having a servant's heart of being a part of mission trips, and which, know, throughout high school, college, dental school, and even now, I've been a part of a lot of nonprofit organizations, mission work locally and internationally, and really just at end of the day, it's because we enjoy helping people, and I think a lot of dentists and doctors go into the field for that reason.

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (15:21.078)

    And that's always stayed kind of at like the root of it is that for us, like truly helping people and in dentistry, know, yes, we're treating teeth, we're treating oral health issues, but at end of the day, like you're treating humans. And I think if we can keep that at the, for us, if we can always keep that at the core of what we're doing, like we're always going to strive to create like this great experience for people, no matter what that looks like, because, you know, we're treating a person, we're finding out their story, we're creating that connection. And I think that's what's super important and allows us to

    Kiera Dent (15:43.0)

    Sure.

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (15:51.272)

    no matter how much things might change as we're going throughout time that always keeps us rooted in where we want to be and in what that looks like is because we're always coming back to that and what our true mission and vision is. And that being said, through that, whether it's two practices that we have or a dozen practices or what locations we're in, all of that are, I think, to...

    Kiera Dent (15:59.936)

    Mm -hmm. Totally.

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (16:19.457)

    to our vision in all of that. that's something that like, yes, we always just come back to and we try to keep at the core of it. But, you we do monthly meetings, we do weekly meetings with our staff to always continue to check in to see like, okay, this is where we want to be. Like, are we heading towards that? Are we taking steps towards it? Because it's very easy to say like, this is my dream. This is what I want to accomplish. But if you don't have natural check -ins and things that, you know, we're constantly revisiting or even, you know, meetings with Brittany where we're...

    Kiera Dent (16:34.52)

    Sure.

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (16:44.949)

    you know, on a monthly basis, always checking in, like, how are things going? Like, is this where we want to be? What do we need to do to get there? Because if you're not, it's very easy to completely veer the other way. And then you get over here and wonder, how did I get over here when really I wanted to be over here? Right. But it's like, you have to constantly take steps and do those check -ins to evaluate, like, am I actually taking steps closer or farther away from where we're trying to end up?

    Kiera Dent (17:07.41)

    Exactly. No, and I'm so glad you said that. And I actually, I want to actually pivot to Britt because I think so many people have visions and they're lofty and they're like excited and gone home. What I love about you is it does feel core. It feels like this is your core. You want to serve people. You want to help people. You guys have such entrepreneurial spirit, but I think like entrepreneurial spirit without systems and check -ins is pure chaos. So I'm super curious to Britt as a consultant who's watched this incredible dynamic couple grow.

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (17:22.346)

    Mm -hmm.

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (17:29.546)

    Mm -hmm. Great.

    Kiera Dent (17:36.738)

    What are some of the things you've seen that maybe they've done very successfully from a bird's -eye view, right? Dr. Renae, let's just have her be the amazing report card of how great you guys have been. But what has been some of the things you've seen that have set them up for success that maybe other practices aren't doing that's controlled that entrepreneurial spirit into predictable systems and consistency? Because I really do believe they've got the core and the heart. I know they've got systems backing it as well.

    Britt (18:02.787)

    Yeah. And I think that's one piece that Raul and Renae, I think we're super solid on, even when just Raul and I were working from practice number one, that we were, the two of us were super light. And he's like, I want systems in this first practice. Great. We want to get that. And he's like, we want to get this dialed in because then we knew from the get go that they were going to take those and go duplicate at other practices that that was their ultimate goal. So we wanted to get practice number one running really well, getting things to work great. We know our

    How are we scheduling appointments? Are we collecting deposits? How are we talking to patients about it? What's our verbiage? Scheduling, he's really good at comprehensive treatment planning. So making sure that we've got that down and making sure all the pieces were in plain functioning in that practice number one, before they went to more practices, which I'm like is super smart for those wanting to go into multiples. Because often people will like, well, great, let's just like start going and buying more practices and start kind of.

    getting out there and going where we want to go and make it happen fast. And that's one way to do it. But it can start to become too much chaos when, well, this practice isn't doing well. Well, how are we doing things across the board? So I think just with, you know, Renae's vision and where they wanted to go and being so intentional about where they're going, they were also intentional in how they got practice number one set. So then they could go and keep doing it in other practices. And Renae can

    probably speak to, right? Then being the doctor that comes into practice number two, having those systems to be able to support it. And she's done a great job of transitioning things over there, working with her team, growing as a leader to where like now when they're ready for that next practice or the next practice after that, they've got the two of them and they're awesome supports of each other. see them cheer each other on all the time to then, you know, keep going and keep building and keep spreading all the great things that they're doing for their patients.

    Kiera Dent (19:58.754)

    That's love hearing that because, and Renae, I'm coming to you next on this, that is so hard as an entrepreneur. Like I give our story of we bought our first practice and nine months later we bought our second. That was pure freaking pandemonium and we were psychotic. And I tell everybody, that's why I built a consulting company is to have you not learn like the hard way like we did. How have you guys been able to like curb that? Like you have been in this practice for, I think you were saying two, maybe almost three years before you're about to buy a third.

    Britt (20:03.845)

    Okay.

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (20:19.184)

    Mm -hmm.

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (20:24.889)

    Okay.

    Kiera Dent (20:27.618)

    But like that's dedication and discipline that I think a lot of entrepreneurs don't have. So how have you guys been able to like, is it like you guys keep each other in checks and balance? How do you do that? Is it that you've got Brittany who like keeps you like on the straight and narrow? Like what is it to help you guys really be dedicated and disciplined rather than chaotic and out of control chasing a vision?

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (20:30.245)

    Mm -hmm.

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (20:47.621)

    Yeah, I mean, I think it's all of it, you know, it's because I think it's very easy to get just completely out of control, get overwhelmed. Because at the end of the day, like there is with having your own business, whatever field that isn't or no matter how many dental offices you have, like there's just always things to be done, right? There's always more that can be done. There's always like it's just always endless, right? But you have to like learn how to keep it in check. You have to learn when to shut it off, have boundaries with things. So, yeah, I mean, even just between him and I, like we

    Kiera Dent (20:51.32)

    Thank

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (21:16.896)

    as you said, like we always share each other on we're always like talking about, you know, how we can better things and just even with our staff to like, that's why we do these monthly meetings. That's why we have these different things in place. So that way, you know, they see things from a different view than we do. And I think that's a super important thing as an owner in any capacity is like, your staff is a vital part to your growth, you know, like, sure, I can sit there at the end of the day and say, this is my practice, you know, I'm in charge of things and you know, whatever, which yes, that's true. But

    Also, like if I can rely on my team and continue to build them up because at end of the day, you can continue to build so that you're building up people to be to a higher level, like through and through, and like you're building up leaders, you're automatically gonna thrive and grow because you're just gonna continue to grow and expand as people are able to step into higher positions, take on more responsibility to be able to delegate things more. So I think us always just being able to

    really like with the meetings with Brittany, on our own time, like having these points where we're always looking at like, okay, how can we get better? Like, what did we do well? What can we improve upon? How do we keep pushing this forward and always keeping those visions in mind of what we're trying to achieve and through the way, like along the way realizing like...

    we would love to get it all done at once. And I think as dentists, we're like, or dental professionals, like we're very type A, most of us that we want like everything done perfect and everything done, you know, as quick as possible, but like, that's just not always the reality, right? So you have to have like kind of your highest priorities, like how this needs to happen and then work from, from there. Otherwise, I it can get super chaotic because I, I know even for us, even having the systems we have in place, it's very easy that to look at something and be like, my gosh, I need

    all of this stuff done, I need it all done right now and it all needs to be perfect and you just like can't like you're going to overwhelm yourself and it's going to be like mass chaos with things versus if you can like tailor back in you know the things that are the most important that we really need to focus on and get those like systems running and in place knowing that like we always talk about it roland that like running business i think it's like kind of like juggling like you're always throwing one ball up in the air and other ones are coming down and like we're talking back up and i'm sure britney if i have talked about this many times as well that it's like

    Kiera Dent (23:03.82)

    Yes.

    Kiera Dent (23:25.527)

    Mm

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (23:30.125)

    know people like including ourselves we we progress and we regress right and like that's always going to happen and i think knowing and understanding that it makes you better able and better equipped to deal with everything that comes along but yeah so for us with having so we bought the first office in 2021 bought this one in 2022 so it was about like a year and a half between when we got that one when we got this one and now we're looking at a third office so it has been a couple years now if you ask us like

    Kiera Dent (23:50.584)

    Thank

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (23:57.996)

    Sure, we would have loved to have a third office sooner, things to move more quickly. But at the end of the day, I truly believe that things happen for a reason in accordance with a plan that if it did happen faster, we would get the downside of now you're dealing with so much more before we're totally ready for it. And sure, are you ever going to feel 100 % ready? No, because that's just not how it works. But it has been a blessing on that side that the bright side is we've had more time to put more systems in place to

    Kiera Dent (24:16.054)

    you

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (24:26.685)

    get some of our staff that's been with us more established, more comfortable with things. So that way, when we get a third office, we have more key players in place that it's much, much easier to take those systems, push it over to the other practice and have some of our staff over and help them to be able to be more acclimated to how we do things within our brand and within our offices and bring them into the culture that we're already building. So I think the beauty in having more time between that is that you're able to better establish your systems and your culture.

    Kiera Dent (24:26.996)

    Mm

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (24:56.267)

    Which is really hard because I think Brittany and I have talked about it before that it's like that can really make or break your office right if you don't have a good culture and a good system in place sure you can be the best doctor in the entire world, but like That's that's gonna. It's kind of come to a head right you're gonna be the bottleneck in all of that So it's super super important more than anything like that. Yes, you want to be a great doctor You want to have those services, but like you want to be such a good leader that you're continuing to bring up other people You know into these positions their understanding system so that way you can basically like

    pick up and plug anybody into those positions, build them up to be leaders as well and have a type of culture where it's like people are comfortable and excited about what's being built within it because they feel really a part of something.

    Kiera Dent (25:37.89)

    Totally. I love what you said. And I love that you guys, you're so driven on goals and where you want to go, but you're also very realistic with life. And you're realistic of not trying to force a plan, but to live in the plan. And then refining and seeing the blessings and the joy within all of it. And I think that that's a beautiful perspective that not a lot of people have.

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (25:45.257)

    Mm -hmm.

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (25:51.956)

    Mm -hmm.

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (25:58.15)

    and

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (26:04.788)

    Yeah.

    Kiera Dent (26:04.952)

    I know you guys are so busy. And so I'm to bring you back on Dr. Renae because I'm dying to know about how you became the influencer you became starting social media in 2023 because so many people are like, if you didn't catch the wave in 2020, then you might as well kiss it goodbye. And I think you are walking proof of that. But today I just appreciate you and Britt coming on and talking about your practices, talking about your vision, talking about your entrepreneurial spirit. You bring so much love.

    And I love how much you love your team. love how much you love the path. I love that you love grit and determination and like we have in our saying, Britt knows we have a core value called grit and it says like challenges fire me up and I live for breakthroughs. And I feel like you embody that. Like challenges do fire you up and all these like you don't see them as big stumbling blocks. Like, yeah, I'm going to climb this freaking mountain. I'm going to learn Spanish. I'm going to take this on. We're going to do this. And I think to hear a doctor

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (26:44.477)

    Good

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (26:50.675)

    Mm

    Kiera Dent (27:01.782)

    just like other doctors be able to do that is beyond amazing. So I'm so appreciative of your time. I know you are such a busy doctor. So we're gonna bring you back, because I need to know all about your parrot and your monkey and your social media, because I'm dying to know all about that. But are there any last things as we wrap up today that you wanna add to anything that's been said today?

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (27:13.363)

    Yeah.

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (27:21.252)

    say and I think this leads into like what we can talk about next time is I think more than anything it's just like your consistency with things no matter what you're doing whether it's social media or your office or any of that is like I always tell people I'm not the most creative person there is nothing special about me and like what I have done or what you know we're trying to accomplish it's just the ability to be consistent and all that because I think through and through your hard work and your consistency is what's going to carry you through you can be you know they always talk about it with sports like you can be the most talented person but at end of the day someone who works harder and is more consistent is going to surpass

    that person at some point in time and I think it's so true with anything so whatever you know whatever you're trying to do or whatever you know your goals are you know with your offices or or in your personal professional life just knowing that like if you really stick with it and dedicate the time and effort and knowing that like being consistent is not just a couple weeks or a couple months it's like

    months and months and months or years and years worth of dedicating discipline and continuing to come back to that, like that you really will get and I think not just get to where you want to be but surpass where you want to be through that because at the end of the day, I think your discipline and your consistency matter just like so much to it and your dedication to the process of what you're trying to build and be a part of.

    Kiera Dent (28:12.855)

    Yeah.

    Kiera Dent (28:31.48)

    Brill, like I'm writing that up on here. Brilliant. I love it. Thank you so much. Britt, we'll just wrap up quickly with you. Any last thoughts you've got about Dr. Renae, Dr. Raul, things you've seen, anything you want to add to this as we wrap up today.

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (28:33.562)

    Yeah.

    Britt (28:45.379)

    Yeah, I think the only last thing I'll add, I love them. They're amazing. I think they also do a lot to feed themselves, which I think can be tough for entrepreneurs too. I love hearing about trips they take, places they go. They still do a lot of things with friends, right? And do things outside and go take trips. And so I think that's another piece of like, she is, they are amazing people and they have the dedication, they have the consistency. Like they have that drive of being an entrepreneur, but

    They are very dynamic humans. There's a lot of other things that they do as well, which I think is part of what makes them so successful is because they have all of those pieces, family close by, family farm, all the things that make life fun and exciting along with being an entrepreneur.

    Kiera Dent (29:27.264)

    Amazing. I love being someone who doesn't know you as well as Britt does, but to just see also the relationship you two have together of how much Britt knows about you and how much you guys have used each other and just the beauty that you guys have. And honestly, Renae, you guys are the couple that I'm like always rooting for. I want successful people like you to win. I want you guys to be the most successful and the most flourished because I know you're just doing good in this world. So thank you for being on the podcast today. Thank you for your time.

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (29:37.764)

    you can take.

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (29:45.431)

    Thank you.

    Dr. Renae Sweeney (29:53.181)

    Thank you. I appreciate you having me. Thank you. Thank you

    Kiera Dent (29:56.812)

    Of course and don't worry everybody I will have her back to like learn all about the socials so everybody this is Dr. Renae and Britt and all of you listening I hope you guys take notes from them learn from them follow her go like watch her and then stay tuned because we'll have her back and as always thanks for listening and we'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.

  • #903: Happy National Boss’s Day!

    #903: Happy National Boss’s Day!

    · Dental A Team Podcast

    Tiff, Britt, and Dana are on the podcast to celebrate those guiding dental practices around the country, including Dental A-Team’s own, Kiera Dent. Let’s give it up to the bosses who we know constantly have their teams’ well-being top of mind.

    Episode resources:

    Reach out to Tiff, Britt, and Dana

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    Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast

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    Review the podcast

    Transcript:

    The Dental A Team (00:01.719)

    Hello everyone. Welcome back to the podcast today is a really fun adventure of a podcast for us today. I snagged both Brittany and Dana for today's podcast and this is super special to us. This is like so close to our hearts and we're so excited to be here. I don't think that we've done a threesome here in a while and that makes me excited. I hope it makes everyone excited. But today is.

    bosses day you guys this is national bosses day and this is a day to recognize our teams as well as most importantly today our bosses and we really just want to have some discussions around that so I snagged Britt and Dana today for this incredibly special and hit home hit our hearts podcast today ladies Britt so we don't all speak at the same time how are you today how is how is Britt's world

    Britt (00:56.812)

    mean, Britt's World is good. Whenever I get to spend time with you guys all together, I don't know that all our listeners understand how much we actually enjoy hanging out with each other. And so getting to spend some time together on the podcast, thanks for doing it, Tiff.

    The Dental A Team (01:04.62)

    That's true.

    The Dental A Team (01:10.856)

    Of course, of course it was Shelbi's brilliant brain came up with this idea and she's like, this is coming. I was like, thank goodness. I always miss these dang things. I'm like the, the, you know, thought that counts person. So I was just so happy she thought of it and Dana, Danie over there. How are you?

    Dana (01:29.574)

    I don't know if I'm gonna live that one down. I'm doing good. Again, just like Britt said, excited to be here, excited to just get a couple extra moments with you two.

    The Dental A Team (01:31.68)

    You're not.

    The Dental A Team (01:39.131)

    Awesome. I agree. I agree. And today you guys, I love having the two of you on here. It's so fun. And I'm just so excited to really pour our hearts and our souls into today's podcast for the listeners and for the world to hear but specifically right now in this moment from this care that to hear she is our boss, our leader, our you know, star finder and growth.

    grower, like she's our pusher, she's our everything that this company requires in order to keep going. She is the push that's behind us and the love and the heart and the soul that's behind us as well. And I think every one of us on the team could come up with 500 different reasons why she is the incredible leader that she is. But luckily for us, we're the podcasters. So we get to do we get to do the fun part today and love on Miss Kiera Dent and

    I think each of us will kind of chime in here and go. We're not gonna take two hours of your time diving into all of these pieces, but Ms. Kiera Dent, she's likely listening to this. At some point, she listens to all of them. And I really want to, from the bottom of my soul, recognize today just the incredible leadership skills that she has honed in over the years. Kiera and I, we've known each other for...

    seven, a little over seven years now. Gosh, I think we're like coming up on seven and a half years actually, which is a long time in the world that we live in. And I have had the incredible experience and the incredible opportunity of watching Kiera grow as a human, a real life person and as a leader. And within this company, I have seen her grow through so many stages. And I can't say all, because I know there's still more to come, but she has just become this incredible, invaluable.

    piece of all of our lives whether it's in the business and in the company or outside of the company and I hope that she Realizes that and I know she doesn't so I know As often as we can saying it out loud to her in a public platform or wherever it can possibly be She needs to hear those things and the culture that she has she has created and the culture that she has realized that we needed and that she realizes realized that she wanted to emanate to

    The Dental A Team (03:54.642)

    her team and to the world to massively impact the dental industry on such a high scale like we can is really, really, really key aspect of who she is for us. And ladies, I don't want to steal all the show. know I talk the most. It's just my God given talent here. But I want you guys to chime in too and just let's love on Kiera. And then you guys, we're going to dive into some stories and it's going to be going to be boss day story time. Don't worry, Kiera.

    personal stories, it's going to be a boss day story time for all of our clients too. So ladies, welcome to the show. Thank you for being here again. I'm so excited to hear from you.

    Britt (04:31.934)

    Yeah, you bet. I think Tiff, you said a lot of amazing things, but I think one of the things that I truly appreciate about Kiera and her as a boss is all the ideas that she brings to us, right? Dental A Team, all the things we do, all the random things we come up with, a lot of them come from her brain. And she comes up with way more than what our listeners out there even get to hear experience.

    The Dental A Team (04:54.246)

    That's so true, yes.

    Britt (04:56.546)

    Which coming from me like that is a weakness for myself and so I appreciate that so much in her and coming up with ideas and I think when anything needs to be done she can figure out a way, something to figure out a solution to it. And so I think that's one of the things that I value in her the most is just her creative brain, that visionary brain to come up with a million different ideas and I also appreciate that she and I get to go back and forth on some of those ideas and I'm like we'll workshop that one, we'll come back to that one, let's talk about it.

    And it's great and it's fun to be able to kind of go back and forth with her. So I truly appreciate that about

    The Dental A Team (05:32.326)

    Totally agree, totally.

    Britt (05:34.42)

    Thank

    Dana (05:35.238)

    But I'll piggyback off that just from the opposite perspective of that. I love that she does bring all the ideas, but she also gives us the space to bring our own ideas and understands that like the team can come up with things and can, I just love that she allows us to be a part of that creative space because it doesn't happen everywhere. And so I do truly.

    admire that in her as a leader. And I think that too, like having her as a leader in our company also allows

    me to be a better coach, right? Because I see the things I see the grind that she puts into the culture pieces. I see the consistency that she does all the time. And then it makes it easy to say in my coaching, like, I know it works. I've seen it, I have a vision of it. And I have somebody who lives, breathes and is it that just helps make me

    coach in those areas so much easier because I see how it works, I see the consistency, I see all the pieces and so those are probably the two things that I truly truly just love and admire is like she lives what she says.

    The Dental A Team (06:45.146)

    Yeah, I totally agree. And I think it's really cool that we were able to come together today to do this for sure. And like I said, listeners, we're going to get into a couple of other discussions and conversations. But I think it's really cool because the three of us actually have, and listeners for you to know, very different relationships with Kiera in and out of the company. So within the company, we are all consultants, right? That's our first born name here is consultant.

    but we each have a different space of life that we live in within the company. And then obviously, know, friendships outside, you know, I've been here for seven and a half years. So like, things are different, you ladies three years, like that's a long time. So things are different in and out of the company, but I just think it's really cool to be able to hear these things from you guys too, and see how different the perspectives are, right? The different pieces that land like, Britt, you're...

    you're talking to her constantly. you guys just FYI, Britt is kind of a boss to us too. So Britt, love you, two pieces. Thank you for everything that you do. It's really cool that I get to do this with you on here. But Britt's in that space of like that in between where she's, she's kind of, she is still a consultant. She does still have a handful of clients and she does a lot of our group coaching models, but.

    she is that in between space for a lot of things with us. So she gets a perspective of Kiera where she kind of gets hit with the ideas first, and then they get down to the rest of us. you know, and Dana's ton of virtual clients, holy cow, she works so well with so many pieces. And so she gets a lot of the the creative side from Kiera where you guys are creating so much content and just creating this incredibly magical

    space of information for so many people and so many so many clients and non clients and a lot of the stuff that you guys see from us comes from, you know, the brainchild of Kiera, but the brainchild of Dana to her Dana, I love that you you spoke on the innovation piece because you really do you have so much innovation in our company and so many ideas and Carol give like a tidbit, you know, after it goes through Britt a tidbit of an idea. But then Dana, like you just run with it and you create this and

    The Dental A Team (09:00.097)

    incredible product every single time we know we can count on it. We know you're going to get it done and that it's going to be magic like no matter what. So it's just really cool, I think to see those different perspectives based on the positions within the company. And I think it's cool because we all share the same feelings, right? We have different pieces that we'll pick out. But the overarching theme really is that

    she's been able to build a company that we can be proud of working with and for. And she's been able to build a company that we can reach so many people and change lives on this massive scale. And we're constantly innovating to ensure that we can reach even more people without detracting from the results or the, you know, the relationships and really just adding value every time. And that comes from Kiera's push and, and her kind of,

    almost training us in that way, right? Like her leadership and Dana, like you said, what we get to see, we get to become. And so it builds this space and breeds this mentality where we're like, yes, I can step into that. So as she's stepping out and into a new space, like we're almost right behind her stepping into the space she just showed us and trained us on in all of our different spaces. And it makes me think too of

    of the practices that we work with and all of the bosses who are out there, managers, office managers, regional managers, dentists, the doctors, the practice owners, all of you bosses who are out there who are running a similar situation or learning how to do that. And maybe you're at the baby step stages and I want you to know we've all been there and know, Kiera I told you seven and a half years ago did not look like this. were just babies like trying to figure it out and

    what it's been able to grow into and the human that Kiera has been able to grow into, even if you're at your baby stages, I want you to know, like you've got examples all around you and you've got mentorship and we're here to say, it's not always easy, but it can be fun. And you can find that path, but with all of those leadership spaces and those quote unquote bosses of the practices,

    The Dental A Team (11:13.01)

    Dana, you were just talking about a client that you spoke with, I think you said yesterday, and I want to hear, I want you to kind of talk about that. Like I want to hear that side and I want doctors to know and leaders to know that you're all in a very similar space most of the time. There's always someone that you can relate to. So don't ever feel like you're alone and teams. We really want to take you through just some of the

    pieces that we see on the other side, that it looks like to be a boss so that we can really talk about how we can always appreciate it, whether it's National Bosses Day or not. And Dana, really talk me through that conversation. think it was spot on and I have a lot of doctors that I talk to, they're in the same space as your client and tell us about it.

    Dana (11:59.129)

    Yeah, sure. I think it does not open my eyes because I see it all the time. Doctors come to us and it's like part of why they bring coaches on is for their team, right? I want my team to feel like they have a really great resource. I want to figure out how to lower the stress of my team. I want to figure out how they can be more efficient so that like they feel better at the end of the day. And so it's just in recognizing bosses today, I wanted to recognize like the doctors and the owners who really

    do stress about their team and not about like my team stresses me out but about how my team is doing are they feeling stressed are they feeling fulfilled are they feeling motivated and the doctor I talked to yesterday was like how do I how do I stretch and expand to able to give my team members raises before I even take home a paycheck

    And I just think it's so important to recognize those owners and recognize those bosses and team members to hear that like these owners stress about you and your livelihoods and how they're going to make your life better, whether it's at work or whether it's outside of work.

    through a raise or through bonuses or through those are things that doctors ask us about all the time because yes, the practice is right there but the team is right there too. And I think sometimes like that gets missed or unheard or I don't always think to doctors or owners know how to translate that to the team.

    The Dental A Team (13:28.39)

    I totally agree. totally agree. I think that's something that's a hard conversation to have. think already like finances and financial conversations are difficult, regardless. And for bosses for owners, it's even more difficult. Because when you do collect that money, you know, you know where it's going. And I think a lot of team members are like, okay, I know where this is going. But so it's difficult for doctors to even say, Hey, guys, guess what, like,

    I'm living off my savings right now or I'm living off of the loans that I took out to have this practice so that I can make sure you guys get to have a paycheck. And like that's part of practice ownership for sure. And I'm not discrediting that that's not just a factor of practice ownership. So I don't want team members to feel like, gosh, let's go praise our doctors for that. But I want you to understand those spaces. And like Dana said,

    And I have a client too that recently said a similar thing where she's still doing a lot of her hygiene on her own and like trying to build her practice, but her TC is like needing a raise and wants a raise and she's like, she deserves a raise and I have to find the money and I'm going to take it out of, know, this space and this doctor is still not taking home a paycheck either. So I love that conversation and that understanding and Britt, I know you've got clients too. And I know you work with our

    our group coaching space and actually like our group coaching space you guys is full of these doctors that are you know, it's all the spectrums you guys but I feel like we have such a good group a handful of doctors who are living in that space right now that are trying to figure out their overhead so that they can pay their team so that they can build lifelong relationships with their team members to stay forever and they're thinking of themselves last and Britt I know you have a lot of those conversations too and

    And I think, Britt, like, how do you suggest or train or, you work with teams as well. think more than any of us, works with the most teams, Britt, I know you do too. So how do you make sure that the teams without the doctors having to say something like this really can recognize on any day? It doesn't have to be national bosses day, but really just like saying hello and seeing our bosses instead of just us always expecting it on the flip side.

    Britt (15:42.08)

    Yeah, I think in life, right, it's really important to try to look at something from the other person's perspective, right? And I think it's easy as team members. I mean, I do it too sometimes, right? Like just to think about, like what's the impact to me? What's going on with me? Or even if it's just like me and my team members and not thinking about, all right, what is it like to be an owner? And being an entrepreneur, being a small business owner is not always the easiest path, right? It takes a heart and soul from you.

    from these owners to go and do that. And I think that's what I see in our clients. And I love seeing in our clients is that they care so much about what they're doing. And being leaders, being owners, being bosses, sometimes it means making hard decisions. It's like they care so much about team members. And sometimes we've got to have hard conversations to help them see how whatever's going on is impacting the group because they're looking out for the business as a whole.

    the group, the whole team as a whole, and they care about you as individuals. So like it is a fine balance. So helping team members just kind of like put yourself in their shoes, right? And I, some team members out there, if you're a lead, then you start to understand it a little bit more of those people that you're in charge of. If you haven't been a lead, like think about if you were a lead of your department, right? Like what would be the things that you're...

    watching out for, looking for, that you would be responsible for. And then just like take that to the next level as the in charge of everything. Like the buck stops there and our doctors take that on, right? That's part of being an owner that you take that on, but everybody wants to be appreciated, right? Just like, and being a leader, they give and give and give a lot, right? And they're pulled in lot of different directions and just taking a minute to just recognize it and say, you know what?

    that's pretty cool that they're creating this place for us. Or you know what, that's pretty awesome that they bought us lunch today. You're pretty awesome that we went out and did something as a team, or they take such great care of our patients. And like, that's something that I'm just so proud to be a part of because that's not always everywhere. And so there's a lot of great things and great doctors going, you know, that we work with and all around and just take a second to kind of see it from the other side and recognize all that you do have where you're.

    The Dental A Team (18:00.949)

    I agree. I totally agree. And I think in this moment and this day and on this podcast, like we're here with our hearts and our souls for Miss Kiera Dent 100%. But ladies, I think we're here too to celebrate all of the bosses, all of the managers, all of the leaders and all of the people who are out there making an incredible difference in other people's lives. Even if you just want to take the, you know, small handful of people in your team that you're positively impacting, not to mention the community around you and

    anyone that you come into communication with and you touch their hearts and their souls. And I want you guys to walk away today understanding and knowing that we see you, we hear you, we value you. And I know the people that are around you do as well, but we're here to speak on their behalf in case they're not speaking enough and you're not feeling it. You are seen, you are heard, you are valuable and your team would not be where they are.

    today, whatever that life looks like, if it weren't for you and your company and your and your practice and your leadership, again, no matter which spectrum that is, if it's exactly how you want it to be, if you're on your way to where you want it to be, or if you're in the space, that's like, gosh, I really, it needs to be totally different. It doesn't matter your team is here with and for you. And the right team is here with and for you and you are loved. And I hope that you have

    the most incredible day today, most incredible day tomorrow, and that you just feel that love from all of us and teams, National Bosses Day. So if you didn't know that, go grab a coffee or a flower or chocolate, or just a big hug when you get into the practice and a high five and just say thank you so much for all that you do today and every day.

    Ladies, thank you so much for being here with me today. This was a fun podcast to be able to put out into the world. Ms. Kiera Dent, thank you for all that you have provided us with and for providing us with this space. Cause I don't know if y 'all know out there, this podcast is Kiera Dent's brainchild and we would not be here today without her. We would not be able to celebrate her today on this platform if it weren't for the hard work she put in.

    The Dental A Team (20:19.289)

    over five years ago to make this a reality for all of us. So thank you guys so much. Dana, Britt, thank you for being here. Go love on your bosses and have the best day ever everyone.

  • #902: How to Successfully Expand Your Range of Services

    #902: How to Successfully Expand Your Range of Services

    · Dental A Team Podcast

    Is there a service in the dentistry field you’re interested in learning more about — perhaps enough to add it to your practice? Tiff and Britt dive deep into how to go about expanding services. They give examples, how to tap into your creative side, hurdles that might come up and how to pivot, and more.

    Episode resources:

    Reach out to Tiff and Dana

    Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar

    Practice Momentum Group Consulting

    Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast

    Become Dental A-Team Platinum!

    Review the podcast

    Transcript:

    The Dental A Team (00:01.134)

    Hello Dental A Team listeners, we're back today. You've got Tiff and Britt and I'm using your Britt nickname today. Always, I said Brittany Stone last time and like you mentioned, like it's always a little weird. It's so weird to me when people say, this is Tiffanie. And I'm like, it's Tiff. Tiffanie is like so formal. It makes me sound, it either makes me feel like a child or old. Like there's no in -between. It's not my age right now. Whatever, whatever this in -between stages is Tiff. So Britt.

    Welcome back. I'm excited to be here with you today. I think we have a fun topic that is right up your alley. You love the clinical stuff and this one's diving into clinical. How are you this beautiful afternoon? Yeah.

    Britt (00:44.197)

    different crowds. don't know about you, Brittany or like Brett or if you're Tiffanie or Tiff for me, like it just it depends on what crowds and like kind of like what phase of life did I go by my full name or my short name. So but I'm doing great today. I'm excited to be here. Agreed. I love chatting a variety of things, right? So it's always fun. We love it with clients because you never know what they're gonna throw at us, which just makes our life super fun, which I think we love about it. And I think we've got a fun one for everybody today.

    The Dental A Team (00:54.293)

    Yes! I agree!

    The Dental A Team (01:07.628)

    So true.

    The Dental A Team (01:13.036)

    I agree. I agree. I do love I like have a love hate for it. I should say, right? Like I love being thrown curveballs. But then sometimes I'm like, Whoa, my brain. Like this is a big one or dang, I had 15 curveballs but five with five clients this just today like and sometimes it's exhausting but I do love it. I had a client yesterday. We were talking about

    Britt (01:22.03)

    That's nice.

    The Dental A Team (01:38.528)

    something I can't even I told the last podcast I told you I can't remember all that far. But we're talking about something and I was like, gosh, this is actually it was it's a different type of marketing. And it was two days ago. That's why I can't remember. But they're in a space they're in a they're in Texas. And they're in a community in Texas that is it's just oil fields like they're just it's the oil field industry. And

    Initially, they're like, how do we stop cancellations? I'm like, fantastic. Like, here's some pieces, here's some things. And then we're like digging through and we're realizing, I'm like, listen, guys, like, let's put these pieces into play for sure. But sometimes you're just in a place that's like, you're going to experience cancellations. These people are getting sent out at midnight for three months to go work in a different oil field. Like they don't have the flexibility. And so it was really cool. And the conversation, the point I say this is like,

    I had to really think outside the box and I said, you guys, your marketing, your systems, while I have systems that are tied and true and I know that they work, this is why doing it here is different. I may say this is why Dental A Team is different, because calling further in advance on your confirmations or telling them you're going to charge them or coming up with all of these solutions that work for many practices, let's implement those for sure, but you've got a different

    type of community. I think changing your marketing to we're here when you need us, because that's what you're hearing. And more of that like same day, let's get patients in, hey, call us, switching the marketing efforts is going to work in your area. And the reason that was so cool was because it was so drastically different than majority of other clients. And it was really fun to

    get that outside the box thinking and like, gosh, okay, let's put our hats on and we brainstorm together and the hygienist in that call was just like, she stood up at the end and she was like, I am so excited for this because at the end of every visit, when I walk them up and I do my NDTR, I tell them, if you need anything else between your appointments, we're here for you, please call. She's like, so this is expanding on that and I was like, you've already been priming your patients for it.

    The Dental A Team (03:48.199)

    This is exactly what we need to do. But it was so cool, Britt, because that just highlights like the differences and really getting thrown those curve balls and having fun with it and really diving in and figuring out where are you and how can we expand on that. And that's something I think clinically that we want to talk about today even is really how to expand your range of services. And Britt, I know I didn't prep for this piece and I do this to you guys all the time.

    I realized that but my brain just is like ping, ping, ping, ping, and I just go for it. So before we even get into like the super doctor clinical stuff, I know that you as a practicing hygienist before you were all into the state you guys, if I need any information on what the dental industry is doing and what's progressing, I know Britt's my girl. So she I know that you have always been so invested in that and I would love to pick your brain right now on.

    Britt (04:34.747)

    Thank

    The Dental A Team (04:44.87)

    Before we talk about doctor clinical, hygiene clinical, and how did you as a clinician or as being over the clinicians as a manager, how did you help hygiene to expand their services?

    Britt (04:59.291)

    Yeah, so I mean, it's always fun. Doctor can do a lot more than the rest of the team, right? So when we get there, there's a lot more options. And for hygienist and even assistants, right? It's gonna be a little bit of like, what can you do within your state, right? That you're under your license, under your scope of practice that you can do. I'd say number one, be aware of that. And even if you want to be able to do more in your state, even I would say encourage you to like.

    be involved if you want to, you know, you can give anesthesia now and that's something that hygienists want, you want to be able to do one day, be involved with your local associations and things and help move those things forward. Cause it'll help to expand and just make you a, like a more advanced clinician in the end of it. So that's my like one plug is like, cause I know every state's going to be a little bit different and then know what you can or can't do and explore it. And at the end of the day, hygienists and doctors, right? Whatever

    and assistance, whatever we see that's gonna be a benefit to our patients, kind of like to what you were talking about, custom fit it, but what are the advancements? What are the new things? What can we do that would be beneficial to our patients and in line with our standard of care or something we might wanna evaluate and adding to our standard of care? What is there number one and just get familiar with it.

    and then see if it's something that you want to be able to add to your practice. know I'm a big laser fan from like back in the beginning when I first got out of school, because it's something we could do in Arizona. I'm a big believer in it for those who can do it. If you're not doing it, it might be something worth considering and starting to look into to see if it'll benefit your patients. I love it. I know these days a lot of hygienists like Airway, Myofunctional are big things that are coming out now that can be super beneficial. And a lot of people are learning that.

    Even things like for assistance, right? Being able to learn to do things that like maybe your doctor is doing now, but you could do. Those are also things that are expanding. Maybe it's not a new procedure for our practice, but you, it's expanding you and what procedures you can do, which is gonna help the practice overall. So I think just look, be aware of what's out there. Read your articles, be a part of groups, go to your CEs and just be aware of what.

    Britt (07:14.477)

    exists so then you can determine what might be good. And I think for doctors, doctors are they've got a lot on their shoulders and they're they learn a lot and they're exposed to a lot. But team members bring stuff up to doctors all the time that they haven't heard about or they didn't know their team would be interested in doing and you can help to kind of have the practice progress and expand things.

    The Dental A Team (07:36.275)

    I totally agree. I love all of that. I may you're gonna say laser, I think laser is huge. I think it's a giant benefit. And I think that got really hyped when it you know, first started and then people are like, I don't know. And I think it's something that kind of has fallen off. So I, I surely encourage hygienists to go do that. But something else that you mentioned was the like my functional space, the airway, the sleep apnea, those spaces, and I actually worked with a client over the summer.

    who had a really fantastic, thriving sleep department. And she did it, it's taken years to get there and she's done it. They've got the systems and processes, everything's written down, write it down. But the interesting piece to me about it was that the doctor barely touched that department. She had a hygienist that loved it, that just saw the need. She, from a personal level, she connected with it.

    Britt (08:09.317)

    Thank

    Britt (08:26.171)

    Thank you.

    The Dental A Team (08:34.826)

    She loved it, she wanted it to do well, and the doctor handed it over to her. So she had a hygienist that went and learned all of this stuff down to the medical billing. Like she's processing the claims for that department. So one of her top hygienists in her practice actually is now running her sleep department. And so expanding her range of services, and I'm not saying go pull a hygienist to start a sleep department. I'm saying look for the things that interest you guys and see how can you expand on that, even if it's something

    you're already doing, how can you do more of that? I think is what Britt's saying, but watching them thrive in that personally, like she was so happy and she loves hygiene. She still does like a day or two of hygiene a month because she loves hygiene, but she was genuinely lit up talking to me about the sleep department. And so it expanded the services of the practice, but it expanded the services for her and the impact she can potentially make.

    personally on on the community. So I love that you said that. That highlights a piece that I want to make sure we talked about was what interests you. So hygienists, RDAs, FDs, dental assistants, doctors, associates, all of you guys. What interests you? Like what do you look at and you're like, gosh, that would be cool. But maybe you're afraid to step your foot into and dip that toe in and kind of test the waters or you're like, gosh, it just seems so hard or whatever.

    reason why aren't you doing it? What interests you? I've had a lot of practices this year that I that were like, gosh, I need to expand services. One PPL reimbursements suck you guys we know that and when you can expand services, you can do higher value things like obviously it makes the production the collections easier. So I had a lot of practices this year that were like, I can't and don't want to drop insurances, but how do I make more? So one space I had them evaluate

    was to because most people don't put it in their system. I hope you are track, truly track what you're referring out and how many of those things you're referring out. So root canals, perio procedures, implants, oral surgery procedures. I love all of my specialists. I love you. But really if there's something in there for my dentists and FDs and RDAs and all of you guys, like, is there something

    The Dental A Team (11:00.851)

    that you enjoy and you want to learn more about, look at what you're referring out. Kavya, I had an office Brit, she was like, I refer out a ton of root canals. I wanna do root canals in office. And I said, okay, we can do that. We can pull root canals back in office. There's courses all over the place that you can go get refreshers on. There's an hour -end course I know of that's fantastic. You can do this. She's like, okay.

    I said, let's sit on this. Like, let's think about the work it's going to take and let's evaluate how many root canals you're going to do. I talked to her on our next two week call two weeks later. She was like, Tiff, I hate root canals. I was like, yeah, I didn't think you liked them, but I needed to go. We needed to go with it for a second. She's like, I don't want to do root canals. I send them out because I hate them. Cool. Then let's not do root canals. Let's look at the other pieces. So caveat is don't pull things in just to expand services, just to offer more, just to make more money. If you hate doing something, don't do it.

    Do more of what you love. So we're evaluating here to look at what interests you and how can we do more of it? Are there things, Britt, you mentioned, you mentioned, right, you talked about, right, getting the things that the hygienist can do and within your state it's different, especially when it comes to FDAS, RDAs, dental assistants. It's all over the place, you guys. In Arizona, like, we don't get any special acknowledgement, we just.

    do everything and you either know or you don't know and you learn it. So, Wild Wild West out here, California, Colorado, like they're Colorado's placing fillings, right? Like that's cool, Tennessee, they're placing fillings, they're like a provider. Here, I actually don't know anymore what that is. I mean, I know what is fine.

    Britt (12:44.057)

    It depends. There's some places where it's rural and even hygienists can place fillings if they get certification for it. So sometimes there's some if it's an area in need. that's where it's like, know what's going on in your state.

    The Dental A Team (12:50.182)

    Yeah.

    The Dental A Team (13:00.246)

    Exactly, exactly. And to speak to that point, like once you do know, Britt, like you said, for those spaces, hygienists, for sure. But then you guys, my RDAs, my FDs, my dental assistants that are listening, I know what it's like to feel like such a big important piece of that appointment and feel like, gosh, I really helped this patient or I really helped my doctor. Go figure out what you can do. And where can you expand so that your

    expanding your range of services because that adds value in. Britt, I'm sure you've seen it too. You've got practices too, or have worked with practices too, who have these expanded functions that they're able to do in hygiene and or assisting side. And what has that done when they take on those pieces and the support team will call them, right? The support team is like, no, like I can do this. Let me do it. What does that do for the doctors? What have you seen for the doctors? Like what are they available to do them?

    Britt (13:57.371)

    Yeah, I want to say first, even for my assistant, I'm a big believer in anyone within a dental office. This is your profession. Like you are a professional. So by expanding your skills, you are just expanding yourself as a professional and what you can do. like, I want to throw that in. Number one is like, I hope you all view yourselves that way. That's how I view all of you because it's true. You have amazing skills. You do amazing things every day. And by working to like the highest level of your ability,

    taking on those things, learning them from your doctor, getting the trust from your doctor where you're able to go and do it on your own, frees the doctor up to be able to do more of the things that only they can do. I always say doctors are our ultimate limiting factor, right? How many doctors do we have in the practice? How many of the rest of the team do we have? It's usually at least two to one, if not three to one when it comes to doctrine, we're pulling them in a million different directions. So the more we can do,

    I'll tell you for hygiene, I'm like great when my assistants can do a lot, that means my exams are going to be more on time. So it helps a lot. We can fit in more patients for treatment because we can utilize our assistants and be able to take care of more patients throughout the day. And you guys know, like doctors do a great job of knowing our patients and building that relationship.

    The Dental A Team (14:59.439)

    Yes.

    Britt (15:13.603)

    hygiene assistant front desk, like you guys know those patients. So you also help to give them a great experience that you're there with them through most of that appointment. You're taking care of a good part of that appointment. Doctor gets to come in and do the part that they need to do. And then you take care of the rest of it. And I have seen for assistance, right? It's performing to the extent that you can on a lot of those things I talked about.

    But I also have assistants who are helping to like manage team, manage supplies, find, you know, better prices for things. They're learning to design crowns or learning to mill crowns. is so much that you can learn to do. But like I said, just builds you up as a professional and makes it so we can take care of more patients within our office.

    The Dental A Team (15:59.5)

    I love that. I love all of that. think one thing I didn't even think about that you mentioned was like learning how to do the crowns or learning how to do the 3D machines or the impressions or the scans that you need to send things out. Like that's, that's a space I didn't even think of. And I love that you said that.

    Britt (16:10.055)

    Thank

    Britt (16:17.5)

    3D printers, right? Some of them, like, they're printing out, you know?

    The Dental A Team (16:18.982)

    Yes.

    Britt (16:22.511)

    retainers, or they're printing out dentures and all that stuff. And there's some cool, there's a lot of cool stuff that are advances if your office has it that like, if they do, or if you're looking into it, those are the things that the team helps drive the doctor so much because the doctor can't do everything right again, they're one person, even if we've got multiple doctors compared to how many team members we have. But if a doctor has a team member that's like, I'm here with you, I'm here to learn it with you, let's do it.

    doctor is going to be a lot more confident to say all right let's do it and it helps everybody.

    The Dental A Team (16:58.052)

    I totally agree. I did a podcast not long ago with the dentist on here. Dave Mogadam you guys can search for it somewhere and they might put them in notes, whatever. But he spoke on that about some advanced courses that he's taken this year, that he actually took some of his dental assisting team with him so that they could learn that stuff because he doesn't. He loves it. He gosh, this man is creative. Like he would sit all day. he has a 3d printer at home.

    that he plays with that he makes toys with. He brought me a toy like the next day at the office, he brought me a little toy and made me this little octopus thing. But I was like, my gosh, he loves the creative side. But he sees the value in allowing his team to have a part to play in that and allowing his team to learn it. And I don't think you always have to go to the courses. A lot of those places will send somebody out to your practice too. But the value in that is huge. And now he's been able actually, I just talked to him today and he

    Britt (17:25.435)

    Yeah.

    The Dental A Team (17:53.894)

    had his first sedation day. And so he's been able to like implement other bigger, broader things into his practice to add value to expanding his range of services because his dental assisting team has been able to take things on like that. So I love that you said that. Now within the doctor space, I think it's super important, you guys, I'm gonna go back to the beginning on what interests you. What are you sending out that maybe you could keep in house if it interests you?

    And why aren't you doing it? That's my biggest question. If it interests you, why aren't you doing it? Overcome that fear, overcome that hurdle, and go for it. I think right now is the perfect time, maybe even a little bit late, to choose your CE for 2025. Like, choose your CE whatever year you're listening to this in. Make sure next year your CE is already chosen by...

    October. Know what you want next year to look like. And if you don't know, that's okay, like it'll it'll come. That's fine. But plan that out. Because one of the biggest hurdles that I hear from doctors, and the reason they're not expanding services, or they're not doing the thing they truly want to do is time, time, and money. And I have a doctor, we're working on next for next year, reducing the number of days it should take to hit his minimum goal, because he wants to do so much CE and his issue is time.

    and being able to provide financially for his team. So taking off time at the office and seeing the impact that that has on his team, we've got to like, finagle some workarounds and some goals so that we can still pay the team, whatever, right? But that hurdle, we're working through it. So if you know what your hurdles are, what's holding you back from doing the thing that you truly want to do, now you can plan a workaround. Okay, great. If that's the hurdle,

    How do we get you more time? And you get into this space, think, Britt, I know I get in this space and you help pull me out where it's just like, I can't see outside of the problem because I'm so in the problem. it is just like, sometimes I'm just like, no, it just sucks. And you're like, okay, it sucks today. We'll come back tomorrow. It's fine. And you navigate that really well with me. So kudos and thank you.

    The Dental A Team (20:08.871)

    But sometimes that's the space I think that we get into with expanding services too. Like, gosh, yeah, that would be cool Tiff, but like, how am I supposed to do that? Brett, I have no time. And so, Brett, think something that we do really well is taking our doctors from that space. Like, where is it that you want to go? And this is, want to go, I want to do the service. And then we work backwards and say, cool, this is the path that's going to get you there. What are the hurdles that are going to come up that we can anticipate?

    not all of them are anticipated, right? But what can we anticipate within this path? What hurdles may come that we can have a pivot ready for so we can work around it. And if it's the time or the money, fan -freaking -tastic, it's October and we're planning for next year. Guess what, guys? We can do anything with your goals. We just add it into your goals and we make the magic happen. that's the easy space of it. But what interests you? Why aren't you doing it? What are you sending out?

    What are things that your support team can help with and do they want to? And then choose your CE for next year. Those are my biggest points. And Brit, for someone that's just like on the edge of their seat, gosh, this Brit and Tiff, are freaking amazing. And you've got me pumped up and ready to go. But they're like, ha. And then two weeks later, they forgot about this. What do you suggest for them? Like, how do they stay motivated in this space of potential busy and chaos? And I'm not ready to look at that. What would you say to your client?

    today to keep that motivation.

    Britt (21:39.163)

    Yeah, I think that right thoughts not written down or put into motion get lost, right? And so we've got to do something to where either

    It's maybe going on a whiteboard in your office. So you see it there regularly and you know that that's something you want to work towards. Maybe it's like looking up the course and when's the next date and putting that up somewhere so that you know that that's what you're working towards or having some sort of accountability buddy. I think if you're normal, we all get to those spots where it's like, I can't see past my nose right now and I need someone to help me see past my nose and we've got to step away or get someone from an outside perspective to pull us out of it.

    thing with treatment and so it's like make it something that's gonna put into motion. Don't make it just a thought, write it down somewhere, schedule the event, pick what you want to go to, something to move forward and you know what doctors? Go into a course about it.

    It still doesn't tie you to anything right now. Like, so if you're like, hey, I'm interested in it, but like, my gosh, it seems like such a big thing to tackle. Start with one thing. Start with one thing and see if you're as interested as you are. And I say the same thing to...

    I'll just add one last thing to sometimes it's the market we're in that's also going to drive you right. I've got some docs who are in areas where we may not have a lot of specialty around. And so they're like, my gosh, I feel for my patients. I want to be able to do more for them, but I don't know.

    Britt (23:09.231)

    This is where Tiff and I are coaching you. Take the push, go take a course on it and just start to explore it and you get exposed to people who have done it. You can do whatever you want. Like at the end of the day, if you really want to do it, you can. And sometimes it's just explore it first, take the first step and that's all you need to do right now. And then take the next step.

    The Dental A Team (23:28.787)

    Yeah, one step at a time. I love that. I love the whiteboard idea. Alright guys, I hope you feel motivated. I hope you feel powerful. I hope you feel excited to go find something. It doesn't have to be grandiose. It doesn't have to be something big. But go find something that excites you that you can learn or you can add and you can expand what you're offering in the next year. Go do it.

    Drop us a review below five stars are always appreciated. Let us know what you decide I want to know what you guys are doing too because Britt I don't know about you but that's where a lot of our Knowledge base comes from is picking the brains of the people we work with so share that breadth of knowledge Leave us a review Reach out. [email protected] we want to hear from you guys And if you need help working that backwards like if you're like gosh, I just can't see through it you guys We have coaches too. I have a coach that helps me

    work through things in my life that helps me work through my health and fitness and mindful journey like all of those pieces. We all have coaches and we are here for you for those types of things. That's what we love. That's where our passion lies. And I want you guys to understand if you need it or if you just need a little smidgen of direction, reach out. [email protected]. are here to help you guys. And I hope you have a fantastic rest of your day.

  • #901: How to Have the Perfect Quarterly Meeting

    #901: How to Have the Perfect Quarterly Meeting

    · Dental A Team Podcast

    Kiera is a guest on the Dental Lighthouse Podcast with Jason Tanoory to talk about the power of quarterly meetings. They discuss the benefits of a third party, how to have healthy conversations, and why there needs to be an atmosphere of trust and vulnerability to have good communication.

    Episode resources:

    Listen to the Dental Lighthouse Podcast

    Reach out to Kiera

    Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar

    Practice Momentum Group Consulting

    Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast

    Become Dental A-Team Platinum!

    Review the podcast

    Transcript:

    The Dental A Team (00:02.151)

    Dr. Jason here, welcome back Dental Lighthouse podcast. On today's show, I have the one, the only, Kiera Dent. And hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera. And today I have the one and only Jason Tanoory. This is seven years in the making. seven years I've been trying to get on Kiera's podcast. And after begging,

    for the last three days, because Kiera and have been together nonstop for the last three days. She has finally allowed to give me a six minute window of recording time. Not true. We had to extend this longer because we only had 30 minutes originally. you said, no, no, need more time to unpack this. I have so many issues that I need to unpack that doing it in six minutes was not going to be a window. It's true. But honestly, I do feel like it was

    It was a missed opportunity. I've podcasted with Amy many times on the podcast, but for Jason and I to get here, I mean, think this is the most we've hung out at any time I've come to these meetings with you. And so maybe that was what, how it happened this round, but truly, think honestly, in the seven years we worked together, it's been really fun to watch your practice evolve. And so I'm super excited to rift on this. I mean, I can ask questions. We didn't know whose podcast we were basically hosting from, cause we now are both hosts.

    But I think there's just been some really incredible things that have come out in seven years. I watched your practices grow exponentially over the years. I watched you grow. I watched Amy grow. I watched your teams evolve. And being able to do these quarterlies, everyone says, Kiera, you still consult. And I'm like, I do consult still. But honestly, Jason, and this is not me trying to boost your ego for any stretch. I continually have come out here. It's so far away. You my furthest office.

    The Dental A Team (02:19.946)

    I even got COVID here one time and stayed at the holiday for like a week. But I just learned so much. I think you're an incredible leader. think the world needs more of you and what you're doing. And so it's just really fun to have you and me kind of have this rift of a podcast today and share the things that we've learned possibly over the years. Wow. So I was not expecting that. Maybe we should have practiced before we hit record. But thank you so much for saying that. I really appreciate it.

    Let's give our listeners a little bit of context here, right? So you guys know my story and you obviously, if you're a listener of Kiera's podcast, you know her story. Our story is that about six or seven years ago, we were starting to scale at a level that I was worried about controlling it. I was worried about how to get out of the weeds and

    work on the business instead of being stuck in it. And I was worried about having someone to basically MC our leadership meetings, facilitate them, run them, make sure we stay on track. And the first person I thought to help me with that was Kiera. And she has been doing that in some capacity for us over the last seven years. And it's just been...

    such a blessing for us to have her to lean on over the last seven years as we've continued to scale. And that's why we're together today. We're basically wrapping up our final quarterly meeting. this week had two quarterly meetings every day lasting anywhere from two to five hours, depending on the size of the office. We're just about to roll into our final one in about an hour or so.

    So maybe we talk about this week, maybe we just talk about, well, I'll talk about anything. What do you think? Yeah, I think talking about this week since it's so relevant and I think it's actually super interesting to know something as I watched, you asked me to come in and help. We were kind of building off of the EOS model. Traction was where we started. I remember I had no clue what you were talking about and you said, don't worry, Kiera, you know dental, we know traction. We'll just work together.

    The Dental A Team (04:42.606)

    But I think that that's something I've always loved about you and your practices is you guys will try anything. You're great implementers, you're great executors, you have a really beautiful vision. And I even think back to our first meeting, what your vision was to what your vision is today and the way you've been able to explain that to your team. so yeah, I think, and then I remember Amy called me one time and said, Kiera we're not just gonna have you work with one office. We now have four offices. So that felt like, let's try and figure this out. And then it's like, now we've got five offices and now we have six offices. And I think we've done a really good job of

    figuring out what are the best things to implement, what do we want to do for these offices? But what I love is that you are so obsessed with making sure your entire teams are bought into the vision, bought into the pieces. And it's been really fun this time, you're no longer clinical. So you actually get to like come around and be a part of all of it. And I think it's been a really, it's been a fun yin and yang this round that we've never experienced. This was our first time doing it together fully for all of the practices. Yeah, I think.

    So yeah, a hundred percent everything that you just said. You know, we started with EOS and the Gino Wickman model from the book Traction. And if you guys haven't read that book and you feel lost in as far as how to facilitate growth in your business, I think that's a great place to start. And then we've used that as a core and then incorporated some, some Lencioni principles into there. And basically by sprinkling in a little bit of this and sprinkling in a little bit of that, coming up with our own.

    secret sauce that I feel at least at this moment serves our purpose and our intentions really, really well. And your point about me not being clinical and being able to actually be at the meetings and be engaged in the meetings, it's bittersweet because I think leaders or let's call them owners, owners of dental practices would

    probably rather abdicate the responsibility of having these meetings. And there was definitely a part of me that said, well, we'll just bring Kiera in to do it. So I can, you know, dot, dot, dot. And really the self-talk that I was, I was saying to myself was, I don't want to do it. I don't want to have uncomfortable conversations. I don't want to work hard on trying to create clarity of vision and where we're going. So I'll just go work on this crown while Kiera does it.

    The Dental A Team (07:07.287)

    And that served me well, selfishly, for a year or two. But then you start to realize, if we're going to scale, the founder, the owner, has to be an integral part of the process. Now, they don't necessarily have to lead the meetings, per se, but they have to be there. They have to chime in when it's appropriate. They have to even give someone like Kiera, who's facilitating these, clarity on the vision.

    And I feel like this week was really great where we could play off of each other. You did just a phenomenal job of running the meetings, going through the agenda. And then you leaned on me if there was a specific part of vision, you know, where are we going? What do we mean by this? Jason, can you speak to that? And I think it ultimately benefited each of our teams. Definitely agree. And I think like, just to help listeners see,

    You didn't start here, right? And I think so many people, when they look at where your practices are, they're like, well, Jason's not in them. He's running all these meetings. But like, let's back up. There were a good five, six years where you were at the core one. You and I would always chat before every quarterly. So I'd at least understand what you wanted. And I would go with Amy, who's just incredible. Amy makes my life easy. I love you, Jason. And I love Amy. Like, is really, they're an incredible group. They make my job easy.

    But there was always clarity before everyone. So if you are a practicing clinician still, don't feel like maybe you have to completely remove yourself clinically to be able to do this. Jason scaled up to this and it was always within the goals. We knew that he wanted to eventually get out of clinical. So I knew where he wanted to go. It was always working the practices up to that. But I think to your point this round, what I think has been so powerful between both of us is, I think sometimes when you're the founder, it's great to give vision, but sometimes it's hard to

    be the only person, at least for myself and my team and in other teams I coach, sometimes having to be all of it is hard. And when they hear it from a different perspective, like, love that you're a male, I'm a female, we bring two different energies to the table. When we're going through the meeting, I rally them up and then I ask Jason to share about the vision because I think it's so important for teams to really get behind you. You set the North Star for it.

    The Dental A Team (09:24.354)

    But then it's also, they're hearing it from multiple facets as well, which I think helps the team. Like you'll hear things that I'm not hearing. I'll hear things that you're not hearing. We're coming together. Cause at the end of the day, we want these teams to win and flourish. but I also think the relationship we've built over the last seven years helps us really jive on that. And I think coming to the table, we were very aligned on, on values already. And so I think when you're looking at coaches and doctors, like, are you aligned? Because I think it would have been hard if I'm always pushing production and you're pushing culture.

    that's not gonna mesh. And so making sure that you two are aligned, I think when you're guiding a team and we've really ripped it off of each other, I think in a really great way, because I know where you wanna go. And honestly, I love your team so much. mean, they've had babies, they've grown, they've evolved. And it's really fun for me to see these cultures and these teams talk about numbers and get an ownership mindset, but they didn't start there. And we've like really grown them through. But I mean, even today we were talking with a team about profitability and to teach them.

    how to look at P &Ls and teach them about numbers and to think like owners. I think the light bulb moment was when our first meeting this week, you have an office manager. How long has Megan been in her role? She's been with me for, it's gotta be almost 15 years. And she's been the office manager of our flagship office, our biggest office for gotta be seven, eight years maybe. Megan.

    if and when you listen to this, I'm very off in those guesses, I apologize. That's why I write things down so I don't have to remember them. But the reality is she's just an amazing key part of what we're trying to do. Totally. And what I loved about Megan this meeting, because I watched her when she came into the OM role, was she said, hey,

    what about this? This is me thinking like an owner. And she questioned something that was going on within their practice of how is this going to hit my PNL? How's this going to impact her profitability? And honestly, I felt like both you and I probably saw like fireworks go off because she gets it. She understands that she thinks about the numbers. She thinks about the profitability. She thinks like an owner. And I think her decisions are much stronger and much sounder because she's coming from that viewpoint. But like, again, it took time.

    The Dental A Team (11:36.088)

    But I really love Jason that you are so passionate about growing your team into these incredible leaders and they know where you want to take them. And I love that in all the meetings you've said, this is our reason, this is why we exist. This is selfishly what I want to do. And if that doesn't align with you, that's okay. And I think giving teams permission of if they're not aligned with you, you'll help them find another job, but this is what we're doing and we're really passionate about it. And it's been really, really awesome to see the teams gravitate towards that and learn and ask the questions.

    I think that's something I've learned from you over my years. You do a good job of making a safe space for them and we work on that every time of trust and vulnerability, saying the things, asking the questions, giving the clarity so that way they can really be empowered to make decisions and grow their own practices. And truth be told, of all six of them, no meeting is the same. No teams winning statements are the same. No teams objectives, the rallying cries. None of them are the same. None of them have the same metric issues. Like they all are very individualized and giving them the empowerment.

    to figure out what they want and guiding them. But really they set the stage and I think that that's what buys them into the culture and also to the practices. Yeah, so much to unpack there. So we're here. That's why we have you now all the time in the world, Jason. We could not do this earlier. He was stressed. I could feel it from him. like, let's go. He's like, hold on, hold on. Yeah. need more time. Yeah, I can't stop me sweating, right? Man, where do I start? There's so much.

    So much wisdom in what Kiera just said. So first off, I do think that there's a tremendous amount of value in having quarterly meetings and figuring out a way to get out of the whirlwind and work on the business and set it in it. I also think there's value in bringing in a independent party for lack of a better term, because they get to see it with a new objectivity that

    maybe you are not seeing it with because you're constantly caught in the storm. Now you might be at where you can't afford something like that, or you may be at a point where you feel like you can do it better yourself, whatever it is, you're going to ultimately work through those pain points and those issues. And I would suspect that you come out the other end realizing that I need someone to help facilitate this, someone that's not so attached to it personally. Yeah, I'll never forget.

    The Dental A Team (13:59.962)

    you know, we'll go on a little tangent here. So we used to do, anonymous surveys with the team. This is one of the first times that Kiera ever came to our, one of our quarterlies to help us. And at the quarterly, we used to unpack the results of these anonymous surveys. And this was an anonymous survey for a particular office. And we were getting a lot of what back then I would call negative. Nowadays I would call constructive feedback regarding a specific employee.

    And everyone at the table was trying to spin it in a way where, yeah, but she's still able to do this or she's still able to do that. And we were like basically lying to ourselves about the situation. And Kiera would just be, you know, in the corner, just listening intently, not saying anything. And then after everyone had a chance to kind of sell their side of the story, Kiera's like, look, guys, here's the deal. Like, and I don't know this person and I'm not attached to this person.

    But based on all of the feedback that you guys are giving me and based on what I'm hearing other people in the practice say, this is a horrible culture fit and you need to let her go. And we're like, you're right. But we were like, we all have this story that we were like telling ourselves because we were like in the situation. It's like the forest through the trees analogy. And to have someone that really has no, now Kiera loves us and has ties to us, but really has no like.

    like emotional ties to what we're doing that can just give her wisdom with a level of objectivity that just we were lacking at the time. that's the first point. Like whenever you can bring someone independently in, just think it resonates better. And it's kind of like the classic parenting situation that my wife, Karen and I are always talking about. So I can parent my teenage son till I'm blue in the face and telling him life lessons and what to expect and what have you.

    and he can just ignore me for a litany of reasons. But my next door neighbor will say the same thing to him and he's like, that's a good point, I'll consider that. And I'm like, what? I've been telling you that for a year. And so sometimes your team just needs to hear it from a different source. Yeah, and I think that I remember that meeting too. And I think my role, I take it very seriously, of like my job is to not come in and fire people or.

    The Dental A Team (16:24.283)

    do anything crazy like that. But my job is to truly be that person that isn't in it day in and day out and to give that perspective that ultimately is gonna help them win. And I think that's defining what winning looks like and really knowing that I care about all of them as people and as a business and as an organization that I know is doing great things. I think you also have to have somebody who's willing to speak up like that too in a gentle manner that really gives them the clarity and the guidance. At the end of the day, they get to make the decisions and I might be off base, but.

    I think it really has been this building of being able to say, is this maybe a paradigm shift that we could look at? And I know we did quite a bit of that this week with the offices, which is really fun with Jason and I being able to riff with each other because again, maybe they've heard it from Jason so many times in the organization, me parroting it or saying it in a different way. It just sometimes will click with people. And sometimes what I say, think resonates. Jason, again, our ultimate goal is to help them win. And neither of us, mean,

    I think both of us do a good job of not having the ego. We just come to the table. What I mean, it's been worked on. I remember when I first came in, I felt like I had to just be the best for you guys and I had to be this incredible consultant. like, I needed Jason to tell me I got all my gold stars. And that was my ego serving rather than coming in. And my job is to just do the best for this team. Your job is to come in and do the best for this team and to help this team flourish. There's no ego associated with it. It's really...

    How can we give them the guidance and the clarity they need to be able to truly flourish and have fun doing it and to be successful? it's, I mean, you guys have rolled out. What I love about you guys is you will constantly change and evolve and we're asking questions. So post meeting, like, how did that go? What did we learn? What did we learn about the organization? And mad kudos to you and Amy. That's why I think I love coming is you're never die hard. This is what we're doing. You'll have, we'll have the healthy conversations. We'll have the debate. We'll go back and forth, but.

    end all, be all, you'll try things and see if they work because you want everybody to win. And I think that that's something so powerful that I think if leaders can learn that and they can learn to set their egos aside and they can learn like there are things being said that we need to take on and try or do things differently. I think it helps a lot. And honestly, I learned so much in all these quarterlies listening to you, listening to your team. I'm constantly writing little notes for myself. But I think it's just being around people that elevate you and lift you up and

    The Dental A Team (18:45.206)

    bringing the best out of your teams just is such a fulfilling experience. And I think that's why we love doing these quarterlies because you see the teams evolve quarter after quarter after quarter and just get better and better. Yeah, a hundred percent. And I think one of the common themes with this last round of quarterlies was just an emphasis on communication, an emphasis on what we call going into the storm and

    you know, having each one of us give permission to the team that we want feedback. We want to be told that we're doing a good job. And if we're not doing a good job, it's, it's not that we're intentionally trying to do a bad job. It's just, I'm doing things how I thought they were supposed to be done, either based on my experiences or my training or what have you.

    And if I'm not doing a good job, like, let me know. Like, I deserve to know, I need to know. And the only way that this practice is really going to win is if you give me that feedback and I'm receptive to it and I can grow from it. It's such a paradigm from where I think a lot of dental practices are maybe that are not as far along the journey where the founder or the doctor is so worried about new patients and production and we got to do this, we got to do that.

    Which is all important, don't get me wrong, but like it's crazy because we're bigger than most organizations and over the last year we just been doubling down on communication. it's, it's, we're having our best year ever, our most profitable year ever. And it's without a, like this crazy emphasis and well, you have to do this for new patients and you have to do this for turning over the room, like all important. Don't get me wrong. But when, when you just double down on

    the communication and just making sure people feel heard and making sure that you're giving honest and sincere feedback, making sure you're going into the storm and having these conversations. Like from that mindset, we have exponentially grown. And this is the first set of quarterlies where it was literally discussed at every meeting and not necessarily us bringing it up. Like team members bring it when, when creating an issues list, the team will say,

    The Dental A Team (21:01.496)

    I wish someone would give me more feedback. I wish that I had more clarity on if I'm doing a good job or we didn't hear those things a couple of years ago because we weren't making it nearly as much of a point of emphasis as we are now. I agree. I think like if I go back to a few quarterlies, I remember I came to the meeting, Jason and I had not prepped this. I knew kind of the direction he wanted to go. I always try to bring something that I think will facilitate opportunities.

    And I remember talking about Patrick Lencioni's five dysfunctions of team and you started giggling and the whole team started giggling and they're like, did you two talk before? And the answer was no, but we both knew like this is how we build it. And as it's morphed over the years, I think your winning triangle is a beautiful way. But what I think we've done really well and mad kudos to you guys is you talk about going into the storm. And I think when people look at that pyramid, they feel like, yeah, yeah, trust and vulnerability is important.

    But like we want to win. And so we spend a lot of time up here like winning in the metrics where we really hit an emphasis of like, how do we get that trust and vulnerability? And like every quarter, it's a constant conversation of how do we develop more trust and vulnerability? How do we get more of those conversations? And something that I thought was so interesting that's come up in a couple of the meetings this round are the team says that, yeah, but this like, this wasn't the culture and other practices.

    and that's why I'm afraid to speak up. And I started thinking about that and ruminating on it as we've been going through each office, realizing that society kind of trains us to like, don't speak up. I was even talking to my husband last night and I just noticed like, he gave me an example from his hospital and I was like, like what, you can't really coach your spouse all the time. You gotta like make sure you do it delicately. And I just, thought, gosh, this is a great opportunity for you to go into the storm and have that.

    But when teams aren't taught that, that's what I love about doing it with the teams and coaching the teams and helping them in the smaller practices, is they're all hearing the same thing. We're all giving each other permission to have feedback and to have trust and vulnerability and teaching them how to have the conversations and how to receive it. Because at the end of the day, Jason, I'm sure you will say the same thing of all the practices we coach, the number one thing I hear from every practice consistently is communication. Like that is the number one issue that comes up. And so if you can teach them how to have

    The Dental A Team (23:18.746)

    trust and vulnerability, go into the storm, have the conversations and have it be something where we're not confrontational, but truly it's a conversation to get like, we're on the same team, let's figure this out. I love the analogy you had of the sports team and how they call out the shots, they call out the plays to make us so we can win and helping teams realize like in a day-to-day basis, we do that together and making that their daily life and they're like building that skillset for them.

    I'm excited because yes, it will help the practices flourish, but also these team members are elevating to levels they didn't even know because now they can communicate better in their personal lives. They can communicate better with their family and their friends. And it just elevates them to this whole new level of life. I know when I started learning, like have those uncomfortable conversations, have those growth conversations, like have them quicker and not delay them. Cause as you've mentioned multiple times this week, when we delay those conversations, it's truly not benefiting anybody. The dental system doesn't hear it.

    the front office isn't here, the patient didn't have a great experience. The only person that benefited was realistically my ego, which ultimately is selfish. And not that I'm doing it intentionally to be selfish. I think we do try to have it in the realm of being kind, but being kind is also clear and having those conversations so people don't feel like they're on eggshells. It's really incredible because if teams can learn to communicate with that, so many things get fixed very quickly because now we're all focused on the same thing.

    and having permission for that. Yeah, one of my favorite Ramsey quotes, my listeners will know that I have a man crush on Dave Ramsey. I a lot of it. To be unclear is to be unkind, right? So I think we fool ourselves into thinking like, okay, we just observed so-and-so do something incorrectly, but I don't want to hurt their feelings. So I'll just...

    I'll mention something later or you'll, I'll never, I'll sweep it under the rug or I won't, I won't deal with it. And to your point, when you choose not to deal with it, that person doesn't get any better. The business doesn't get any better. The patient experience doesn't get any better. The only person that really experiences, the only person that really benefits from you not having that conversation is you, because you can choose to be selfish and not have to develop the courage to go have that conversation. And when we say,

    The Dental A Team (25:38.372)

    going to the store and develop the courage to have that conversation. We're not talking about guns blazing, you know, screaming at someone. We're talking about going into that conversation from a position of empathy and curiosity, asking questions with the intention of trying to grow that person. so the business can ultimately get closer to winning. I think it's been fun to give real life examples for practices because handoffs, handoffs are a constant theme that comes up in all practices.

    and to show them that like, if we can help them go into the storm and when that handoff doesn't come perfectly to you, that you're then able to ask that person for the feedback you need. And it's crazy, there's one office that you guys have and the office manager is really good at, if it's not a perfect route, slip in a perfect handoff, they don't accept it they do it with love. But that office knows, and we were even talking in your flagship practice, like when the office manager sits up there, everybody brings perfect ones in.

    but maybe for other team members, they're not doing that. And giving the team the power, the permission, the ask for it, and helping them just get one or 2 % better, that's one or 2 % better across an entire organization, which elevates us so much more. And I think that that's something I've really loved. Every single quarterly, we really focus on that trust and vulnerability, then the healthy debate, bringing up the issues. And I love, love, love.

    when we have new team members that feel safe enough to do it, when we have existing team members that have been with us for a while, but to start to watch them find their voice and realize it's not a problem, it's not an issue. We're just bringing it to the table so we get the data to really make the best decisions. Some of the best things, I think about our meeting last night, I just was adamant, I'm like, I wanna do assisted hygiene. And it's like, where has this been for months?

    but she had the voice, she knew she could bring it up and now they're going to hopefully be able to roll out something that hadn't previously been an option for them. And so again, we want that every time, but I think just encouraging that one or 2 % more vulnerable, more trust, more going into the storm, more healthy debate. Jason, I think you guys have done an incredible job in your organization as a whole. And I know that starts with you and Amy, right? You and Amy and Jen, you guys have it consistently. So you're building those muscles. You roll it down to the regionals. You roll it down to the office managers. We roll it down to the teams. We're teaching all the teams.

    The Dental A Team (27:52.078)

    this is how we communicate here. And somebody have said like, but this wasn't how it was at other offices. And that's where I love when you like, asterisk it and say, at Finger Lake Cental Care, we want it to be a different experience for our team, our patients and our community. And this is what we're doing that's different. Like if this is your vision, join us, cause we want you to be a part of it. Amen. Preach sister. I mean, we've been doing it for like what, three days? So we're pretty, pretty aligned. But Jason, I have a question because-

    Selfishly, I'm a caller. Hi, my name's Kiera Dent. I own this consulting company. I coach a lot of dentists. I hear this. But how did you get so crystal clear on where you wanted to go? Because I think I've watched you over the years more and now you're so clear. Why do we exist? It's to serve. I obviously know that that's a piece of who you are and that's what it is. And you can rally that to your team and you can give them the clarity around it. But like,

    I think a lot of people go into business because they love dentistry. And then they build these practices because they want to help more people. They're maybe entrepreneurs, they want to do that. But like helping some of the listeners, they might not have the clarity and the experience. Like how did you almost go through that journey to figure out like, this is my legacy, this is where I want to go? Because I'm sure there were times it was hard and you're like, well, maybe this is it. Maybe we sell, maybe I'm done. Maybe you've always had the desire of I want to go. But I even know when I first met you, your goals.

    to what your goals are today and like the vision, I actually feel like you shifted, you went away from goals to a vision and a mission, but like how did you go through that journey? Yeah, yeah, there's a lot to unpack there. That's Good thing we didn't have eight This is gonna be a three-part series. So I think whatever you pay attention to, whatever you spend time thinking about, ultimately,

    drives behavior. So I got to a point in my life where I was through meditation, through journaling, I was like, well, what am I really doing here? Like, dentists are blessed to have, for the most part, a good lifestyle financially. And I was at a point where, you know, I'm making good money. Like I'm content with this. But I just felt that there was more, there was something more I could be doing.

    The Dental A Team (30:17.532)

    And where I was at, was struggling to use a metaphor, struggling to get out of bed, right? was like, you know what, like I just need something else to, to drive me. I want to be able to jump out of bed and just tackle the day. And I just currently feel that what I'm doing on a day to day basis is not motivating me enough to want to like really tackle this day through. So through a lot of, you know, books and

    in meditation and talking to other people. I ultimately came upon this practice of what Ed Milet calls, who's a popular podcaster. calls his definition of hell and his definition of hell is going through your life, living it a certain way, and then you ultimately pass on to the afterlife. Now, depending what your faith is.

    you would ultimately, after you die, you would meet your Maker. So my Maker is Jesus Christ. My faith is an extremely important part of my life. So I go through this exercise where I've passed on and I'm in the process. I'm walking up to Jesus Christ. I'm walking up to meet him for the first time. And next to Jesus is another person. So as I'm getting closer and closer to Jesus, I'm like, who is this other person? Who's this person that's sitting or standing next to Jesus? So I finally get to Jesus and

    and we introduce each other face to face, and I say, know, hey Jesus, who is this person next to you? And he looks at me and he says, Jason, this is the person I created you to be. This is the person that when I created you, I expected you to become. And from my perspective, I'm looking at that person and I'm thinking to myself, how close am I to that person? Are we?

    identical twins or are we like so unrecognizable that I almost have a sense of guilt for how I live my life. So just going through that practice, I think to myself, who did God create me to be? And everyone's going to have a different answer to that. And the answer that I got through prayer and meditation was God's created me to

    The Dental A Team (32:30.69)

    have a certain level of influence and impact to as many possible people as I can have. And I can use the platform of dentistry or our business to ultimately facilitate that. with that context and with that backdrop, I'm trying to grow an organization that is ultimately going to give just the highest level of team members, patients, and communities the ability to be influenced by good. So currently we have 150 employees.

    And I feel like I'm trying my best to give all 150 of them the best possible job that they can have. Like an outlet to just serve people. And at the end of their day, you know, it's not gonna be perfect every day. It's not gonna be roses every day. But at the end of their day, they just feel a sense of joy and fulfillment that they get to truly serve other people. They get to pour into other people and they can drive home and think to themselves, man, I love what I do. What I do matters.

    What I do allows me to take care of my family and all those things, right? So I would love to do that for 300 people. I would love to do that for 500 people. I would love to do that for a thousand people. And then the trickle down effect of that is those thousand employees can serve exponentially more patients at that high level. And then with the profitability of that, we can give back to the community in an irrational way. And I just love that mindset. you know,

    Will I ever arrive? Will I ever finish that? Will I ever check that back? No, it's just a journey. It's like, I'm just going to keep plugging away, plugging away, plugging away. And when I do pass on and I do meet the person standing next to Jesus, my hope is he's pretty darn recognizable. My hope is Jesus says to me, you know what? This is what I intended you to do. This is what I created you to do. You know, good job. Yeah. Thank you for sharing that because

    I think so many people don't know how to get there. And as you said that I have watched you and something that I really want to highlight is you have your vision, you have your mission. It's beautiful. And that's like actually why I've loved you and I being at the cordolese together. Cause you can say that and you can share that and a team hearing that from their boss, if you will, I think is very powerful. But I also want to highlight you set the vision. You're not doing all the pieces like

    The Dental A Team (34:54.544)

    and you really do trust and empower your OMS and the teams to do it. I think it's interesting, we're sitting here together in a podcast because Jason's almost like a ghost. Like he's there, you show up, and then all of a sudden he's gone and he just, he's just gone. Like he says goodbye and he's gone. And so I actually love that I wanna highlight that because I think so many people when they have a vision like this, they feel like they have to be the one to create it. And you realize I need to set the North Star.

    I need to get the great people in place. I need to do my role and encourage and empower them to do their role and expect them to do their role so that way we can serve more people. And that's something I have watched you from day one be very good at. But you do it in such a gentle and direct way that I feel like people should really like, are, you set the North Star and then you bring all these people together, but you really do hold them highly accountable for what they need to do.

    But it's like in a way, I think there's accountability that can be harsh and judgmental and there's accountability that can be direct and kind. And I think you've done a really masterful job. That's why I love learning from you. That's why I love being here. Because I feel like I get better and it's great that I can help bring something to the table as well. It's because I think that's true leadership mentorship. And I think you, you view yourself as a leader and also a very strong mentor to these people to become the best they can be. Well, I appreciate you saying that. That's the goal, right?

    I just want to grow people to a level that they didn't even think possible. with that growth, they can continue this vision, right? And it doesn't necessarily have to be with me. They can do it in their church. They can do it in their kids' schools. I just want them to have the right mindset of like, wow, what I do matters and I can create so much influence and impact on my social circle.

    So instead of putting my head in the sand, I'm gonna actually do that. I'm gonna try to create nearly as much influence and impact in my life and my circle as Jason poured into me. And then just the flywheel just continues to gain momentum. Which I think is just incredible and it's fun. I love something else I noticed that I think I would love to highlight because I feel like I get a really beautiful bird's eye view of being in the practices and watching you and seeing the teams come to life.

    The Dental A Team (37:06.488)

    I watch you in meetings and you will chime in and you'll paint the vision and then you sit back and you let the team do it. And I think that that is so hard for leaders that have great ideas, but I watch you because you ultimately want them to flourish. You want them to have conversations. And then there's certain times that I watch you and you come in pretty strong of like, well, here's this place or this is what I see or hey, can I give you coaching like in the moment? And I love that you're not afraid to do that, but you also know when to step back and when to jump in.

    And I think that that's a learning piece that I've actually been able to watch you like refine over the years to really allow the teams to feel safe, to feel like they can have it. Cause for a long time, I felt like teams did rely on you. They did lean on you like Jason, what should we do? And now I think you've been able to guide them and coach them and teach them how they can do it on their own while also like inserting yourself in the right time when it's necessary for them as well. And I think that's a good leader to know when to speak and when to let them.

    And some of them might flounder. I think we watch them set some of their goals and sometimes I'm like, well, I might have chosen something different, but they bought into it. Let's let them run the course and guide them throughout it as well. But truly trusting and believing they're on the right course all the time. 100%. And there's so many cliches out there, but the reality is that allowing people to make their own decisions, giving them boundaries, allowing them to make their own decisions. And if they fail, like,

    That's where the true growth comes from. What happened here? What went wrong? And how can I grow from this moving forward? In my opinion, that's really the only way to grow people. So if you're gonna micromanage them and make all the decisions for them, then they're just gonna be a robot. And they're just gonna expect just daily micromanagement from their leader. And that's not what I'm trying to do here. It's so fun and I think people...

    I mean, you keep saying, all the major, I care you've heard me say this four or five times. Like we do, we kind of have a similar thing. But we, think it's, you remember to love that office and those people and we give them as if it's our first time having this conversation because they deserve it. Even though you and I have heard it. I mean, we're about to have our sixth run through this, but to just constantly love and pour into them, I think is really amazing. that's kind of, those are my questions. Jason, you got anything for me? I mean, I'm open for whatever you want.

    The Dental A Team (39:28.41)

    I have so many questions for I'm ready. I we have like how much time? We've like five minutes. yeah. So our next quarterly is starting in five minutes. So this is real life here. This is real talk. Sitting in this amazing office, they're getting ready. We can hear the chairs right over there. So let me ask this question. And then, you know, we can always come back for a part two. You can be a VIP again on the podcast. I'll bring you back on, Jason. So the talking about vision, the

    The Kiera that I met in 2017 was traveling nonstop, bragging is not the right word, but was very proud of the fact that she had been to every continent and in multiple countries. But the Kiera that I know now has a very different goal, very different vision, likes to travel to help people, but not nearly at the cadence that she was doing.

    what has occurred in your life that has encouraged you to pivot on that vision. So you're still able to help a lot of people, but not nearly the way that you were to by constantly being in person all over the world. Yeah, great question. That is a lot to unpack. But I think when I started it, it was

    I had a very strong desire to help as many people as I could and also want to get as much experience as I could. I felt like to be the best consultant and the best coach, let me go grab as much data and information as I could. And so that was really my goal. Like let me help and serve and be in as many offices. And then after it was at about 250, I started realizing what does our company need from me as a CEO? And the answer was I wasn't there. I wasn't there to set vision.

    I mean, I was literally running around the country and having somebody else completely try to run the company. And we started talking in leadership and I'm sure you can relate to this. It just started to realize that while yes, I love consulting, I need to be very intentional with my time to make sure that our company grows in the direction that I want it to grow and our team needs it. And I had to really realize like what my role and responsibilities were to lead and guide our team rather than being constantly on the road. And so,

    The Dental A Team (41:46.236)

    I think it was a hard shift because my identity was so wrapped up and I'm this traveling consultant and this is what I do. And I think it was easy for me to stay there because I knew how to do that role well. Whereas being a CEO and setting all these things, that wasn't as, I mean, I didn't go to business school. I just built a business because I wanted to serve and love and help dentists really get the life they wanted and empower their teams as well. And so,

    I think I stayed in it maybe a little longer than I maybe would have, but realizing that if I really want to serve an impact on a higher level, and that's in the middle of all my vision boards, it says massive impact, and my goal is to just positively impact and serve as many people as I can, me doing that one-on-one wasn't going to get me to that goal. And so I think similar to you, it's like, you've got to scale back, you've got to get more people, you've got to train more people.

    And then also like truth be told lifestyle, traveling that much was really hard for my health. could like, it was hard for me to stay consistent with workouts. I was eating like cake pops. Like I was known as the cake pop queen for so long, like eating so much crap and my body honestly just started to really hurt. And I thought my greatest tool in my toolbox is my body. And if I'm not taking care of this body, it's actually going to limit the amount that I can grow and evolve and help more, more practices truth be told. And so

    I think there's probably some wisdom, some maturity, some uncomfortability. mean, I still have the time to do something like, don't even know what a CEO is supposed to do. Like I really have no clue and it feels awkward for me, but I know if I sit here long enough, I'm going to figure it out rather than just doing what's comfortable for me. And so I think maybe I got older, I got a little bit wiser, but realized if I really wanted to go for where I wanted to be and to serve as many people, what I was doing was not serving my family. wasn't serving my health.

    And while yes, it was so fun to do it, I felt like there was probably a better way to do it. Yeah. Well said. I've been in similar experience. Like I think as a dentist, it was easy, easier for me to just be in a treatment room, put an implant in, do a root canal. But the reality is I could train up other dentists to do that at a high level, just like you could and have trained up other consultants. And I've experienced them firsthand to do what you're doing at a high level where

    The Dental A Team (44:07.616)

    is the one unique ability to use some Dan Sullivan terminology is like casting vision, running a company. And once I decided that that needed to be my responsibility and I could own that, then everything changed. And I would assume that it's been a similar experience for you. It has, it feels rocky. I feel like I'm like a little toddler through that still. It feels shaky. And I also think that that's important to highlight that.

    when you realize that's the role for you. I think as we mature in age, we often forget that we need to like fail and to grow and it's going to be uncomfortable and that's actually where we need to be. So many consultants come in and they've been top dogs, they've been regionals, they've been office managers. It's easy for them and they come to consult and it's hard. It's completely different. And I actually think that there's, if we can learn to love that struggle and to

    fall in love with the process of becoming who we're ultimately meant to be. I think we go into that storm a lot faster and a lot sooner, even though it feels awkward and it's okay to say, don't know what I'm doing. I know you guys said that, Amy's like, we didn't know what we were doing. Last year was a little bit different of a year. Like we're all learning. But I think the more you encourage that, become that, get more comfortable being uncomfortable, and I know that's so cliche, people say that. The only way you get like comfortable being uncomfortable is get yourself uncomfortable. I think that that, I think that's why you and I jive because

    We both know what we need to do. And I love coming and learning from you. You push me. My goal every time is to say something that makes Jason go, I had never thought that way. And I did it this time a couple of times, which I so I think it's like also surround yourself with people that are aligned, which is why I so continue to see you. I've cut back the people I see. I love them, but I'm intentional with what are the offices I'm going to go participate and consult.

    because ultimately I want to keep growing myself and growing those offices, surrounding myself with people that I really admire and really respect on their leadership and come home so fulfilled to be a better leader. Because it's hard sometimes to stay that strong leader, but being around people like that's why I'm so happy you guys get to see us together. This is very rare that I actually podcast with a person in person. But to be able to see that, to be around it, I think fuels my soul and gives me encouragement because

    The Dental A Team (46:28.848)

    Every time I've met you, Jason, I'm not the same person. You're not the same person. Our lives are not the same of where they were. So even if we said the same thing we said six months ago or two years ago, we're different people. So we're going to pick up different gems and keep evolving. And ultimately my goal is to grow with you and with your organization, myself and also my skills to constantly be able to serve at a higher level and serve more offices as well. Amen.

    All right, that's a wrap. That's a wrap. I don't know how you end yours. I usually let my editor end it. How do you end yours? just copy. usually say, I obviously like thanks for having the convo. It was fun. agree. I agree. I love I love in person. I love the conversation. I can share information on Kiera's contact information. I'll share it in the show notes, some links and stuff like that.

    But yeah, thanks for listening. Yeah, and I'll share links about Jason and I told you I'm so glad you have a podcast the world needs more Dentists and leaders like Jason and so just thanks for being here and as always thanks for listening We'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team podcast and the Dental Lighthouse podcast. Thanks guys



  • #900: Manage Your Inventory Like a Pro

    #900: Manage Your Inventory Like a Pro

    · Dental A Team Podcast

    So much of practice profitability comes from tracking supplies and overhead. Kiera pulls back the curtain on how practices can keep track of supplies, avoid shortages, and stay within budget.

    Episode resources:

    Reach out to Kiera

    Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar

    Practice Momentum Group Consulting

    Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast

    Become Dental A-Team Platinum!

    Review the podcast

    Transcript:

    Kiera Dent (00:00.59)

    Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera and welcome to the podcast. I hope you guys, it's crazy to think I've been doing this podcast for so long and I still get new ideas and that's thanks to you guys. So just so you know, the podcast is built for team members and teams, doctors and owners by team members and practice owners to give you guys the best tips and tricks to be able to share from hundreds of practices across the nation and across the globe to give you the shortcuts to success and to give you a community so you don't feel like you have to do this alone.

    I was at my, my gosh, I'm going to say the words on the podcast. You guys, you're going to find out how old I am. I went to my 20 year high school reunion. I kid you not. And I was terrified to go. none of my friends from high school that I hung out with in high school were going. So I was going kind of solo and, and by like none of my friends, did know people, but they weren't like the close friends that I'd hung out with all the time. None of them were going. And I was super stressed and I didn't know if I wanted to go. And I almost bailed

    about 20 times. And then I decided, you can always just leave. Just go say hello. You've already paid. It's right by my parents' house. It's not far away. And it was interesting because there was a girl that we weren't necessarily close in high school. I knew of her. She knew of me. But it was fun because she built a business. I built a business. And we were talking because when you're business owners, know there's not a lot of people you can actually geek out with all the time and talk to them about business strengths and weaknesses

    She said to me, said, know, Kiera I'd really love to get with you more often because I feel like as business owners, we need that community and we need people that are like us to help us know that we're going through it. And I just thought, I am so lucky because my dentists do have a community and the dentist I consult have a community and they don't have to do this alone. And they're like, I've literally been there, done that and done it successfully. And our team has been there, done that and done it successfully. And we're able to share with you all the tips and all the tricks and all the things.

    So that way you don't have to go through the hard things. If I could find somebody who has grown a consulting company, which I did, that's who I hired as my coach. but really just like leaning in. And then what I decided to do is our dentists, we actually meet the first Tuesday of every month. call that think tank Tuesday for our one -on -one clients. And then our group mastermind, which is so freaking fun. It's a really, really, really, really awesome community that I'm loving. And they get.

    Kiera Dent (02:21.448)

    way more access than they even do on one -on -one. But every single week they come together for Ask Consultants Everything. And then we also have a mastermind where they get to come together as well. And my biggest piece was I was thinking back to why did I join Tony Robbins? And I thought I joined it for Tony Robbins, but I realized I joined it for a community of people that push me, that I'm not the smartest one in the room, that people can help me run my business in ways that I don't even know because community is what we're all here for. And so for you guys,

    to just think like how blessed are we to have this podcast community to be able to come and share from hundreds of practices and get best ideas and to really get out there. Because what I found is in today's world, we don't have to be alone unless we want to. We don't have to do this on our own unless we want to. And I will literally give you every single piece of knowledge that I have anywhere and everywhere to make sure that you succeed and that you've lived the life you want. My goal is to positively impact the world of dentistry in the greatest way possible.

    Dentistry is my platform and life is my passion to give you guys the life that you deserve, to give you the team and the skills for doctors and teams to flourish. So today I really wanted to just go through a quick tactical for you about inventory management, which is not my typical podcast style. Normally I'm more about life, but today I thought, let me give you guys some quick tips on how to do supplies and to keep track of your supplies and make sure that we don't have shortages, make sure that we're within budget.

    And kind of just helping you and your team get on that because what I found is so much of profitability comes from tracking our supplies, tracking our overhead. And if we can get that dialed in, that's one less thing that we have to worry about. So, Hey, who's for ease. I'm here for ease because at the end of the day, we can do it the hard way or we can do it the easy way. And I would love to share with you the fastest, easiest tips I've learned. And then also what I expect from you as the community is if you have ways that I'm not talking about on the podcast, please email me. Hello @ TheDentalATeam.com

    I'll either bring you on as a guest or we can take some of your ideas if you don't want to be a guest and share it because I believe that yes, while you're consuming and receiving, it's also important for you to give back. And I believe that the secret to living a fulfilled life is giving back and serving as well. There's so much fulfillment in my life to serve you and to give you these tips and to give you resources from other practices, but I wouldn't be able to give it to you without their experiences as well.

    Kiera Dent (04:36.354)

    Whether that's you join us and become one of our ambassadors who actually get to help coach some of our doctors. Whether it's you become a client, we're able to help with that. Or you just email me in and share some of your greatest ideas. I would love that. I would love it so much and it will make you feel good because then you were able to share an idea. And everyone thinks their ideas are dumb and guess what? Going from hundreds of practices, most practices are actually not doing it. And some of my best ideas are the simplest things like an office had standup desk for their front office and I thought, gosh.

    I wish so many other offices knew that. So no idea is dumb. And I just want you to not feel scared to share. And don't worry, I will always polish it up and make you sound like a million bucks. So you never, ever, ever, ever have to worry. Just email me Hello @ TheDentalATeam .com and be sure to give back. Cause I think that that's a great way for you to also feel fulfilled. So with supplies, number one, I like supplies to be at a four or a 5 % of total collections. So a great thing, there's a supply spreadsheet that I've given to a lot of our offices that we consult.

    where it literally is just what are they doing for their ordering and then what is the budget? Because so often, like I was a dental assistant, I would just order what we had always ordered in the past. And that's actually not the best way to do inventory management and that we don't need to. So if we give them a 4%, so let's just make our math super simple. If we're collecting 100 ,000, 4 % is four grand, 5 % would be 5 ,000. And then what they do is, whoever's ordering, they just put it on a spreadsheet, they just deduct it down, and that's our budget for the month.

    Now, something else that I love are clear tip out bins. I'm obsessed with going into offices and finding this beautiful blank wall and I found it in every practice. So don't think that your practice can't do it. Sometimes you have to get a little creative, but there's always space for it. But the clear bins, when I worked at Midwestern University's dental college in Arizona, we bought so much extra inventory because we couldn't see things. And think about our houses. Like, yes, we can tuck it in drawers, but we can't see things. And for inventory, we want to be able to see things.

    to know how much do we actually have of things. And so even at the dental college, students would stock their drawers and we would go through so much composite because people would be hoarding composite. And so I'm also not obsessed with stocking rooms a ton, especially if you wanna get your inventory down and get your supplies lower, which you can absolutely do. And so what I love to do is have one, the spreadsheet and the budget. So whomever's ordering knows exactly how much they can spend.

    Kiera Dent (06:54.83)

    Let's not have it be free reign. You can also do it for the front office. I know Amazon can really run quickly on us, but make them just track it on a quick, simple spreadsheet. That way we can always watch that and get that in control. I understand that if you order implants, you might need to go higher. If an office is doing implants, usually add together the supplies and the labs. I do about between 12 and 14%, again, depending upon the rest of your practice. I'm aiming for a 50 % overhead, excluding Dr. Pay. So you can kind of play with the numbers and figure

    but a good like overall supply budget is like four to 5%. That does include hygiene supplies as well. And front office, I usually give them a half a percentage to 1 % for front office supplies. Again, look at your overhead, look at the percentages. We have an incredible overhead calculator that has it all broken down into the percentages of what we recommend for each category. And then you can use your P &L and plug it in and it's really awesome. So with that said, I love to get that budget set up. And then if we can, let's get those clear,

    Clear bins set up so that way we can see. Some offices will draw a line on the bin of like when it gets down to here, this is when we order. So we can visually see and it becomes so fast. You can put tags, there's some inventory management where some people will tag it and then just scan it. Other people have the tags on the bin so it's very quick when we need to reorder, cuts down the time for us. I do really love some buying GPOs. Synergy is one, so be sure to let them know Dental A Team sent you.

    I think they're great because they have a whole buying group. It's kind of like Costco where we get cheaper items because we're with the group of multiples. And I think Synergy is one of the best that allows you to still work with your preferred vendors. They do work primarily with Darby. However, with that said, you can still work with most of them and still get discounts. So yes, it might take a little bit of time to get up to date, but hey, if we can buy the same stuff and actually just save ourselves a couple hundred bucks a month or a couple thousand, isn't that worth it? I always say yes.

    So that's another thing is to look into that synergy or a buying group such as that. If you have a buying group you love, please be sure to reach out, let me know. Hello @ TheDentalATeam .com. will happily vet them, find out about them and see if it's someone I would recommend to our community. But with that, then what we wanna do is we also wanna make sure that our team knows what our supplies need to be. And then everybody, I really am not obsessed with having things in operatories because if I have to stock.

    Kiera Dent (09:11.724)

    six operatories with composite that can get very costly. And so also having tubs or those carts, if you don't know what I'm talking about, be sure to reach out. I'm happy to share pictures with you. But cart parking, and so we have like two carts for implants. We've got a cart for endo. We've got our composite, and you can have little tubs or bins. It just has everything in it. And think about how many doctors we have, how many providers. But then we just basically take it from sterile on our tray setup, take it to the room, we clean it all

    put it away and off it goes. And then all I have to do is just stock the carts or the bins rather than stocking all the rooms. And I had a practice that we were actually able to cut down their supply costs exponentially due to the fact that we, all we had to do was literally just take it out of the operatories. And we were able to save so much because stocking each room was so costly and I'm having to stock basically six offices versus just having to stock those bins. The bins are also faster because I can look for it. We can fill it. And then it's all in sterile. Everything's there.

    You can have drop downs. saw an office that actually had drop down bins. It's like a, I guess a clothing pull down, you know, like in closets where they're really tall. They did that for their sterile and it was amazing because they were able to have all their supplies right there. People were able to then just like restock the bins. And I did this at Midwestern when I was at the college. And what I found was I didn't have to have as many supplies because I was able to see everything. And also we had the tubs and the bins, so not as many things had to go.

    And I think that's just a good way for you guys to get the supplies down to keep track the supplies to not have the supply shortages But again visually getting everything out. So if you were starting this sometimes even just in the operatories I do keep my disposables like cotton gauze floss things that we're using all the time that are very minimal cost Those stick in the operatories. You can also get the clear bins and stick them right behind your 12 o 'clock cabinet That way all those things are very easy. You can see them They're not very minimal things that we've got a stock, but really the bins are so easy

    Offices love them. It might seem like a little bit change, but it makes it very, very, very simple for it. So a lot of those things, yes, I keep my disposables, my sections in the room. So those things are very simple. We use them all the time. Keep those there and they're not very costly, but the composite, the matrices bands, the impression material, all those things do become a little more costly. And so being able to cut those down really can save and then empower someone, empower them to be your supply champion, empower them

    Kiera Dent (11:37.538)

    really be able to grow this and to, and get the person who's obsessed with like winning and figuring out how they can make ends meet. They're usually the person who really loves to be over supplies. And then they know their budget, they save the money and they're able to get it. Oftentimes buying deals when like a company has like buy two, get one free, run the numbers and make sure it's actually a good deal. Cause sometimes they're not that good of a deal. So there's my quick tactical practical for you of inventory management. Like I said,

    Set up the spreadsheet with the budget, make sure we're tracking it, give the budgets to them, look at your overhead. Then the clear bins are a great thing. You can just Google them. There's a lot of them, like Z -Line, I think, is a company that has them. But just Google clear tip -out bins. They come in multiple sizes. You'll want a nice big wall. You can also put them in the operatories. Take things out of the operatory so it's all in one place. It's easier for people to track and manage. And then give someone the empowerment to just rock it and to make sure that we're never out of things.

    I usually used to check my supplies like every week. My supply person usually gets one hour. It can be per week or every other week, depending upon how much you guys need to order. And that usually can keep the order going consistently. Yes, when we run this lien, we do have to order more often. But it's a great way to keep it to where we're not over bulking, over stocking, because we don't want to order as much. And then get into that GPO group buying. like Synergy, like I mentioned, can actually save you a lot of money.

    for buying the exact same things you're already doing and you don't have to change. So check them out. Be sure to tell them, Dental A Team sent to you, if we can help you guys with this, get it set up, talk to your clinical team, get them excited and on board. That's what we're here for. And as always, thanks for listening. I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team podcast.

  • #899: A Guide to Celebrating Your Team!

    #899: A Guide to Celebrating Your Team!

    · Dental A Team Podcast

    Tiff and Dana are encouraging listeners to start planning for an end-of-year celebration now to show your appreciation for the team. Their advice includes ideas that cost money, and ones that don’t!

    Episode resources:

    Reach out to Tiff and Dana

    Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar

    Practice Momentum Group Consulting

    Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast

    Become Dental A-Team Platinum!

    Review the podcast

    Transcript:

    The Dental A Team (00:00.756)

    Hello Dental A Team listeners, this is Tiff I am back at it today with miss Dana and Dana I'm so excited for you to be here with me We've had a lot of time together like this recently and it makes me so happy. I love when we can do it and Gosh, we need to schedule that hike. I'm telling you it's getting to the fall

    So I can come down and see you soon. know that Aaron and I want to do that soon. So how are you today, Dana? How's life in Southern Arizona treating you today?

    Dana (00:31.429)

    doing pretty good like you said around the outfall although it's still in the hundreds so the thought of hiking sometimes is like you know what Tiff like maybe October you know what you're really good

    The Dental A Team (00:35.934)

    It's so hot!

    Yeah, maybe November. Yep. Good. Awesome. Well, Dana, today's podcast is your baby. This is something and I know I always give you like props for the operations manual and you guys yeah, she is our operations manual whiz but this this today is something that

    Dana's actually really fantastic at, she is fantastic at that too, but this is something that comes from her heart and her soul and something that we at Dental A Team gifted her as part of her position with us, just because it really, it literally comes from your heart and your soul, Dana. And you are so, so good at keying into people and what will make them happiest and how, how to make people feel appreciated and valued and

    with gifts and words for sure, but like celebrating other people and building out end of year celebrations. And I really want this podcast today. This is your baby. I want you to speak to one, how you do it and two, are some, what are some things that doctors and practice leaders and owners can really can do to celebrate the end of the year, whether we hit our goals, which I hope you did, or whether we didn't, we should still celebrate the work that we put in. But

    This is your baby and I want to hear from you, Dana, on how you think end of year celebrating should go for practices and number one, how you do it because you are so passionate about this space and we value and appreciate that. you guys, you clients get birthday presents, celebratory gifts, cards, flowers, any of those pieces, I want you to know that Dana is the person behind all of that.

    The Dental A Team (02:32.106)

    incredibly valuable piece of our company. So Dana, thank you for that. Take us away. This is your baby.

    Dana (02:38.251)

    Aw, thanks, Tiff. It truly is like one of my favorite spaces, just in life in general. I think I'm like this in my personal life too. And I think it comes down to being intentional. And I think for a lot of office this end of the year, like we don't think about it until the end of the year. And so I am going to prompt you that yes, while we are closer to the end of the year, be thinking about this.

    as much as you can, right? And so I think a great thing is knowing your team, right? Whether it's through one -on -ones, whether it's through a survey when they're hired, whether it's through just taking inventory and listening to conversations that you hear, but knowing the things that your team members like, enjoy what makes them feel appreciated. So I think it's doing purposeful things throughout the year to gain some of this information to be able to celebrate at the end of the year or celebrate throughout the year too. A lot of this information is

    super helpful for birthdays, super helpful for work anniversaries, super helpful for like you just did a fantastic job and I appreciate you. So I think it is getting to know those spaces and then the pieces that your team member really like they do get excited about and then kind of to feeding a little bit of like common interests. Are there things that when it comes to the end of the year and we're doing something for the team, are there things or common interests woven throughout the team that really would make it more special or more memorable?

    Or you know make them feel more appreciated because it is tailored to like their likes their goals their dreams those types of things and then I also just want to highlight like budget for this right because it's oftentimes we get to the end of the year and it's like man I've got to do this end of the year shebang and like I don't have any funds for it I wasn't thinking about it or planning for it so when you're planning for your year make that a part of if we can say hey if I set aside $100 or

    The Dental A Team (04:16.551)

    Yeah.

    Dana (04:30.813)

    $200 every single month in my little end of the year party bucket. It will make doing this for your team much less stressful. Okay? The caveat to that too is if this year wasn't a fantastic year and you weren't able to do that, it doesn't have to be monetary. So if it can't be monetary, make it fun.

    And you can do a lot of fun things that make people feel super appreciated, that make them come together and bond and all of that and get time with you and time with each other. It does not also have to be about gifts or bonuses or money or any of those pieces. Team members will always appreciate that. And so if you can't do it or if you're limited on the fun's part, focus on the fun part too.

    The Dental A Team (05:19.14)

    That was beautiful. I love that you said that the fun versus the fun, you know, I love a good time. Good job. That's beautiful. And Dana, I love that we can hear your passion in it just in you speaking and thank you for sharing that. Beautiful tips, start building a bucket right away. And I do have a lot of clients that I push to do that because they want to do end of year bonuses and they want it to be grandiose. And I'm like, fantastic, build it into your goals. So put

    a percentage X percentage more in on to your goals so that you can take that percentage then and put it into your bonus your end of year bonus bucket. It's totally doable. You guys you just have to prep and plan for it like Dana said, and it is the end of the year right now are rounding out the end of the year. So whatever that looks like for you is totally fine. I have a lot of clients who are in that that situation where they're like, Tiff, like, do we go to a restaurant? Do we

    have a caterer come in? Do we do it at the practice? Do we do it somewhere else? And I think what Dana said is really like, she mentioned take inventory really of what people like, what do they want to do? How do they feel appreciated? Do we get asked, do we do families? Do we do just our team members? I've had practices of all walks of life. I've had practices that have had a little bit of a difficulty in.

    the family aspect being there, the spouses, and they've had like run -ins, but that's non -typical. I've had practices that, gosh, even my own practice, one of my favorite, my practice I worked for for years, we always did a Christmas party or a holiday party at the end of the year. One of my favorite memories, Brody is 16th as of recording this, my son. He was three or four.

    It was a long time ago and this was one of the parties that just sticks with me. I actually think about it a lot. And our office manager and our doctor put together a family Christmas party and his actually the doctor's wife had majority of planning on this one. But they rented out a space at a hotel nearby the conference room. So they rented out a conference room and we had this patient. He's incredible. He plays Santa. Like he's Santa all year round.

    The Dental A Team (07:34.455)

    He has a small voice. He looks like Santa. He wears red every day. Like he, and he plays Santa during the holidays for different events and things, because he loves it so much. And his wife looks like Mrs. Claus. Like literally what you would imagine Santa and Mrs. Claus look like that's these people. Well, they got this patient to come be Santa. And we did.

    cookies and hot chocolate and like make your own, you know, cookies, do your own icing and stuff in a hot chocolate bar. And we had this incredible party where everyone could bring their kids and they could socialize and get to know each other and, do all of this stuff. And it was one of my most favorite events. And I can't even tell you guys, I'm sure there was because I think we did it every year. I don't know if there was a bonus or not. I don't remember the Christmas present that I got. I know you get that every year. And I don't, I don't know what it was. But I do know

    that my kid sat on Santa's lap, got this incredible experience, our patient, like the best Santa you could ever ask for, got to experience that with us. But I want you to understand that memory of that time together with my team and the people that I love and that far outweighed the monetary piece that came in addition to that. So

    My point in that is Dana, you you said if you can't if the funds aren't there, make sure it's fun, right? And it doesn't have to be even that grandiose. That was a big party. And I'm like, dang, this is really cool. It doesn't have to be that big. But I also remember parties that we just did in the practice where it was a potluck and we each brought our own favorite dish that we make. I had I remember my co worker, Michelle, she made this amazing like corn casserole dish.

    that I had never had before and she brought it and I was like, you're bringing this. We did a recipe book. So then at the end of the year, everybody submitted their favorite recipe. And I was like, if that corn recipe is not in there, like we're fighting like it needs to be there. Right. But we, we figured this out about each other and became closer because of simple things like that. And Dana, think even that one, like a potluck where everybody brings their own stuff, that's very minimal funds from the doctor. So those are

    Dana (09:33.783)

    Thank you.

    The Dental A Team (09:48.308)

    Those are just some ideas and some concepts that I've experienced. But Dana, what do you suggest? And I know a lot of doctors are coming to you right now asking and managers asking like, what do we do? And you get this all year round, actually. Because I watch it happen. I watch it happen in like our, doctor conversation, even of like, what do I do? How do I appreciate my team? And like you said, know your team, but what are some fun end of year holiday or beginning of year?

    Celebration ideas that you shared with some of our community in the past that they could consider right now

    Dana (10:23.241)

    Yeah, so I mean, you can always do a special dinner, you can always do those things. I've had an office that did a shopping spree. So everybody got x amount of dollars, they went to either a mall or a Target or somewhere. And the reason for that was they felt like if they gave a bonus, team members would spend it on bills or family instead of themselves. And they really wanted it to spend it on themselves. So everybody got x amount of dollars they had to and they made it a game to they focused on the fun. It had to be like up to that amount, like not one penny less or more. And so was really fun

    The Dental A Team (10:39.889)

    Mm

    Dana (10:53.117)

    figuring out the math. I had an office take the team to see the Harlem Globetrotters because they're all huge sports fans and that was amazing. I've had

    The Dental A Team (10:57.66)

    yeah.

    Dana (11:02.675)

    Doctors just have team members over to their home and they do just games and make it something that's more relaxed. If you've got some introverted team members, that's a really great space for that. That makes that easy. and you know, if you're into music, like going to a concert and there are all forms of that, right? So if you've got people who are interested in sports, you don't have to go to a professional sports game, find a college sports game, find a local sports game, right? It's about being together. I think sometimes we

    The Dental A Team (11:11.07)

    Mm -hmm.

    Dana (11:32.802)

    Forget that really at the end of the day, that's what we want to do We want to say thank you for a fantastic year for really hard work

    We want to do it in a space that is together. So there's all sorts of things if you've got outdoors You can do scavenger hunts or hikes together like we've talked about doing together If giving back is super important to your team, you can even do community service together You can do a food drive together You can volunteer somewhere together and all of that because it is special to them will be appreciation

    The Dental A Team (12:05.947)

    Yeah, yeah, I totally agree. That's that space of getting to know your team, right, and really figuring out what's valuable to them. I think speaking on behalf of leadership within that too, I know within our company, it's fairly simple for us to figure out what we can do together as a team, because within our culture, we have built, we've built a culture that attracts

    someone who fits our culture, who fits our core values. And it means that we're all super similar. And while we do have varying hobbies and interests all over the place, like Brit gosh, you mountain bikes and road bikes. I'm like, if you put me on a bike, like I am unhappy, right? Dana, you crossfit and I'm like, gosh, if I could get my elbows to move that way, sure, I could try crossfit, but they just don't do it, right. But I work out myself at the gym and I love it. And I have my peloton and I do my spin. And the three of us

    Like, and the rest of the team, right? They all have their varying hobbies within that similar vein of activity. So it's like, we know that our culture and our core values has attracted a group of individuals who are interested in health and fitness and who value that aspect of our lives. And it's an important space and an important hobby. So it makes it very easy to be like, great, we all want to move.

    we want to be doing something. So if you stiff us in a room, in a potluck, we're going to eat and we're going to enjoy it, but we're going to be like, okay, well, what are we doing? Like, what's the activity? Like, what are we? Yeah, who wants to go for a walk? Literally? Like we would just be like, cool, like there's a mountain not far from here. Like maybe we could like anybody, everybody down great. And we're gone. Right. So we know like who we are as a team because we are so culturally based. So as a leader,

    Dana (13:34.709)

    See you soon for a walk!

    The Dental A Team (13:52.898)

    and a practice owner, lean on that too. Lean on what your culture is, look at your core values and really look at how similar you guys are because you're gonna be very different. and I, super similar. We have a lot of things in common, very different, right? Very different. If we switched lives, I would die. I would die, Dana. I don't know how you do it. I watch you and I'm exhausted, right? Like we are so similar in so many ways but we are very different in a lot of ways as well.

    But those similarities, instead of looking at the differences, because I think we tend to say, well, so and so would want this, so and so would want that, and she wouldn't like this. What's the similarity between all of the people on your team? What's something that we all enjoy? Maybe it's coffee. Maybe everybody on your team loves coffee. And it's like, cool, let's have a quick coffee brunch social at the office where everybody brings their favorite

    creamer or topping or whatever favorite Starbucks drink, I don't know, like, but you could make it that simple. We over complicate trying to appreciate people. I think I could be speaking totally out of context. think when we over complicate it, we overthink it and we try to make it bigger than it needs to be. We lose the value and we lose the intentionality. Like you said, Dana,

    behind it because there's so much wrapped up into the like display, right? The display of it all. kind of like, it makes me think of all the times, all the times my friends keep talking me into these baby showers and bridal showers and these stupid balloon arches, right? And it's like, you have this idea of how beautiful this balloon arch is gonna be and you put all this work in the balloon arch and it takes forever, FYI, to do a balloon arch.

    And then the rest of everything else that was the intentional, those were the intentional pieces, the picture frames of the bride and the groom to be. And those are left behind because you spent so much time on this stupid arch that comes out wonky every time. So it makes me think of that where you're like focusing on the wrong piece sometimes, but focusing back in on that intentionality and the similarities and letting it.

    The Dental A Team (16:15.764)

    speak from your heart. Dana, you do this space for us and our company and you do it so well because of your intentionality and the heart and the purposefulness that you put behind it. So I think everything you said was a great reminder for them to do that. And pop quiz, Dana, I'm throwing this out at you. What do you think? I know you love it when I do this. You guys know I'm just off the cuff all the time. I hope you realize that at least.

    Dana (16:27.071)

    Yeah.

    Dana (16:37.125)

    gosh.

    Dana (16:43.391)

    you

    The Dental A Team (16:44.212)

    That's just how I lived my life. That's how I lived my life at the Dental A team, just off the cuff. As you should. I understand. As you should. do the same thing. Kiera and I both do it and Kiera and she'll come me on the podcast and she's like, okay, and we will prep for the podcast prior. Like, okay, these are the things we're thinking. And then we're like, okay, push record. And then she's like, I have a great idea, you guys, this is totally not what we talked about. I'm like, here we go.

    Dana (16:47.465)

    That's why I come to podcasting sweating. Because I'm like, why am I podcasting?

    Dana (17:10.196)

    This

    The Dental A Team (17:11.721)

    Totally off base of what we talked about, but it's always fantastic. anyway, side tangent pop quiz. What are maybe two things that our doctors, our owners, our practice administrators can do right now to figure out what they want to do because the end of the year is coming. What, how they can celebrate. What are two things that they can do? They could put into action right now to start really getting them all rolling if they haven't already.

    Dana (17:37.513)

    Yeah, I think one, take a look at your funds and set a budget for whatever the event is going to be. And then two, I think it is, if you haven't been able to figure out these pieces throughout the year, intentionally try to get to know whether it is through a survey, whether it is through, we're just gonna have one -on -ones, I wanna check in with everyone. But find space to figure those things out about your team.

    And then if I can add a third, I'm just going to add a third really quick because you ripped, so I'm going to riff. And my third one is focus on the appreciation.

    The Dental A Team (18:05.982)

    Do it.

    Do it.

    Dana (18:14.249)

    It doesn't have like, we, yes, this is an event and you can throw the biggest party, but at the end of the day, if you don't say thank you for such a fantastic year, it's kind of lost its purpose. So just look and say, what do I want to celebrate and make sure that like the appreciation and that is what is showcased in the event.

    The Dental A Team (18:34.797)

    I love that. And thank you for riffing. anytime, anytime I want you to do that to interrupt me, you know, I'm long -winded. Those are beautiful. Thank you, Dana. And I love that this was your podcast today, because I think it's your space of life where you really thrive. And I can feel the passion from you when you get to do these things or when you get to talk about it. And it just makes me really, really happy that you can be that passionate about it and that

    you can one hold that space because you'll know I would get to the day that it was due and be like, shoot, I'm going to send a gift card by email because I totally forgot to send the thing that was so cool that I thought of six months ago that I forgot to order because that's, that's me. So thank you, Dana, for being that person. Thank you for all of the tips and the tidbits that you you provided today. You guys have some incredible action items and Dana, speak from your heart, tell them something. I'm making you riff again, but

    Just wrap us up, tell them what they need to hear.

    Dana (19:39.519)

    Yeah, I think just go into the end of the year, even if it wasn't your best year, the year that you had the most growth and find the appreciation somewhere, find the beauty in the journey of this year with your team and then make sure that, you know, they hear it, they feel it and that you take time to celebrate it even if it was really hard. You got through it and you got through it together.

    The Dental A Team (19:42.066)

    Bye.

    The Dental A Team (20:06.289)

    I love that. Thank you so much. You guys, this was incredible. Round off your year. Celebrate your team. Celebrate with your team. Be there. Let us know how much you love this podcast. Drop us a five star review below if you haven't done that already. And reach out to us, [email protected]. Also watch our inboxes. We do send out the newsletters are related to the topics of the podcast and that newsletter will have some ideas and some tips and tricks as well. So enjoy everyone and we'll catch you next time.

  • #898: An Interview With the Bloody Tooth Guy

    #898: An Interview With the Bloody Tooth Guy

    · Dental A Team Podcast

    Kiera sits down with certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon Dr. Jason Auerbach, also known as @bloodytoothguy on social media. They discuss Dr. Auerbach’s love for and journey through his career, standout surgery moments, the pros and cons of building his DSO, marketing advice that will take you far, and more.

    Episode resources:

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    Follow him on TikTok, too!

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    Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast

    Become Dental A-Team Platinum!

    Review the podcast

    Transcript:

    Kiera Dent (00:00.886)

    Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera And today I am so excited. We have been Instagram fangirling over this man and he is finally on the podcast. We are super excited to have him on here. You guys might know him as the bloody tooth guy. You might have seen him. He's a really fun board certified oral and maxofacial surgeon. He has a ton of experience. I'm so excited to bring on Dr. Jason Auerbach. Welcome to the show. How are you?

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (00:25.733)

    I'm doing great, Kiera. Thank you so much for having me. I'm looking forward to it for sure.

    Kiera Dent (00:29.29)

    Of course. Well, we were chatting pre -show. I loved how you explained it's your back, my back, our back is your last name. So now everybody will get that right. But kind of tell us, give us a story of how you came from Dr. Jason to now Instagram's famous bloody tooth guy and doing all the things that you do. Kind of just walk us in on your journey of who you are, who is this man? And then I'm excited to dive into some fun things with you today.

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (00:37.639)

    There you go.

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (00:44.315)

    you

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (00:53.341)

    Sure. So, I grew up in the Northeast. I grew up in New York and, went to school undergrad at Syracuse. And I met a very, very close friend of mine still to this day, whose father was an orthodontist. had very little understanding of what I really wanted to do when I entered college. and he introduced me to this concept of dentistry and dental school. So I ended up applying to NYU, getting into NYU and, and kind of finding my little niche there. I,

    I happened to find my way down to the basement of the school, was where the undergraduate oral, or the dental oral surgery clinic was. And met a man named Clarence Kalman, who was an attending at the time and kind of mentored me in exudantia, which is all I knew from oral surgery at the time. Applied and found my way to Kings County Hospital, which is Downstate SUNY Downstate's oral surgery program in Brooklyn.

    I four years there and ended up working for attendings of mine right out of residency in Manhattan. After a year or so, I ended up kind of leaving that practice. I was an associate there. They were great to me, but I ended up leaving that practice and finding what I perceived was a better opportunity in New Jersey, right over the bridge. And I was there for a couple of years and had, like many people have had,

    some promises made that were not necessarily kept. And so found myself in 2007 in a position where I was moving out to New Jersey from New York City. I was having my second daughter, my wife was having my second daughter, and I was working in nine different offices kind of as an itinerary neurosurgeon.

    started Riverside Oral Surgery in 2007 in a town called River Edge, New Jersey, which is maybe six miles from the George Washington Bridge, grew it over the course of about, let's call it 12 years or so, to 10 or 11 locations with a partner, Sung Cho, and we built a full scope oral maxillofacial surgery practice. While that was happening, life was happening as well. Social media was growing.

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (03:08.879)

    And I found that there was opportunity or I thought to myself, maybe there's opportunity on Instagram that people might be interested in bloody teeth. They were interested in people watching people pop pimples. Maybe they'd be interested in bloody teeth. so a bloody tooth guy was born initially anonymously, basically because I didn't understand the hip aspect of it. And also I didn't really understand how my competitors.

    Kiera Dent (03:21.804)

    Bye.

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (03:36.797)

    would potentially use it against me. I just really wasn't exactly sure what was going on or what was going to happen. So I was anonymous and then a few years later came out and the rest is history. We've been very, very fortunate to have built Riverside Oral Surgery, now MAX, which is a surgical specialty platform that supports 24 offices, 25 offices in four states, about to be five states.

    build a pretty engaged, respectable following for Bloody Tooth Guy as well. So I've been very, very, very fortunate my whole life in many ways. And just being kind of recognized for it is a nice thing, for sure.

    Kiera Dent (04:19.914)

    Yeah, no, that's a super fun story. my, so I worked at Midwestern's Dental College. And so you are the student epitome of the one who's just like, yeah, I just woke up one day and decided to become a dentist. And I'm like, how do people get there? And now we have another story of said student. But one of the favorite students, he went through dental school and decided this isn't my thing. So actually went to do all face reconstruction. It was another like,

    four years through med school and then four years and then two more years. And I call him up all the time and I'm like, okay, so if anything ever happens to me, if I ever get in a car accident, you've got to make me like at least look this good again. That's our plan. I'm like, I'll help you with anything dental. You just have to make sure. So I feel like it's always good to know like an oral maxofacial. So I'm dying to know so many random questions for you. Okay. How many teeth in your career do you think you've extracted? Like just like random.

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (05:07.741)

    it is. Go ahead, anything.

    Kiera Dent (05:16.746)

    I mean, we can throw out, it's gotta be like, I mean, do think you've crossed the million mark?

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (05:22.141)

    maybe it's it's it like maybe. so I'm, I'm 50. I finished training in 2003. and so training at Kings County hospital in Brooklyn, was a full exedontia clinic. We used to see a hundred plus patients a day and many people needed many teeth extracted. and I think that's partly why, you know, people talk about 10 ,000 hours or whatever it is to become an expert at whatever it is that you do. mean, I had that probably, you know,

    Kiera Dent (05:31.596)

    Okay.

    Kiera Dent (05:36.363)

    Thank you.

    Kiera Dent (05:46.571)

    Yeah.

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (05:51.037)

    15, 20 years ago when I came out of residency, thought I had done so much. And again, 20 years later, it's like unbelievable. It's possible I've extracted a million teeth. I don't know. I wouldn't say, but it's, it's definitely a lot. mean, yeah, it could be a million, could be a million. Yeah.

    Kiera Dent (05:56.289)

    Yeah.

    Kiera Dent (06:09.984)

    Right? I was like, I bet he's crossed the million mark. Like thinking of how many patients and all that. So, okay, that was like number one. Number two, I'm not even know like, what do you like, why, what do you love so much about oral? Because oral maxillofacial is so bloody. And funny story, as a dental assistant, I was doing my internship. I was there. The doctor was so nervous for my first extraction. I was watching it. He's like, Kiera, make sure you like sit over there. I don't want you passing out.

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (06:27.623)

    you

    Kiera Dent (06:39.05)

    washed the extraction, I was totally fine. That night I went home and I dreamed about it and I puked my guts out that night. So I didn't do it at the place and then it was fine. did like, I went and like learned about implants and I loved it. I do get a little weird about cadavers like that. I dry heat like left and right. I don't even know how you guys work on it. Like it just, but I need to know, like tell me like, what is it about oral maxofacial that you just love so much? What's the fulfilling piece to you? Like, what is it about that? It's so bloody. It's so much blood.

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (06:56.656)

    Right.

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (07:07.037)

    So actually the beauty of true oral maxillofacial surgery is in the efficiency of motion. I come at everything I do from a creative side. So the people come at it from an engineering perspective. I come at it from the creative side, from an artistic side. That's just how I see things. So part of what draws me to the surgery is the ability to see a problem, understand it, and fix it with my hands.

    in an efficient, clean, not that bloody manner. Now, of course, these are human beings. They bleed, they're alive. It's kind of a positive thing. But the fact is, is that I really see surgery as such a beautiful artistic expression of how to solve problems. in truth, that's how I come at it from a technical artistic side. From a psychological...

    Kiera Dent (07:39.916)

    Yes.

    Kiera Dent (07:45.139)

    Yeah.

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (08:05.467)

    Like how I help people, you know, every single person who comes into my office every single day is anxious or in pain or scared or a combination thereof. and in a, in a really very, very quick way, we're able to, kind of convert them from being, from feeling that way to being appreciative, almost mind blown in terms of how easy and simplistic.

    the solution to their problem is. And I think a lot of people don't really understand kind of the scope of oral maxillofacial surgery. And it's why I think even dentists, even people in the dental world don't truly understand the training that we have. And it's really kind of incumbent upon us to really kind of spread the word on that. And I think I do that to some degree with the dental alveolar stuff I do. But I do think that we have in our bag of tricks so much that we can work with.

    that patients who come with seemingly complex problems from a dental perspective, from an oral perspective are, I don't want to say easily solved, but you know, fairly routinely solved. I personally treat a lot of oral surgery, right? I'm a full scope board certified oral maxillofacial surgeon. I've done everything from frontal sinus to the clavicles, you know, everything anterior. I've harvested ribs, I've harvested hips. I've done all kinds of stuff.

    Kiera Dent (09:20.885)

    you

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (09:33.499)

    But the fact of the matter is that I do dental, alveolar surgery, I a lot of wisdom teeth, I do a lot of dental implants, advanced bone grafting. And I do that comfortably because I'm able to handle anything that comes my way because of how I was trained in such an extensive way. And so, you know, when you go to watch a procedure done by an oral maxillofacial surgeon is in his or her office, you're oftentimes, one would oftentimes be amazed by how

    seemingly easy it is and they're encouraged to kind of try it and then they find that it's not necessarily as easy as it looks and that's because we've been trained to do it. We do minimally four years of training as you know after dental school that's after dental school up to six or more if you're fellowship trained and so we're able to you know we get the reps in early versus kind of an extension throughout your entire career done like X number of whatever.

    sign -as -lifts because you've taken a course or something like that. Not to disparage, but it's a different thing.

    Kiera Dent (10:34.081)

    Mm

    Kiera Dent (10:38.304)

    Totally. No, and that's so interesting to me. We harvested one time right before Thanksgiving. I was working with a dentist and we decided we were going to try and harvest from the ramus. It did not go well. And I remember we got a lot of flak. Like you guys did this right before Thanksgiving, right before this patient was going to go on their like dream cruise of their life. Needless to say, was, I mean,

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (10:50.074)

    Hmm

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (10:58.973)

    to it.

    Kiera Dent (11:01.394)

    hats off. have so much respect for what you guys do, but I'm dying to know. My husband, worked, he's a clinical pharmacist and he did a lot of rotations in the ER. He thought about being an ER pharmacist and I'm such a gross human, but like it's just fascinating. Like that's what people are fascinated with you. They're fascinated with the pimple popper. So every day when he'd come home from work, I'm like, tell me what happened. Like did someone die? Like what was the crazy stuff? And he told me some wild things from that ER. So I'm dying to know in your career,

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (11:23.6)

    you

    Kiera Dent (11:28.47)

    What are some of like the craziest things that you have gone through? Like for my husband, I think the one that I remember the most is when he said a woman's face went through the windshield and her whole face was de -gloved. That image has never left my mind. Cause I'm like, that is bananas. Like I wear my seatbelt crazy now because I don't want my face ever de -gloved. But I'm curious, like in your career, what are some of the craziest stories or things that you're just like, I remember this one time. That's just the kind of with you throughout your career.

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (11:52.795)

    Yeah. You know, so most of those stories for me occurred in residency because I, again, I training, I was training in, in the inner city, in the late nineties, early two thousands. And there was a lot of interpersonal violence, gunshot wounds and stab wounds and things like that. Not high, high speed, motor vehicle accidents or anything like that. Cause we weren't near a highway and we were in the city, but.

    Kiera Dent (12:00.54)

    sure.

    Kiera Dent (12:12.619)

    Yeah.

    Kiera Dent (12:20.012)

    Sure, you're downtown.

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (12:22.821)

    You know, I had a gentleman who was caught mistreating a woman and a group of guys, I would say appropriately decided that he needed to be punished for his actions. And so he proceeded to receive pretty significant facial injuries with a bat and a shovel.

    Kiera Dent (12:36.129)

    Yeah.

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (12:51.185)

    And so we're talking about, so when you talk about degloving your face, traumatically, we do that with something called a bichoronal or coronal flap where we actually make an incision in the scalp and bring everything down so that you can access the frontal sinus and and OE area. and, and so that was a case that was, that was, something to remember just given the circumstances that he sustained the injury.

    Kiera Dent (12:54.944)

    Yes.

    Kiera Dent (13:05.354)

    Mm -hmm.

    Kiera Dent (13:16.086)

    I'm so sorry.

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (13:16.893)

    Another guy had a machete impaled and created what we would do surgically, a Lafort 1 osteotomy. Part of what we do as orthoporomaxillofacial surgeons is orthognathic surgery, basically jaw repositioning. And this guy had it done just in one fell swoop because he ran into a machete. And then the most, the case that meant the most to me, that probably attached me to patient care more than anything else was there was a young boy who had fractured his jaw.

    Kiera Dent (13:38.9)

    Mm -hmm.

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (13:46.173)

    When you fall on your chin, oftentimes you fracture the condyle, which is the part of the lower jaw that articulates with the skull in the TMJ. And he went back down to Jamaica. He was from Jamaica. He went back down to Jamaica and got lost to follow -up. And he developed something called TMJ ankylosis, meaning fusion of the bone. So he was unable to open his mouth. So by the time we saw him, he was, I don't know, 13, 14 years old, but he looked like a six, seven year old. He was completely malnourished and all that. So we ended up...

    basically reconstructing his TMJ, harvesting a rib. And within the day he was functioning in a very, very different way. And actually for me, like I really like first, really first felt this attachment that I actually was able to give someone something of critical importance. And so he meant, he did so much for me by me helping him.

    I ended up, he, you know, I gave him like, don't know at the time, I don't even know what the actual game was. It was like a game boy or whatever it was. I was, know, for me, I was fortunate enough. wasn't making a lot as a resident, but I felt like this kid, it was going to be nice. So I bought him like a game boy or whatever it was. But I mean, that kind of stuff that, that really kind of, I was like, yeah, I'm definitely I've I'm in the right, right place. So yeah.

    Kiera Dent (15:02.164)

    Yeah, that's incredible. And I think it's got to be so fulfilling, like you said at the beginning of the creativity of seeing someone who, mean, like my husband with that face de -gloved, they can't do anything, but you can bring that person's confidence back to them. You can give them life when they didn't think that there was. You can, I mean, our faces, I think our smile is something I love about dentistry, and yet you're able to bring so much more to the table. So I was just so curious. I'm like, I've got to ask because every

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (15:19.933)

    you.

    Cough

    Kiera Dent (15:31.092)

    Every surgeon, every person in medicine, they all have the stories. And so I'm like dying to know, but now I kind of want to talk about your guys's business and what made you guys want to go to a DSO. Like let's talk about DSOs because DSOs are hot. And like, do people go to DSOs? Do they build their own? Like what was kind of your guys's mission and vision of building out what you guys built? Was it just necessity? Was it passion? it like kind of walk me through pros and cons like of this DSO journey you guys have been on to get here.

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (15:35.058)

    Yeah.

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (15:57.789)

    Sure. So I've always been an entrepreneurial person. Kind of the patient experiences at the cornerstone of what we did with Riverside. We built a strong brand with Riverside that was known nationally well before we had any private equity or outside investment or anything like that. So when, when the kind of &A world was catching on that oral maxillofacial surgery was really a very, very special place to be, we explored the concept and

    At the time, like I said, we had 10 or 11 offices. We were personally guaranteeing everything through a commercial lender, co -collateralizing all of it. Like we own some of the land, some of the properties, some of the condos, some of the buildings, totally separate. And then the individual LLCs that were the individual practices. And we owned at the time a private DSO. mean, you could call it whatever you want, basically an organization that managed all of the organizations, all of the

    Kiera Dent (16:55.34)

    Mm

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (16:56.485)

    practice level practices. And so, you know, we spoke to some of we vowed we were never going to sell to a general dental DSO. I believe the oral maxillofacial surgery is unique and special and the best specialty in all of healthcare. So I believe and I hold it in really high esteem and I want to protect it. We've all seen what corporate

    Kiera Dent (17:09.814)

    green.

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (17:21.403)

    healthcare has done to healthcare across the board. And by and large, the outcomes are not great. But my belief is that scale and collaboration is actually what's going to yield better outcomes for patients, better level of care. I don't think it's the opposite, as long as it's done properly.

    So I didn't want to sell to a general dental DSO. Again, I don't believe that they truly, truly understand the differences and I've owned general dental practices and they're very, very different businesses. And I thought about partnering with a couple of different national or pure play oral surgery groups. One of which I respect like unbelievably and many of which had strengths and weaknesses.

    Kiera Dent (17:54.592)

    Yes.

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (18:13.319)

    but none really fit the bill as far as what we were trying to achieve here in the Northeast. And then I also said, I didn't really want to sell, I didn't understand how, you know, oral surgeons would sell to a bunch of endodontists who were like calling themselves, it just didn't make sense. I love endodontists, I love endodontists, but, and in fact, I think their specialty is probably most easily correlated to oral maxillofacial surgery in terms of the business of it.

    Kiera Dent (18:26.155)

    Right.

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (18:39.963)

    But I just didn't, again, I think we have a unique specialty and we provide unique care with the hospital and board certification, anesthesia, full scope kind of stuff. So we went about finding direct investors who believed enough in the vision that they would write into the charter of the investment, into the charter of the organization, the existence of an autonomous, largely autonomous, primarily independent clinical advisory board.

    Kiera Dent (18:45.441)

    Sure.

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (19:09.713)

    that handled every single thing to do with delivery of care. And so the delivery of care is controlled and decided upon by this clinical advisory board, which is made up of members of all the practices that we support. And it's been really tremendous because we found when doing our due diligence on these private equity firms that

    Kiera Dent (19:25.568)

    Mm

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (19:38.613)

    These specific, they happen to be guys and we use the term guys, but it doesn't matter what the gender is, but they happen to be like great guys, like just people that really stood by their word. a lot of times you go into these private equity deals I've learned and an offer is made on some sort of multiple of your EBITDA.

    And then you go through something called the Q of E, which is basically audited financials on your quality of earnings on your financials. And then they come back and they say, well, you know what? We thought your EBITDA was this, but now your EBITDA is that. They retrade the deal, but you're so far along and you're so like, you're kind of limited because you don't have the deal experience.

    And you end up putting yourself in a negative position. We have never retraded a deal. We have never gone back. Even if EBITDA was lower by a certain amount, we've never, ever, ever gone back and retraded a deal. And so we have really good guys who understand the importance to me, and also because they are who they are, that we are people of our word, that we are representing us and our specialty and our group of surgeons.

    Kiera Dent (20:50.602)

    Yeah.

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (20:55.417)

    as well as it can be done. I think we are differentiated in so many ways. know, any DSO or any group is just basically made up of a group of human beings. So if you're good human beings, you're gonna have a good group. If you're selfish human beings, it's a different kind of thing. So, yeah.

    Kiera Dent (21:00.32)

    Mm -hmm.

    Kiera Dent (21:08.833)

    Right.

    Kiera Dent (21:16.652)

    Sure. What's the forecast of where you guys want to take your DSO? Is it like you want to become one of the largest ones? What's your future vision of your DSO?

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (21:28.807)

    So right now we're focused on the Northeast. We're focused on finding and partnering with really market leaders, people who embrace technology. We're not looking to just accumulate EBITDA for the purpose of recapping, which of course, there's a lot of nuance in terms of the speech. Of course, we want to be very, very successful. Of course, that is part of the whole plan.

    Kiera Dent (21:47.571)

    Yeah.

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (21:55.773)

    We're not doing it at the expense of quality of care. And frankly, we're looking at the businesses we partner with are businesses that are growing, that they're treating their patients right. They have very, very good brand equity in terms of a good reputation in terms of the patients that they're serving. And that's what we're looking for. We're not in the business of acquiring guys at the end of the career.

    and paying them some sort of a high multiple so that we could have, you know, play the multiple game. It's just not what we're doing. So we've been very successful so far. We are, you know, we are ahead of the anticipated growth curve that we were modeled on. We have great same store, as you would call it, but we have same, you know, clinic level growth, which is tremendous.

    Kiera Dent (22:29.58)

    Sure.

    Kiera Dent (22:43.201)

    Mm

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (22:51.993)

    We have an amazing group of people who support us in the management side of things, who I kind of put it to them with my co -CEO to come up with a mission statement specifically for the kind of the management people. And they came up with the concept that they want to passionately support and serve the surgeons and the partner practices so that we can provide the optimal patient experience each and every time, which is kind of like a little bit.

    Kiera Dent (23:08.02)

    Mm -hmm.

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (23:21.553)

    borrowed from Riverside Oral Surgery's optimal patient each and every time, but with this kind of like management support swing, which is to say that they support the surgeons so that the surgeons can continue to provide that type of care. And again, it's, you know, of course there's, you know, wordsmithing and all that, but the fact is, is it's, it's really in the DNA of all the people who are part of our organization to do that. And that's great so far.

    Kiera Dent (23:46.954)

    I love it. And something that I actually wasn't expecting to take from this podcast today is I love that you say that it's going to be a collaborative change because I think there's so much talk of DSOs actually destroying dentistry. And I love that you want to protect the surgeons and you want to protect your niche. And so instead of sitting back and just kind of almost like floating by with everybody else, you have that passion, you have that love, you're attracting more people like that.

    to where you're making a bigger impact. You guys can go rally. You can go speak up. You've got more marketing. Like you are building a voice to make a difference within your space at a very high level, which I think is actually a really beautiful thing. What do you feel if someone was maybe listening to this podcast, they're a dentist who's very passionate like you are, are there any tips or tricks that you would say? I wouldn't say tricks. I think it's more tips to be successful of if they're wanting to build a DSO,

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (24:27.517)

    Thank you.

    Kiera Dent (24:42.432)

    to be like you are? Because I think that that's the fear, right? We're either going to sell, we're retiring, we're going to go for these people that are going after multiples, or we're going to start to build DSOs because we're passionate, we want to protect our space and the industry that we're in and combine forces with other like -minded people. How do people go about that? Because I think so many are afraid of the legalities and like, how hard is it to build this? And what are maybe some of the tips you have for those DSO ideas if they want to start building it?

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (25:09.319)

    Well, I think a lot of people try to, maybe with the best intentions, do things on their own. But there is so much information out there, people who have done it before, groups of people who do share ideas. And I think, even maybe it's been a fault of mine to try to kind of do it because I think I can do it without maybe necessarily in my early days.

    even now to some degree, speaking to people who have done it before or who currently doing it. We see that in dentistry a lot where like there's a lot of like people want to hold on to their secrets and all that stuff and I find that all ships will rise with rising tide, right? So like everybody has something to offer. That's partly why we are as successful as we are. I speak about collaboration all the time.

    I think you need good advisors. You really need a good attorney. My attorney has been exceptional. I'll plug her a little bit. Actually, her name is Casey Gocelle. She works for a firm called Mandelbaum Barrett. She heads up their dental &A space. She's literally written a book on dental &A. She's been with me since I started my first practice. So now she represents Max and has done a great job advising so many people.

    Kiera Dent (26:29.846)

    Mm -hmm.

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (26:31.997)

    And you need good financial advice. You need a good accountants and you really kind of need to just network and meet people and understand and speak to people about the pitfalls of what have happened. would say the majority, what has interested me or what has not surprised me because as I've, as I've matured in my career, I really like, I'm happy to share information. Like I have no time in the world, but like anytime anyone grabs me, like I've just like,

    here, this is what I do, this is what it's all about, this is what matters. And most people who have achieved some level of success are looking to pass on knowledge and share that knowledge with others. It's actually kind of this mindset, right? As in New York, we talk about like certain other local teams being like haters, and they're haters, and they always have these like losing franchises in professional sports.

    Kiera Dent (27:02.87)

    Yes.

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (27:31.133)

    And they're like, they're like this perennially losing and that losing comes from this like hater mentality, I think. So I think like. For me, I want success for, for, for everybody. So like, you know, really like I have, have this big kickoff party at Amos every year. Amos, American association of oral, maxillofacial surgeons. We just had the meeting in Orlando. We had a party, 400 people. It was the Wednesday. was every year it's, it's the party and.

    I was talking to a CEO of another like competing dent or oral surgery DSO. It's like, felt a little uncomfortable about, you know, whether I wanted to, or I was going to come or not. I was like, dude, you're, you're welcome here. Like welcome everybody. There are plenty of, there's, there's plenty of seats at the table. Just like when I started practicing and people talk about like, you're a competitor, you're a competitor. There's, are plenty of teeth in the world that needed to be extracted. Plenty of empty sites for implants. Like everyone can be successful. We are.

    Kiera Dent (28:24.115)

    Hey.

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (28:28.925)

    I'm so lucky to be oral maxillofacial surgeons in the dental profession. In any way, so long as you're real, you're authentic, you understand you're going to attract whatever audience is going to be drawn to who you are, and you're okay with not every single human being loving you, you're going to be okay.

    Kiera Dent (28:50.11)

    I love it. I think it's such a refreshing mindset because you do meet a lot of people and there are people that just want to hold on, but it's very interesting. I've been watching a lot of dentists who sell to TSOs or a lot of dentists. They want to give back. So many of them want to mentor. literally, mean, first time in my whole time owning a Dental A Team, people are reaching out to me, dentists, and they're like, Kiera, we want to coach. I'm like...

    All right. And I hear it I think you're right that people genuinely like as core nature, our core nature is to love. Our core nature is to teach people how to fish, to help them get to the levels. And so I think it is about that network and dentistry is so special. It's such a special place and it can either be, like you said, a competitor or it's like we're all rising. There's so many teeth out there. It's ridiculous to think that and there's more being born every day. So it's like, they're just going to keep coming.

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (29:38.043)

    Yeah, thankfully.

    Yep. Yep.

    Kiera Dent (29:44.172)

    But I really appreciate that perspective because it really does help us see that everybody can be successful. And I don't think it's just a positive mindset. It's proof and it's there. So I want to just quickly wrap. Of course, everybody I'm sure is dying to know a little bit about your marketing within being the bloody tooth guy. What are some tips you have if anybody wants to get into Instagram? know like it kind of feels like maybe the boom has passed and it

    But I think anyone can come forward. It's pretty amazing. You don't have to be found in talent. You just have to be found with your people. So any tips you have on marketing or branding that you guys have found to be successful, especially coming from you.

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (30:23.281)

    Yeah, listen, I think you have to like anything kind of, you have to be able to identify what it is that makes you different. And you have to be true to that because ultimately, if you try to put forth some sort of image that is not really who you are, you might have some near term short term success with it, but none of that is sustainable in the longterm. You, know, we, have obstacles as surgeons in particular.

    that what we do is a little gory. so because of the world we live in, a lot of the larger enterprises look to protect their users. So I don't really fault Instagram and TikTok for censoring some of what we do. I do think there would be a better way for them to kind of look at it, not just with AI. Some of the stuff I've put up there they've thought was like sexual content and

    You know, certainly it can be looked at as violent or whatever. But the fact of the matter is, is that I do think there's a better way. And I'd love to have a conversation. Not that I'm in a position to have a conversation with the, you know, the powers that be it. One does not know, but you would think, you would think Zuckerberg's father, a dentist, he would have a little bit of love for us in any case. but I do think, I do think that, you have to be aware of.

    Kiera Dent (31:25.036)

    Sure.

    Kiera Dent (31:34.144)

    Hey, you never know. We never know. Maybe.

    Kiera Dent (31:42.326)

    I would say.

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (31:51.613)

    Like anything else, you have to be aware of like what audience you're trying to attract. You have to know what you can do well. You're never going to see me really dancing on TikTok or anything like that, unless like there's an influencer in my chair who's like making me dance on TikTok. but I will say that, you know, you just, you just have to find your voice, put it out there and the ones that are supposed to hear it will actually appreciate it. And it.

    You'll grow. mean, you will grow for sure.

    Kiera Dent (32:23.584)

    I love that. Jason, this has been so, I think, moving and touching and just, I feel the love. I feel your compassion. I feel your collaboration. feel, and I think that that's what, when people really feel that, I don't feel you went on to social to become who you became. I think you went on to just educate and to share your passion and your love. And I think that was the true nature of what made you into who you are today. And I'm just grateful you, like you said, you're very busy. We've been waiting for this podcast for a while.

    And I'm just grateful for it. So I just want to, I always like to leave it up to you. Is there anything else that you feel like the world of dental, of teams, of owners, anything that you feel like as we wrap up today that you'd like to share with our dental community today?

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (33:08.185)

    I just think we're in an interesting period of time for our profession. A lot of, especially the younger dentists out there, are trying to create a persona because that's what social media is. But I would say if you focus on what's really important, which are the people that surround you, within the office professionally, your family, your friends, you yourself, and you focus on improving your craft and really kind of

    putting all of yourself into what it is that you do day to day. And if you want to find harmony, you want to find balance and all that kind of stuff, that's cool. But like, you know, whatever you focus on just multiplies and ultimately will yield for you the greatest level of, I don't say success, because that's a word that people associate with financial success, but just fulfillment. And I think that ultimately as you get on,

    Again, I'm 50, right? So I live in this way. I feel like I'm 20, but I'm 50. and, the fact is, is like, I feel younger other than my back a little bit. I feel younger than I ever have. I love what I do day to day. I love the life that I live and you know, time flies. You hear it when you're young and be like, yeah, that's an old dude talking time flies. So just every day do what you love. And if you don't love it, don't do it.

    Kiera Dent (34:11.862)

    Thank

    Kiera Dent (34:37.696)

    Yeah, I love it. Thank you so much for your time. It was so fun to just hear your stories. I feel very excited. I love that there's people like yourself out there making a difference and definitely agree. You really, really, really love what you do and you can feel that passion. so thanks for being on the podcast today. It truly was such an honor.

    Jason M Auerbach, DDS (34:56.189)

    Appreciate you. Yeah, it's my honor. Thank you so much, Kiera I really appreciate it.

    Kiera Dent (35:00.236)

    course. And for all of you listening, I hope you really took this to heart. Reach out, follow him on social, get the passion, the inspiration. That's what we're here for. And as always, thanks for listening. We'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.

  • #897: How to Cross-Train Your Positions

    #897: How to Cross-Train Your Positions

    · Dental A Team Podcast

    Kiera talks about why it’s so critical to have two people in each department who know everything backward and forwards, as well as how to train team members to become those position experts.

    Episode resources:

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    Transcript:

    Kiera Dent (00:00.792)

    Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera and I, you guys. I hope today is just a great day for you. hope that life is positive for you. I hope that you are choosing to find happiness. And there's a really cool quote today that I'm looking at on the day I'm recording. It's by Jim Rohn. And he said, we must all suffer one of two things, the pain of discipline or the pain of regret or disappointment. And I thought about that because they say discipline weighs ounces, regret weighs.

    weighs tons. And I hope that you are disciplined in your thoughts, disciplined in what you focus on, disciplined in what you consume, discipline on the people you associate with and realizing that you're the creator of your life. You're not the manager of the circumstances that come your way and truly owning that role that we are all blessed and given to create the practice we want to be, to create the life we want to live.

    to not blame people for when things are happening, maybe to us and realizing what role did we play in that and how can we better ourselves. And it's a crazy world to live in. It's a crazy space. And I think honestly, right now it's a game of mental stamina. I think that that's the world we're living in. I think we've conquered so many things. We've conquered washing our clothes and our dishes and...

    Like shoot, even Instacart, like you can get groceries delivered, you can get food delivered. We've conquered so many things and we've been blessed with so much that I think now it's the game of mental resilience. And how do we become the people that we want to be? We've got so much time. We have so much time available to us. And I know we often don't think we do, but I attended a conference recently and you know, we've got 24 hours in a day. So in one week, that's going to be 168 hours. All right. So let's say we are working.

    40 hour work week, but let's add in some drive time. So I'll give you 50 hours of that for a work week. All right. And then let's say that we are sleeping, eight hours a day. Okay. So every day. And I'm also going to give you, so we're going to say that's 56 hours of sleep time per week. Plus we're also saying that we've got 50 hours of work time. That's 106 hours a week. Okay. 106. That's a 50 hour work week. It's also giving you 56 hours. So eight hours of sleep a night.

    Kiera Dent (02:17.838)

    All right, and we have 24 hours in a day. So that's 106 hours. That means we are still left after our sleep and after our work. We are left with 62 hours in a week. Now, if I divide that by seven, that gives you 8 .8 hours of time. And I've taken out sleep and I've taken out work. And now you might say, well, Kiera, we've got two hours of this. But I just thought that's a lot of time.

    That's a lot of time. have 62 hours of time. And my question is, what are we doing with that time? We have the time and how are we able, are we, are we doomsday scrolling? Are we consuming things that maybe aren't feeding our souls? Are we working out and honoring our bodies? Are we spending time in connection with friends? Are we allowing our lives to just pass us by? Are we intentionally planning them? And I just think that that's something

    so interesting to think about. I had no idea, because I think I'm so into this, like, I'm so busy and I'm so exhausted and this and that. And I'm like 62 hours. That's 8 .8 hours a day beyond sleeping a full night's rest and working more than a 40 hour work week that I still have eight hours. And what am I doing with that? And so I really just think you guys like, think about that. What are we doing? How are we spending our time?

    And are we truly creating our lives or are we just managing them? So thinking about that and with that, I'm excited for today's topic. I think it'll be a fun one for you. And that's on, I think to just give you guys like, again, let's tie it into our work weeks because also in our work weeks, how much time are we actually spending maybe on things that aren't moving the needle forward that are maybe just busy tasks? It's so crazy. I'm super excited. I attended an amazing time planning.

    event and I'm excited because I'm starting to morph and build. I've taken some time to build something out for dentistry and I'm super freaking jazzed because I woke up one night and I said, dentistry is my platform, life is my passion. And I'm so obsessed in our consulting to give you the tips and the resources to shortcut your way to success, to give you the life that you ultimately want. And so this is going to be a piece where maybe let's look at what we're spending our time on at work.

    Kiera Dent (04:39.95)

    Could we chunk things together? Could we be more efficient with it? Can we chunk things in our own life? But this is going to help you too. The question was asked of how do we cross train and build a versatile and adaptable team? And I think that this is a great space to give back more time, to give you guys more resources. And I'm not like the biggest fan of cross training. I sometimes think that too many, too many, I don't know, I want to say noodles, because that's what I think of when I go into a front office, I'm like, my gosh, this is like a bowl of spaghetti and everybody's like crossed over each other.

    and it's just wild and it's messy and it feels like a spaghetti bowl where everything's not clear. And I enjoy clarity. think clear is kind. think people understanding what their job is to do and not always having everything smashed together in our company. Even it's like every person can do all the different things, but then ultimately who's responsible for it. so sometimes I'm not crazy about cross training, but I also love to have my perspective has been, I want to have at least two people who know how to do everything within my team.

    So for every position, so two people who can schedule insanely well and know all the protocols for it, two people within treatment coordinating, two people within office management, two people within billing, and they can be the same people. So it can be like maybe Sarah knows office management, treatment coordinating and scheduling. So in case Maggie is out, I always have a backup to every single position. So two hygienists, two dental assistants, doctors are a bit trickier. You guys are, you tend to be okay on your own, but really looking for

    And so the way we cross train is sometimes what I do is I actually will, we'll shake it up for two or four hours, one day a month or one day, a quarter people switch roles and you just get a pick and roll. Obviously licenses, you have to be careful. So sometimes you have to switch positions within licenses. They're okay. But for two or four hours, that person switches and they become someone else. And what happens is you actually become very appreciative. You become very aware.

    of what that person's doing in that role. And you are also able to find gaps in different things that can maybe make it easier. I'm also really big on an operations manual. That's why we have operations manuals that we've created that you can buy on TheDentalATeam .com. It's a 750 page one that's broken down into every single person's position with onboarding documents, end of day checklist, accountability agreements, 30, 60, 90 day onboarding docs, and then also what protocols I usually recommend for every single position.

    Kiera Dent (07:01.996)

    I purposely did not build the protocols for you. have a ton of verbiage in there, but every software is different. Every practice does it a little bit differently. so having you guys have the template of exactly how to build it and then you guys can build it. But I'm super obsessed with making sure that you guys have that. That way you're able to, if Sarah's out or Maggie's out or Tiffany's out, someone can actually go snag the manual and I've got what they do every day. And literally there's videos with

    or there's other things that they can follow. So in our company, we have daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual tasks. So if someone was out, we have their checklist of what do they need to do for the daily? What do they need to do for the weekly? What do they need to do for the monthly? And we are a virtual company. We're not together, so I can't have printed manuals for people, or we haven't chosen to, but we have it all hyperlinked with videos and also written protocols. So no matter what, if someone's out, they should be able to go onto the daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and be able to perform that position.

    I also like two people that know how to do everything. So two people know how to do payroll. Two people know how to do our commission reports for our consultants, of like doctors getting paid on production. We have two people that know how to hire. We have two people that know how to place the ads. We have two people that know how to do everything. So no matter what, people also have the freedom to leave. And I know some team members can get protective of their position. like, I don't want people to know because I don't want them to ever replace me. And for me,

    What I do is I just believe that that way people can go on vacations. People can have time off. People can do the things that they want to do. And there's multiple people trained to do their position. So I think cross training and building a versatile team. If you really want to dial it in, would do number one, I would have your operations manual completed and like, let's at least get that done. And at least the daily tasks for every position and the weekly tasks. So people at least know what to do and let's have those in a readily available spot. So everybody can use that. Number two, what I would do is I would definitely

    whether it's weekly, monthly or quarterly, whatever you choose, I would definitely cross train. And so I would have certain skillsets where we train and not just having people passively watch, but actively engage. if we're going to cross train everybody to be able to schedule, we do a relay races or we have everybody up there, or we have people call in that are our team members calling and they have to schedule it appropriately. but whatever you can do to get them to role plan. know role playing is I did a podcast, gosh, years ago. And I was like, you think role playing is dumb.

    Kiera Dent (09:22.178)

    Role -playing allows you to practice. So when we're put into that position, we actually don't have to think about it. It can become automatic. And that's what we do. Think about firefighters. They practice fire. So when a fire comes, they actually know how to do it. Think about back in elementary school, and it was like fire drills or earthquake drills. And now they're shooting drills. And people, like, we want you to become automatic. And that's why we do the drills and the role -play. It's what becomes automatic. It becomes automatic of what I say when I answer in schedule. It becomes automatic of how I present a treatment plan.

    Not that everything is automatic, but I don't have to think about it. And takes a thinking out of it and allows it to be a little more coast mode for your brain because you've practiced it so many times. So practicing that and training and I'm training the whole team. I used to rotate because there's three departments really, and there's three months and a quarter. And you can have each department actually train on something that would be super helpful if everybody in the whole team knew how to do it. So for example, if your state allows teaching your team to be able to do a sterilization.

    And so it's like simple sero or being able to break a room down, obviously up to standard and up to code. but we had our clinical team train our whole team on it and everybody practiced and everybody did it and everybody got passed off. So that way, if we were running behind, people could help each other out. The front office, they really needed help getting recare and reactivation. So for that month, we had a reactivation and recare challenge where everybody was making the phone calls

    We're every single day or every single week talking about who is doing the best and what things people were doing and making it into a fun game and who was the goat and who, who did the best and who was the sizzle champion. Those types of things can be super, super fun to get your team on board, to be able to, just help each other out into cross train. Because again, I'm big and sticky that I want two people for every single position to know what to do. Then I'm never afraid.

    People are allowed to take vacations, if we're not scared and stressed out, and then to have that daily, weekly, monthly checklist. That way nothing ever goes and gets missed. Have the videos, it's very fast, you guys. have Loom is my favorite. You can also use, there's so many different softwares out there. Take quick videos of things. They don't have to be perfect, and I think done is better than perfect in this scenario. And then have people rotate positions, have people try out the different roles, have people that are not in that position.

    Kiera Dent (11:37.774)

    try it out and see if can they, can they follow the protocol and get the same results? And if not, let's fix it. Let's update it. But those are really great ways for you guys to cross train and build that versatile train. But with that said, make sure that there's very strong specifics. Who does what? So it's not getting crossed. It's not getting lapsed. It's not getting confusing. Let's make sure that's super clear for them. That way everybody has clear expectations. People feel like they can win and they can succeed. We also can help each other out because we've been cross -trained.

    If we can help you guys in any way, I'm obsessed with doing this. I'm obsessed with helping teams get ops manuals done, helping you guys have that success.

    Kiera Dent (12:25.484)

    you

    Kiera Dent (12:32.992)

    If we can help in any way we're always here to help you guys and as always thanks for listening I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team podcast



  • #896: Roadmapping Your Goals

    #896: Roadmapping Your Goals

    · Dental A Team Podcast

    Tiff and Dana talk about setting yourself up for success, goal edition. When you begin to work toward your dreams for your practice, do you take an all-encompassing approach? This episode focuses on creating a roadmap for those goals to make them easier to reach.

    Episode resources:

    Reach out to Tiff and Dana

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    Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast

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    Review the podcast

    Transcript:

    The Dental A Team (00:01.422)

    Hello, Dental A Team listeners. I am here with you today with Miss Dana and we are so excited to chat with you. We've got a couple of things we're working on today and chatting future is one of them today. And I absolutely love these kinds of conversations and these planning conversations. And Dana, we were just talking about it yesterday with this content we're gonna deliver today. And I think it was just divine timing.

    How are you, Dana? How is your month going? We're rounding out to the end of the year. How are things looking over there in your world? And your hair, by the way, looks amazing if you guys are watching this today. I've told you before, she's a hair genius. Here we are again with awesome hair. But Dana, how are you today?

    Dana (00:44.49)

    Thanks, I'm doing good. I'm blessing it like my hair takes me two minutes to do because it's so thin. So that's the only reason why it's really ever done is because it's quick.

    The Dental A Team (00:50.865)

    Fair and same.

    -huh. I totally, I totally understand that. Awesome. Well, guess what, guys? We are here today with some incredible, incredible ideas. And I say that because we thought of them and I think we're incredible, but also because we love prepping and planning. We, we live in a reactive world in general, like just the world in general is a very reactive world and a reactive space. But dentistry itself is incredibly reactive. And I explained this to

    clients and teams constantly where like our jobs are literally to find the problems that have already happened, right? So we're not always preventative for sure. We love preventative care. We love trophies and you know, paramedicine and fluoride and sealants and yes, that is a space but how often do we push that preventative like I know I'm talking to hygienists and teams constantly about fluoride and adult sealants and like gosh, you guys, these are preventative measures that help but more often than not,

    we're in the reactive space where something's already happened, and we're completing treatment, we're diagnosing things that are issues. And so when we have a space of life where we can talk proactivity, I think that's a space that us as consultants at the Dental A Team, we love and we thrive on that because we want you to walk into this world prepared, we want you to feel like you have a plan and like you know where you're going. And that way when the

    The little things come in, the little roadblocks, the rock in the road that somebody kicked up and it hit your windshield. When those windshield cracks happen and that rock in the road happens, it's like, okay, this is a small detour, but I know where I'm going. Whereas if we don't have that direction, we don't have that plan, those rocks in the road kicked up and hit in our windshield is like, it's the end of the world. Like, all right, here we go, another broken windshield. I don't know, I live in Phoenix, so.

    The Dental A Team (02:48.874)

    I've replaced my windshield many times in last three years and so it may hit home for me. It's very frustrating, but I feel like gosh, this is that space where we can really make a difference and make an impact on life and Dana, we're into Q4 now. We're rounding out the end of the year and I know you work with a lot of clients virtually and a lot of the group coaching that we do here at the Dental A Team and how are you helping?

    Dana (02:48.96)

    You

    The Dental A Team (03:15.836)

    your clients to really just finish out this year strong right now and then we'll talk about some more preparation stuff but how are you helping them to really finish out this year strong.

    Dana (03:26.122)

    Yeah, and I think it is similar topic as to where we're going to get to in a little bit and that is where did you want to be? Right? Like where did you want to be by the end of the year? And how can we ensure that all the parts and pieces are getting you there? So really just taking a look at where we are, where we want it to be by the end of the year, and how can we maybe reconfigure some goals, look at our gaps, look at the pieces that will essentially push us to where we want it to be the easiest, the fastest, the

    most efficient.

    The Dental A Team (03:57.125)

    I love that. we just last month wrapped up in September, we wrapped up our webinar series, our four pillars. And Dana, you speaking to that reminds me like those were really our first two days of that free webinar series that we had, which if you guys missed it in September, don't worry, it'll be back around again next year. And we do have free webinars every month. I hope you guys know that. We talked about

    those pieces, knowing where you were wanting to go, where do you want to go? What did you want to end that? And where are you currently? So really, you're talking about, you know, with your clients finding that gap, right, like finding where we wanted to end where we are, so we can see what needs to happen in the next three months, two and a half months, wherever you're at now, what needs to happen to ensure that we get to those goals, and then really tracking it. So I know day one of that, you know, webinar says was really that gap and finding it.

    And day two is all about the numbers and being able to track it. And I think you're totally right as making sure that we're looking at those, but then making sure that we're tracking it along the way. Because even if today we do the numbers and we see what the gap is and we don't look at it again until the end of the year, you're likely, like in my opinion, you're more likely to still be off and not hit the goal. If you don't look at it in between, then you are to hit the goal. Even though you may have built a plan today for the next two and a half, three months.

    If you're not checking it and tracking it, you're likely going to get off somewhere or not know that you took a detour. It's like, it's like driving across the country without having your Google maps on, right? Or your Apple maps and just saying, you know what, this road feels right. And not realizing like now you're at the Canadian border and you are supposed to be in New York, right? And like,

    you it's a small detour, but you didn't realize you were on there until it's the end. And you're like, wait, this isn't this isn't the state that I was supposed to be in. Where am I at? So I love that. It's really, really, really brilliant. And we push all of our clients to do that. And we push all of our clients to not only look at what this year was going to be and what that gap is, but now is the time to really start prepping and planning for next year, which sounds kind of weird, I think most

    The Dental A Team (06:12.517)

    practices, most practice owners and business owners are used to like January, but I learned in consulting, it's really hard to build out those goals when your full team meeting or your full business planning meeting is like January 17th, you're already halfway through the month of January and now you've got a gap to make up.

    Right? So I think we learned really, really early on to start those conversations in November and December, project where you're likely going to be and take it off of what Dana said now, like where were you headed? Where's your end of year headed? What was that goal? Build goals off of that. So Dana, I know you work a lot with, like I said, a lot of different clients and right now you're working on that piece of that gap, but now we're pushing.

    clients as well to really look at what next year looks like. And we usually say right seven to 10 % growth, I say 10 % is freaking fantastic, right? If you can go above and beyond that, a lot of our early in their stages practices can go way above that. I've seen 25 % even just because you're you're growing right now. But that 7 % is our minimum because of inflation, you guys you have to

    have to have to account for inflation. that also, that means your goals need to be bigger. That means your fees need to increase. That means all of those pieces need to change. But Dana, with that, as we're growing, one piece I don't think we always remember or always think about prepping and planning for is the amount of people that it's going to take to encompass that growth, right? So we're pushing it and a lot of spaces we say, gosh,

    We need to make X amount of dollars more next year. And that means X amount of hygiene appointments or that 30 % of the production coming from hygiene could mean an entire additional day or half day a week even of hygiene that we're just looking and saying, well, we need to make this in production, but we might not be backtracking. Do you see that Dana with clients too? And as we've learned to grow and build goals.

    The Dental A Team (08:31.774)

    more and more and more even just in our careers, I think we see that that space too, Dana. Do you see that where it's like, gosh, push, push, push, push, push. And then it's like, wait a second, I didn't even realize to stop and think where that was going to come from.

    Dana (08:44.544)

    Mm hmm. Yeah. Yeah, I do. And and to like, who it's going to come from, right? Because we can push, push, push that we need X amount of hygiene. But can your current hygienist take on all of that additional capacity? And so I think that when you when you build out goals, or you say, this is where I want to be by a certain point, it's really important to look at it from all of those angles and say, Okay, at what point are we going to need additional technology, additional team members, additional

    The Dental A Team (08:49.632)

    Mm -hmm.

    The Dental A Team (08:54.314)

    Yes.

    Dana (09:14.518)

    supplies, additional whatever that looks like to get to X, Y, and Z seamlessly.

    The Dental A Team (09:20.865)

    Yeah, I love that idea. So I want to talk today about a client of mine that I've worked with for a little while. They are just an amazing power couple. gosh, three years ago, I would say three years ago, we sat down and we said, Okay, what do want your life to look like in one year, three years, five years, 10 years, right? And we really broke it down and

    The most common way to do this is one, three and 10, right? But I wanted that five year mark in there as well, because I think it made a difference for them. And so we really said, gosh, what do you want this to look like? And I, and I speak about them because their story, it just hits so hard for me. And it has been so incredible to watch them take the plan that we developed together, put it into action and create this incredible life for not only themselves, you guys, but

    their team and to watch the team participate in this and understand it because the communication was there throughout the full team as we built this out. Their goal was always to expand. And when I first met them, it was like a one year plan. That was as far as we could consider was a one year plan. We can't look past that because we couldn't dream to believe yet. And their one year plan was to if we have to add an operatory, but the building is kind of

    it's kind of wonky. So realistically, we only have space to add one more operatory and that was taking away from the patient waiting area, right? The patient lobby. So they did that. I see they, you know, that one year that they were like, we need to do this. said, then do it like, yeah, your production requires it. You're you need another hygienist. Like you've got for what we're trying to gain for even where you are today, you need that room to continue the path you're on.

    So that was as far as we could see was how do we continue the path we're even currently on, let alone grow. So they did it, we did it, we got the operatory, it's beautiful, the lobby was redone, it's gorgeous, the practice looks fantastic. And then they said, but now we're in this chokehold, can't do anything more and I want to do more. I want an associate, I wanna do more surgeries, I wanna do surgery days, I only wanna work three and a half days.

    The Dental A Team (11:38.462)

    per week, which then turned into, that's my three year goal. My five and 10 year goal is like two to two and a half days. So we started peeling it back and we started once they were able to see the capacity for where they were at and see, gosh, that fulfilled where we are and I can sustain that, but I wanna reach the community more. And the passion behind this dentist, you guys, this practice owner is so incredible. He serves,

    He serves a community that doesn't have a lot of places to go. His community and his area is a very special community and they love him. And my first visit ever with this team and my first conversations, they were like, Tiff, like we are the at -home dentist and we want to grow and expand to continue providing for more and more people. So we have to get bigger. But our biggest goal is to maintain the relationships, maintain the small town.

    feel and be the at home dentist. And they said, we've got this, we can totally do this and we have, and we built these years out. So at that point, we said, okay, what does three years look like? What is five years? What does 10 years look like? And the three years was very, it was simple because it was, you know, an associate and this and the five years and the 10 years got a little bit more grandiose, but we realized we needed more space. So they started looking for buildings. But we,

    built out, this is the space that we would need to encompass what you want to do to keep the production increasing in the collections, increasing to reach the community. We need X amount of chairs. Like we need this many rooms, this many hygiene. This is the space we need. So it's time to look for a building. It's time to, it's time to put our, you know, our pedal to the metal and start looking for a building. And in the meantime, let's plan and prep for what this is going to look like from a team perspective.

    because what we tend to do is we say, gosh, we need an associate, let's get an associate. And we start vetting associates. And then we're like, shoot, we found somebody, they're gonna start in a month or they're gonna start in two weeks or whatever. And then you're like, shoot, we need assistance, but we don't wanna hire assistance too early. So we didn't think about the assistance and now we're in this space and we're like, gosh, wait, they're gonna need more exams. And we get in this space of frantic hiring and desperate hiring instead of hiring for need.

    The Dental A Team (14:02.906)

    So what we were able to do and what I want you guys to really take a look at is look at that one, three and 10 at least, but backtrack then in three years, if you're going to have an associate or an additional associate, how many team members need to be there to support that associate? So our plan was at this state, we onboard an associate. At this state, we start vetting associates. It can take time. You guys know that. So we backtracked it and said,

    This is the date, this is the year I want the associate to start. We're gonna start vetting associates prior to with that start date still our goal. Just because we're vetting them doesn't mean our start date has to change. It can if you want it to for sooner or for later, but we kept that date. And then we said, as we're vetting these associates, if that's our start date, we're gonna need two more assistants for that dentist, and we're gonna need another hygiene.

    for that dentist. So at least one more hygiene, two assistants and a dentist is what we're going to have to hire. So in order to get the dental assistants trained so that they're ready to go when we onboard an associate, we have to hire them X amount of weeks prior to our start date for our associate. So then a month ahead of that, we're vetting and we're interviewing for dental assistants, but we timeline it out in a way

    that this practice specifically I'm speaking on and I've done this with a lot of practices, but I speak on this one specifically because it was the biggest, the biggest growth that I've timeline backwards from. And I want you guys to hear me. They found their building, they texted me and they said, Tiff, this is not the building we thought it was going to be. It is very different. It's gonna require a lot of renovation and it's massive. And I thought, okay, we can deal with massive, that's fine.

    you know, a massive dental practice, you're like, okay, gosh, like, all right, 12, 16 operatories is what we had talked about. So it is a massive practice no matter what. yeah, like this is massive. And then Dana, tell me how this phone call would go for you. I pick up, I'm like, okay, let's chat. And we get on the phone and they say, we found a commercial building a couple miles down the street. So it keeps us within our neighborhood basically.

    The Dental A Team (16:22.839)

    It makes it very easy for our patients to come over and for us to grab actually communities that we can't reach yet due to our location. And it's, like I said, commercial and it's got a couple of suites already filled. And I'm like, okay. And it's 16 ,000 square feet. Dana, I was like, okay, 16 ,000 square feet. Like I'm not fantastic at math. I'm not fantastic at like, you asked me what a mile is. I'm like, I know.

    I ran three already and I'm at like a quarter of a mile, right? Like I don't, I don't do that well, but 16 ,000 square feet. was like, massive is the right word. You're right. Exactly. 16 operatories and they're all a thousand. It's an apartment for every operatory, right? Exactly. And I was like, holy cow, you guys, this is insane. So then you can imagine that took what we had planned for.

    Dana (17:00.074)

    Yeah, Alpha square foot operatories, okay.

    The Dental A Team (17:21.428)

    Right? This is a little bit of a detour. This is a positive detour. Detours aren't always negative. Sometimes I get detoured on the road and I'm like, this is the most beautiful scenery I never knew existed in Arizona. Right? So this was the most beautiful scenery we didn't know existed. We didn't know it was possible, but we knew something was out there. So then we had to revamp. We were like, all right, we've got a small portion of this under control and we know and the practice owner

    he came to me and he's like, okay, we know this much and this is fantastic because this is going to build out the dental practice that we need. we had his, we had we've accomplished the one year we've got the one associate on board, we've got we planned and prepped and the team was on board, we onboarded everybody strategically, and it worked really well. So that now they're as current associate, he will vet and help he's going to be the lead associate, like all the pieces are there, they're falling into place. And it's beautiful.

    the practice administrator that he was the office manager. He's like out of the practice enough that he can build the business. The dentist is out of the business enough that he can do the dentistry he wants and still grow with the business. Like it's been incredible to watch. But now we've got 16 ,000 square feet and they're like, cool, Tiff, what are we going to do? And I'm like, yeah, we build those suites you guys. So now

    Dana (18:40.556)

    You're putting in there.

    The Dental A Team (18:46.035)

    we build a practice management company, like a property management company, right? So now they have a practice and a property management company. And I'm like, okay, now we backtrack for that. And we're to fill it with a salon and a gym. And they had all these incredible ideas. And the endodontist who's there, like, do we do we keep them? Do we not keep them? Let's, you know, we had to backtrack through all of these pieces and build it out so that in their three year, they could get into their practice. And in their 10 year,

    they could probably be out of their practice 100 % if they wanted to be, which isn't where they're at right now. They don't want to be, but they want to be very minimal. And so we were able to build that out in that five and 10 year spectrum to be this massive area where their community can be served. And that's the biggest goal with this giant massive commercial building is that it's incredible spaces where the community can come together and just like do incredible things. the point there,

    We reached that three year. They just got into their brand new practice three weeks ago as of recording this. It's beautiful. I got to see it almost done. I've seen it through all the stages and you guys, this build out, like I'm telling you, this renovation was massive, just still does not describe this building and the beauty of the practice. And it was a complete overhaul. It was a complete gut. Cause this was not a dental practice. This was nothing. It wasn't even a medical building.

    Okay, they completely gutted a portion of this massive building and created this incredible dental practice out of it. That's that was their three year and we nailed it, we got it and they're vetting their next associates right now to reach that next stage of what that growth looks like to reach that five year, right and there and again, their tenure but I want you guys to see in that one dream to believe like freaking a they just like

    They did it, they saw it, but they saw it because we could clarify the missing pieces. We simplified what it would look like to get to that stage, because I think we hold ourselves back. And Dana, tell me if you agree with this. I know I hold myself back with this. I hold myself back because I can't see the path clearly. And so I know I want to get somewhere. know I want to accomplish a goal, but the path is so murky. It's like being okay, jumping into a swamp.

    The Dental A Team (21:13.312)

    And like your goal is to swim across it, but you're like, I'm not dipping my toe in that, that alligator filled swamp. And so when our goals are, are there and we're like, I don't, I can't clearly see the path. We hold ourselves back from doing it. And so what we were able to do, I was able to come in and help clear up the dirt in the water and sift through it so that it became.

    clear water that they could see to the bottom and be like, yes, that's safe. I can accomplish those pieces and I can jump into it. And Dana, I know you've been with me for a lot of their journey and you know who I'm talking about and I'm sure they know who I'm talking about. But how, from your perspective, and we'll make it quick because this is getting long, I told you I was long winded, but

    From your perspective of being able to watch that side too, and I know you do this with your clients too, but just theirs in general, what are some thoughts and things that you have for some of the listeners on how this has worked for them and how they might be, the listeners might be able to see themselves in it.

    Dana (22:21.076)

    Yeah, I think honestly the biggest thing right or how it became is because there was a plan there was a road map I love that you said we set dates and we stuck to them and at least you stuck with the start dates, right? You can shift and change those things But you always knew what the next piece was so you could plan and prep for that next piece You knew when their time frame was plan and prep to that time frame you knew all the things that you had to add and it was like

    going on a road trip, right with a very clear map. And I feel like that's how it ended up being so successful. And that's how they always found the right pieces at the right time, because there were dates associated with it, there were timeframes allotted for everything. And I'm sure for them, while it was a huge undertaking and a big journey, right, which comes with its own stress, but minimize stressed in this way, because everything was planned, they knew when to start for things they knew

    when to make decisions by, they knew when and what they were doing each step of the way. And so it's really been cool to see from the outside too, because it was such a massive growth and development, but it was, I think, as easy as it possibly could be because there was a very clear plan.

    The Dental A Team (23:42.593)

    Yeah, I agree. I love that. Thank you. I was interested in entering to hear your perspective because I think being in it is different. That's the perspective I was able to give to them is not being in it and tied as closely as they are. So I had that third party view, but then I become in it. So then it's fun to see your perspective as well. And I think you nailed it. It's having a plan you guys so my

    Hope streams wishes aspirations for you and Dana's hope streams wishes and aspirations for you is that you have some sort of a picture of where you want your business to go and that you have someone in your life, whether it's us, whether it's a friend, a spouse, a different coach, like whoever it is, somebody who can give a non emotionally biased opinion and help clear that mud and that muck and the murkiness of it to clarify.

    the journey and the path that it's going to take to get to your dream because I know for me, I have all kinds of dreams and it takes my coach. have a gal that I talk to every now and again and she's there when I need her and I talked with her last week and I said, I feel it, I see it, I can envision it, but I'm scared because I don't know the step. I don't even know how to take a first step and she said, great, that's what I'm here for and she gave me journal prompts and

    She gave me these pieces that's like, this is how you're going to put it together so that you can see it because she is not emotionally attached to what I'm trying to accomplish. And that's what I think we provide for each other and for our clients of all spectrums, virtual one -on -one, the few and far between one -on -one, right? And our group coaching too, because now our group coaching clients also have, and so do our other virtual clients, they have each other too.

    but this group coaching aspect for a lot of our newer doctors is the, that's the world that they're landing in and they have each other to lean on as well as the consultants in our company. And I just think it's really cool when you have that. So I hope you guys have that and I want you to go re -listen to this if you need to, but I want you to go look at your dream and like Dana said at the beginning, what is that dream? What is that goal? What's the gap? How are you going to get there for this year?

    The Dental A Team (25:59.196)

    and start prepping and planning what is next year look like? What do you want that to look like and really dive into working backwards on the amount of people, the people power that it is going to take to get you there. Prep and plan for that added into your overhead pretend like it's already there build a bucket that says my overhead if I have to hire these pieces, my overhead is going to look like this and I need to prep and plan for that. Build a prep and plan bucket you guys especially if you're hiring an associate.

    start paying a bucket like you're already paying an associate so that you're ready for it. Dana, thank you so much. It's one of my favorite stories to tell. I hope everyone enjoyed it. I think they will forever be one of my favorite stories to tell and just the most amazing human beings as well. So Dana, thank you for being here with me today. I appreciate you. And guys, if you loved it, tell us. If you hated it, don't re -listen.

    But if you loved it, leave us a five star review. You guys, love hearing from you. We want to know that you enjoyed it. I love, love, love these kinds of conversations, but I want to make sure you do as well. And if you need help with anything at all, you guys, there's links and all kinds of stuff for our websites, but bottom line, [email protected], easy way to reach us. We are all here for you and we will catch you next time.



  • #895: HR 101: Classify Your Employees Correctly (Or Else)

    #895: HR 101: Classify Your Employees Correctly (Or Else)

    · Dental A Team Podcast

    Paul Edwards, HR extraordinaire and founder of CEDR, breaks down with Kiera the classification of employees from a federal perspective. He touches on how to know if you’re classifying employees right, where state laws come into play, what happens when there are penalties, and more.

    Episode resources:

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    Join the CEDR Facebook group: HR Base Camp

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    Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast

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    Transcript:

    Kiera Dent (00:01.622)

    Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera. And today I am so excited to be having one of my favorite guests here today with us, Paul Edwards. He is the CEO and founder of CEDR my favorite dental HR company. And I am so jazzed because there have been some things like roaming in politics, roaming around this globe that I felt like Paul would be the best one to bring on the podcast and kind of shed some light on what should employers be looking at? What can we be doing to keep ourselves protected? So Paul, welcome to the show. How are you today?

    Paul Edwards (00:29.046)

    Kiera you are so full of energy. I'm good, I'm good. And I'm excited to kind of do a little HR nerding today on your podcast. Thanks for inviting us, I appreciate it.

    Kiera Dent (00:31.254)

    Yeah.

    Kiera Dent (00:39.966)

    Absolutely. When I heard some of the things coming to the table, I just thought, gosh, I've got to reach out to Paul. We've got to have some fun geeking because HR is not my specialty and that is definitely your specialty. And so wanting to just make sure that we really dove into this. So the reason I reached out to Paul, if you guys haven't heard, we definitely have linked other podcasts for you guys. So be sure to check them out. Paul and I have been on the podcast a few times. CEDR is the number one recommended HR dental company. I refer all the time because

    Paul Edwards (00:44.651)

    Mm

    Kiera Dent (01:08.118)

    Paul, you guys just make people's lives so much easier. have offices that use you and they're like, I'm so grateful for CEDR. And kudos to you guys as newsletters. Like I click on every newsletter you guys send out because the topics are so relevant. So if people don't know about CEDR before we kick into this, just like Paul, can you tell them a little bit about who CEDR is so they can get those newsletters as well? And then we're going to dive into some juicy political topics that are on the HR ballot today.

    Paul Edwards (01:17.622)

    Thanks.

    Paul Edwards (01:31.226)

    yeah, okay, so for everybody out there, CEDR, C -E -D -R Solutions, you can find our website. If you go to our website and you input your name into one of the forms, what you end up doing is putting yourself into our education community. So unlike other companies where you start getting phone calls and everybody's trying to sell you something, we'd love to have you as a client, but as a precursor to that, if you're just out there and you want HR education, we want you in our community, and that's what you're talking about, Kiera. The reason why you like those newsletters.

    is because we have 3 ,000 members across the entire country and they're asking us to help them solve these HR problems. And so we use those questions to create our roundups because they're literally and actually what's going on in the world today. what we do for our members is we provide you two components.

    Compliance, so when you have a problem with an employee, almost any problem, there's some kind of law, rule, or regulation that probably regulates, which can and can't do, and they can be everything from local, county, city, and it goes all the way up to the feds. So we can help you solve a problem taking two looks at it. The first look is compliance, what does the law say we have to do, and the second thing is what we call the human side.

    which is we're working with human beings and you can call a lawyer and say, what would I do about this? And they'd say, fire her. But that lawyer doesn't have any experience of what it's like to replace her, to train her, to lose all of your investment in somebody. And so we take that very human approach and we have a group of experts here who get on the phone with you through email. We have all kinds of resources and we help you solve your HR problems.

    Kiera Dent (02:56.574)

    Mm

    Kiera Dent (03:16.628)

    Absolutely. They're incredible. It's like, what do I do when my employee wants to take over time or if my employee didn't show up or I feel like your guys's education is so telling. I can tell you got your audience very dialed in. And so it's very informative and truly my office managers and doctors who you see there feel so confident in being able to make decisions versus offices who don't have you in their back pocket. They're like, Kiera, what are we supposed to do? I'm like, this is where you check into your state laws.

    Paul Edwards (03:30.016)

    We do, yeah.

    Kiera Dent (03:45.862)

    reach out to your lawyer because every state is different. So that's why I just am obsessed about you guys. I think you guys do an incredible service for the dental community. So massive thanks and appreciation. So definitely recommend everybody get in that educational resource because I just think it helps you. Even things that you might not be thinking about, I think you guys do a great job of spurring and educating, which hopefully today's podcast also does. So, So what I reached out to you originally was I

    Paul Edwards (03:46.015)

    Yeah.

    Paul Edwards (04:07.86)

    That's exactly what we're gonna do today.

    Kiera Dent (04:14.72)

    this whole NDA thing came up of what's going to happen if the NDA bill passes and an NDA is a non -disclosure and then there's the non -competes as well. What happens with doctors, especially with associates being able to go and work for practices that are so close to them. And so I just want to reach out. I know this is actually going to not be our juiciest topic for you guys. have a juicier one coming, but Paul, if you could kind of just shed some light on what does that look like? Where does that kind of stand in legislation?

    Paul Edwards (04:35.669)

    No.

    Kiera Dent (04:43.114)

    and what should practices know about this.

    Paul Edwards (04:45.376)

    So the FTC wrote a rule that wanted to get rid of, ostensibly get rid of all non -competes. I mean, there were a few that could survive, but they ostensibly wanted to get rid of them. And their stated reason was that it was tamping down employees' abilities to be mobile, to be able to change jobs, move someplace else. And not a terrible argument, but not a good overall general argument.

    Kiera Dent (04:55.435)

    Mm

    Paul Edwards (05:14.486)

    Predictably, that rule was challenged in both the Florida court and I think two Texas courts. I'll just cut to the chase, everybody. The judges involved in those cases put a, the ones in Texas put a stay on it, which means, legalese -wise, that just means they put a big pause button on it and said, you know, the parties involved, including the federal government, are gonna have to come back and argue some more in favor of this.

    And we kind of could see that that's what was gonna happen and that's what happened. So based on some recent Supreme Court rulings and stuff that's going on out there in the world, in the legal world, this thing has been paused and I don't see it unpausing for months, possibly years and maybe, Kiera, never. So it's just, it's not a thing anymore.

    Kiera Dent (05:47.734)

    Mm

    Kiera Dent (06:01.672)

    Yeah, which is such a great thing. And again, when I reached out to you, our schedules couldn't quite align for us to get there. And it was like really hot. And I know a lot of doctors were concerned about that because agreed. Everybody was like, this is going to be very impactful because the reality is I don't think any employer truly wants to hurt. mean, I'm sure there's some out there, but generally the dentist, they don't want to prevent other doctors from being able to go get another job. That's not what it is.

    Paul Edwards (06:08.939)

    Hmm?

    Paul Edwards (06:12.82)

    We were freaking out. Yeah. Yeah.

    Paul Edwards (06:23.232)

    Hmm?

    Kiera Dent (06:29.51)

    what they don't want to do is set their practice up to where all those patients could be pulled very easily to another location because that's really like that doctor who hired these associates took the risk and they don't want to have the greatest asset of that practice as patient base being able to be lifted out. And I think that that's where the argument's at.

    Paul Edwards (06:45.29)

    That's, yeah, that's precisely, that's precisely correct. And really it was gonna be damaging. And since it's not going into effect, we don't have to go too far into it, but it was really gonna be damaging in ways that the federal government didn't understand or didn't seem to perceive. They could have put written a different kind of rule and put a lot more limits on it. And by the way, non -competes are very limiting.

    Kiera Dent (07:00.886)

    Sure.

    Paul Edwards (07:10.838)

    There's a lot of limits and some states won't let you have them. Other states that will let you have them say you have to have these specific provisions in them. It can't be too broad. It can't be designed to punish someone for leaving. You you put 30 miles in your non -compete and you're in downtown Chicago and your non -compete is probably going to become invalid. You know, but you put four blocks and that'd be a different story. So like all things and I'll bring it all the way back to HR, the details matter.

    Kiera Dent (07:11.242)

    Mm -hmm.

    Kiera Dent (07:22.56)

    Mm -hmm.

    Kiera Dent (07:28.585)

    Right.

    Kiera Dent (07:34.697)

    Absolutely.

    Paul Edwards (07:40.436)

    Right? It really matters. But for now, we don't have to worry about this.

    Kiera Dent (07:41.1)

    Mm -hmm. For sure. Which is great. And that's really what I wanted to bring you on because I know it was really hot and it was really scary and it was, what are we going to do? And that's where I like to have this podcast be up and coming. so Paul, there actually are a few other things that I do think are really going to impact that people should be aware of. And that's this 1099 world, hygienists, associate doctors, like kind of this world, which I think strategy wise from the business's standpoint is it's hard to hire.

    Paul Edwards (07:58.762)

    Mm

    Kiera Dent (08:10.732)

    It's hard to hire right now. It's been hard to hire since I think 2020. think all of us are still feeling that. And so I don't blame employers for trying to get creative and think outside the box. However, with that asterisk, legalities and payroll and how we hire can really truly impact a practice and do some pretty serious damage if not done correctly. I've seen some class action lawsuits. I've seen big lawsuits.

    1099s and misclassification of employees is a very big deal. So Paul, this is your world bigger than it is mine. I just have a very strict lawyer on me. So that's the only reason that I know, because I used to do it pre -COVID. We were in a 1099 world. And I remember my lawyer called me and he said, Kiera, you're welcome to do whatever you want to do. He said, but I just want you to know. He said, I just want you to know that this can become a federal offense on you if it goes. And I was like,

    Paul Edwards (08:47.7)

    Mm

    Paul Edwards (08:54.641)

    Such a lawyer thing to say.

    Kiera Dent (09:03.466)

    So I draw the line, I'm cool to stay in gray, but I'm not okay to go to federal prison. So that's like where I draw lines. But Paul, please, not to scare anybody, but to educate about where this can come into fact and how can especially employers protect themselves in this world.

    Paul Edwards (09:07.946)

    Yeah.

    Paul Edwards (09:19.434)

    Well, look, the first thing that I want to tell everybody is that you might not know this, but I think you might know it, but I'm going to put it for you in kind of stark terms. As the employer, it is your responsibility for you to classify your workers properly. They really don't get they, your employees, your prospective employees, don't get to make that decision. They cannot make that decision for you. And so there's a set of rules.

    there's two sets of rules actually. The IRS has a set of rules, they call it the test, and the Department of Labor has a set of rules, and incidentally they call theirs the test too. And if you put the two rules up with all of the little things in the test, and there's many, many bullet points in each test that says if this is true, if this is true, if this is not true, and you go through the whole thing, there's a lot of crossover talk there. So that's, I guess, to some degree, it's beneficial.

    Kiera Dent (10:07.009)

    Mm.

    Kiera Dent (10:15.436)

    Sure.

    Paul Edwards (10:16.042)

    But what I do want to say to everybody is that if you use the test or don't use the test, whatever you do, if you violate this rule that we're talking about, you can be committing tax fraud and you can also be breaking the law when it comes to the Department of Labor. And so it's kind of a double whammy. And here's the important part, Kiera, is that you're leaving a paper trail behind that you cannot defeat.

    Kiera Dent (10:34.305)

    Mm

    Paul Edwards (10:43.104)

    So this isn't a he said, she said, you can't claim I didn't do it. If you get it wrong and you misclassify someone as an independent contractor, that means you're not paying the workers comp. So that's a problem. That's unlawful underneath your state laws. Because you misclassified them doesn't matter to the state. You still broke the law. You're not paying their matching social security. You're not paying withholding and paying taxes. And again, you're not paying your portion of the social security.

    Kiera Dent (10:43.18)

    Absolutely.

    Kiera Dent (10:53.857)

    Thank

    Paul Edwards (11:09.674)

    So why this matters to both the feds and the state is this is taxable income and you are not paying it and you actually, you are gaining some small advantage. I maintain it's not enough for you to get this wrong. And you're also helping the, you're costing the state and the feds because the person who's misclassified is writing things off that employees cannot write off. So they're acting as if they're in their own business. So what we found,

    Kiera Dent (11:15.339)

    right.

    Kiera Dent (11:34.613)

    Absolutely.

    Paul Edwards (11:38.998)

    is that we've got a lot of hygienists who have come to the practice. Now they may come by themselves, they may come be offered up by a temp agency who's not getting this correct. They will come to the practice and say, want to be paid as an independent contractor. And what they're saying is, if you're paying me $75 an hour, I want $75 an hour to be given to me. And that doesn't...

    Kiera Dent (12:05.448)

    Mm

    Paul Edwards (12:07.678)

    work when we look at what the rules are with regards to classifying people, Kiera. So, you know, any questions so far?

    Kiera Dent (12:16.844)

    Yeah, I think something I've also felt that there's a fun game in. And I think if we think of it as a game, as opposed to like stressful, I enjoy that a little bit more. These classifications actually do change quite a lot. And like what the IRS is sticky on or not sticky on, I do feel also changes because this 1099 world, I understand, like, if you look at people's motives, the hygienists want to get paid more. They want to be able to take home more salary.

    Paul Edwards (12:45.664)

    Mm -hmm.

    Kiera Dent (12:45.804)

    So I understand completely why they're wanting to do it. But again, my lawyer, he told me very well, he said, Kiera, the definition of a 1099 is like a gardener that comes to your house or a lawn care crew. They tell you the day, they bring their own tools, they don't use any of yours, and they tell you the fee that you're going to be paying for that service. He said, now, if you have an employee that's doing anything different than that, or you have someone who's different than that, most likely they're probably not a 1099.

    Paul Edwards (12:56.554)

    That's a good way to describe it.

    Kiera Dent (13:12.8)

    And so that's kind of helped me. just think about this Gardner or lawn care crew, because I feel like it really makes it very simple for me of where am I going to be? And honestly, like you said, Paul, I don't think employers realize the implications if you get this wrong. It is big because we have looked, and I think this will also tie into like exempt and non -exempt employees too. But we also have to look at the IRS and the federal and the state reasons why they're doing this too. Yes, we should be classifying correctly.

    Paul Edwards (13:16.554)

    It's good.

    Paul Edwards (13:27.796)

    Mm -hmm.

    Kiera Dent (13:40.5)

    because everybody right now with inflation and costs and whatnot, people are getting smarter and stickier with making sure we're following the laws and the rules. So I think looking for motives and reasons, but really, I don't know, I enjoy sleeping at night as an employer. And I think this is a great way to help yourself stay out of it. So not necessary questions, but definitely I think it's a big issue and an easy way to determine that hygienist is not bringing their own tools with them. They're not setting the hours that they're going to be working.

    Paul Edwards (13:47.37)

    That's true.

    Kiera Dent (14:07.084)

    They could be telling you the pay they're going to be getting, yes, but they're really not coming, doing their thing and leaving. You're providing the patients for them. You're providing the instruments for them. You're providing the chair for them. You're providing the team for them. They're working within the hours of your practice. They're really not. Now, I think someone who is an independent contractor for a contrast is like if an anesthesiologist is coming to the practice, they're bringing their own tools. They're bringing their own equipment. They usually bring their own team. They're coming.

    Paul Edwards (14:33.174)

    Kiera, have you been reading my blog?

    Kiera Dent (14:36.908)

    I just think I'm very passionate about this stuff because I think employers who get it wrong, this is where we get into hot water, unintentionally trying to save a few bucks that's going to ultimately cost us a lot in the long run. And I think, again, analogies always make my life easier. So that's probably why I do it.

    Paul Edwards (14:56.052)

    No, no, that's a very good example that you gave. so the first example of the gardener is a very good example. I'm going to reiterate. This guy or gal shows up at your house. They can experience a profit and a loss. So if their lawnmower breaks down, they don't come knock on your door and ask for you to do something about it. They go and they fix their lawnmower. So they have an opportunity for profit and loss. That's one thing.

    The other thing that they measure, adding a little technical to this, is the degree of permanency. And so you could change, you could choose to, and they could choose to not work for you, and it's likely that they work for several different other companies. But I wanna make something clear here, because that's what people glom onto, and they're like, well, my hygienist works at two other dental practices, so I'm in the clear.

    Kiera Dent (15:19.864)

    Mm

    Kiera Dent (15:36.234)

    right.

    Kiera Dent (15:43.87)

    Right.

    Paul Edwards (15:45.206)

    And that's not how this test works. It's just not how the test works. So the main thing and the big piece of news, so here's the big reveal for everyone. We, CEDR, have been around for 19 years now. For 19 years, we have been telling people, anyone who tries to classify a hygienist as an independent contractor,

    that it is not lawful and that there's a problem the IRS has with it. So it's been like this for 18 years. But like you said, they kind of define, redefine, change rules. In this case, they didn't add or take anything away. But what they did is they took one of the things that was on the list. And I'm just going say it was on it. It was important. It sometimes was used against employers.

    and the Department of Labor brought it all the way up and said, if you're only gonna consider the first six points, we want you to know that if the person is doing the work of the business, they cannot be classified as an independent contractor. And so we've always known this determination was there, and the IRS uses that one, so that's one of the ones where the tests are matching up.

    So if you're in a general dental practice and you have a hygiene department, then they're doing the work of your practice. Your anesthesiology example was a very good example. if it were a, I mean, I'm just gonna split hairs a little bit here. If it were a pediatric practice whereby there's a lot of anesthesia going on, there's always someone there. That anesthesiologist technically is an employee.

    Kiera Dent (17:07.414)

    Yes.

    Kiera Dent (17:23.072)

    Mm -hmm.

    Paul Edwards (17:26.442)

    They're not an independent contractor. But if you're out in Montana and you're a general dentist, you don't do surgery, and you have a surgeon come through to perform surgery, and an anesthesiologist comes with them or you bring them in as well, those people are not doing the work of your practice, even though we all agree it's all dentistry and it's associated, but hopefully in that description.

    Kiera Dent (17:26.804)

    Agreed.

    Paul Edwards (17:54.442)

    I'm able to kind of relay to you guys what the differences are there. But this big reveal is the extent to which the work performed is integral, and it's an integral part of the potential employer's business is the big one. They moved it way to the top. So this means technically, literally, hygienists can't be legally classified as independent contractors.

    Kiera Dent (18:10.016)

    Mm -hmm.

    Paul Edwards (18:21.334)

    And it also calls into the thing that we've also been saying for 18 years, that associate doctors who are, it's a general dentist doing general dentistry, that associate doctors, they are not independent contractors either. And that the safest thing to do is to classify them as an employee. And I have lots of other good reasons for making them employees. But again, that's another place where it's common practice. And then Kiera, I'm gonna add one more thing.

    Kiera Dent (18:34.23)

    Mm

    Kiera Dent (18:50.367)

    Yeah.

    Paul Edwards (18:50.918)

    State laws apply here. And so there are several states, California, Oregon, Washington, I could go on and on, who have even more strict rules about these classifications. And we've just seen, gonna, I don't wanna call them all the way out. I'm gonna tell you they're in the Northeast, they're in a state where they have stricter rules. Practice is very successful.

    has multiple associates in I think I counted eight and they got audited and they got lit up. mean, yeah.

    Kiera Dent (19:24.212)

    And that's actually what my follow up was going to be, Paul. Let's say I am a practice and I do get audited and find out that I miss classified. What is, this is how I like to make my decisions. Like how bad is the problem? Is it to be slap on the wrist? Am I going to jail? Like where are we at with this?

    Paul Edwards (19:30.272)

    Mm -hmm.

    Paul Edwards (19:34.516)

    Right.

    Right.

    You are unlikely to go to jail in most states, although there are wage theft laws that can get you charged with misdemeanors, which is the last thing you need as a licensed professional anywhere. the problem is three, I think, I'm going to off top my head, it's threefold. CARE distractions, right? We all have plenty distractions that come in every day just trying to keep the wheels on the bus and everybody happy and the patients happy.

    There's plenty of things that enter into our sphere of operating all the time. You've never had a distraction like a Department of Labor investigation where they act like the IRS. They issue a letter which requires you to give up all of your bank records, all of your time records, all of your record records and records of your other record, you know, the distraction to just meet the demand is gonna be brutal.

    The next thing you have to do consider is the immediate cost. I'm not gonna even go long term for the cure. The immediate cost is you're gonna just go ahead and just put $30 ,000 in a lawyer's checking account to represent you so that this doesn't spin up and get completely out of control and so that you know what you're facing. And then the next thing is what are you going to have to do once the determination is made and if it's made against you?

    Kiera Dent (20:32.811)

    Mm -hmm.

    Kiera Dent (20:47.276)

    Totally.

    Paul Edwards (21:02.102)

    What will you have to pay in back taxes, penalties, and all those things? So this can easily ramp up and distraction and all of these costs that I've talked about, I don't wanna be hyperbolic here, but this can easily get to $100 ,000 very, very quickly. And so nobody wants that, nobody wants these distractions or these things. So the penalty, the punishment,

    Kiera Dent (21:21.045)

    Mm -hmm.

    Paul Edwards (21:30.966)

    really can be fairly brutal. And the last thing, let's just say you've only misclassified one person, right? And she has or he has filed a complaint or somehow it's gotten back to you. You're still in time producing all of those records, answering the complaint, hiring a lawyer. You're still gonna spend 25, 30, $40 ,000 to cure this one instance because again, you're gonna have to get a lawyer.

    Kiera Dent (21:34.443)

    Mm

    Paul Edwards (21:59.542)

    So to me, that person would have to work for you for like 30 years to make that money worth it for you. And that's just not what's gonna happen.

    Kiera Dent (21:59.82)

    for sure.

    Kiera Dent (22:08.958)

    Absolutely. think them coming in as independent contractors clearly shows that. I think about like, what's my risk to reward? So what I'm doing by having an independent contractor is they're getting paid more with air quotes. They're writing things off, but I'm not having to pay my payroll tax on them per se. Like, I think that's really the only benefit to an employer to do this. Maybe I don't have to have like the exempt, the non -exempt, the hours, but those are things that are pretty easy to solve. So I'm like, okay. And typically I know this is like,

    very loose math, Paul. And if you disagree with me, please, I am not offended. Say it is, you're the expert here. I've been told that payroll tax, like a good estimate, is just 10 % of that person's annual. So that's kind of, that's where I'm like easy, because 10 % for me is very easy to move that decimal point and I can figure it out. So if the person's making, let's say they're making 70 ,000 a year, it's $7 ,000 that I'm going to be adding additional in payroll tax to it. To me, is that 7 ,000?

    Paul Edwards (22:48.15)

    It's not bad, it's good.

    Kiera Dent (23:06.876)

    worth the hundred thousand, but also I think Paul, there is the emotional ROI on it too. Like to go through that, it might not financially destroy you, but mentally it is, it's something. if, I mean, I've gone through lawsuits and it's something where you get to a point where you just say, I will do whatever to get out of this because the pain and the exhaustion and trying to fight it and trying to win. But then you also don't want to admit to it because

    Paul Edwards (23:13.375)

    it's brutal.

    Paul Edwards (23:27.296)

    That's right.

    Kiera Dent (23:35.136)

    Like opening it up, you open yourself up to them looking back at every single person in your world. And to me, those things are not worth the risk, which is why I wanted you on here today is let's not be afraid, but let's be proactive. But Paul, my question I think is for people who might be freaking out right now of, my gosh, Paul, I've misclassified. What do I do today? Like, do I have to go back and like, like go to the Pope and like redeem myself that way? Like, how do I, how do I fix it moving forward if I have possibly misclassified in the past?

    Paul Edwards (23:39.06)

    Mm -hmm.

    Paul Edwards (23:53.728)

    Right.

    Paul Edwards (24:04.596)

    Well, it's a case by case basis and you open up a little bit of a Pandora's box when you realize that you have to fix something and your questions are very viable. Like, do I have to go back a certain number of years? What do I have to do? You know, one of the things I tell a lot of a lot of our members who are freaking out over something like this is like, let's look at the actual pain point here. Like how much will it cost to correct this? And, know, do we have the money and is it, is it, has it, you know, is it too much?

    So it's a case by case basis and what you need to do is kind of stop. You just take a breath and go and talk to someone who knows what they're doing. It's typically at some point this is going to involve an attorney or a very good CPA. It's not your accountant. It's not anybody else. It's not even CEDR. We cannot settle this for you. We can give you all this guidance and everything, but we can't go to bat for you.

    So you have to find that resource and they're out there, they're all over the place and you want to mitigate it to the best that you can. You're probably going to self -report it. And look, I've seen it everywhere along the spectrum, Kiera, from the, they've been doing it wrong for three years and they have a hygiene department of seven people to I've only had a hygienist for two years and I misclassified her and she's still with me and I got to fix this. I've seen the whole spectrum and there's two different approaches to that.

    Kiera Dent (25:25.312)

    Mm

    Paul Edwards (25:29.402)

    And so if you're freaking out, I'm sorry, but it's better to have the knowledge, not have it at all. You're going to seek out, first thing you're to do is go to your CPA and talk to them. And you're what you're also going to do is if you're out there and you've got a CPA and they know that you're doing this. I don't love that. You know, I don't, I don't love that. That's why I always say when we're talking to talking to professionals, I get them put stuff in writing.

    Kiera Dent (25:47.03)

    Mm.

    Paul Edwards (25:58.418)

    I need to be able to rely on the guidance that I'm getting. And then rely on that attorney who is an expert in taxes, who is an expert with the Department of Labor, who knows everything about it, then rely on them or that CPA firm to help get you through it and just go through the process and get it all cleaned up and then fix it going forward.

    Kiera Dent (26:18.348)

    Absolutely. And I will put it out there. If anybody is looking for good attorneys, I do really, really have an incredible attorney who is right in the line with CEDR. So please reach out. [email protected]. But really, I agree with you, Paul. I think it's one of those things of, I understand that people weren't doing it. Like don't beat yourself up. You were not intentionally trying to be bad or do things or skirt the law. Like you really were making the best decisions at the time, but today we know better.

    Paul Edwards (26:30.24)

    Mm

    Paul Edwards (26:37.621)

    No!

    Kiera Dent (26:44.982)

    So let's do better. Let's fix it with clean it up. Let's talk to the experts. That way you can feel confident moving forward. But it's like, we know today that this is not okay. And let's make the decisions because you you might skirt by, but every business is going to be sued at some point. And they're also going to be audited at some point. And I would rather have my house clean, as clean as I can get it. And hopefully they find minimal as opposed to hoping that I never get audited.

    I really do hope I never get audited, but I like to prepare and plan as if I were to be audited. That way I can sleep at night, I can make these corrections, and that's how I live my life. Paul, I just love this. think there is one thing that we will put out there. We won't exactly say all the pieces, but we were talking earlier about misclassifying of this exempt and non -exempt. I've seen it even within our company. Non -exempt definitions have actually shifted. I had no clue that some of the definitions had shifted from when I last did a thorough research on it.

    Paul Edwards (27:31.435)

    Mm -hmm.

    Paul Edwards (27:38.954)

    Mm -hmm.

    Kiera Dent (27:40.032)

    How often do these change and how do we keep ourselves current other than working with you? Which I think that's the greatest thing, but how do we keep ourselves current? Because exempt and non -exempt is coming up.

    Paul Edwards (27:44.916)

    Well, well.

    Okay, so what you want to do is really if you get into someone's, like if you get into our ecosystem of education, so you don't have to be paying us anything, we are always talking about these things and we are giving that information. We're not withholding and keeping that behind a paywall. you want to join someone like us in our community so you can get updates on this. Ironically, the rules don't change that much for this status, but they are changing right now.

    Kiera Dent (28:15.105)

    Mm -hmm.

    Paul Edwards (28:15.198)

    And I do expect that over the next four years, we're gonna see some other changes, but they basically will borrow down into the regulation and they'll make some kind of a change to like a minimum salary amount or some other thing. And that's very simple. This is cut and dry. This is one of those great reasons to have someone like us, because we do understand the rules.

    Kiera Dent (28:34.294)

    Mm

    Paul Edwards (28:41.686)

    But yeah, that's another area where people are getting misclassified. And again, this goes back, Kiera, to the first couple of minutes. It's your job as the employer to know these things and then to apply these things in the proper way to your people who you're paying salary or who you're paying as an independent contractor or whatever.

    Kiera Dent (28:59.72)

    Absolutely. And Paul, I'm so glad that you brought that up because for me as a business owner, I think it's absolutely fun to run a business and to own a business. And I call it my creative playground. Like it's fun, right? But there's also all these pieces that I have to remember are my responsibility. And at the end of the day, it's going to fall on me as the business owner, which is why I am very passionate about finding the experts in the areas that I'm not as strong. I am not a guru on HR. I am not a guru on my bookkeeping. I am not a guru on tax.

    Paul Edwards (29:08.576)

    I do too. I love it. I love it.

    Paul Edwards (29:18.005)

    Mm -hmm.

    Kiera Dent (29:29.322)

    I'm not a guru on the legals. We are in multiple different states in our company. I don't know that. And so having a good board of advisors to make sure that you are there. Like I messaged my CPA because I saw that there's this like weird thing that came up for one of my pieces. And I'm like, I don't even know what this is. Is this a scam? I messaged him and he said, Kiera, don't worry. We already have this. You're either filed or you'll be filed in the next month. And I thought that's the people.

    Paul Edwards (29:33.375)

    Mm -hmm.

    Paul Edwards (29:53.096)

    I know what that is.

    Kiera Dent (29:54.918)

    Tell Paul, I was like, what the heck is this? Is this a scam? It's like DBLI or something weird like that. And I was like, what does that even mean?

    Paul Edwards (29:57.45)

    Yep.

    Paul Edwards (30:02.528)

    Yep. Yep. I... Yeah?

    Kiera Dent (30:04.524)

    So really have the people in your corner. And I think CEDR, just so you guys know what we're referring to of this exempt and non -exempt, that salary versus hourly, definitely reach out to CEDR because it does impact a lot of office managers. So doctors, I would really encourage you just to reach out. Paul is more than happy to share and help you guys. I intentionally asked him not to put it on the podcast because I did not want to put any doctors in an uncomfortable spot knowing that team members do listen to this podcast.

    And I wanted doctors, you to know the information, therefore you could actually make the decisions best for your practice rather than exposing you. So that's why we're not trying to hold back information, but I know our audience. And so I said, Paul, let's let them know, let's have them reach out to you. That way doctors, you can make sure that you're getting the information and make the best decision for your practice.

    Paul Edwards (30:50.858)

    Yeah, get into our ecosystem and you're going to see the education pop up here in about three weeks, which isn't enough time for you to understand what the rules and how the rules are changing. I'm also on my podcast. I'm going to cover this at least once before the end of the year. So I'm going to spend some time on my podcast doing that.

    Kiera Dent (31:07.114)

    Which is amazing. So Paul, you really went through the gamut with us today of going from what is this non -compete and how's it going to impact us to now the 1099s and what that really is and how we classify, misclassify and what we do to now talking about this exempt, non -exempt. And really, I think more than anything, I feel education is power. Yes, sometimes I don't like the nuances. Sometimes it feels annoying, but I'd rather be annoyed and fix it.

    than be uneducated and not know and then be burned through an audit. So Paul, I love what you guys do. I love the care that you have. I love the passion that you have. People like you are who get me excited because I don't like HR. I would rather like never think about HR. It's the yuckiest part of a business. So the fact that there's great people like you out there, I just want to say thank you.

    Paul Edwards (31:46.484)

    out

    Yeah, yeah, is. We're gonna put that on our, we're putting that on our website. It's the yuckiest part of your business. Let us help you with that. Yeah, we're the solution you didn't know you needed. That's gonna be our, yeah.

    Kiera Dent (31:59.697)

    It is. Exactly. Exactly. So Paul, once again, thank you for being here. And for those who are like obviously are going to reach out again, please, if you will just share how they can connect with you, get into your ecosystem, learn. And if they're interested in becoming a client as well, how they can connect with you that way.

    Paul Edwards (32:17.566)

    Okay, so two different ways to connect with us and with me personally. The first way is to go to our site cedrsolutions and just sign up on one of the forums and join our community and get the free education. Of course, give us a call if you're looking for services. The other way is just subscribe to my podcast. It's called What the Hell Just Happened? You can find it on all the platforms. What the hell just happened here is some rules changed and we discussed it with Kiera.

    Go subscribe to my podcast and weekly we put out stuff and we talk about HR related things and some other fun stuff and Kiera. Well, this is definitely a subject that I'm going to cover before the end of the year.

    Kiera Dent (32:58.666)

    Amazing. All of you get prepared. There's no reason to be fearful. There's great resources out there. Yes, this is, in my opinion, success has two parts of it. There is the suck part of success. It's literally the first three letters of success. This is the portion that we have to do as business owners and know. But I think Paul, you guys do an amazing job of making it not scary, very easy. You guys are incredible at education. So all of you get prepared, go connect with them, reach out, listen to their podcast.

    Truly incredible, incredible information and Paul, thanks for being here today with me. Of course, and thank all of you for listening and I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.

    Paul Edwards (33:31.968)

    Kiera, thank you so much.

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