Last Friday, I spoke to the Lothian Independent Dental Practitioners Group all day on the topic of dental business (Apart from an hour on ridge preservation).
I was somewhat anxious to go and provide that talk because I always wonder how this will be received in a group of general dental practitioners who are working the best they can in the environments they have for their patients, their families, themselves, and their businesses.
I was delighted with the feedback and the contact I had afterwards, which I think showed that I hit the right spot, at least for some of the guys.
We started by talking about vision setting and values, and more and more people are beginning to understand that culture is the most important way to retain staff, attract staff and move your business forward.
People used to think culture was a luxury. Have some dental nurses; if they leave, get some more, keep the business going, and buy a Porsche. It isn't like that anymore, and they never taught any of us how to navigate the world we're in now when we were at dental school.
Just because you are fantastic at cutting a crown prep, providing a root filling or placing an implant does not mean in any way whatsoever that you will be any good at running a business.
One of the most interesting and enlightening discussions was related to the associate contract.
This is indeed a very topical subject at the moment, both with the discussions about self-employed status and with the increase in costs of practices and what that means for how much you can pay people (either team or associates).
The most staggering thing is that people just don't know what they don't know, and you can't find the solution because it's only easy if you know the answer, and if you don't know the answer, you don't have a solution.
So, we first discussed what the most appropriate way to approach the associate contract for your practice is based on your circumstances, but then (and this is completely key) how to approach that conversation.
Teaching this stuff is fantastic and extraordinary, and it's getting more and more momentum.
Our Digital Dental Entrepreneurial course, in association with the ITI, is running right now.
I was off to Edinburgh last week. I'm off to Oman to do a very similar day for that group in a totally different culture in a totally different country. However, they have asked me to travel halfway across the world because they understand how important this is.
If you're interested in this (and I absolutely believe you should be even as an associate with your own self-employed business), then think about coming to see us for one working week out of your life next year for five days.
In those five days, we will go deep into all of the subjects that matter here, and if you do the work (I'm sure you will), you'll leave with a really clear plan of what you're going to do for the next three years.
The lifetime value of that is extraordinary way, way, way beyond the cost of a course or five days off work also, though, it's a cool thing, a lot of fun, you'll meet people that you'll know for the rest of your life.
Details are here.
It's called the Bootcamp.
Blog Post Number - 3991