Go hard or go home

A while ago I was approached by a dentist for advice on how they could grow a branch practice.

The dentist already had a full-time practice and they had just bought a formerly excellent but now very run-down practice. They wanted to get their newly-purchased practice firing again. That’s a good goal and definitely achievable.

But, the way that they planned to go about it made the task of rebuilding the practice almost impossible. For example:

• The dentist was only going to be on-site occasionally when a patient booked in. The rest of the there would be no dentist at the practice.

• The practice was going to be staffed by one part-time DA to keep overhead down. This meant that for much of the week the front door of the practice would be locked.

• The phone was going to be answered by an answering machine. Potential patients would be asked to leave a message.

• Renovations and refurbishment were being put off to minimise costs. This meant that the practice looked old and run down.

If I were a swim instructor it would be like a student saying to me: “I want to wear a 20kg lead weight. Now teach me to swim.”

Superficially what the dentist is doing makes sense. They want to keep an income stream going while they create a new one. But what they’re doing in reality, is killing any growth potential of the newly acquired practice.

Commitment is what this dentist lacks.

There is something magical about committing to a practice. It focuses the mind in a way that is extraordinary. But, if you treat a practice like a sideline or a distraction or a hobby it cannot grow.

About 5 years ago a dentist set up a “hobby” practice down the road from mine. They had a practice in another suburb and wanted to build a second income stream. They used the same flawed thinking as the dentist I mentioned above. The practice failed in less than 2 years while, simultaneously, my practice grew enormously.

One of my daughters uses an expression that fits exactly the advice I’m trying to give you. It’s worth pondering: “Go hard or go home.”