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Balancing being a dentist and a business owner

Making the transition from dentist to practice owner can be a challenge. In this post, we’ll address some of the shifts in mindset required to successfully make this change.

Attention to detail

In a profession where accuracy is paramount to positive treatment results, it can be hard for some dentists to zoom out when it comes to practice management issues.

Attention to detail is vital for clinical care but can hold you back when looking at practice operations. Focus on setting up systems that produce close enough to perfect results while keeping an eye on efficiency.

Delegation

Some of the beauty of being a dentist is that you literally hold the future of your career in your hands. If you’re good at what you do, the sky’s the limit. But doing it all yourself outside of the operatory can be a mistake. Business owners need to delegate and trust their staff to do their jobs properly without constant oversight.

Abstract thinking

When treating a patient, you diagnose a physical problem, rely on your training and experience to put together a plan of attack, and then leverage your skills to fix the problem. Training your mind to consider the abstract can be a challenge for some dental professionals. However, this is often how business problems are solved, by trying one thing, analyzing the results, and trying something else as-needed.

Taking business risks

The type of person who becomes a dentist is often a high achiever. A drive for perfection can lead to premier patient care but can be a limit to practice growth if you’re afraid to take business risks. Temporary failure is almost always going to be part of long-term success when it comes to growing a business.