Key Points at a Glance

• Gary Takacs, Founder of the Thriving Practice Academy, in conversation with Naren Arulrajah
• Has beennick named the ‘PodFather’
• Started in the dental profession in 1980
• Started the Thriving Practice Academy in 1989
• Hosts the Thriving Dentist Podcast Show
• Not a practicing dentist, but owns a dental practice – Life Smiles
• Encourages work / life balance for more family time
• Uses the term ‘thriving’ because dentists can change people’s lives and it means dentists and others can achieve personal, professional and financial satisfaction
• 6 goals for a Thriving practice:1- Overhead no higher than 60 %, ideally 50 %, 2-The ability to create financial independence for yourself thru the practice, 3-All technology that makes dentistry fun, and still control your overhead no higher than 60 %, ideally 50%, 4-High performance team that you truly love and enjoy working with, 5-Patients you enjoy taking care of,6- a treatment mix that gives you satisfaction
• Unplanned expenses
• Abundance vs scarcity mindset
• Moving towards a thriving practice; 1- digital photos for patient education, 2-morning huddle, review patient headshot to remember who you are taking care of that day, 3- work on getting Google reviews (you must have a gmail to write a review, look to see which of you patients has a gmail), 4- KPI: key performance indicators to monitor the performance of your practice

Key Points at a Glance

• Dr. Evelyn Samuel, Entrepreneur and Dentist, in conversation with Naren Arulrajah
• Wanted to become a dentist at 5 yrs old
• Picked up pearls of wisdom from each practice while contracting
• Learned and developed own vision as an Associate before opening practice
• Opened practice 5 yrs after dental school in 2004
• Started new practice in 2016
• Starting a practice from scratch
• Tips and hints in negotiating
• Marketing and putting yourself out there
• Good customer service = lifelong patients
• The main focus in the early years of a practice
• Bringing in life balance at the mid-mark

There are two options VIP and Self Study. Here is what’s involved:

• All training is available on line NOW!
• 100 % Online
• 13 Training Videos
• Bonus Cheat Sheets and Checklists
• Access to Future Course Upgrades
• Members Only Private Facebook Mastermind Group to confer with other dentists who are going through the startup process *VIP Only*
• One Live Strategic Coaching Call- 30 minutes- via Zoom/Skype *VIP Only*

Here’s what attendees will create:

• A Plan of Action to Move Toward THEIR GOALS
• A Place of Business That Suits Their Liking
• An Establishment that abides by Their Terms
• An Asset for Their Future
• Control Over Their Business
• Freedom

Attendees will discover effective communication skills that increase your bottom line:

• why no one should ever answer your phone until they’ve completed “Telephone Bootcamp”
• the real reason patients aren’t scheduling
• how to get everyone on the same page with a consistent message
• how to get patients to show up for their appointment
• what to say, and more importantly what not to say to your guests seeking your practice

Key Points at a Glance

• Darren Kaberna, Accelerate My Practice, in conversation with Naren Arulrajah
• Grew up on a pig farm, so learned to work hard at an early age
• Started in dentistry in 1997
• Make subtle changes in the office that will have a massive effect over time
• Self discovery and checking the facts
• Motivation within the staff
• Have a solution for each possible issue
• Having a trusted right hand
• Get to KNOW your business

Key Points at a Glance

• Kathy Kirkby, Founder of The Best Practice Coaching, in conversation with Naren Arulrajah
• Started out in dentistry as a dental assistant
• Has been a consultant for 35 years
• Start with appointments and scheduling
• Reduce available appointment times
• Staffing: Motivation and absenteeism
• Roles and what staff members excel at
• The patient experience
• Retirement and increasing value of the practice
• Re-care and looking at patients who have not been back in years
• Overhead and expenses

Key Points at a Glance

• Heidi Mount, Virtual Consultative Coach, in conversation with Naren Arulrajah
• Worked in Oregon and California (at the same time) as a dental assistant and office manager, while consulting other dental offices
• Success Stories
• Taking a better look at schedules
• Start with the money
• Changing mindset issues
• Your mouth tells a lot about what’s going on inside your body
• You need to explain the benefits of what the patient is going to get, instead of focusing on the cost
• Hiring the right team members
• Build your practice around your life, not the other way around
• Consistency is key to keep moving forward

Key Points at a Glance

• Kevin Rossen, Founder of Divergent Dental, in conversation with Naren Arulrajah
• Started in dentistry by managing father’s dental practice
• Top 3 metrics you should be looking at on a daily basis: Case acceptance, Re-appointment rate, New Patients
• On a monthly basis, pay attention to your attritions (those who haven’t been back to see you in the past 18 months)
• Top 3 numbers you should look at on a monthly basis: Attrition, Net production, Treatment plan dollars
• Diagnose and treat your patients for what they really need
• When you look at data, and you ask the right questions and get the right answers, you can make informed decisions that will impact your practice and your patients’ lives
• Top 3 things learned from running a dental office: you should treat people like people, keep things simple, have fun and keep things light
• The concept for Divergent Dental is standing out from the normal

Key Points at a Glance

• Kent Miller, Founder of Dentagraphics, in conversation with Naren Arulrajah
• Has a background in Economic Development
• Has been in the dental industry for four years
• Started in dental industry through a friend who encouraged him
• Helps ensure that the investment the dentist makes is done wisely
• We look at population, age group and income to help determine a match for a specific practice strategy
• Common questions dentists ask
• Helps approximately 50 practices a month open
• Many practices relocate due to needing bigger space
• Start up’s will look to locate a real estate agent, financing, equipment & marketing
• Services available through Dentagraphics
• There is a lot of opportunity for location out there, where there isn’t a ton of competition

Key Points at a Glance

• Doug Fettig, Aldrich CPA & Advisors, in conversation with Naren Arulrajah
• Services 250 Dental clients around the country
• We understand how a Dental practices’ colleagues and peers operate
• Using cost segregation analysis to benefit a practice
• Leveraging depreciation benefits
• Don’t let your CPA depreciate everything in the first year
• Fraud and embezzlement in the dental practice
• Bank statements should go to your home, not your practice
• Recommend using ‘Zero’ over ‘QuickBooks’ for daily managing
• Benchmarks on production
• Wealth management
• Purchasing a currently run practice
• Fee analysis

Key Points at a Glance

• Norman Gelfand, founder of Gelfand Group, in conversation with Naren Arulrajah
• Real estate broker for 30 years
• The past 16 years has focused solely on helping dentists
• The biggest mistake most dentists make is focusing on economics rather than the liabilities and pitfalls they are signing up for
• The 3 elements of Economics: lease rate, tenant improvements allowance and free rent involved with transaction
• Business focus of the lease
• Fighting the relocation clause
• Right to bond around the Lean
• Protect against Latent defects
• Understanding the landlords needs and the dentists needs
• Business terms of a lease
• There are always nuances in leases that you have to be aware of
• Options for renewal
• Collaborative negotiations
• Be a gentleman, know your business, know what you need, know how to get what you need and understand the landlord is a business man also
• Be honest, loyal and diligent. Make sure everything is the best it can be for your customer
• Happy tenants make happy landlords and happy landlords make happy tenants
• Demographics involved