Are You Running Your Practice, or Is It Running You?

You went into dentistry with a picture in your head. Your own practice. Your own schedule. A good income, and the freedom to enjoy it. Somewhere along the way, a lot of doctors lose sight of that picture. The practice grows, the problems pile up, and before long the business isn’t serving your life anymore. It has become your life.

If that sounds familiar, you are not alone. It is one of the most common things I see in practice owners. And the good news is that it can be fixed.

Table of Contents

• The Two Main Reasons Practice Owners Seek Help
• Why Many Doctors Wait Too Long to Get Help
• The Most Common Regret I Hear from Clients
• Your Practice Should Support Your Life, Not Replace It
• You Can Control Your Hours and Your Income
• Warning Signs Your Practice Needs Help
• Key Takeaways

The Two Main Reasons Practice Owners Seek Help

When a doctor comes to MGE, it is usually for one of two reasons. Either they are doing fine but have a bigger goal they just can’t seem to reach, or they are in so much trouble that they know they have to do something. Different starting points, but they both come down to the same thing. They are not achieving their goals in life.

When I dig into what is really going on, about 90% of the time it comes down to one of two things:

• Time. The practice has taken over. There is no room left for family, for rest, or for anything outside the office. The business is their life.
• Money. They are not making what they should be making, given how hard they work and how much they have invested.

Either one creates a constant, low-grade stress that follows a doctor home every night. And many doctors carry that stress for years before they do anything about it.

Why Many Doctors Wait Too Long to Get Help

I have a great deal of respect for the doctors I work with. Dental school builds thick skin. You learn to push through long hours, high pressure, and problems that would make most people walk away. That toughness is a real strength, and it is part of what makes dentists such good business owners when they have the right tools.

But it has a downside. Doctors are so used to pushing through pain that they often wait far too long to ask for help. They tell themselves it isn’t that bad. They tell themselves next year will be different. And they keep grinding, because that is what they were trained to do.

The Most Common Regret I Hear from Clients

I hear this all the time. I hear it most from doctors who have been practicing for many years and are getting closer to the end of their careers. They finally see what their practice could have been, and they realize how much they missed out on.

What is interesting is that they usually don’t say it on day one. It tends to come later, once they are well into the program. That is when they start to see how much things can improve, and how much they actually do improve. They find a new way of living and a new way of running their business. And then they look back and wish they had made the move ten or fifteen years earlier.

I share that not to make anyone feel bad, but because I would much rather you hear it from me now than say it yourself later.

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Your Practice Should Support Your Life, Not Replace It

Here is my view on this, and I feel strongly about it. Your business is not your life. It is a part of your life. Whatever you choose to do for work should give you the life you really want.

You should not have to wait until retirement to start living. You should be living the whole way through, especially while you are younger and still have the energy. Think about what that time is really for:

• Your kids. Being present while they are still young, before they are wrapped up in their own lives.
• Your grandchildren. Showing up for the moments that matter.
• Travel and adventure. Seeing the places you want to see while you can still climb that wall, not when your body won’t let you.
• And more! Whatever a full life looks like to you.

Yes, you work to earn money. But not just enough to get by. If all you needed was food and shelter, I could hand you canned food and a tent. That covers the basics. That is not why you went into practice. You wanted a certain quality of life, and that is the whole reason you took on everything you did.

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Getting the Full Return on Practice Ownership

Think about what it took to get where you are today. Most of the doctors I work with didn’t just go to college. They earned a graduate degree, and many came out of school deeply in debt. Then, on top of all that, they chose to take on even more risk. They took out more loans and opened their own practice.

You did not do that by accident. You could have taken a job at a DSO and collected a paycheck. You chose ownership because you believed it would give you a better life. More control over your schedule. Time for the things that matter. A real say in how much you earn for the work you put in.

You have already done the hard part. You put yourself in a position where a great life is within reach. So don’t let the practice take that opportunity away from you.

You Can Control Your Hours and Your Income

Here is something I want every practice owner to understand. When you know how to run a business, two things are completely within your control:

• How many hours you work
• How much money you make

If those two things feel out of your control right now, that is a signal. Either something is being done wrong, or you are missing some key information. Both are fixable. Neither one is just “how dentistry is.”

Warning Signs Your Practice Needs Help

So how do you know when it is time to get help? Ask yourself honestly whether any of these sound familiar:

• Your practice is your whole life. It takes up your time, your energy, and most of your thoughts, even at home.
• Your income doesn’t match your effort. You are working hard, but the numbers aren’t where they should be.
• You keep putting life on hold. Family time, travel, and the things you enjoy are always saved for “someday.”
• You have a bigger goal you can’t reach. Things are fine, but they are not moving forward.
• Stress has become normal. You stopped noticing it because it never goes away.

If even one of these hits home, your practice is not giving you the life you planned for. That is the moment to reach out, not years from now. Whether you get help from us or from someone else, these are not problems you should have to keep living with.

Key Takeaways

Owning a practice should give you more freedom, not less. Here is the short version:

• Most practice problems come down to time or money.
• Being tough is a strength. Waiting too long to get help is not.
• Your business should support your life, not replace it.
• Don’t wait until retirement to start living.
• Your hours and your income can, and should, be under your control.

You have already been through school, the debt, and the risk of opening your own doors. You have earned the chance to live a great life.

So live it.

For any additional questions and information, please call 800-640-1140 or go to MGEonline.com.