Dr. Jones Divulges His Worst Moments as a Practice Owner

 Welcome to SEASON FIVE!!! We kick this season off right with Dr. Jones! Dr. Kuba challenged him to think of some of his worst moments as a practice owner and some of the worst decisions he’s made. So, as he always does – he delivers! He discusses a medical emergency situation, his worst employee, as well as major financial decisions he made completely solo. As he relives each of these “worst” scenarios, he finds silver lining in each of them. While all of the events discussed are negative, he encourages listeners to fight for the positive in all things. 

Previous Episodes Worth Revisiting: 

The “Surface Pressure” is Killing Me, Now What? 

An Interview with Bethany’s Dad – Dr. Jones 

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Transcript

Before we jump into Dr. Jones's worst moments as a practice owner, I have to tell you that the September digest and
0:08
bonus episode drop today. And just like we do every month, it is chocked full of
0:13
so many resources. You get a bonus episode on phone training this month by
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yours truly. You can play it for your team and pick up some really great phone training tips. We have our playbook
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items which are the homework tasks for the week for the month which include a
0:31
schedule template howto as well as some schedule template examples. You get an
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awesome timely downtime task list for the month of September. If you're wondering what to do with your team,
0:43
wonder no more. And then we also have Dr. Kuba's phone call audit so that you
0:49
can teach your team how to audit phone calls. We have our normal six amazing
0:54
team building ideas. The article from Dr. Kuba, the article for myself.
0:59
Honestly, guys, you don't need to wait any further. It is cheap. It is $49.99 a
1:05
month for all of this content. You got to go get it today. Okay, enjoy the
1:11
episode. Dad, welcome back to the show. Thanks for having me. It's always fun
1:17
again. And I am never disappointed with Kuba's topic suggestions. I know it la
1:24
last night she was texting us knowing that you were going to be here. You know, she always forces us to to do this
1:30
together. And she wants dirt is what she said. I know it.
1:35
She said he's so dang positive. We need some some juicy stuff. So thankfully
1:40
you're you don't naturally think of the juicy stuff. So I gave you a heads up last night on you gave me a chance to try back.
1:48
Yeah. Things that have been locked away in my brain. I thought I'd never have to revisit them.
1:54
Spent all last night reliving everything. I've been so depressed all morning. Thanks, Kuba. This is what you've done.
2:02
So, she mentioned several things like the the she said that episode can be called the worst,
2:08
right? And it was just like the worst of patient experience,
2:13
team stuff. So, I'm leaving it open-ended because I'm dying to know was
2:19
that what made the top of your list? Well, I started out so I thought about it and I have two worst patient
2:26
experiences, one worst employee and then two worst
2:33
financial decisions. Okay. Okay. So, Kuba's going to be so excited. She'll be praying for you.
2:39
You You have overachieved. I have overachieved, Kuba. So, first of the first uh worst patient experience.
2:46
It's 1977. I just graduated from dental school. For your younger people, yes,
2:52
there were dinosaurs roaming the earth during that time. And if you remember in
2:57
past episodes, I was working for my uncle. Yes. Brilliant, brilliant man. Um
3:05
an incredible dentist. Even at my age now, he was still going to continuing
3:11
education. He was always on the first row taking notes. Just a a brilliant
3:17
brilliant Yeah.
3:22
But just remarkable, incredible businessman. So, um, in retrospect, I
3:28
could have learned a lot from him, but I was so intimidated by him.
3:33
Yes. I missed a great opportunity to really learn a lot. But anyway, I'm in his
3:39
practice working and it's almost noon and I'm working on um a lady.
3:44
Yeah. And we're doing an amalgam filling. Yes. Children, we used to put metal in your
3:50
mouth and hunt dinosaurs, draw pictures on walls to communicate. Uh so I'd
3:57
finished an an amalgam filling and this is a rather large lady. So, I set her chair up and I'm sitting in in my stool
4:06
still taking notes and she stands up and just falls on top of me. I'm in my
4:12
stool. She falls on top of me. So, I'm on the floor on my back and she's lying
4:17
on top of me face to face and I'm like, "Oh my gosh." You know?
4:24
So, she's fainted. Sinkaby, she's fainted. She's on top of me and the
4:29
assistant is freaking out and I'm freaking out. And so finally
4:34
I'm removed from beneath this lady and she's still on the floor and we're putting inhalance in her nose. Nothing.
4:42
She's not responding to anything. Oh my gosh. So finally we get her big body back up
4:47
in the chair and I'm like, "Oh my gosh, what has just happened?" It's lunch. So
4:52
my uncle has gone home for lunch. So, I'm home there. I'm there alone.
4:59
And we get her in the chair. She's not fully awake yet, but at least we have her in the chair. It's noon. So, I go
5:05
out to the waiting room to tell her husband, "It's going to be a minute because your wife fainted." And as soon as those
5:12
words came out of, we're standing face to face. I'm talking to him. As soon as I say the words, "Your wife fainted," he
5:19
faints and drops to the floor in the waiting room. And I'm like, Oh. Oh my gosh. So,
5:28
so I'm like, "Oh man." So, he's stretched out on the floor. She's stretched out there. And I'm like, "It's
5:36
over. You're done. I'm done with dentistry. As soon as they leave, I'm going to Walmart and I'm
5:41
putting in my application." And uh so, thankfully, it's lunch, so
5:46
there aren't any other patients there. We finally get them out. And it was like
5:52
I I just don't I don't even know what to I was just so distraught. I just wanted
5:57
to go home. So anyway, the lesson I learned from that
6:02
Oh my gosh. that that often not more often than not things are not as bad as they seem at
6:10
the moment. You know, at the moment I thought my career was over cuz everybody in town's going to know about this. It's
6:16
a small town Bon Arkansas. I'm not going to be able to go anywhere, but they're going to go, you're the guy, you are the
6:22
man where husband and wife. That's a that's a double hitter there.
6:28
Uh so often than not things are not as bad as they seem at the moment.
6:33
Yeah. And with time it becomes a great story. Yeah.
6:39
So um so don't be don't be so hard on yourself. Um I wrote down here that
6:44
crap's going to happen. Things are going to happen. Sometimes it's our own decisions and sometimes just life
6:50
happens. Yeah. And sometimes it happens in tandem. Yeah. And but again, I said it's probably not may
6:57
not be that bad or that it it could be a real disaster. It could be awful, but
7:03
what I've learned is you can and you will survive. Yeah. You may not seem that way at the time,
7:09
but we can learn from it. Yeah, I'm not sure I learned anything from that experience uh other than
7:17
life goes on. It was not the worst thing that ever happened to me at the moment. It seemed
7:22
that way. Yeah. And for some of your listeners, what they're going through right now may seem like the worst thing
7:28
they have ever gone through, but you'll survive it. Um learn from it if you can. And I think
7:35
the big thing uh for your listeners is um get help. Yeah. whatever you're going through. Um,
7:41
your survival then will be a great story for your kids, your grandkids, your your
7:47
friends, and it will help them either laugh or maybe they learn learn from it,
7:54
too. Or maybe it just makes them thankful that they're not you. So, I've learned if a large lady is fainting, get out of the way fast. Just
8:00
let her just let her hit the floor and not saving anybody by
8:06
being trapped under. So, that was patient number one. Then I then I thought um a more current one.
8:12
This this patient, patient number two is a current patient and she's been a
8:17
patient for like 5 to seven years. And we all everyone in the office, we all
8:23
want to quit dentistry and go to work for Walmart when we see her on the schedules. She is that patient. She's uh
8:32
loud. She's abrasive. She's vulgar. She
8:38
overreacts to everything. Um,
8:43
I wrote down here, a Q-tip in her mouth to her is the equivalent to passing a
8:48
kidney stone. It's just, you put a Q-tip in your mouth and you think, "Oh my
8:53
lord, she's not." So, um, our office is 3900
8:59
square ft. 800 square f feet upstairs. stairs.
9:05
You can hear her in all parts of the office. All parts of the office. All parts of
9:11
the office. Is absolutely terrible. And uh so she was just in
9:18
recently and we're doing two crowns on her. I'm like, why why are we doing this? Um it's
9:25
just not worth the money. And so we're doing a crown.
9:31
Typical. I'm numb the way that I always numb. But uh so crown number 12, crown
9:37
number 19, I didn't do any kind of palatal injection. Yeah. Because I knew what kind of response
9:44
that we were going to get. So I'm prepping and I'm on the lingual of the tooth and I touch the tissue a
9:50
little bit. Oh, that's it. Oh no. screaming and crying and balling and
9:59
mfing and effing and effing and effing as loud as she can.
10:05
Oh, and so we have new patients everywhere. Oh, yeah. Like right next next door.
10:11
And and it's just bad. It is just bad.
10:17
And you can't shut her up. No. Once she starts. I'm and I'm not very often very
10:24
uh stirring, but I took her face and I and I said,
10:30
"This is all in your head. It is not hurting that much."
10:35
Oh, that only escalated. Oh no. Oh no. So anyway, long story short, I leave the
10:42
room. I have a great staff. So they come in and take over. I I'd really finished
10:48
prepping. Yeah. And uh so the hygienist gave her another
10:53
injection which miraculously was just perfect. Perfect.
10:58
Yeah. Yeah. And um so now there's something wrong with my technique.
11:04
Yeah. And she's going to sue me. Oh. Because of poor technique.
11:09
Mhm. So then when she leaves, she's got a piece of paper and she's writing notes.
11:14
She's looking around and writing notes. And we're like, nobody's going to
11:20
respond to her. She's up at the front desk looking at them, writing notes. Yeah. You know, like, I'm taking notes
11:27
at this place. So, you know, I really expected to hear something from the state board or, you
11:33
know, someone uh but she was in this week back
11:39
back because we have to seat the crowns. We can't fire her because she's got temporaries on. So, we um get the crowns
11:46
on and and we had talked about it after she left last time. She loves nitrous
11:53
oxide, but is that is is that doing something right for her? So, when she was in this last
11:59
time, no nitrous oxide. Um and she did better.
12:05
Did better. But, um our long-term game plan is just not reschedule her back.
12:11
Yeah. She's not on the schedule for hygiene or anything. And
12:16
just see if it'll fade into the sunset. Yeah. Yeah. And because also you don't want to poke the
12:21
bear by firing her and then she follow through. Yeah. Oh. And and when she was having this
12:27
outburst, her husband is in the room and and I
12:33
think that helped too because he had never been in the room before, so she was like overthe-top crazy and he's
12:39
filming it all. on his phone. Uh
12:44
yeah. So this last time that they were in, Amanda went in and said, "Due to hippie,
12:50
you cannot have that phone. You cannot have that phone on." But yeah. So anyway, so I think it's okay. But I
12:57
really expected something legally to happen cuz she's just
13:02
that that kind of person. Yeah. Cuz cuz I don't know how to give an injection after 48 years. You did
13:08
something. But anyway, oh my god. So after 48 years, you still
13:13
have you still have that. Oh. So what did I learn from what am I still
13:20
trying to learn is that you don't have to treat everyone. Yeah. Just because they walk in your front
13:25
door, if they create such chaos, um you just don't have to you don't have
13:32
to treat them. Of course, my personality and Amanda, our office manager, had been
13:38
wanting to fire her for a long time. Yeah. But Melissa, our hygiene coordinator, says, "No, I can manage the
13:45
I can manage her. We have a connection." Yeah. She's not ready. She's not in the room,
13:51
though. She's like, "Yeah, we're done with her." Uh, so I wrote down here, "If this person needed a full mouth
13:57
reconstruction, it would not be worth the financial rewards." No. So you don't have to you don't don't
14:04
feel compelled. You don't have to if they don't you know if there's too much trouble. It's just too much stress on
14:11
your staff. Yeah. Too much stress on on these new patients. Will they ever come back? You
14:18
know when that's the experience they're hearing break out next door. Thankfully there was the guy next door and brand
14:24
new patient and uh you know I would go over and say you know I was so so sorry.
14:32
I think we ended up doing some crowns on him but it's a mira it's a miracle cuz I
14:38
would have left if I'd been a new patient like I don't know what's happened to this is a bad place. Well,
14:44
and again, that helps you spot the difference in you've got one that's flipping out and being just so dramatic,
14:51
and then you've got a brand new patient with no loyalty, no connection, willing to stay and even do treatment. You're
14:57
like, "Okay, that's the kind of patient we want to fill our office with is that new patient, and then kick out the what
15:03
a clear Oh, yeah. You know, comparison right there of who you want in your office and who you
15:09
don't want." Yeah. It's tough though when you have a a heart of wanting to do what's right
15:16
for the people like the the bad patient. You want, you know, you I don't know if it's some of my
15:22
personality that I just want everybody to like me. You're like, I'm going to make this
15:28
woman like me. But some people just don't have a likable bone in their body. They're not going to like anybody.
15:33
No. and and it's just her personality, but it just I'm sure she's that way in
15:41
life because in talking to her, you know, when she teaches as a Henderson, there's always conflict there, you know.
15:47
So, it's just who she is. But for your guy, your guys and girls out there, you don't
15:53
have to treat everybody. Yeah. Listen to this old man. Don't do it. Just don't Yeah. refer them.
15:59
Too much heart. Someone you don't like. Have you tried this dentistry?
16:05
Great. Great. Great. Okay. Uh my worst employee and I have
16:11
one. Okay. Cuz really I think we've been really fortunate. Yeah.
16:16
But this patient um came on board like three or four years ago. I lose track of
16:21
time. Started out absolutely phenomenal. Just great. Energetic. um
16:28
came up with some great ideas on helping stopping people from falling in
16:34
the cracks. Yeah. You know, they leave but they don't schedule. Uh at that time, we didn't have any
16:42
system to keep up with them. So, she came up with her own little idea of of how we
16:48
keep up with these people. Just really great. But then I noticed over time uh
16:53
that she was not nearly as energetic. started complaining. I'm usually the
16:58
first one there. So, everyone comes in the back door through the break room and
17:03
I would say hi and she might not even respond like good morning or nothing.
17:09
And you're the only one in the room. I'm the only one there. So, that started irritating me a little bit like
17:15
crap. Yeah. And then if she did say it's just like, oh, it's terrible, terribly.
17:23
So anyway, she started out great and then was just negative. Woe is me.
17:31
She walked around with like a cloud over her head all the time. And that weather
17:36
situation then that cloud started spreading all over the office, you know.
17:42
This wasn't an isolated storm. Everybody just started. So ultimately, I mean, should have fired
17:50
her. Yeah. again. I hate to do that. I hate conflict. You
17:57
know me, I hate conflict. Let's just put up with it. And and finally, she left.
18:04
She just sometime in there, not this isn't why she quit, but she had a needle prick cleaning. She had a needle prick.
18:11
Oh, I've got I've got hepatitis. I've got hepatitis now. She really wanted to have hepatitis
18:19
and went and got tested and was so disappointed. Yeah. Jeez. Because I think she probably wanted to
18:25
try to sue me or something, you know. Yeah. Your needle needle protocol is terrible. I got stuck and now I've got hepatitis.
18:33
But anyway, and I don't know. I think um I think her personality was just a um
18:40
very unhappy person just in general. in general, like her whole life was a mess. So, I think what
18:47
I've learned from that one is just like with that patient, you should
18:52
just cut the relationship off early cuz it's never going to get any better. Try
18:59
Yeah, you can try things. Yeah. But don't feel like because it was
19:04
amazing when she quit the mood in the whole office was like overnight change. I see that so many
19:12
times just like Yeah. overnight. Yeah. Sunny quickly.
19:17
Yeah. It I can't tell you how many times that happens. And it's like it's weird how you get you just make yourself get
19:24
used to it. Yeah. This is just the norm. It is rainy. It is cloudy. This is just our norm. And
19:30
you just you just stay in it. You just put on galashes and a raincoat and an umbrella.
19:36
When you know that you have a solution, but you don't know it in the moment. You're just daytoday you're not thinking
19:43
about it. I can't tell you how many offices that I step into that have major issues. They can't just they just can't
19:49
figure out what it is. And not always, but sometimes it it comes down to one
19:55
one person. One person, which is so sad um that that one person
20:01
can have such a negative impact, but it does. you just trudge through it and you
20:07
can't break out of it until either they leave on their own or somebody makes it
20:14
clear to the boss that hey it is this one person and then it's like it is that one person you know and
20:20
it I agree with you it is not worth it and yes we can try bring it to their
20:25
attention see if there's a change but don't don't let it linger for long it it
20:30
has a pervasive effect on the whole team yeah it's yeah It's just sad.
20:36
Yeah. But uh I guess the lesson from that of
20:42
what did I have written down here? That we should try to help them but not
20:48
sacrifice our fellow employees and patients in attempt to rescue them because that's that's not our job.
20:54
Exactly. To rescue them. Exactly. Um, so then uh finally my worst
21:01
financial decisions. I could have written several pages. Could have written down several as you
21:08
know. But you narrowed it to two. I narrowed it to two. The first one was um so with I'm with my uncle for three
21:14
years. Yeah. As as you your friends online remember. He fired me. Eventually
21:20
I have a solo practice there in town. Then I have two locations.
21:26
Yeah. U one in Benton and about five miles away is Bryant Bryant.
21:32
And um so at the first location, the Benton location, I'm working Monday through Thursday, 8 to 5. Then I would
21:41
leave there and go to the Bryant location. Monday through Thursday, work 6:00 to 9 and then work on Friday at the
21:48
Bryant location and Saturday on the Bryant the Bryant location. Oh my gosh. So that was just for a year,
21:54
but I was working 65 hours a week. And um I knew Dr. Smith was going to be
22:01
graduating from the University of Tennessee. Benton boy. He's going to come back.
22:07
He's going to come in to practice with me. Um so my mistake there was I didn't
22:13
reach out for any consultant. I didn't reach out for any wisdom.
22:19
Yeah. I just came up with a number that I thought, well, that's that sounds pretty
22:24
good. So, Lane's Lane got to buy half,
22:30
not 49%, half straight up 50/50 part. Straight up 50/50. A two office practice
22:37
for $50,000. Oh, I never knew that. I literally just
22:42
wanted to throw up. $50,000. My gosh, what a sweet deal.
22:49
Wow. Yeah, that was insane. So, so dumb.
22:56
Oh. Um. Wow. Yeah. So, you would think I would get
23:02
smarter, but I didn't. So, then midnight. So, that's that. So,
23:10
there's no telling how much I left on the table. Oh, yeah. Yeah. But because what should have
23:17
happened you like you said I said already but what should have happened in that scenario is at the very least
23:24
evaluation of the practice. Yeah. So not even you don't even have to necessarily rope in a full consultant to
23:30
help with the transition process. Of course I recommend that but um at least
23:35
getting a broker firm to do evaluation which is relatively
23:41
inexpensive. Oh yeah. But it shows you the value of the practice. And then you know, okay,
23:47
if the value of the practice is $500,000, then if he's buying 50% of that
23:54
practice, he would pay $250,000. And that, so the math goes. Um, but
24:00
yeah, if you don't know, you're coming up with a number that you think sounds good. Yeah. Oh, that sounded sounded great.
24:07
Great. Of course, this was um 19
24:13
81 or two somewhere in there. So, um there were probably consultant firms and
24:19
broker firms out there. They not like today you have so many options
24:25
uh today. But anyway, jump forward to the n mid 1990s.
24:31
Um, I started out in music at Washaw Baptist and I was going to be a worship
24:36
leader and I think I've shared that I realized after two years I really don't
24:42
have any talent. I've got a little but not enough to make a career at this. So,
24:48
um, that year my hometown dentist had a young man working in his office
24:55
waiting to get into oral surgery school. Oh. So, I had two appointments with that guy that year and I was so impressed
25:02
with him. I was like, I want to do what you're doing. Yeah. Even though I had an uncle in the bis
25:08
business, it was this little Yeah. this young young man. So then I switched switched
25:14
to dentistry. And uh but the two years of music didn't go to waste because I
25:19
was always a worship leader in a church all the way through dental school during
25:26
pra uh while I was in practice. So somewhere in the mid 1990s
25:31
I can't remember exactly. I thought I'm supposed to do full-time church work.
25:36
Yeah, I am supposed to do that. God's telling me to do that. So, in order to do that,
25:42
even though I was bivocational, I was doing it. Yeah, you were already. But I wanted to do I'm supposed to do it
25:48
full-time. And so, now I got to find somebody to buy my practice. And there was a young
25:54
dentist, Rick Kaine, moving back to Arkansas from somewhere. The timing was
26:00
perfect. Oh, it's a God thing. You know, again, I'm sure God would say get a
26:05
consult at this point cuz the Bible talks about, you know, there's wisdom and and get seeking
26:13
counsel. Yes, I missed that scripture verse cuz here I go again. Let's come up with evaluation for this
26:20
practice. Now, now we have moved everything to one location
26:26
and I've forgotten how many ops we have at that time. A lot. Yeah. For us, it was like maybe eight ops.
26:32
Yeah. Two full-time hygienists. Um, pretty good. Two dentists. Two dentists.
26:38
Um, two. Yeah. Two dentists, two or four assistants. I'm thinking my
26:45
half of this is probably worth $200,000. Oh, no.
26:50
That sounds like a good number. Do you see a pattern here for your dad? Oh my gosh.
26:56
So, we agreed $200,000. I'm sure he was like thrilled. Oh, yeah. Because then he
27:02
even uh got a better deal. He says, "I don't have 200,000. I don't want to go borrow
27:08
borrow 200,000." Isn't that crazy? In the 1990s and um
27:15
but I have a h 100,000. So, I'll give you a h 100,000 and let me pay out this
27:21
other 100,000 uh over the next five years. And the current rate at the banks at
27:29
that if you're borrowing was like at that time 7% maybe. Yeah.
27:34
But I want it at 3%. So would your dad do? Well, sure.
27:40
It sounds good. Sure. You know, I understand. So again, no evaluation, no outside help to give
27:49
me wisdom. So, how'd y'all even put together like the
27:55
the contract, so to speak? I think it was on a napkin.
28:04
Might as well might as well have been handshake deal. Yeah, I'm sure. I can't remember,
28:10
Bethany, but I'm sure maybe Ray Baxter drew up a contract or something. Okay,
28:16
I think. Who knows? I may still own the practice. Oh Jesus.
28:23
But anyway, so that that was just terrible. So too terrible financial decisions. So the lesson for you guys
28:30
out there and and I think I think I was afraid as I've thought about this, I I
28:37
think I was afraid to ask for help because I was afraid of the answers that
28:43
I might get to those questions. Yeah. I didn't really want to, which is so stupid. I didn't really want to ask what
28:49
is my practice worth. Yeah. Cuz you didn't want to know because I thought maybe I thought maybe
28:55
I'm asking more than it was really worth at 200,000. Maybe I'm being, you know,
29:01
maybe that's too too much. So I would say for you guys, don't be afraid to ask the questions.
29:07
Yeah. Cuz you need the answer. You may not like the answer, but you need the answer
29:13
to make wise wise decisions. Yeah. Because those those two decisions
29:19
were probably worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Yes. And and loss. Yeah.
29:24
Um something that you had invested. Oh yeah. My life. Yeah. Money. Not only money but your
29:32
time, energy, you know, you Yeah. That one year when I was working 65 hours, I I didn't see you guys much.
29:39
You were already in bed when I got home and was there on Saturdays. Uh
29:46
so yeah, so reach out. I you know what I see too as a trend
29:52
right now with that is um not to sound like an old fogy, but with
29:58
a with the younger generation of docs that I see coming out, I see a tendency
30:05
for them to ask each other. So it's like the blind leading the blind
30:12
like, "Oh, hey buddy, you know, you started your practice six months ago. Can you
30:17
give me your advice?" And not that that's in not that that's there's value there,
30:22
but it's limited value. Sure. And it I see a lot of docs just it
30:30
sounds so simple based on the way that their buddy described it
30:35
that they just replicate that. Yeah. And I it drives me crazy because I'm
30:41
like there are more resources out there and and I get it. That's our comfort
30:47
zone. So it's almost like what you're saying when you resisted the or it's like I don't want to know the answer.
30:54
So it's almost like the same pattern but they realize that's unwise and so they'll ask a few buddies,
31:00
right? And it's like, okay, well, no, I've asked people. You're like, that that is not the full
31:05
of it because you got to ask somebody. That'd be like me back when I'm a
31:10
newlywed having, you know, marriage issues asking another newlywed
31:16
how to navigate it. It's like they don't know any better than I do. You seek
31:21
counsel from either vendors, like actual outside sources, people that do that for Yeah. or you you
31:28
look for a mature mentor that can help you make some of
31:34
those decisions, you know, because they've seen things, they've experienced things at this point that your buddy just hasn't experienced. So, I would say
31:41
don't mistake asking somebody to mean your buddy who's in the same stage of
31:49
career that you're in. Yeah, there's somewhere and uh things that I I had written down um to tell
31:55
your people Don't be the smartest person in your circle. Yeah.
32:01
Be willing to um be willing to reach out to these people that are super
32:06
successful or people that do this for a living. Yeah.
32:12
Um Yeah. Because I was asking your fellow
32:17
people that are at the same game level that you're at. Yeah.
32:23
Is there such a limited view? It it it it is a false sense. You feel like I'm
32:29
getting some I'm I'm reaching out. But again,
32:34
don't be afraid to reach out to the people and ask those questions like I
32:40
that you you really need these answers. You don't want to know these answers because then once I have this answer,
32:46
I'm going to be forced to make a decision. Yeah. Yeah. It's almost like um I for
32:56
years now have listened to real estate podcasts. I have read every real estate
33:01
book there is. Yeah. But I won't pull the trigger and do anything.
33:08
So I have that false sense of I'm making progress because I'm gaining
33:13
education and knowledge. But knowledge without action is just worthless. Yeah. Yeah. So, some of your friends and
33:22
your people on your podcast that are listening to you, uh, if you have an
33:28
issue that needs to be resolved, you need to get beyond
33:34
education, you need to have someone that can help you take that next step,
33:39
whatever that next step, Yeah. is, whether it's finance or your staff
33:45
or a bad patient. Yeah. what whatever it is just don't go alone
33:51
dentistry I think in maybe my age maybe not so much the younger g younger people
33:58
we were just solo so I didn't want the guy next door to know what I was doing it was just like
34:04
we're so isolated um and that's not good
34:09
no it is I think it's very isolating and I think we've we've developed a false
34:15
sense of connection either with our few buddies or there's so many um online you
34:21
know Facebook groups where there's these connections so to speak over um you know
34:28
these group chats or hey let me throw out a question and I'll get people that respond to
34:33
these questions which again I'm not saying that those are invalid that's that's one right
34:40
one silo of information but don't let that be your only information and I
34:45
would also caution against your your spouse. Yeah. Being a
34:53
so many times I'll see that either a client of mine or I'm hearing of a situation where
35:00
a person a dentist made a decision under the counsel of his or her style
35:07
and it was a terrible decision. Yeah. And I'm like, what what skill set do
35:15
they have in this situation? Or I'll see a client that's like wrestling with a
35:21
decision. They know what's right, but they've got a spouse in their ear going,
35:26
"What I think you need to do is this." Right? And I and I'll say, "Are they in the
35:31
practice? Are they are they there on a daily ba?" Oh, no, no, no, no. They they have their own full-time job. And I'm
35:38
thinking, then how can you develop an opinion? Yeah. Based on one
35:43
on the little bit of information you're getting from from the dentist. The dentist. Yeah.
35:48
And so it's not just seek counsel, it's seek the right counsel or put together
35:56
your your counsel team
36:01
and and it's not that your spouse is irrelevant in that. It's just that may be one voice among five or six other
36:07
voices that you're having to really weigh out. So, u and online is one
36:13
voice, but it can't be my spouse and online, right? And I'm done. I've got all the
36:19
information I need. It's just not enough. And I think
36:25
maybe I know for me I was I think maybe embarrassed.
36:32
Yeah. um by what whatever you know embarrassed by
36:42
I I I just don't really know I was just embarrassed of someone an outside person
36:47
to take a magnifying in glass and look at the practice
36:52
and again that's because I didn't want to know the answer you're you're inefficient you're you got
36:59
to get rid of this person you know So then if I quote don't know,
37:06
yeah, it's not my fault that we're in this situation, yeah, I'm doing the best that I can. So I
37:13
think it's hard to hard to face our own weaknesses. Yeah. Face our own failures. And so sometimes,
37:21
and I'm just talking to myself, I'll just I'll just go full blast and make up
37:27
for any weaknesses by just working harder rather than
37:33
look at that weakness and change it. Yeah. Yeah. Don't bring your mother in here cuz she
37:39
was We won't We won't let her She will get She'll jump on that.
37:44
She'll jump on that one in a minute. So, I wrote down finally positives from the
37:50
negatives. Yes. You know, negative. Sorry, Kuba. You're going to get some positives. Negative um patients, negative staff,
37:57
negative financial. And so, number one is because of the
38:02
negatives with the bad patients. Yeah. I so appreciate the normal patients.
38:08
Yes. So grateful for them. Yeah. Oh my gosh. You're just You're
38:13
wonderful. Yeah. you are absolutely wonderful and you make my day and thank you for being
38:19
you know we have a lot of patients we're really fortunate that will drive for us it's a
38:25
long distance in Arkansas an hour and an hour and a half and they pass a lot of dentists
38:31
to come to come see me so I'm so grateful so uh and I appreciate the good
38:37
days when you um I appreciate the good days now that we don't have any negative
38:42
person Not a single one. Yeah. And and so I come energized and I leave
38:49
energized and it's been a good day. Number two, I appreciate the team we have now. They're all positive. They're
38:55
absolutely funny. They're hardworking. They are vulgar, but they are
39:03
they are a good group of girls. And as I've said before, they like spending time with each other outside the office.
39:09
Yeah, man. I I It's just great. Great. Yeah. I'll bail him out jail if I have
39:16
to. Um and having u
39:22
a partner and not having a partner and selling and all of those mistakes that I made. It
39:29
makes me appreciate the practice that I have now. Yeah. Which you look back at those mistakes
39:36
like selling the practice. I tell people I gave away my practice when I
39:41
yeah was close thought I was going to go into wor worship which I think I've said before I
39:47
sold the practice now God's going to open the door for us what's next that
39:52
four months I spent with your mother working out in the yard and then God spoke through her cuz one day she said
39:58
it was not God back to work um so I did go back to work um but
40:06
at the time that was it was a really stupid financial mistake cuz I did leave
40:12
hundreds of thousands of dollars on the table. But the positive is I would not have the
40:18
practice I have now had I stayed in that practice. Yeah. I'm back in my hometown.
40:24
It's a better practice than I would have ever had in Benton. Yeah. Uh so you have to look at the positives
40:31
that if this hadn't happened, I wouldn't be where I am today. Right. Yeah. That's the way you have to
40:36
look at it. Oh yeah. Um so uh I have a wonderful life, awesome
40:44
family, incredible practice. Um you don't get to where I am at 74 and 40
40:49
years of practice without making mistakes along the way. Yes. And you guys will make mistakes and it's
40:55
okay because sometimes those mistakes will be great stories. Yeah. Great stories and may lead you to
41:01
a path that you wouldn't have gotten to without the mistakes. Oh yeah. So there's a there's a even if it doesn't feel like there's a purpose
41:07
in it in that moment, there could be. Yeah. And hindsight's 2022 2020 and you look back
41:13
and go, "Now I understand." But at the moment, you probably won't. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I agree completely. I
41:21
think that's, you know, as much as we can sit in the the muck and the mire of
41:27
decisions or things and not even decisions, things that have happened to us or whatever. I mean, like, you got to
41:33
change the vantage point and just go, "Hey, yeah, this has been crappy, but you know what?
41:38
It's it's going to point me in a certain direction, and I survived." Yeah. And and that means a that means a lot.
41:44
That means a lot. Yeah. Oh, man. Those are good. Some of those I didn't even know about, so that was fun.
41:50
I knew you'd be really sad about that. What? $50,000? Oh my gosh.
41:56
Or $200,000. Oh, both of them together. You could have made that on the first sale.
42:02
Combine it. I know. But that's okay. You're here now. But now all your podcasts are just like that
42:08
guy's an idiot. Don't ever bring him back again. No, they just feel just learn.
42:16
Yeah. I hope you guys feel great. Oh, well, thanks for uh getting into the
42:23
worst. I know it for Kuba. Okay, Kuba. Do you like it? Oh, thanks, Dad. I love you.
42:29
Thanks for joining the conversation today. We hope that you are comforted in knowing that you are not alone, but we
42:36
also hope that you're walking away with some really great tips and tricks to try in your practice.
42:43
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