Page 109 - The Dental Entrepreneur

The Dental Entrepreneur

foreman. It was a fun place to work and we generally had a different task every day. On my
first day the foreman took me back to some railroad cars that had just been unloaded. He
handed me a broom and told me to sweep them out. He also informed me that coffee break
was at 10 and lunch at noon. I attacked this somewhat menial task with great enthusiasm
because I was so thrilled to have a job paying twice what any of my friends were making. I
would clean those boxcars like they had never been cleaned before. After my 10 o'clock break
I went up to the foreman and told him I had finished and that these were the cleanest boxcars
in town. I also asked him what he would like for me to do next. He paused for a second then
carefully placed his arm around me shoulder and said “son, you don’t understand, the job that I
gave you was supposed to last you all day”. In other words the job needed to expand to fill the
time allowed. I had done the job in the time needed and also done by someone happy and
enthused.

When you look at your potential job applicants, keep in mind that many are well versed in this
attitude. They can make any task expand to fill the entire day because they have learned and
gotten away with this type of performance. These people can look busy breathing. They may
have come from an environment where the dentist they worked for was convinced that he
needed three assistants and three people at the front desk. He just loved all the hustle and
bustle but he couldn’t understand why he wasn’t making any money.

It is critical in your hiring to assemble a team of unselfish and motivated people who
understand the opportunities that the job has to offer. Anyone who has ever been self
employed understands this. The right team member wants to learn new skills and keep busy. It
makes the day fly by. When it comes down to how much to pay, you must be committed to
manage your overhead by the PERCENTAGES and know that you have x dollars dedicated to
salaries. It’s a math equation not an emotional decision.You cannot pay more than the

percentages allow you to. You therefore have guidelines to refer to when someone asks you if
they can have a raise. It is based on how successful your cash flow is not how someone
“feels”. Make me more profitable and I can pay you more! If you have a very productive
individual month or two, It is proper to have a bonus plan, that can recognize this without
getting into the long term commitment of a raise. I am speaking from direct experience that
you do not have to be overstaffed. I had the great blessing of having only one primary dental
assistant in my entire career. I will not take the credit for hiring her because I inherited her from
the dentist whose practice I bought. She is a “clean the boxcar by first break” kind of person.
During lunch she did lab denture relines, made bleaching trays and occlusal rims. She loved
work and she loved her job. She was the highest paid by far in our region. I could afford to and
keep my overhead within the top percentages in the business.

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