On never giving up (and how to run your business in 60 minutes a month) an interview with Dr Mike Hughes of Deintyddfa Na-Nóg Dental & Implant Team in Bangor, North Wales We begin our new podcasting year with a story of courage and resilience that has led to the creation of an award-winning specialist referral practice in Gwynedd, even though some local councillors and planning officers did their level best to stop the project before it started. Mike Hughes shares his history with us - qualifying as a reluctant dentist second time around in Cardiff and then moving on to develop his passion for MaxFax. After his mentor sold to corporate, Mike continued in that environment for 14 years until his hunger for independence led him to identify a site in a beautiful business park, where his vision was to create a leading specialist led referral centre, a vision that started as a chalk drawing on his driveway. Local planners thought otherwise and he made BBC news headlines back in 2021, when he eventually won his battle for the right to open. The clinic passed the £1m turnover mark in its first year and has gone on to even greater success. All without even having a website! In our conversation you will learn:

• how to grow a 4-chair practice in 2250 sq feet of office space;
• how to open in 3 months after acquiring the building
• how to attract over 400 new complex referral patients in your first year;
• how terrible Chris Barrow is at Welsh pronunciation!
• the three biggest tips for anyone stepping on to the ownership ladder in 2024;
• how Mike runs his business in 60 minutes a month.