The Savvy Dentist

By Dr Jesse GreenBusiness Marketing Management

The Savvy Dentist episodes

October 01, 2024476: Rod Cottam - Building resilience and the Spirit of Invictus
One of the things about life and business is there are always going to be setbacks and adversity. Our lives will be full of challenges and things to overcome.

And the degree to which we experience success in business, and indeed life, is related to our ability to overcome these obstacles, these hurdles, these setbacks. And if we don't already have this skill set, we've got to develop that skill set and build resilience into the way we approach life.

In today’s episode of The Savvy Dentist Podcast, Dr. Jesse Green is joined by Rodney Cottam. Rocket Rod Cottam has resilience in spades.

Rodney is an ex-military man of the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment who loves to run — and whose love of running has helped him overcome some pretty major challenges.

In 2004, Rodney was in a serious motor vehicle accident, sustaining several injuries including a spinal injury, fractured pelvis, broken ribs, punctured lung and multiple lacerations. After two 10-hour surgeries and 12 months of treatment, his long-term prognosis caused by spinal nerve damage is a condition called Brachial Plexus Palsy, which has left Rodney permanently paralysed in his left arm.

In a split second, Rodney went from being an elite soldier, in the best physical shape possible, to completely losing all movement and feeling in one arm, from shoulder to fingertips.

www.runrocketrun.com
Rodney says, “I’d always loved running, but after the accident it was a challenge as I had no strength or support in my shoulder joint. Over time, I found my balance and rhythm, transitioning from an elliptical machine to a treadmill, then to road and trail running.”

Now Rodney runs at least five days and up to 100kms per week, and in October 2024, he will run his third trail run challenge in support of Invictus Australia. This year he will be running for 7 days, covering 560km.

The plan is to complete a major challenge each year and participate in ultra-trail events in Australia and around the world under a project called Run Rocket Run.

“When we believe in ourselves, we are capable of so much more than we think. We can push ourselves, physically and mentally, way past any perceived threshold. And this journey—this commitment to ourselves—is an incredibly special and rewarding one.”
~ Rodney Cottam
[5:50] - The Military is much like your Dental Practice, it reveals more about you as a human than you possibly think.
[8:03] - The day that changed everything. Rod was simply riding his motorcycle to work …
[17:01] - Laying in hospital with a broken pelvis, punctured lung, broken ribs, an arm that's not doing what it used to do. How do you reevaluate your life, stay optimistic, and what do you think about your future?
[23:01] - So how does a person who has had muscle surgically removed from his legs and attached to his paralysed arm, find relief and harmony in ultra-running?
[25:34] - How the Invictus Games became Rod's purpose in life.
[28:04] - What does resilience mean, and what does it take to be resilient in business?
39 min
September 24, 2024475: Tom Potter - How I started, grew and scaled Eagle Boys Pizza
Welcome to The Savvy Dentist Podcast, the show where great dentistry meets savvy business! Join Dr. Jesse Green as we explore the strategies and insights that drive the most successful practices.

In today’s episode, Dr. Jesse Green is joined by a true Australian business legend, Tom Potter, the visionary founder of Eagle Boys Pizza.

Tom is one of Australia’s most outstanding retailers, entrepreneurs and inspirational leaders and his straightforward, no nonsense approach is sure to resonate with you.

Tom left school at 15 and found himself jobless at 23. He opened his first pizza shop in Albury, New South Wales in 1987 and proceeded to build his business to become Australia and New Zealand’s largest privately owned pizza company. Tom's journey is nothing short of remarkable.

In this episode of The Savvy Dentist Podcast Tom shares the ups and downs of scaling a business, his lessons learned from leading a brand, and how you, as a dental practice owner, can apply Tom’s exact principles to grow and thrive in your own local business.

Whether you're a seasoned practice owner or just starting out, this conversation is packed with practical advice to help you build a successful, sustainable business. So sit back, grab a notebook, and let’s dive into this episode of The Savvy Dentist Podcast with Dr. Jesse Green!
[1:57] - From working in a flour mill … to starting a small regional pizza shop. The beginning of an entrepreneur's story can be full of tips for all of us.
[6:04] - A restricted menu approach to your dental practice could be the strategy you’ve been looking for.
[7:35] - Scaling from one shop … to two … and beyond. (note: have your pen and paper for the business tips Tom shares)
[13:33] - How to liaise and build your team.
[16:10] - What is ‘The Owners Trap’ … and do you have a case of it?
[19:26] - Preparing to sell your business.
[22:55] - How to keep your business on the path and how to block out the surrounding noise. Tom’s exquisite approach and focus on building his pizza chain can be adopted and implemented into your very own dental practice growth.
35 min
September 17, 2024474: Dr Hitesh Doshi - How to balance being a great clinician and a great practice owner
In this episode of The Savvy Dentist Podcast, Dr. Jesse Green is joined by Dr. Hitesh Doshi as they discuss the juggle of clinical work whilst running a successful Dental business.

Dr. Hitesh Doshi graduated as a dentist in 2003 and completed his postgraduate studies in public health in 2006. Combining technology and continuing education, Dr. Doshi practices all the aspects of general dentistry, cosmetic dentistry, orthodontics and implant dentistry.

Dr. Hitesh has a couple of superpowers in business. He is a tremendous leader. He is really good with people, and he is extremely good at understanding how the numbers of his business work and paying attention to the critical steps he needs to take to maximise business growth.

No matter where you are in your dental practice business journey, this episode is one you will find powerful and full of tips you can implement immediately.
[5:43] - Buying a Dental practice from a Corporate Organisation. The pros, and the cons.
[7:38] - If you enjoy your dental clinical work, you can still develop a very successful and profitable business.
[10:21] - Look ‘outside’ for business growth strategies.
[11:57] - The first step to start your business growth.
[13:07] - You’ll understand your business better if you understand the data behind your business. How to read the numbers.
[15:17] - How to recruit people that stay long-term.
[18:19] - To OHT … or not to OHT … that is the question Dr Hitesh answers.
[20:59] - Building a culture on your terms, that serves the greater good of the business and the team around you.
[24:08] - Understanding your leadership voice is a superpower you can use everyday within your dental practice business.
[29:15] - You WILL make mistakes. Dr Hitesh describes the mistakes he has made along his dental business journey.
[35:25] - The philosophy you create to build your dental practice is critical to its long term financial success.
40 min
September 10, 2024473: Dr Adam Fraser - Decision making in an uncertain world
Dr Adam Fraser is a peak performance researcher who helps people strive to achieve better performance in all aspects of life and business. He has worked with elite athletes and sporting teams, special forces soldiers and business leaders from some of Australia’s largest organisations.

Business and life has become more complex and sophisticated. The quality of our education needs to follow suit.

What is unique about his research is that it focuses on ‘how do people go beyond their potential’ without the collateral damage that normally comes with elite performance.

Dr.Adam Fraser has the ability to take complex things and make them simple. And in this episode of The Savvy Dentist Podcast with Dr. Jesse Green you will learn tips to some of the dilemmas that you have to encounter on a day to day basis when you're in practice.

Jesse and Adam discuss how to become better leaders as we interact with a myriad of people and how you can become more effective, happier and fulfilled.

“I believe everyone has a superpower. Some people can cook, some people can create amazing works of art, others can hug with the appropriate amount of pressure for the right length of time. My super power is the ability to make the complex, simple and engaging. I take the latest science and translate it so that people can immediately apply it to their own situation.” ~ Dr. Adam Fraser.
[4:10] - Having a breakdown after finishing his PhD became an intersection of Adam’s life that changed his trajectory.
[6:07] - There is danger in following your assumptions with staff and patients.
[10:29] - Why it’s best for your patient for you to become ‘detached from the outcome’. How to make better decisions.
[15:26] - As decision makers in our clinical world or in our business world, how do we find peace with the possibility of something occurring … versus the probability of something occurring?
[18:04] - How to avoid your leadership ‘blindspots’.
[23:46] - For our practice to succeed, we MUST become really good at developing people.
[27:21] - Looking over the fence into other people's backyards, into other industries will allow you to learn and gain perspective in ways that are not possible by simply being insular and looking within the dentistry industry alone.
37 min
September 03, 2024472: Daniel Murray - the surprising secret of effective leadership
As a Dental practice owner, one of your key roles is to be able to build and lead your team. Success in your business requires that you master this skill.

It's not a skill that we're born with. It's not a skill that is taught at dental school. It's a skill that we need to develop after dental school, but it is a skill that can be learned.

Recognising that it is your team that looks after your business, we therefore want YOU to be able to look after your team. Creating an environment for them to thrive and do the best work that they can do.

In this episode of The Savvy Dentist Podcast, Dr. Jesse Green is joined by Daniel Murray from empathic consulting. Daniel and Dr. Jesse discuss how empathy as a leadership tool unlocks discretionary effort, how it unlocks culture. They explain what empathy is … and what it's not. This is really about practical leadership to deliver practical results.

At the heart of our philosophy lies the belief that empathy is the paramount capability for enhancing outcomes across businesses, leadership, and communities.

Despite its frequent oversight or misinterpretation in the corporate world, empathy embodies the profound ability to comprehend both the rational and emotional motivations of others.

By cultivating this vital skill, leaders and businesses can forge deeper connections with their employees, customers, and stakeholders. This empathetic approach enables the development of groundbreaking competitive strategies and the nurturing of dynamic, diverse teams, ultimately driving greater employee engagement and organisational success.

Guiding Principles discuss in this episode include;
Understanding & Empathy: greater self-awareness of the actions, behaviours and subconscious drivers of tension in teams.
Better Conflict Management: healthily disagreement & challenge to balance fairness, performance & accountability.
Effective Feedback: the power of immediate, direct & kind feedback to foster a transparent & constructive environment.
Empathy and Understanding: a strong call to action for empathic support of team members to truly understand their perspectives & behaviours.
Personal Accountability and Growth: inspire personal growth & accountability at all levels with leadership becoming the way we behave not a title or position.
[5:43] - How do we boost productivity? How do we get that discretionary effort?
[10:33] - Where does empathy and empathic leadership fit within our dental practice?
[14:09] - Sympathy v. Empathy … what are the differences?
[21:32] - Why you should seek to understand someone’s perspective first.
[27:06] - How to create strong, trusted relationships with your team.
[33:07] - Separate trust, from rapport. You are not there to be a team member's bestie.
[34:50] - Do not think that conflict is a bad thing that should be avoided. If you're having conflict, this is good because that means people care enough to speak up.
[40:02] - How do you start the process of becoming a more empathic leader?
47 min
August 27, 2024471: Ilana Wechsler - Google Ads that work
The ability to generate traffic to your website is a key marketing skill.
Most dentists rely on agencies, whether that's for SEO or paid traffic. Paid traffic is a real art and a science that can be learned.

Ilana Wechsler’s background is in data analytics. She's a numbers girl.

On this episode of The Savvy Dentist Podcast with Dr. Jesse Green, we're going to talk about paid traffic specifically. And in particular, what are the three things that you can do to help your website traffic, no matter what's happening on a technological front.

What's happening in the world of AI?
What's happening in the world of automation? And how does that impact the advertising you do on the various platforms?

Ilana describes the common mistakes that Dentists make when they're trying to optimise their advertising campaigns. She explains how much of your time is required to be able to successfully achieve good quality leads through your website.
Ilana Wechsler not only runs an agency, but she teaches people how to run their campaigns, so that you won’t need her agency services.

As Ilana says, it's not hard, but it requires a bit of work on a consistent basis. So an hour or two a week to monitor the campaigns, to keep them on track is really all it takes.
[3:17] - How has the process of Paid Traffic advertising changed these past few years?
[10:15] - How is A.I being incorporated into the website traffic advertising process?
[17:12] - As a small dental practice, when is the right time to engage a digital ad agency?
[18:19] - How much time should you commit weekly to your digital ad campaign?
[20:06] - To TIK TOK … or not to TIK TOK … that is the question.
[22:48] - How much should you spend on your digital ad campaign?
[30:17] - SEO v. Paid Traffic.
39 min
August 20, 2024470: Daryl Holmes - Business Lessons from Australia's most successful practice owner
Dr. Daryl Holmes is the founder of 1300-Smiles which was the first listed dental company in Australia and was recently acquired.

Daryl's idea was simple, yet brilliant, bring aging dental practices back up to speed through injecting them with brand-new equipment and state of the art systems and operating them under the one brand.

In this episode of the Savvy Dentist Podcast, Daryl shares his lessons about business and life across the journey of the 1300-Smiles story. From the early days in partnership with another dentist … through to building out six practices of multiple chairs … to listing the business on the ASX and the process that entails … to managing a listed company.

1300-Smiles would become an icon in North Queensland and around Australia after Daryl successfully negotiated the naming rights to the North Queensland Cowboys' stadium.
[2:31] - Where 1300-Smiles all began for Dr. Daryl Holmes.
[12:46] - How to build a leadership team while you build your business.
[20:57] - Keep your debt low, and your cash flow can fund your growth. The key to managing both is in your recruitment.
[26:32] - How you can duplicate and build your own 1300-Smiles customer focused culture.
[37:28] - Designing your business growth plan is step one. Dr. Holmes explains his philosophy on how to execute and floor your plan through to the end result.
[44:39] - GSD … Get. Stuff. Done. The principle that changed it all for 1300-Smiles.
[45:22] - Opportunities exist everywhere. Dr. Holmes explains where he sees the future growth opportunities within dentistry.
52 min
August 13, 2024469: Kate Christie - Living life by design
In this episode of The Savvy Dentist Podcast, Dr. Jesse Green is joined by time-management expert Kate Christie.

After losing her former life partner to cancer, Kate Christie resolved to live her absolute best life. An audacious, joyful, stupendous life by design with more time and freedom.
Kate was 40, building a life as a lawyer turned senior executive in one of Australia’s biggest companies. She was also CEO of the household, with three kids under three.

Now Kate is an international time management specialist, coach, author and speaker working with high performing individuals and teams, helping clients including L’Oreal, BUPA, Westpac, Specsavers and the European Union find 30+ guilt free lost hours of time a month.

Kate and Jesse unpack how to not only think about managing our time, but how we can manage our energy and do deep meaningful work that gives us joy and happiness.

If this episode resonates with you, be sure to support and purchase Kate Christie’s best selling books here
[2:46] - There is a groundswell that practice owners want to live very differently, and they want to manage their time very differently. How to look at your productivity through a very different lens.
[5:08] - How to maximise your time investment in the practice.
[8:37] - Is ‘busyness’ your badge of honour?
[12:08] - You’ll perform your best work when you are in your flow state. So, how do you get into a flow state?
[16:01] - the concept of ‘batching’ and how it can help you and your team.
[24:17] - The fear of rejection, and how to successfully use batching to power through to exponential results.
[25:45] - How to regain 30 hours PER WEEK of lost time.
[30:32] - Invest in your health and you’ll reap the benefits within your business.
[33:48] - Change is not hard … but it IS important. For things to change, YOU must change.
43 min
August 06, 2024468: Michael Licenblat - High Performance in a fast paced world
In this episode of The Savvy Dentist Podcast, Dr. Jesse Green is joined by Michael Licenblat. Michael is an expert on resilience and teaches us how to bounce back fast from pressures, setbacks, and rejections in life and business … and in doing so, how to maximise our performance and success.

Have a pen and paper ready for this episode as Michael gives you the techniques, confidence and courage to manage the failures, challenges and problems that are part of every process in the world of business.

Michael Licenblat was born into a family of entrepreneurial parents and grew up working inside the numerous family businesses. In this fast paced, high pressure environment, he quickly learnt that success often came to those who can ride the bumps, get up, and keep going.

Over 20 years ago, Michael became one of the pioneers in building a successful natural therapies business through overcoming market rejection, refusals, and knockbacks. By drawing on his background in business, psychology, Shiatsu therapy, and over 25 years of martial arts experience, Michael has helped countless companies become ‘pressure proof’ and out-achieve their competition.

Michael explains how to read ‘pressure patterns’ and build your personal resilience so that you have practical ideas on how to ‘keep the drive alive’.
[2:45] - The good news (and the bad news) since the COVID pandemic in terms of the ‘pace of change’ for our teams.
[7:27] - The ability to adapt when change comes-a-knockin’.
[10:09] - How to cope … and how to capitaise on a changing world.
[14:39] - The older I get, the more stuck in my ways I am … Myth, or not?
[18:04] - Where do Curiosity, and Resilience meet and allow us to out-perform?
[20:48] - Where does our self-confidence begin and end … and where does our ego take over?
[24:28] - How to build a High-Performance dental practice team.
[29:05] - How to take one on the chin … and how to get straight back up again. Resilience 101.
[34:07] - We are designed by nature to ‘survive’ … don’t make life harder than it needs to be. Learn. Grow. Make life on your terms.
46 min
July 30, 2024467: Bridget Sakr - The power of community during unimaginable tragedy
In this episode of The Savvy Dentist Podcast, Dr. Jesse Green has a truly inspiring guest.

Bridget Sakr is a name that resonates with strength, resilience, and unwavering determination. Bridget's journey is one of profound transformation, from navigating personal tragedy to becoming a passionate advocate for change and community support. Her story is not just about overcoming adversity but also about channeling that experience into making a meaningful impact.

Bridget Sakr’s 11-year-old daughter Veronique was killed along with her three cousins by a drunk and drugged driver.

The business leader and mother of two says she will never stop grieving but the tragedy has inspired her to “give back” to the community that enfolded her family in love and support.

Bridget shares her insights on leadership, community engagement, and the power of purpose-driven action. Her experiences offer valuable lessons for all of us, both in our personal lives and our professional endeavors.
[3:14] - It’s Unfathomable … Bridget recounts in detail the night she lost her daughter and 3 other children.
[9:34] - The grieving process from a mother’s perspective.
[13:15] - An 11 year old girl who loved people and had the world at her feet.
[18:35] - Forgiving the killer.
[21:34] - Forgiving yourself. (something we can all learn to do)
[25:55] - Creating a legacy within the community and honoring Veronique.
[38:09] - Why we are never prepared for grief.
46 min

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Create a dental practice and a business life you love with Dr Jesse Green as he interviews successful dentists, entrepreneurs and athletes . Listen in as guests share their stories, ideas and business…