The Savvy Dentist

By Dr Jesse GreenBusiness Marketing Management

The Savvy Dentist episodes

July 23, 2024466: Zac Herps - Getting your legals right
Welcome to The Savvy Dentist Podcast, the show where great dentistry meets great business. Each episode, we bring you insightful conversations with industry leaders and experts, offering you the wisdom and tools to create a thriving dental practice.

As dental practitioners and practice owners we all know that getting your documentation right is critical and when you get it right, it gives you that terrific peace of mind. When it's not documented properly, then you're at risk of having disputes and issues.

In this episode, Dr. Jesse Green introduces us to lawyer Zac Herps. He’s not just a lawyer, but a beacon of expertise for dental professionals navigating the complex legal landscape.

Zac, with his extensive knowledge and experience, has been instrumental in helping dentists across the country safeguard their practices and make informed, strategic decisions. He shares invaluable insights into the legal challenges and opportunities that every dental practitioner should be aware of.

Zach and Jesse talk about the importance of having great advisors around you at all times.
[3:37] - How do you know if it’s good advice?
[11:49] - The structure and documentation suite you will need as a solo practitioner.
[14:35] - Directors duties and responsibilities explained.
[17:58] - What’s the go with data protection in your practice?
[21:45] - Facility agreements and how to protect your intellectual property.
[24:38] - Is a ‘restraint of trade’ worth the paper it is written on?
[31:45] - Documentation that is commonly overlooked when growing your practice.
[40:49] - Estate planning checklist.
52 min
July 16, 2024465: Dr. Andrew Hong
In a dental practice, we perform a lot, and train very little. In comparison, in the sports arena, an athlete will practice a lot, and perform occasionally.

In today’s episode of The Savvy Dentist Podcast with Dr. Jesse Green, we meet Dr. Andrew Hongh. Dr. Hong isn't just known for his exceptional skills in dentistry but also for his unwavering passion for sports. This unique combination has propelled his dental practice to new heights and Andrew and Jesse uncover and share all the lessons he has learnt along the journey.
[3:18] - The value of training and practice in your practice.
[5:10] - The BIG tax lesson and the transition process from associate … to owner.
[8:14] - “Am I cut out for this?” The question that changed everything.
[11:06] - Andrew’s lessons moving from ‘driller-and-filler’... to ‘business owner’.
[14:46] - The BEST tip for building loyalty with each individual in your team.
[17:18] - How to make continual learning part of your DNA.
[20:20] - The 3 A’s. Accept. Adapt. Achieve. How to utilise these three simple steps in your business everyday.
[28:50] - Andrew Hong’s business tips to allow you to relax more and sleep at night.
[31:04] - The sporting playbook analogy applied to your dental practice.
48 min
July 09, 2024464: A toolkit for turbulance - Professor Martin Bean CBE
Professor Martin Bean CBE, CEO of The Bean Centre, is a visionary leader shaping the future of education in our workplace.

Currently a Professor at the University of New South Wales, Martin's expertise lies in exploring the evolving landscape of work and lifelong learning.

In this episode of The Savvy Dentist Podcast Martin shares his knowledge as a mentor connecting some of Australia's brightest minds and Jesse and Martin unpack all of the lessons of leadership that he's uncovered throughout his career and make them really practical for you in your dental practice.
[2:01] - A pathway to leadership
[7:12] - How Leadership has changed and evolved over recent years.
[10:02] - Don’t lead - coach. The difference between a hierarchical manager, and a leadership coach in your business.
[13:18] - How to commit to a learning culture within your dental practice and how it can impact engagement and retention.
[17:44] - A powerful leader is someone who can understand what motivates and inspires your team to follow.
[25:27] - Lessons from the top executives in Microsoft that you can apply in your business.
[30:36] - What Martin wishes big business would learn from our small business operations.
[38:29] - Don’t try to control the uncontrollable.
41 min
July 02, 2024463: Overcoming overwhelm - Daniel Sih
The world is certainly speeding up. The rate of change, the pace of change and technological advances are all increasing.

As a practice owner, are you constantly thinking about your team dynamics and the structures or issues going on between people. You're possibly also thinking about your business (and personal) finances, your tax, payroll tax, approaching EOFY.

Sometimes the list becomes so long it can be overwhelming.
How do you reconcile that sense of overwhelm?
How do you overcome overwhelm so that you can continue to move forward and achieve the goals that are really important to you?

In this episode of The Savvy Dentist Podcast, Dr. Jesse Green introduces you to Daniel Sih, a productivity expert.

Daniel has a framework for all of us around developing and maintaining productivity and creating ‘space’ within your day to ensure you maintain a sense of sanity as you grow your practice.

Daniel Sih is an award-winning author, professional speaker, and productivity consultant, leading the team at Spacemakers.

Daniel co-founded Spacemakers, a productivity consulting group, where he serves as a key leader and thinker. The organisation focuses on helping individuals and companies improve their productivity through better management of technology and work-life balance. Spacemakers offers workshops, coaching, and resources that aim to address the modern challenges of digital overload and workplace efficiency.

Daniel’s work emphasises the importance of unplugging from digital distractions to foster creativity, focus, and well-being.
[5:03] - The transition from physiotherapy … to productivity expert.
[11:33] - Daniel explains his framework for us to be able to “create space”.
[16:31] - The theory that we can outrun the busyness of life and business … even though in reality we all know that that's a race you can't just win.
[20:28] - The relationship between your technology, and your productivity.
[35:26] - One of the hardest roles to create space in is the reception role. Daniel explains how his framework can be applied.
[38:29] - How to apply the productivity framework you’ve just learned in everyday life and business.
48 min
June 25, 2024462: The Life and times of Soo-Wee Ong founder of DPR
Dr. Soo-Wee Ong is a distinguished dental surgeon based in New Zealand, known for his expertise and dedication to the field of dentistry. Originally from Malaysia, Dr. Ong moved to New Zealand to pursue higher education and professional development.

He runs courses for dentists to teach them the basic surgical skills and advanced surgical skills and is the founder of the Facebook group, DPR, which is a resource for all dental practitioners, no matter where you are in your journey.

Dr. Ong has built a reputable practice in New Zealand, where he specialises in a wide range of dental services, including cosmetic dentistry, implantology, and oral surgery. His commitment to continuous learning has led him to participate in numerous international conferences and training programs, ensuring that he stays at the forefront of the latest advancements in dental technology and procedures.

Dr. Soo-Wee Ong's blend of technical proficiency, compassionate care, and continuous pursuit of excellence has made him a prominent figure in New Zealand's dental landscape, earning him a lasting legacy in the field of dentistry.

In this episode of The Savvy Dentist Podcast, Dr. Jesse Green uncovers Dr. Ong’s journey in business and life, including how he discovered his passion for weightlifting.
[3:51] - That moment when your best friend asks, “So why do you want to go into dentistry?”
[11:10] - The job as a specialist is to ‘educate’.
[21:29] - Finding confidence as a young dental practitioner.
[26:41] - Easy case, hard case, easy patient, hard patient … Dr. Ong discusses how he views the differences.
[35:18] - The evolution and the community power of the DPR facebook group, a tremendous service to our profession.
[43:50] - How an Oral Surgeon becomes a weightlifter in later life.
59 min
June 18, 2024461: David Keir - Finding strength through adversity
David Keir is perhaps one of the greatest thinkers when it comes to helping new graduates start their dental career. David is the host of the Dental Headstart podcast created to help dental students become great dentists.

David spent over 10 years dental assisting before graduating from The University of Sydney in 2016. The idea of Dental Head Start was born from the hopes of sharing the lessons he’s been lucky to learn along the way and helping others gain a head start also.

Having spent many summer breaks in the Mid North coast, and even marrying his beautiful wife there, David is proud to now call Port Macquarie home.

When he’s not busy with one of his endless side projects … which is a rare, you’ll find David adventuring the great outdoors on his mountain bike or running in an ultra marathon.
[2:14] - Starting a podcast to self-learn and help new dental graduates understand the business of dentistry.
[6:29] - Business was always the path … but not the start.
[13:13] - How David and his wife turned a tremendous tragedy into a 1 year traveling adventure around Australia.
[18:01] - What has an ultra marathon got to do with running a dentistry practice?
[27:24] - Take a break … breathe … and give yourself the time to decide ‘what next’.
[35:50] - Tips to accelerating your business growth.
[41:03] - When you are pulled in many different directions in your business, how do you define what to focus on?
49 min
June 11, 2024 460: What creates value in a business
Valuing your dental practice is crucial for understanding its financial worth.
It's really important to understand that as we go about growing our practice, we want to build your practice the right way. Accurate valuation helps in making informed business decisions and ensures that you maximise your practice’s potential and profitability.

In this episode of The Savvy Dentist Podcast Dr. Jesse Green discusses the concept of ‘building to sell’, regardless if you envisage selling your practice or not.

To understand your business value involves assessing tangible assets like equipment and property, as well as intangible assets such as patient base and brand reputation. Which can be essential for securing loans, attracting investors, or planning a future sale.

To build value in a dental practice, focus on enhancing patient experience by providing exceptional care and maintaining a welcoming environment, which fosters patient loyalty and referrals. Invest in modern equipment and continuing education to offer the latest treatments and maintain a competitive edge. Additionally, implement efficient practice management systems to streamline operations, reduce costs, and improve profitability.

So when we talk about building to sell, it doesn't mean you have to sell. It's about making sure that you're building an asset that has tangible value in the marketplace.

If you build it right and your business is easy to sell, then your business is also fun to run because it's giving you the income that you want and it's giving you the freedom that you want.
24 min
June 04, 2024459: 4 Crucial Steps to Retaining Your best team members
In this episode of The Savvy Dentist Podcast Dr. Jesse Green discusses the importance of building a rock-solid team culture within your business.

After 450plus episodes of the Savvy Dentist Podcast we all know the basics of great team culture;
Understand the strengths of each individual.
Explain your business vision.
Get your employees involved.
Define roles clearly.
Consider team-building exercises.
Recognise the value of diversity.
Extend your team beyond your business.
Let your team know that you value them.

However in this episode Dr. Jesse Green goes deeper into the psychology of a highly successful and well-oiled team.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is a model that can help you to identify your team members' needs and to think about what you can do to meet them. It can be especially helpful in your regular one-on-ones when you're thinking about how best to develop your people and enable them to thrive.

Effective management begins with understanding the diverse needs of employees, and Maslow's hierarchy offers a comprehensive framework for doing just that.

By addressing the needs at each level of the hierarchy, you can not only improve employee retention but also enhance overall performance and productivity.

Needs lower down in the hierarchy must be satisfied before individuals can attend to needs higher up. From the bottom of the hierarchy upwards, the needs are: physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem and self- actualisation.
Dr. Jesse explains this five-stage model and how he utilises it in his day-to-day business dealings.
18 min
May 28, 2024REPUBLISH Buying Back Your Time
In this episode of The Savvy Dentist podcast, Dr. Jesse Green discusses the most precious resource we have … our time.

When it comes to running a business, one of the most common things that dentists say is that they want to make more money. And then once they're making ‘more’ money, then their desire turns to them having more time in their life, with more enjoyment, meaning and satisfaction.

How do we get the balance right?

If you are feeling burned and stressed out, then this is the episode you need to listen to.
[4:20] - Re-engineer your business and create a business that you love.
[5:38] - Who to hire, and when!
[6:22] - Internal training vs. external training. The pros and cons. Which works best and creates the most profit.
[15:23] - If you want to free up your clinical time, hire an associate dentist, or a dental hygienist or therapist.
[18:08] - How to continue to grow your revenue within your practice.
23 min
May 21, 2024How To Scale Up Successfully with Verne Harnish
In this episode, I chat with Verne Harnish. Verne is the founder of the world-renowned Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO), with over 11,000 members worldwide. He is also founder and CEO of Gazelles, a global executive education and coaching company with over 180 partners on six continents. Verne has spent the past three decades helping companies scale-up.
In today’s episode, we chat about:
The 4 key elements that determine why some businesses make it and others fail
Why you should never make a decision alone
Ways dentists can compete and scale in a competitive market
Expert customer service tips
Finding ways to scale when you love your own craft
Why you need a daily huddle
40 min

About The Savvy Dentist

From the publisher's feed

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…