Two Reds are Better than One

Today we welcome the co-owner and Operations Director for a 10-practice West Midlands micro-corporate - Tri-Dental - a warm welcome to Polly Bhambra.

Buckle up and get ready for the ride - because Polly is a powerhouse of enthusiasm for what it takes to grow a Champions League dental business in the current challenging landscape. Polly shares with us her unique childhood and career pathway and in this interview you will learn:

• About her childhood - one of five children of Indian immigrant parents from India who arrived with nothing in the 1960's;
• How her father (known locally as "Mr. Singh") grew his own business and instilled in his children a work-ethic and people-ethic that forms the core values of Tri-Dental today;
• Why "respect" is one of those core values;
• Why "bitching is bullying" and what to do about it;
• The 4 questions Polly always asks herself when interviewing new team members and clinicians;
• How Tri-Dental onboard new team members and then keep them self-motivated;
• Polly's own unique career pathway (no spoilers here - but you'll never guess);
• Why and how she bought a derelict dental practice in 2006 and how it has grown into Tri-Dental;
• Dealing with the current recruitment and retention crisis;
• What do do and say when a team member presents you with a better offer from a new Employer and asks you to match it.;
• How Polly sees the next 18 months in dentistry UK.

This interview is a belter and we are so grateful that Polly gave us her time and shared her story and insights.

An interview with Grant Watson from Envisage Dental Group

In this one-off and extraordinary podcast, we meet Mary Storrie, mother of Rosie May, who, in 2003, was brutally murdered at age 10. That was just the start of an astonishing story of the resilience of Mary and how that and subsequent shocking events gave rise to The Rosie May Foundation. Ashley and I are joined in this interview by our client and friend, orthodontist Catherine McCanny, who met Mary at an event some years ago and decided that she wanted to enlist the help of dental friends in creating a charity day to inspire her audience and raise funds. That first conversation took place three years ago and then along came Covid - but now we are ready to launch and, on Friday 8th April 2022, at the Malmaison Hotel in Leeds, Ashley and I will joining Catherine and other guests to provide a day of learning and motivation for all dental team members. In this podcast you will meet Catherine, another example of resilience, as she briefly shares her own story of opening an ortho practice, during a recession and in a working class Northern mining town - and how she has now become one of the top 5% of Invisalign providers in Europe and a speaker for Align Tech. You will meet Mary and hear her staggering story of overcoming multiple adversities. You will hear from Ashley and me, introducing the charity day and the other speakers we have invited, including an astonishing story from a Greek dentist who "sold up" after economic armageddon in her home country, relocated to the UK and rebuilt her professional and personal life. Even if you cannot make the charity day, listening to this podcast will, like us, make you realise that your own challenges can be put into perspective. For more information on the day itself - see https://www.therosiemayday.com/ - we would love to see you there.

Shaz Memon is the founder and MD of Digimax a leading dental marketing agency in London In this brilliant interview, Shaz shares simple, uncomplicated strategies to help you grow your brand and your Instagram visibility. He also stresses the importance of exceeding your client's expectations. Not only does Shaz share what works, he will also share what happens when you do drop the baton, and the consequences it can bring. Shaz is one of the humblest guys you will ever meet and it took over two years to get this interview organised, It is well worth the wait.

Lucie Simic started out as a Journalist and after helping Mike Hesketh at the Exeter Dental Centre with his social media, ended up being his Business Manager. (Mike was a previous guest on our podcast). In just four years they turned a Practice whose turnover was £400,000 to £2.4M, eventually selling it to BUPA for £3.2m. Lucie implemented 6 strategies that allowed this to happen and on this podcast, you will discover what they are and how they created a truly world class dental practice. This was a gem of a podcast and the longest one we have ever recorded in five years. You will discover;

• The importance of setting a vision and selling the dream to the team
• What a Brand Book is and why it is needed
• The essential traits when recruiting for a committed and successful Business/Practice Manager
• How to retain your team and what is essential to get your team motivated and to go the extra mile for your Practice. A clue, it has little to do with pay!
• The difference between a Staff Journey and a Patient Journey and why you need both to be truly world class
• The difference between a Growth Chat and an appraisal and how you can give your people a progression plan
• The importance of measurement - do you know the hourly profit rate per surgery? and why you need to...
• Why morning huddles are essential and what happens in them
• Front of House - why they are the most important people in your Practice, you will see them differently after hearing Lucie

AND MUCH MORE.

This month's guest is unique. Steve Anderson lives and works in the Greater Phoenix area of Arizona and, since 1997 has been building dental offices, thousands of them. Yes - thats right - he runs a 20-strong building company responsible for the construction of purpose-built dental practices as well as refurbishments of existing premises. That's where the "process" comes in - because you can't build a building that isn't going to fall down without following the process to the letter. But he also brings something else to the equation - and that's where the "passion" appears. For over 20 years Steve has worked with dental clients and has seen them make the mistakes in business that cost them time and money - not building mistakes - business mistakes. So our builder has become a business coach - and had used the lessons he has learned in his own career and the observations he has made of others to help his clients to grow. In this podcast you will learn:

• the difference between a professional and an accountable professional;
• How to open your closed F.I.S.T.
• the two pitfalls that lead to overwhelm and how to avoid them;
• a description of Steve's new book "DentalEase: The Essential Guide to Creating the Stress-Free and Profitable Dental Practice of Your Dreams.

and much more.

This month we welcome back on old friend, Mark Topley, to talk about the current recruitment crisis in dentistry. Well, actually, we start off with a bit of general banter but... With dental nurses leaving the profession, lack of responses to recruitment advertising for all positions and a general fatigue and malaise in the workplace - how on earth does a busy Practice Manager or Principal keep and attract Ideal Team Players? Mark shares with us the wisdom he has accumulated after years in leadership and in the charitable sector, as well as advising many current UK dental businesses on their CSR and Leadership strategies. In this interview you will learn:

• The 5 characteristics of a fabulous workplace;
• Why pay and conditions for dental nurses are due for a reset;
• How to become a loveable Boss - and why it is important;
• The steps in building a sustainable culture of success;
• Why leadership isn't about YOU;
• How to avoid a pay war;
• What The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars teach us about how we should pitch our recruitment advertising.

With many Dentists telling us that they are bombarded with new patients but have limited availability, this is a great time to look at your Hygiene/Therapy Department and see how you can make it even more efficient than ever before, you just might be sitting on a hidden gold mine. In this podcast, Ashley and Chris interview two key opinion leaders from the Therapist and Hygiene world Robiha Nazir and Cat Edney, who will share proven strategies on how to add real value to your patients and grow your turnover. In this interview, you will learn

• Why Hygienists/Therapists are under utilised
• Changes since Covid 19 and why NOW is a great time to re-invent your Hygiene/Therapy Department
• How it is possible to free up 40-50% of a dentist's time
• Why the Scale and Polish appointments don't work anymore
• How Hygienists and Therapists can grow sales and the mind set that is needed
• How to sell and promote more product sales
• How to maximise the benefits of the IntraOral Cameras and Scanners in your dental practice
• Why a different conversation is needed between Hygiene/Therapist and the Principal

In this no holding back interview, Chris and Ashley interviewed Nigel Risner a second time for the 'Two Reds are Better than one Podcast' and it was truly a brilliant interview.

Chris and Ashley specifically asked Nigel's thoughts on the current challenges Dental Owners are facing with recruitment, staff retention and motivating their team.

You will learn:

• How to adapt to change and uncertainty
• Understand why people leave and tips to make sure that you retain great people
• How to understand what is important when your team comes to work. The conversation around understanding your team's personal needs, is worth the time you will invest by listening to this podcast
• How to adopt a resilience attitude to life and some what you can learn from the athletes who took part in the Olympics
• The power of appreciation, in particular hand written letters/cards
• The power of the 1% and the difference it can make on performance
• The 2-11 to the 2-12 strategy, you will need to listen to the end of the podcast to understand this one single strategy

AND MUCH MORE

There is something in this podcast for everyone and we promise that your life will be better for the 40 minutes you invest by listening to this podcast.