“Success is not always about greatness. It’s about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come.” - Dwayne Johnson I almost quit six months into building my first practice. Not because it was failing. Because I’d lost momentum. The initial rush of opening had worn off. The honeymoon period with new systems had ended. I was grinding through the messy middle where nothing felt exciting anymore. Revenue was plateauing around $150,000 monthly. Not terrible. Not great....
8 days ago • 13 min read
"We cannot become what we want by remaining what we are." - Max DePree I've never seen myself as "just a dentist." From day one, I understood I was running a business that happened to deliver dental services. Not a clinician who reluctantly dealt with business stuff. That distinction completely changed my trajectory. While my peers were figuring out how to be better technicians, I was studying business models, patient psychology, revenue optimisation, and leverage. Not because I was smarter....
15 days ago • 15 min read
“A ship in harbour is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.” - John A. Shedd I nearly walked out of my first implant surgery course. Not because it was bad. Because I was fearful. We were about to start hands-on work on models, and I could feel my hands shaking. Everyone else looked calm, confident, ready. I felt like an imposter who’d accidentally wandered into the wrong room. I remember standing outside during the break, seriously considering just leaving. Making up some excuse...
22 days ago • 14 min read
“The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it.” - W.M. Lewis I watched a patient walk out last week knowing I’d see him again in six months with a fractured tooth that could have been prevented. I’d explained the crack. Showed him the radiograph. Discussed the treatment options. He understood everything perfectly. “Makes sense,” he said. “Let me schedule that crown when I have more time.” He wasn’t objecting to the treatment. He wasn’t questioning the...
29 days ago • 13 min read
“People don’t decide their futures, they decide their habits and their habits decide their futures.” - F.M. Alexander I lost a $65,000 full arch case last year because I explained the treatment perfectly. Let me say that again: I lost the case because my clinical explanation was flawless. I showed him the failing teeth. Explained the progressive bone loss. Detailed the implant protocol. Discussed material options. Outlined the timeline. Presented the investment clearly. He understood...
about 1 month ago • 14 min read
"Your reputation precedes you, but only if you systematically engineer it to." - Anonymous Ten months ago, I changed one thing about how I practise dentistry. I didn't get better clinically. I didn't upgrade equipment. I didn't hire a marketing agency or start running ads. I just started documenting my cases properly and deploying them across multiple channels. That's it. In those ten months, I've had patients drive 90 minutes from outside Brisbane specifically to see me. People show up to...
about 2 months ago • 8 min read
"The best time to handle an objection is before it becomes one." - Robert Cialdini I lost a $38,000 case last Tuesday. Well, actually, I lost it three weeks ago during the initial exam. I just didn't know it yet. The patient - let's call him David - sat through my entire comprehensive treatment presentation. Nodded at all the right moments. Asked intelligent questions. Then hit me with: "This makes sense, but I need to talk to my wife." The thing is, I saw it coming. I knew he was going to...
about 2 months ago • 13 min read
"Silence is a source of great strength." - Lao Tzu I'll never forget the first time I truly understood the power of silence. I'd just presented a $45,000 comprehensive treatment plan. Everything in my body screamed at me to fill the void. To explain more. To justify the investment. To list more benefits. My mouth was actually opening to speak when something stopped me. I just... waited. The patient looked at the treatment plan. Looked at me. Looked back at the plan. The silence stretched on....
2 months ago • 9 min read
"Clarity is the prelude to confidence." - Robin Sharma You're 15 minutes into a comprehensive case consultation. Your patient asked a question about cost. You started explaining the investment. That reminded you to mention the warranty. Which led you to discuss materials. Then you remembered you forgot to explain the diagnostic findings. Now you're backtracking, and your patient's eyes are glazing over. You've lost control. And you can see the case slipping away. Here's the brutal truth: Most...
2 months ago • 8 min read