Honing Your Practice Owner Skills

Episode length: 1h 23m  |  Published: 2021-03-26

Dentistry trains exceptional clinicians. Business ownership is an entirely different skill set — one that most dentists acquire, if at all, through expensive trial and error. Prosperident's Amber Weber, Wendy Askins, and David Harris are joined by Dr. Wayne Kerr for a wide-ranging conversation about the financial and managerial challenges that come with owning and leading a dental practice.

Topics covered include:

• The business skills dental school doesn't teach — and where to get them
• How to transition from thinking like an employee to thinking like a business owner
• Financial literacy for dentists: what you need to understand and why
• Managing and leading a dental team effectively
• How to delegate intelligently without creating financial vulnerability
• The relationship between strong management and reduced embezzlement risk
• When to seek outside help and what kinds of advisors are worth the investment
• Building systems that let your practice run predictably and profitably

Strong practice ownership skills are not just about profitability — they are also the foundation of a practice that is harder to steal from. A well-managed practice with clear systems and engaged leadership is a far less attractive target for would-be embezzlers.