Some years ago, I read an article by Dr. Bruce Glazer in Oral Health magazine titled “Are Entrepreneurism and Dentistry Mutually Exclusive?” Dr. Glazer thought so and I was so incensed by his argument that I emailed him. A very lively and intelligent exchange of emails ensued…..Dr. Glazer’s argument was essentially that dentists should work on their clinical skills and if they stray into trying too hard to be business owners, they will get themselves into hot water. His premise is that ‘entrepreneurism’ means fast growth, aggressive marketing and big production. He therefore urged dentists to steer clear of entrepreneurial thoughts and go back to drilling teeth.
I felt that Dr. Glazer missed the mark. It wasn’t that I condone aggressive approaches to running a practice as a business – that couldn’t be farther from the truth! What stuck in my craw was that Glazer had his own definition of “entrepreneur” and that he was trying to influence dentists to avoid it. In a series of lively and engaging emails, I argued the point that being an entrepreneur simply meant paying attention to the vision and management of a business, keeping it thriving, providing solid leadership and making good financial strategies and decisions. My point is that dentists need to develop these skills in order to be able to successfully maintain the practice in which to drill teeth!
I don’t know if I persuaded Dr. Glazer, however he felt many of my points had merit and he was good enough to ask me to put my arguments in writing so that Oral Health Journal could print the rebuttal! He was as good as his word and my article appeared in the Nov. 2012 issue. I have included both here for your reading pleasure. Dentistry & Entrepreneurship (Oral Health Journal)
What do you think?
Coach K
