Mahmood Mawjee explores the mindset entrepreneurs take in dentistry and explains how you can get started today.
Talking points
- What is an entrepreneurial dentist?
- What options are available to me?
- When should I start the journey to a new business venture I’m interested in?
Dentists today are so much more than care providers. Many of us are also parents, siblings, cousins, friends, artists, leaders, pioneers, inventors… the list goes on.
That’s partly why there is such a strong entrepreneurial spirit in the profession, with much opportunity for growth. To unlock that potential, you need to have the right focus and the right mindset.
So, what does it mean to be an entrepreneur in dentistry?
An entrepreneur in dentistry
Basically, an entrepreneur creates or extracts value. For a dentist, this could mean different things to different people. You could expand the clinical services you offer in practice. You might wish to set up a new squat practice or take over ownership of an existing business. Perhaps you want to build a business in the mentoring and lecturing arena.
No matter what you want to do, your mindset will determine your success.
If you start a new venture thinking it will fail, then it will. However, the opposite is just as true. If you approach the situation with positivity, then your chances of success are much higher.
What does it take to be a successful entrepreneur?
- Passion – you have to believe in what you’re doing and in yourself. Growing or creating a new business is difficult. So you need to stay motivated to push through the hard times
- Proactive – you have to go out and build your new life. Think about what productive steps you can make to start and then do them today!
- Adaptability – use your experience and resilience from the past couple of years. Channel it into your own project and also remain agile to opportunities
- Support – don’t be afraid to make new connections, book courses, attend relevant conferences. All of this will expose you to the kinds of people who will help you get where you want to go
- Strategy – it is difficult to see exactly how you will achieve your goals. But it is important to create a plan so you know what steps you have to take.
The most important thing is that you don’t keep waiting for ‘the right time’. The right time is now.
How often have you put off a task for weeks, only to find that it was easy to complete when you finally get round to it? Though I’m not suggesting that you can get a new business off the ground in an hour, just starting is key.
Think about what you can do this week, or even today. Could you allocate 30 minutes to start brainstorming ideas and formulating a strategy? Perhaps you could schedule a meeting with your boss to discuss flexible hours should you decide to further your clinical qualifications.
If you’re interested in running your own courses, you can send a simple email to local colleagues to assess demand. You might also want to check out the courses we offer with the Re-ignite Academy – a thriving development academy – to see how we might help you get started.
Whatever you do, just do something. The sooner you start the sooner you will live the life you’ve always dreamed of.
Action points
- Today – write down your new business or development idea/project, including some of the challenges you need to overcome
- This week – dedicate some time to researching the market and looking for solutions to those problems
- This month – book a course, personal meeting or conference.
Read previous Mindset Expert columns:
- Don’t let difficult relationships make your life miserable
- Is growth in dentistry directly linked to happiness?
Find out more at www.mahmoodmawjee.com.
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