Can embracing problems really lead to better decision-making and growth in practices? That's what we're delving into in this episode with our guest, Kiera Dent, from Dental A Team. She's here to offer some unconventional advice to practitioners and stress the importance of facing your challenges head-on. Not only will doing so increase your understanding of key metrics such as overhead, profit margins, payroll, and cash flow, but it also allows you to find innovative ways to reach financial freedom and increase practice success.But, it's not all just about embracing the numbers. Kiera also discusses the crucial role of team collaboration and effective communication for leveraging this numerical data for growth. By aligning everyone on your team around these figures, you are fostering a shared responsibility and culture that's geared toward success. This episode is filled with insight and practical steps to help one comprehend not only the power of numbers but also the importance of viewing them not as obstacles but as levers for success.What You'll Learn in This Episode:The transformative power of embracing challenges in dental practices.Importance of understanding key metrics for making informed decisions.Viewing numbers as tools for financial freedom.Role of team collaboration in improving the monetary aspect of practices.The value of effective communication around numbers and benchmarks.Don't miss this episode that is filled to the brim with unconventional, yet extremely beneficial advice straight from the experienced Kiera Dent!Studio 8E8:Dentistry’s story-driven marketing agency. Traditional marketing repels. Story-first dental marketing attracts.We bring your story to life in a way that captivates and connects: https://s8e8.com/affiliates/tdm?utm_source=tdm&utm_medium=affiliate&wc_clear=trueYou can reach out to Kiera Dent here:Website: https://www.thedentalateam.com/ (Mention The Dental Marketer for a special offer!)Dental A Team Podcast: https://www.thedentalateam.com/podcasts/Mentions and Links: Tools/Software:ExcelBusinesses/Services:NetflixIf you want your questions answered on Monday Morning Episodes, ask me on these platforms:My Newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/The Dental Marketer Society Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2031814726927041Episode Transcript (Auto-Generated - Please Excuse Errors)Michael: Hey, Kiera. So talk to us. What's one piece of advice you can give us this Monday morning. Kiera: Oh, Michael, thanks for having me on. Um, so mine is going to be a little controversial and unconventional is to stop hating your problems and learn to love them, which I know feels a little funny to hear.And I'm going to tie it into numbers for you, but, um, as I was thinking about it, Our body is like when we have pain, like the natural tendency is to pull back from that pain and, and so I, I was thinking about this and I thought like there are things that cause like psychological pain as well.And those psychological pains are ones to like lean into and our brain is a web of even more nervous cells. And so like our natural tendency is like when there are problems, We want to pull away from it. We want to run away from it. We don't want this to be our problem. But the exact opposite, I believe, is what is needed to actually lean into them, solve them, because problems can create innovation.And I feel like, again, it's counterintuitive to what we think we should do, but stop hating our problems and truly learn to love them. Michael: What are some common problems that you see a lot of us, either as humans or as practice owners, tend to hate the most? Where we either ignore it or it bites us back in the butt later on.Kiera: Yeah. I would say like the number one thing I see with our dentists that we coach are numbers. I think numbers are just one thing. We don't want to look at it. We think that me knowing my numbers, me looking into my numbers, I am a dentist. I am an entrepreneur. I'm a business owner. I don't know numbers. I know dentistry.And so it's almost like even with my hands, like we're pushing back, we're pushing against that. But leaning into that problem, because so many of our problems actually stem from not knowing our numbers. can I hire this person or can I not? I have a client currently, and she's like, Kiera, I've got all this turnover.And I'm like, well, one, like, let's look at the pattern. So like leaning into the hiring piece. But if you don't know your numbers, it's very hard to make decisions of, can I afford this person? Can I actually give raises? Uh, what do I need to do in case of a recession? How can I recession proof my business?What is my true overhead? How do I like, what do I need to set my production goals for looking at all those numbers? I would say is like the number one thing people literally like, it's like a visceral response. Like, no, I don't want to know my numbers. I don't want to look ...
