The five business lessons I’ve learned from building my own business from scratch. Are you in business and find it’s just a bit of a struggle to really lift things up? You find that you’re trying to move forward, but somehow things just aren’t happening? Well, in this video, I’m going to take you through five lessons that I’ve learned. Make sure you stay to the end because I’ve got a freebie!
Now for the first lesson. Have you ever seen those inflatable clown punching bags? You know, you punch it, and it kind of goes over. Of course, what does it do? It gets back up again, doesn’t it? And the truth is, in business, unfortunately, you’ve got to prepare yourself for getting knocked over again and again.
There are many times I’ve been knocked over where I felt we’ve done a bad job—that’s probably the one that I hate the most. Yet, the reality is, the most successful business people on the planet, in many cases, have been bankrupt multiple times. So, lesson number one: keep getting up.
Lesson number two: get mentors. One of the things that surprised me about working with different mentors over the years is that the support they give you isn’t just what I thought it would be. I had assumed it would be helpful when you’re struggling with a particular business problem. You know, you can ask, and they’d say, “Oh, you need to do more marketing,” or, “You know, more something or other.” But one of the things I’ve found with mentors is it’s also about helping you deal with problems.
Sometimes it’s just talking to someone, having someone empathise with you, and hearing, “Yep, I know what that feels like. It sucks, doesn’t it?” That can be enormously helpful.
Number three: build a team. If you look at any successful business, here’s the reality: they didn’t do it by themselves. Sometimes, as healthcare professionals, we can be pretty high-detail. You know, everything’s got to be just perfect. But what it does is stop us from allowing others to help.
As the saying goes, “80% done by someone else is 100% awesome.” So, you do need to build your team. You will have weaknesses, but others you bring in can help with those.
Number four: have a plan and a vision. Look, frankly, get hold of Vivid Vision by Cameron Herald. He explains how to write a vision for your business—maybe three or four pages—and then how to introduce that to your team. The reason why it’s so helpful is not just what you think. Of course, we like to have a goal and know where we’re heading.
But the other thing is, in business, the decision-making can be so exhausting. You can literally be making 100 decisions a day. With a vivid vision, it gives you a filter. So, you look through the vivid vision and ask, “Is this going to get us closer to our vision or further away from it?”
Number five: you never arrive. As I mentioned, I’ve built two seven-figure businesses, and the truth is, there’s never been a point where I thought, “Yes, I’ve arrived! Finally, all my hopes and dreams have been fulfilled.”
I mean, literally, last month I paid myself the most money I’ve ever paid myself in my entire life. And at some level, it’s like, “Yeah, okay, now what?” Because often, for entrepreneurs, our mindset is very much in the future. So just be aware, it’s a case of never arriving. This means you’ve got to enjoy the journey—it can’t all be about the destination.
Now, as a bonus: if you’re in the early stages of your business and want to build a dental business, why not get a free copy of my book The Dental Practice Profit System? The link’s in the bio. Leave us a thumbs-up if you got some value from this, grab the book, and I wish you well in your business. See you next time!