Dental business mentor talks focus

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If you lean your ladder against the wrong wall, you just get to the wrong place faster, says dental business mentor Andy McDougall from Spot On Business Planning[/caption]Andy McDougall from Spot On Business Planning is a business coach and mentor for dentists. In his latest blog he takes a look at focus – the hidden driver of excellence.I read a book recently that suggested that following years of research the likelihood is that we cannot successfully multi-task. In essence it concluded that multi-tasking really means doing nothing as well as we could if we gave one thing 100% focus.

That got me thinking about the power of focus

Very often when we start work with a new dental business client, a similar pattern emerges. They find themselves running a dental business, often turning over a couple of million with 20 people. But they don’t know how to change the business result because they don’t know what to focus on. They have so many plates spinning and so many unavoidable distractions but what they really need is to learn how to focus.Running diagnostics will uncover the root issues both financial and non-financial. There is a clear Pareto (80/20) ratio going on in most businesses and that is where we need to focus, to drive through the changes that make the difference. It never ceases to amaze me how people have scores of KPIs but cannot see the wood for the trees.Learning what to focus on is fundamental. If you lean your ladder against the wrong wall, you just get to the wrong place faster.Once you have identified the vital few areas of focus, you need to develop traction to get a grip on your dental business. Keeping your finger on the pulse of the vital few is the equivalent of business alchemy, turning your results into gold.When you set out with the objective of doubling your net profit within three years – like we do for our Spot On Business Planning clients – you need focus. You can’t deliver that quantum leap by concentrating on the bank charges or the electricity bill.

Free analysis of your dental business

Keeping it simple is the key, but simple doesn’t mean easy. Discover how to focus and solve the puzzle of profit. Contact Spot On Business Planning for a free analysis of your dental business.Send Andy McDougall your last 3 years of financial accounts and he will analyse them and visit you to explain the strengths and weaknesses he reads in your numbers.