-Why Did You Choose to Be Independent?
When you first decided to own or build your own dental practice, there was probably a very good reason you chose the independent path.
Maybe you wanted control over how you practised, the way you looked after your patients and the type of practice you wanted to build. You wanted to choose your own team, work with people you trusted, select the products and services that suited your practice and make decisions based on what you believed was right for your patients, rather than having those decisions made somewhere else.
For many dentists, that freedom is one of the most rewarding parts of owning an independent practice. It is your business, your reputation and your relationship with your patients. You have the ability to make decisions based on what is right for your practice, your team and your patients.
But there is another side to being independent that isn’t always talked about.
Independence comes with responsibility
When you’re an independent practice owner, a lot of the decisions also fall back on you. Running a dental practice is about much more than dentistry. There are suppliers to manage, staff to look after, stock to monitor, invoices to pay, equipment to maintain, technology to keep up with, compliance requirements to deal with and finances to keep an eye on. Then there is marketing, recruitment, training, business planning and all the unexpected issues that seem to find their way onto your desk.
You may have a great practice manager and a strong team around you, but ultimately, the responsibility for the business often still comes back to the owner.
This is where independence can sometimes become a little frustrating. You might know there are better options available, but finding them takes time. You might wonder whether you’re getting the best pricing from your suppliers, but comparing everything takes time. You might know your inventory process could be improved, but finding the right solution and getting everyone on board takes time.
None of these things are particularly difficult on their own. It is the sheer number of them that can become exhausting.
And when you’re already busy running a practice, finding another few hours in the week to research how you could do things better isn’t always realistic.
So why does corporate dentistry look attractive?
It is easy to understand why corporate dentistry can look appealing, particularly when you are feeling the pressure of running a business.
There are systems already in place. Purchasing may be centralised, marketing and administration can be handled by dedicated teams, and there are established processes for many of the things that take up your time as an independent owner.
For a busy dentist, the idea of having someone else take care of some of those responsibilities can sound pretty good.
But there can also be a trade-off.
The more centralised a business becomes, the less control an individual practice owner may have over some of the decisions that affect their practice. Suppliers, products, processes, technology, fees and other business decisions may be influenced by what works across the wider group, rather than what is necessarily the best fit for your individual practice.
And for someone who chose independence because they wanted control, that can be a difficult compromise.
You may gain support, but you can also give up some of the freedom that made you want to own your own practice in the first place.
So, do you really have to choose between doing everything yourself and giving up some of your independence?
Perhaps there is another option
What if you could keep the things you value about being independent, while having access to some of the support and advantages that come with being part of something bigger?
This is where being part of a network of independent practices can make a real difference.
There is strength in numbers. When hundreds of independent dental practices come together, they collectively have more buying power than any one practice could achieve on its own. That can create opportunities for better pricing, exclusive offers and stronger relationships with suppliers and service providers.
But perhaps one of the most valuable parts of a network is something that doesn’t appear on a price list at all: the people in it.
Running a practice can sometimes feel like you’re the only person dealing with a particular problem. Perhaps you’re considering buying another practice, dealing with a difficult staffing situation, looking at your numbers, trying to improve your systems or simply wondering how other practices are handling something you’re facing.
Having access to a network of peers who have already been where you are can be incredibly valuable.
Sometimes you don’t need a consultant or a complicated solution. You just need to be able to ask someone, “Have you dealt with this before? What did you do?”
Other independent practice owners have been through many of the same challenges. They’ve made mistakes, found solutions, tried different approaches and worked out what does and doesn’t work for their practices. Being able to learn from those experiences can save you time, give you another perspective and sometimes simply reassure you that you’re not the only one dealing with it.
That’s one of the real benefits of being connected to a network of people who understand the realities of independent dentistry.
Good partnerships are about more than price
Of course, price matters. Every practice needs to keep an eye on costs, and nobody wants to pay more than they need to.
But a good business relationship should be about more than simply getting the cheapest price.
A good supplier or service partner should understand your industry and the pressures you are dealing with. They should be interested in finding the right solution rather than simply selling you another product or service.
For an independent practice, having access to established industry relationships can be particularly valuable. You don’t necessarily have the time to research every provider, compare every option and work out who is reputable and who isn’t.
Having a network of trusted partners means you have somewhere to turn when you need something. And that can save more than money. It can save time, frustration and a lot of unnecessary research.
The hidden cost is often time
We talk a lot about saving money in dental practices, but there is another valuable resource that is often overlooked: time.
How many hours are spent comparing suppliers, checking prices, searching for products, chasing orders, managing stock, looking for service providers or trying to work out whether there is a better way of doing something?
One task might only take 15 minutes. Another might take an hour. But across a year, those little jobs add up.
Sometimes the biggest opportunity isn’t saving another $50 on an order. It is avoiding the two hours it took to find the right solution in the first place.
That time could be spent with patients, with your team or working on the areas of the business that will actually help your practice move forward.
What could Dental Innovations do for your practice?
This is really where Dental Innovations fits in.
A Dental Innovations Network Membership is designed to give independent practices access to the support, buying power and resources that can be difficult to achieve on your own. That includes collective buying power and negotiated member pricing, established industry partnerships, education and business resources, technology and practical tools that can help simplify some of the everyday tasks involved in running a practice.
But every practice is different, so there isn’t one answer to what a membership could do for you.
For one practice, it might be about finding better value across regular purchasing. For another, it could be reducing the time spent managing stock or finding a trusted service provider. It might be making better use of education and business resources, or simply having someone to call when you are looking for a solution and don’t know where to start.
And then there is the network itself — the opportunity to connect with other independent practices and tap into that collective experience. Sometimes the most useful advice doesn’t come from a textbook or a consultant. It comes from someone who has already been in your shoes.
There may be opportunities within your practice that you haven’t considered simply because you haven’t had the time to look for them.
That’s why we’d like to offer you a conversation with the Dental Innovations team. Rather than simply telling you what membership includes, we can talk to you about your practice, understand how you’re currently doing things and uncover where we may be able to help.
You may already have good systems and suppliers in place, and that’s great. But there may also be areas where you could save time, reduce costs, access better resources, learn from other practice owners or make the day-to-day running of the practice a little easier.
If you’d like to explore what’s possible, give Berris Saultry a call on 0400 001 172, or book a time to have a chat when it suits you.
Book a chat with Dental Innovations
There is no need to change everything or give up the independence you’ve worked hard to build. It’s simply about finding out whether there are opportunities that could make a difference to your practice.
Because you chose independence for a reason.
You should be able to keep that independence, without feeling like you have to do everything on your own.