"Entrepreneur: One who organizes, manages and assumes the risk of a business or enterprise."1 I read Dr. Roger Levin’s December JADA article, "Is the Dentist an Entrepreneur? Yes and No," the other day. I remember that day, because I got to the office at 8 a.m. for some lab work and paperwork, prior to seeing my first patient at 9 a.m. Lunch was a quick salad, because of an emergency we squeezed into the schedule. I left the office at 6 p.m. I remember this, because I was late for the charity clinic here in my hometown. I saw patients at the charity clinic until 9 p.m. or so.
It was over warmed leftovers that I read Roger Levin’s piece, stating that I am not a true entrepreneur. This is because I am not working long enough hours, and I probably will not sell my business for many millions of dollars. Now, truth be told, 12 or 13 hours a day for me is not the norm, but, hey, did Bill Gates sell his business? What about other business people who started a business, grew it big and never sold it, such as Sam Walton?
Other types of entrepreneurs start businesses that are similar to dentists’. Bakeries, restaurants and florists may not have a unique idea or product, but getting businesses like these up and running takes drive, and foolish levels of optimism.
I am surprised by Dr. Levin’s conclusions. I had the pleasure of attending dental school with him. I have referred clients to his consulting business, and I was in a study club with him in Baltimore. I think he is simply trying to help dentists get a picture of what it is we do in the workplace. Once this image is formed, we can systematically work toward our goals, using sound business management principles.
Where I disagree with Dr. Levin is the "entrepreneur" word. I am an entrepreneur. I have started dental practices from scratch three times over the last 20 years. This includes two start-ups in the last 15 months. Like an entrepreneur, I am building relationships with my staff. I encourage my team to look at my practice as a team of engineers looks at an Internet start-up. Marketing, equipment purchases, financial and workflow systems all are topics of conversation at staff meetings. I work at the charity clinic to help those less fortunate, but also to meet other like-minded health professionals. Do I get referrals from these nice folks? You bet.
Perhaps we need to look at another framework for Dr. Levin’s article. I am a reserve officer in the United States Navy. I know that some servicemen and servicewomen go to war in a 60-ton tank. Some defend our nation from the flight deck of an aircraft carrier. Others serve in front of a computer screen, or at the wheel of a truck. In spite of these differences in jobs and uniforms, we all are American fighting men and women. We share a common goal and a common culture.
As a dentist, I use a specialized language and work with specialized equipment in the business world. I have a small, committed team of co-workers. If you give it some thought, dentists are sort of like the special forces of the business world. When you think of it like this, you realize we are entrepreneurs, just like the Green Berets are still soldiers. Perhaps the numbers are small, and the goals are different, but we are in the arena, and we are playing the game, just like the folks on the board of directors at IBM or Starbucks.
Being a business person in the specialized arena of health care delivery is fun and fulfilling. I think I can claim to be an entrepreneur—just one of a different color.
TOP
REFERENCES
