Dr. Wright makes a number of excellent points.
- Dentists work extremely hard throughout their careers to achieve success.
- Dental practices are businesses that require dentists to master essential practice management skills.
- Starting a dental practice requires commitment, leadership and hard work.
The main point of the article was not to define the word "entrepreneur." Instead, the goal was to explain that dentists have a tremendous opportunity to build dental practices, as many individuals have before them, and to achieve long-term success during their careers.
My analogy to entrepreneurs was that they usually are involved with a unique product (or service), build a company around it, and often have very low profitability, with a goal of ultimately selling the company to achieve a high-level net worth. Regarding Bill Gates, the software entrepreneur did sell a good part of his business to stockholders of Microsoft Corporation when the company went public. While he still owns a large number of Microsoft shares, Mr. Gates is no longer the sole owner of the company.
Dentists have an entrepreneurial spirit that accounts for their ability to continually succeed in a competitive, ever-changing marketplace.
