Life sentence practice or lifestyle practice?

Dr. Albert (Ace) Goerig describes the foundation to his philosophy and vision

I spent my first 20 years practicing endodontics in the army, so I was a newbie to private practice endodontics in my mid-40s. I was 20 years behind my residency peers! However, within 10 years, I was far ahead of them. After talking with my contemporaries, I knew there had to be a better way than what they were describing:

• Meaningful growth had stalled, and my peers were frustrated.
• On average, they were completing only 3 or 4 cases a day.
• Most still had debt and financial stress, even after 20 years.
• Most felt seriously behind in preparing financially for retirement.
• Many felt worn-out or tired but avoided time off to be available for referrers.
• Many experienced daily stresses with team and practice management issues.
• They weren’t having fun and felt locked in by the

In short, the overall impression I got was that most of my peers were feeling that their practice life should be easier and better by that point, and their personal life was stuck as a result. The practice was taking up too much time, and they didn’t have the flexibility in their economics to do anything about it.

Defining the lifestyle practice

The list above became my focused checklist of things to avoid when setting up and leading my practice. Therefore, the lifestyle practice is defined as having:

• Powerful, effective marketing systems to drive referral relationships and growth.
• The doctor only does what is medically necessary for the doctor to do.
• Complete at least two more cases per day than average with effortless team efficiency.
• Empowered and accountable office manager to deal with daily issues.
• 4 days/week at first, 3 days/week as productivity grows, plus 10 weeks off annually. (Time flexibility grows when you add another endodontist to your practice.)
• Practice profitability at least 2 times higher than average.
• Quick debt elimination and freedom from financial stress forever.
• Time and income to enjoy your family and your life

Achieving your lifestyle vision

The lifestyle model for endodontic practices is the foundation of our philosophy and vision at Endo Mastery. We want every endodontist to have the most amazing life, supported by the most amazing practice. It is what our coaching program is designed to do. In a year or two, you can close all the gaps that tell you things should be easier or better. In fact, we have clients in their early 30s who have done this already. They are living such an abundant life that every day inside and outside the practice is a dream.

It’s not about how old you are, or how many years in practice. It’s just about making the decision to optimize and grow the practice so that you get enjoyment back and get your life back. Stop feeling like your practice is a life sentence!

For more information, visit www.endomastery.com, or call 1-800-482-7563.