Jason Lipscomb has had an unconventional dental career; he did not expect to have ownership in multiple practices, become a dental speaker, write a book, or become part of a successful dental podcast, but he is excited by the prospect that “It keeps life interesting”. Jason treasures the chance to try something new, learn and explore the possibilities in dentistry. Dr. Lipscomb practices in Virginia where he enjoys every moment with his wife and two small children.
Jason’s favorite quote and why:
“There was a quote that somebody asked a person who does sculptures, why they completed the sculpture to the point where they finished the back of the sculpture where nobody would see it. And the sculptor replied that he would know that that detail was missing if he did not do it.[showhide type=”quote” more_text=”Read more…” less_text=”Hide”] And I think that that applies to dentistry; a lot of the stuff that we do, nobody will ever see it, and nobody will ever know what the quality is of it, but we know at the end of the day. And that’s what I think kind of drives us to do a good job, and to do the right thing, and to put the finest product that we possibly can in people’s mouths. And I think that really applies to dentistry in almost every way.” [/showhide]
What he does for the dental profession:
“Several years ago, the marketing atmosphere of dentistry was starting to change a little bit, and social media and Facebook and different things were coming into play. And I started playing around the social media for my office; I was really diving into it. The more I did, I actually had people that were coming to me, asking me how to do it. And for long, people started asking me to come speak about social media, and I’m a terribly, terribly shy person. I gave one speech in dental school, and I thought I was going to throw up the whole time, because I was just so nervous; I did not want to be in front of people. So it definitely was not my idea of what my calling would be.[showhide type=”profession” more_text=”Read more…” less_text=”Hide”] But as time went on and I started to teach people, I started to enjoy it. And there are people out there that are really appreciating what I was doing, and they were taking the advice I was giving and really putting it into their practices and helping their practices. And eventually, myself and my business partner at the time wrote a book called Social Media For Dentist, and we had 3-4 different versions of it as we updated it over the years. It sold quite well, and dentists really enjoyed it and it helped them about social media and website marketing, and that whole atmosphere. It was really rewarding.
Then my family started coming along and I wasn’t to speak as much, and my prioritized changed a little bit. So, I don’t speak as much, but I still overtime, still just really enjoy teaching to other dentists, and helping them out. And I think I wasn’t as successful because I didn’t really have anything to sell. But I really did find it enjoyable over the years.” [/showhide]
Jason’s difficult time story:
“In 2008, I had just opened up a new practice and expanded my other existing practice. So I had two things that were probably one of the worse things that happened in 2008. And I was unprepared for it. I was brash and I thought that I had enough money, and I thought I had the experience to take on this risk, and it was very foolish of me. And now I look back and I see every day how foolish that was, and it has changed how I look at finances and how I think about my dental practice, and how I’m prepared for the future, and what type of financial decisions I make.[showhide type=”story” more_text=”Read more…” less_text=”Hide”] My practice almost went bankrupt. I had to borrow money from my friend to pay my house payment because it had gotten that bad. But at that point too, I began to realize that I had been native and I had almost been giving my practice away. I had a patient that had been coming in and he was an older gentleman and I kind of felt sorry for him a little bit, so I gave him a deal here or there, and as I look back at it, I gave him probably too many deals on his treatment. And as soon as I was not available on a Friday or something like that, he went somewhere else. It became apparent that there was no real loyalty from him towards me, even though I was trying to be this good for him.
And it made me realize that this is a business too, and my time my supplies do take money to keep going. And it changed my outlook on things. It made me develop a little more business acumen at that time to keep things going. And since then, I think my practice has been more successful. I don’t — for a lack of a better word – suffer fools as much as I used to. If there’s somebody that’s an employee that’s bringing the practice down, then they need to be dealt with. It’s not something that you keep on the practice and keep letting them hurt the practice overtime. So it was a shock to the system, but it’s probably the shock that I needed. And I think it’s helped me grow from there, and helped me to be able expand the practice later on down the road, but do it in a safe manner. So I think I’m better off knowing what I know now.”[/showhide]
What is concerning or exciting him right now in dentistry:
“I think that everybody in dentistry is pretty excited about the technology that’s going on in dentistry. And how could you not be? There’s so many different things that are coming out and improving all the time. Some of the other practice management issues that are coming out. I know it’s been spoken about and I’ve seen them in a lot of message boards and things like that is group practice phenomenon. And I know a lot of the dental experts are saying that the world of dentistry is heading in that direction, as far as either owning a group practice or working for a group practice in the next couple years.[showhide type=”concern” more_text=”Read more…” less_text=”Hide”] I don’t know how true that prophecy is. Obviously, I’m one of the guilty ones if I’m owning multiple practices, but I do see that growing and that’s something that we’ll all have to deal with, whether it’s to the extent of what they say or not, but that’s all something that we’ll have to deal with fairly soon in the future. And I know that that’s may or may not be a mindset that’s preached to the people coming out of dental school right now, and I know the student loan amounts have been something that have been highly discussed recently as well. So people coming out of dental school having these huge student loan debts. And I think there are varying degrees of how people look at those as well. So I think that’s going to be something that’s really going to be influencing the type of dentistry that’s done in the next couple of years too.” [/showhide]
The best advice Jason has ever received:
It had to be from my dad. “Treat other people like I want to be treated.”
The one habit that contributes to Jason’s success:
“Customer service for me has been big. I started working at the grocery store when I was 15 years old, and I worked there all through dental school. And there they pushed this customer service and knowing how to the needs of the client and taking care of them. I think that’s really, really helped push my success overtime and know that I have patient’s best interest at heart.”
Management or marketing pearl (tip):
“Systems management. Making sure that you have systems set up for almost everything in the practice, so that you find that everything moves smoothly.”
Internet / App resource that Jason feels is awesome:
UberHumor – http://uberhumor.com/
Jason’s book recommendation:
Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell
- Hardcover edition can be purchased on Amazon here.
- Paperback edition can be purchased on Amazon here.
- Kindle edition can be purchased on Amazon here.
Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
- Hardcover edition can be purchased on Amazon here.
- Paperback edition can be purchased on Amazon here.
- Kindle edition can be purchased on Amazon here.
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…And Others Don’t by Jim Collins
- Hardcover edition can be purchased on Amazon here.
- Paperback edition can be purchased on Amazon here.
- Kindle edition can be purchased on Amazon here.
His recommendation for those who are about to start new or restart:
“I think a lot of these grads should take a step back and look at it, and talk to people that have had some experience in it. And don’t take it from what it seems to be on the surface and think that you need to be sequestered in this type of practice or this other type of practice because of your student loan debt or some other factors. But to really invest in yourself and look at what your potential is. And take advice from other people and other dentists even though it might be hard and it might not be what you wanna hear. I know when I first got out, when people gave me advice, I was smarter than everybody else of course, so I didn’t need this advice, but overtime as you look back you’re like, “I really should’ve listened to those people. And I really should have applied that. And I probably wouldn’t have gotten into trouble that I have gotten in before.” So just really take time to listen to those with more experienced than yourself.”
Dr. Jason T. Lipscomb can be reached at:
- Podcast: www.dentalhacks.com
- Website: www.lipscombdentist.com
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