There was never a master plan behind Dr. Robert Martino’s successful transition from dentist to entrepreneur. He walked into some very fortuitous opportunities — including launching an aeronautical maintenance business with his tennis partner — and had the confidence to make some life-changing decisions.
Having confidence in your decision-making is integral to the business advice Dr. Martino shares in this episode of Dental Slang. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, he says, or even to accidentally make the wrong decision. The trick to that is never making the same mistake twice. Learn from what you’ve done in the past, and let those past experiences lead your next decisions.
Too many people hover around that next decision in their dental career. Dr. Martino says - just take the leap.
And he’s taken the leap. Today, Dr. Martino manages seven dental practices in West Virginia, an aeronautical repair business, launched Freedom Day USA, a charity event for military families, and invented one of the best dental rinses on the market today, OraCare. His latest endeavor is with a dental water filtration company.
What Dr. Martino calls the “CEO Mentality” is not about being “The Boss” but more about recognizing your own limitations and trusting yourself and your entire team to do their best. Running a business is not a solo project, surround yourself with people who support you. As long as everyone is willing to make the necessary mistakes to learn together, there’s no limit to how big your business can be.
If you’re interested in expanding your own dental practice, follow Dr. Martino’s top three business tips before you start:
First, invest in your practice and get it right. You will be duplicating these systems and processes as you expand.
Consider why you want to expand and ways you can bring compassion and sustainability to your business.
Finally, don’t shy away from big decisions and be willing to take risks.
In This Episode You Will Learn
How Dr. Martino went from managing mouths to managing people 1:00
What turns a dentist into a entrepreneur 12:04
What inspired Dr. Martino to create OraCare 22:45
The best ways to use OraCare 30:57
The West Virginian dental slang Dr. Martino uses in his offices 46:50
Some Questions We Discuss
What is Freedom Day USA? 3:02
How can you sign up for Freedom Day? 6:46
What’s the secret to running a successful business? 16:40
What’s the best strategy for making business decisions? 35:00
How does Dr. Martino pick which businesses to invest in? 39:11
Resources:
Participate in Freedom Day: Freedom Day USA
Try Dr. Martino’s oral health rinse: OraCare