A Few Good Men immortalized the scene between young Jag officer Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee played by Tom Cruise, and the crusty older marine Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Markinson played by Jack Nicholson.  Nicholson, while on the stand in a military court room, is being cornered by Cruise when Nicholson asks: “You want answers?”  Cruise fires ...

Welcome to the continued list of warning signs, detours, and red flags (part 2) or what you should have know but were afraid to admit.  If you are reading this for the first time, there are two previous articles you really need to read first.  Let me know if you can’t find them and I will send them to you.  We are creating a checklist that ...

Now that you have psychoanalyzed yourself, let’s look at the common warning signs, detours, and red flags that you are guaranteed to run into.  Remember, as we look for a practice, that there are no perfect jobs.  You will never be able to check all the boxes on this list.  I will try to highlight the “can’t do without” items.  ...

Just to be clear, I am writing this short article to help young doctors overcome the common mistakes in searching for that first job, as well as helping educate yourself on the type of practice that would be a good fit for employment as an associate.  With this said, there are no perfect jobs nor will there ever be a perfect transition from being ...

“Keep your eye on the ball” has its roots in baseball, but it also applies to Navy aviators as they approach an aircraft carrier for a landing.  The “ball” being a glowing light that helps them line up and land safely on a pitching carrier deck.  “Get your head in the game” is a similar exhortation, shouted by coaches to “wake ...

Everyone is looking for a head start or a new strategy to improve their options for success.  We look for that something that increases our speed, improves our results, and guarantees consistent growth.  While this may come in the form of a class, something you have read, new equipment, or a new service you might provide, they all seem to be ...

On the Income & Expense Summary from two weeks ago, there were summaries of your Profit & Loss Statement as well as 8 other numbers or percentages that you should benchmark to make wise practice management and financial decisions.  I wanted to quickly explain them along with the ideal goal for each of them.  I think it is interesting ...

Way back 5 articles ago, I started this series of blogs based on this question from a doctor: How do a create a budget?  Honestly, this is a sort of “What came first, the chicken or the egg?” kind of question.  Success in your practice would have to include understanding each component of this can’t miss profitability equation: PV x PEV ...

Profit is the only score that counts.  In fact, if you were setting a goal or casting a vision for any business, you should always think profit first.  Without profit there will eventually be no practice or business.  In a way, profit is the way to keep score if you want to know if you are meeting and exceeding the needs and wants of your ...

Steven Covey, in his bestselling book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, identifies the number one trait to make you successful in any endeavor: “Begin with the end in mind”.  In other words, if you can define or create a picture of where you want to be, you will shorten the path and define the result.  The same is true in overhead.  ...