Dr. Jerry Lanier DDS - The Entrepreneur Dentist: How to Exit Your Dental Business Rich

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Copyright 2019 Jerry Lanier

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Print ISBN: 978-1-62634-636-9

eBook ISBN: 978-1-62634-637-6

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First Edition

I dedicate this book to my children. This book should teach you how to fish, just in case Dad doesnt leave you any fish. I truly believe that what you learn is so much more important than what I could leave you financially. You should be able to leverage my confidence gained through my shared experiences to accomplish anything you set your sights on.

THIS BOOK IS SOMETHING IVE WANTED TO DO FOR YEARSto share what I think is a very exciting journey as an Entrepreneur Dentist. I couldnt finish it earlier because the journey wasnt finished, and there was no proof of success at a level that would convince my audience I had something worth sharing with them.

Now after the completion of my mission, and with proof of success in hand, Im ready to divulge what most consider a mystery: how to use your business to get rich. Looking back on it now, it seems much easier than when I was going through all the roadblocks along the way. But being a dentist was such a blessing for me that it seems as though it was my destinyas I consider all of my life experiences to have been.

Because so many people struggle with being successful at business, and because I seem to have figured a few things out, Id like to share some of what Ive been given. Some call it paying it forward, while others call it giving back, but whatever I do, I just think of it as my journey, which the Creator is laying out for me as I go. I really dont knowor even worry aboutwhat it entails, because Hes shown me that when I listen to that voice guiding me, Im always okay.

All that said, its also good to have wealth and knowledge when you retire and walk away. The last thing you want is to have to return to work in old age or depend on others to live. I also hear a lot of dentists talk about downsizing their lifestyle after retirement, and I didnt want to even consider that kind of thinking. My vision of retirement involves traveling, staying in fine hotels, using valet parking at fine restaurants: not worrying about how much Im spending, because my money is making more money than I can spend. I know not everyone can or will live this way, but obviously youre interested in having more, living a lifestyle of your choosing, and exiting the game rich, so lets talk about making it happen.

I grew up poor, and now Im retired and wealthy. My life is still about my family and friends. Im still happy most of the time. I like the same foods. I dont have the same worries, especially about money. But even more important than my assets are the knowledge and confidence I gained by accepting the challenge to become more than what people expected of me. I also did it for my dad, who died at fifty-eight. It always seemed to me that he had dreams that went unfulfilled, and I wanted to accomplish a lot in business as a way of honoring him.

Dentistry is one of the greatest platforms for launching a viable business. So why not share what Ive learned over my career that enabled me to join the one percent? This book is an attempt to simplify the steps that will virtually assure you financial success. I also want to share the reasons I did things the way I did, which I call leveraging what you are given.

The clinical side of dentistry is a medical profession and has to be taken seriously on its own. But the business side can be seen as a game youre determined to win. Putting them together, you create a great patient experience while growing a business that can someday be exchanged on the open marketto the highest bidder.

If you can do this, if you follow my advice, you wont have to depend on your children to take care of you when you retire. You can put all that responsibility on a corporation youve created and built up to great value; Ill teach you to create value in your companies that will reflect the value in you. I encourage you to plot your journey before you start. Pull over to the side of the road and input the coordinates into your mental GPSwhere you want to go and when you want to get there. Now, then, get back on the highway and be guided along the way by your goals and by what youve learned.

From my time back in college, I always said Id love to be a teacherI just dont want to stand in a classroom. This is my chance to teach what I love talking about: entrepreneurship. This book is a supplement to the videos, social media posts, and other content Ive created to augment my teaching, and theyre all for you.

Remember the words Jim Rohn shared from his mentor: Profits are better than wages. With wages you can earn a living, with profits you can earn a fortune. Happy reading and happy trails along the way to your exit!

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I GREW UP ON A FARM IN THE EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA tobacco belt. My grandparents were sharecroppers who lived on a tobacco farm, but my father actually owned eighteen acres of land. With eleven kids, including me, living in a four-room house, we were definitely poor. But when you grow up poor, you dont know anything else, so it doesnt seem like a big deal. I remember that, at one point, we had a television with sound but no picture; when friends talked about their favorite shows, I could only talk about the parts I had heard.

Farming has always been a hard life, and ours was no exception. For most of my life, I never caught my dad, Dave, in bed in the morning, even on Sundays. As early as I got up, he was always up before me. Working hard was probably my earliest lesson. But he taught us to be responsible. When I was thirteen, Dave would have my eighteen-year-old brother use dynamite to blow up stumps to clear trees off the land. It was a different time.