Service industry business expert Brian Harding draws upon his many years of experience to share insights, strategies, tactics, and ideas to help business owners in service industries (like contractors, home and auto repair services, IT providers, CPAs, and B2B businesses) overcome challenges in their businesses. Brian takes on a wide range of topics small business owners face with growth, delegating, customers, employees, and processes, as well as the internal struggles and fears small busin ...
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Owning, operating, and managing a dental practice can be difficult and sometimes wrought with drama. Meet Dr. Kuba, a private practice owner, and Bethany, a dental consultant, who take real-life examples and talk through issues in an open, honest, and sometimes hilarious manner. Topics are relevant to current dental and employment trends and range from “The Art of Retaining Good Employees” to “The Marriage of Dentistry and Insurance Ending in Divorce” and everything in between. Each episode ...
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Examination of small business and success in the business world
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181. Training Guidelines, Tips, and Suggestions - Part Three
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Training is crucial for performance, improvement, and consistency. It’s also one of the most expensive investments we will make. Getting it right can make a massive positive impact on our business. And when we don’t see meaningful results from training, it can cause tremendous frustration. In this 6-part series – of which this is part three – I’m s…
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Firing an employee should always be a last resort, but many practice owners delay in terminating a relationship with an employee simply because they are not confident in HOW to fire an employee. Firing an employee is an incredibly difficult task, and if the task is not handled correctly, it can lead to an emotional explosion. In this episode, Dr. K…
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180. Training Guidelines, Tips, and Suggestions - Part Two
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Training is crucial for performance, improvement, and cohesiveness. It’s also one of the most expensive investments we will make. Getting it right can make a massive positive impact on our business. And when we don’t see meaningful results from training, it can cause tremendous frustration. In this 6-part series – of which this is part two – I’m sh…
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How to Deal with Disrespectful and Dramatic Employees
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There are times when the team is surprised with or plagued with a disrespectful or dramatic team member. It is unpleasant and can have an impact on every single person. In this episode, Bethany asks Dr. Kuba what she would do in three different scenarios where an employee was dramatic or disrespectful. Dr. Kuba offers office to the practice owners …
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179. Training Guidelines, Tips, and Suggestions - Part One
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Training is crucial for performance, improvement, and cohesiveness. It’s also one of the most expensive investments we will make. Getting it right can make a massive positive impact on our business. And when we don’t see meaningful results from training, it can cause tremendous frustrations. In this 6-part series, I’m going to share the guidelines …
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Everyone worries about it, and yet nobody talks about it. It’s a cringe-worthy topic, and yet every practice owner should diligently work to prevent a board complaint AND be prepared for one as well. In this episode, Dr. Kuba enlightens listeners on a typical board complaint process. She then walks through each step and explains how to best navigat…
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178. A Case Study of Knowing What Our Customers Really Want
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Recently I was at a bowling alley for a very large business networking event. The owner of that bowling alley perfectly demonstrated the clarity and understanding of his customers that is hard for many of us to attain. Tune in and I’ll share why this is a great example for all of us to follow. Check out Brian's new group: Business TIPS! For less th…
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Insurance Short Pays, and We are the Bad Guys?
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In a world where insurance continues to find new ways to pay less, it is incredibly frustrating when the dentist and team are somehow the ones to blame. In this episode, Bethany and Dr. Kuba discuss what is becoming a chronically reoccurring problem – patients angry at the dentist when insurance fails to hold up their end of the deal. Bethany has w…
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177. Is it Time to Consider Staffing Upgrades?
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Many industries have noticed demand softening over the last several months. So it might seem silly to be talking about hiring. But could this be a good time to look for people who would be a better fit in certain roles? Tune in and I'll explain what I mean! Check out Brian's new group: Business TIPS! For less than $100 per month (with no commitment…
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Meet Dr. Ludlow! He and Bethany have worked together for almost 10 years. Dr. Ludlow has a unique practice in that is very large and still privately owned. Therefore, it might be surprising to most listeners that Dr. Ludlow does not have an Office Manager. In this episode, he discusses his strategic decision to grow a large, successful practice wit…
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176. Why Our Managers and Supervisors Often Fail
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You can’t build a sizable company alone. You need capable leaders to help you reach goals, meet expectations, improve, and address issues. But not all the people we promote or hire to leadership roles succeed. Today, I share why I they most often fail, and how we can prevent that failure. Check out Brian's new group: Business TIPS! For less than $1…
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175. How Many Procedures Should My Company Have?
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Anyone who has read a business book since 1992 knows that we need to document how we do things – for a wide variety of good reasons. But how many procedures is the right amount for your company? Tune in and I’ll share some things I’ve learned with you. Check out Brian's new group: Business TIPS! For less than $100 per month (with no commitment or c…
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Dr. Kuba is back in the studio today, and she is asking some very raw questions. She confesses that there have been many times in her career where she simply doesn’t care, so she asks Bethany how to push past these moments. Together, they discuss why practice owners and team members sometimes hit theoretical walls and what to do once you hit them. …
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174. How Can We Better Manage Customer Relationships?
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It could be said that our success and fate will largely be determined by how well we manage our customer relationships. So how can we get better at this? Tune in and I’ll share some ideas that worked for us. Check out Brian's new group: Business TIPS! For less than $100 per month (with no commitment or contracts) you can ask Brian any question you …
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Oftentimes practice owners groan about the necessity of “morning” huddles. In fact, many practice owners opt to do away with them completely. In this episode, Bethany discusses all of the benefits associated with a daily or weekly huddle. Benefits include preparation for the patient's care plan, accountability for team members to prepare, and setti…
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173. How do I Address Conflict Within My Team?
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If you’re going to have employees, eventually there will be conflict between them. How should we address, resolve, and reduce the frequency of those distractions? Stay tuned and I’ll share some tips that worked for me. Check out Brian's new group: Business TIPS! For less than $100 per month (with no commitment or contracts) you can ask Brian any qu…
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Negative Reviews – Responding to False Claims Without Breaking HIPAA
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This long overdue episode reveals two new scathing negative reviews that Dr. Kuba received in the last few weeks. After lamenting the torture of these negative reviews, Dr. Kuba and Bethany discuss the specific details of the reviews. They also identify the specific claims that the reviewer made which then informed the needed response. They also di…
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172. A Key to Determining When the Team 'Gets it'
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Many hours can be seemingly wasted trying to drive home the same point, over and over again. It can be frustrating and maddening for us – especially when the problem persists, whether it be days or weeks later, or just a few hours. Why do we have problems with things that we know we’ve covered in depth before? More importantly, how do we overcome t…
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So often, there is a spoken and unspoken pressure to push your practice as far as it will go. Grow. Grow. Grow. Push. Push. Push. So many well-meaning people apply pressure to dentists to grow their practice into something massive. There tends to be a simple definition of success that every practice owner is fed, and then they spin their wheels alw…
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171. Getting Genuine Buy-in on Customer Service Expectations
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Sometimes it’s harder to get genuine buy in on customer service expectations than getting buy in on expectations with the technical work we do. We talk about how we must do this or that thing because it’s critical to providing the experience we want for our valued customers. But there are challenges with getting a team of people to truly take these…
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Task Management – The Art of Getting Things Done
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Most days for dental professionals feel overwhelming. How is it possible to get everything done? With constant interruptions and consistent “fires” to put out, the daily tasks of running a dental office often get pushed to the side. Then, they pile up. By the end of the week, the mound of things to complete feels insurmountable. Dentists and their …
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170. How Can I Make Sure My Business is Scalable?
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Dan writes in and asks “How can I ensure my business is scalable?” While there are many ways to answer this, I’m going to focus on the 3 things that I think were the biggest reasons our business scaled so fast and so well. Tune in to hear what they are! Check out Brian's new group: Business TIPS! For less than $100 per month (with no commitment or …
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Peer-to-peer feedback is one of the most helpful forms of performance feedback, and yet it is so incredibly difficult to figure out HOW to incorporate peer feedback. Fret no more! This episode provides a detailed description of how to tackle this difficult task. Dr. Kuba shares the specific details of her most recent iteration of her “Engagement Sc…
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169. Three Priorities We Must Sacrifice to Grow
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By default, we want it all. All the time… All the money… The comfort, simplicity, and ease… And especially all the growth! But, there are many periods of time in which we must choose what we really want because aiming for everything will result in us getting none of the things. This week, I’ll cover three critical examples Check out Brian's new gro…
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No matter the specialty, treatment acceptance is the lifeblood of every practice. In a good number of practices, an excellent treatment coordinator is behind exemplary treatment acceptance. So, what is a good treatment coordinator (TC)? What makes them unique and better than other TCs? In this episode, Dr. Kuba and Bethany discuss the core qualitie…
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168. A Basic, Three-Step Manager Training Process
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We need to put good managers, leaders, and decision-makers in place to build a business that doesn’t require us to oversee every import decision, or drive every critical behavior. But how do we teach people we put into leadership roles to do well at the things we will ask of them. In this episode, I share a simple, three-step process that is a fund…
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Join Bethany as she discusses the growing popularity of membership plans. As the quality of dental insurance continues to degrade, membership or wellness plans have grown in popularity. Bethany describes the three most popular types of wellness plans, and she reminds listeners of the importance of keeping the plans profitable for the practice and y…
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167. The Exact Moment I Knew We Were Going to Crush it
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As entrepreneurs and business leaders, we are much more likely to have massive concerns of failure than we are to huge amounts of confidence that our success will exceed our wildest dreams. For me, there was one moment that I knew that was exactly what was going to happen for us and our company. Tune in and I’ll tell you about that moment and how i…
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Bad Blood – When Team Members Can’t Seem to Get Along
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It is, unfortunately, a frequent occurrence. Team members argue, disagree, and simply cannot seem to get along. At times, it is related to simple personality differences. Other times, it runs deeper and seems to impact daily interactions. In most situations, the arguments lead to a chronic feeling of bad blood on the team. The doctor is often unawa…
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166. What are the Best Practices for Talent Acquisition and Retention?
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As talent availability is beginning to open up a little bit, it’s time to start thinking about how we will go get - and keep – the talented employees that will help us succeed. Tune in to see what has worked for me and those I help. Check out Brian's new group: Business TIPS! For less than $100 per month (with no commitment or contracts) you can as…
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In this episode, Dr. Kuba and Bethany talk about the various disappointments in continuing education courses and dental conferences. It is difficult to find a course or conference that meets everyone’s needs, and it is even harder to justify the cost involved in these classes. Often, practice owners will limit down the number of team members they i…
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165. How Can We Improve Our Operational Efficiency?
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We all want more efficiency. But it can be so elusive! This week I’ll explain what I think the obstacles are, and then stay tuned to hear what I did to gain real efficiency after struggling for way too long. Check out Brian's new group: Business TIPS! For less than $100 per month (with no commitment or contracts) you can ask Brian any question you …
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Divorce, HIPAA, Worker’s Compensation, and Other Legal Issues
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It is often the foundation of stress, the things we dread the most – legal issues. Often times, the things that keep dentists up at night are the fears of being sued for something, anything. In this episode, Dr. Kuba and Bethany discuss multiple real-life scenarios. First, they discuss being caught in the middle of a divorce case where Dr. Kuba was…
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164. What are Effective Methods for Conducting Competitor Analysis?
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A listener, named Chris wrote me and asked “What are effective methods for conducting competitor analysis?” Tune in and you’ll hear my answer Check out Brian's new group - where for less than $100 per month (with no commitment or contracts) you can ask any question you have about how to improve your business, your growth, your team, your processes,…
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Dr. Kuba is back, and she has an agenda! She turns the spotlight on Bethany and forces her to undergo the same treatment that Bethany dished out to her many months ago when Bethany recorded the “What Would Kuba Do?” episode. In this episode, venture into the mind of a consultant. See what she sees as Dr. Kuba has multiple questions for Bethany rang…
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163. A Case Study on How Not to Handle the Frustration of Rising Wages
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It’s been hard to stay on top of wage increases and employee expectations the last few years. Knowing when to grant wage increases and when to say no has been challenging. Talented employees are hard to find… And… There is a finite amount we can spend on wages and still be profitable. It can be frustrating. Very frustrating. Here’s a case study on …
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100% of Bethany’s clients have struggled with attendance issues on their teams. Either an employee is chronically late, often asks to leave early, or is simply absent chronically. In this episode, Bethany reminds listeners that some requests to be off should be met with a no. She describes scenarios that could potentially incur an automatic “no” to…
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162. What are Some Tips When Promoting a New Supervisor or Manager?
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Promoting a supervisor is an amazing time. It’s can really be exciting. And, sometimes, there is also a steep learning curve – which is not so awesome for everyone. Luckily many of the problems we are likely to face are predictable and avoidable. Tune in and I’ll share some common problems to get out in front of when promoting a new manager or supe…
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Bethany flies solo in this episode to tackle an important and often repetitive topic which is maternity and medical leaves. So many practice owners face this issue multiple times over the years of their career. Bethany discusses several simple tips to ensure that medical and maternity leaves are handled with consistency and a clear, documented plan…
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161. How Can We Develop a Stronger Company Culture?
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One of the most common questions I hear when people find out what I do for a living is “How can we develop a stronger company culture?" Tune in and I’ll share how I typically answer. To try Brian's group meetings - where you can ask any question you have about improving your business, your growth, your team, your processes, or your profitability - …
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Dr. Kuba is often not often surprised by a raise request in due to the diligent systems she has in place for frequently reviewing compensation. But, in this episode, she and Bethany discuss what may have caused the employee to unexpectedly ask for a raise. They also discuss what they can do going forward to ensure unexpected raise requests do not c…
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How did I make sure I was focused on the parts of my customers’ journey I thought could make the most impact on sales, retention, and word-of-mouth advertising? I competed against the “Solution Box”. What is the solution box? Tune in to find out! To try Brian's group meetings - where you can ask any question you have about improving your business, …
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A common and practical question often asked is – How many team members do I need? What are the parameters for determining what is overstaffed and what is understaffed? In this episode, Dr. Kuba and Bethany discuss three different tools for determining the right number of employees. First, Bethany discusses certain financial milestones that the prac…
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159. How Can I Define My Company's Competitive Advantage?
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You know your company is great. And you want potential customers and referral sources to know too. But it’s not easy to put your greatness into words. Why is that? More importantly, how do we overcome it? Tune in and I’ll tell you what worked for me. To try Brian's group meetings - where you can ask any question you have about improving your busine…
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How to Solicit Genuine Feedback from Employees
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Many practice owners struggle to find out true feedback from their employees. They desire to know their teams and know how things are going, but it is hard to get honest feedback from them. In this episode, Dr. Kuba and Bethany talk about the importance of establishing a foundation of good communication and trust with team members. Then, prior to a…
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158. How Can I Better Understand My Target Market?
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It’s almost impossible to articulate how hard our lives are when we don’t understand our clients. And, once we truly understand customers, and potential customers, our lives are profoundly easier in ways that are unimaginable before we have that clarity. Tune in to hear how we can gain the understanding that makes everything fall into place. To try…
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This week we are going to talk about quitting – or rather not quitting. I share a couple of statistics about podcasting that will blow your mind, and then of course we’ll talk about how that relates to you and your business. Tune in to see what I mean! Join Brian's lowest cost, lowest time commitment group to get immediate help with the growth chal…
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Celebrating Employee Holidays – Anniversaries, Dental Assistant Week, etc.
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Get ready for crusty Dr. Kuba! Today, she talks about her natural aversion to forced holiday celebrations. She confesses that she has never celebrated dental assistant week, administrative assistant day, etc. She and Bethany talk through all the reasons why she resists these celebrations. Dr. Kuba confesses that she gets cranky even thinking about …
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156. Perfect Procedures or Imperfect Processes?
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Everyone knows we need to get our processes and procedures documented and in place. But there is a lot of confusion around this topic, from general understanding to specific applications In this episode, I hope to clarify a few things that hold us back. Get more at: https://www.serviceindustrysuccess.com…
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The Highs and Lows of Family Members as Employees
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Bethany has her dad, Dr. Jones, in the studio today. Together, they discuss a hot topic – hiring family members or friends to be a member of the dental team. Dr. Jones has employed multiple friends and family members throughout the years of his profession. For him, it felt like a dream come true, but he discusses that it is critical to have clear e…
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