Jarrod hired a fitness coach/nutritionist? Yes. It's true. Casey and Jarrod discuss the parallels between coaches and what Four Quadrants does and how it takes self-drive to make anything happen.
Announcer:
Hello, everyone. Welcome to The Millionaire Dentist podcast, brought to you by Four Quadrants Advisory. On this podcast, we break down the world of dentistry finances, and business practices to help you become the millionaire dentist you deserve to be. Please be advised, we do speak with an honest tongue, and may not be safe for work.
Casey Hiers:
Hello and welcome. This is Casey Hiers, back at The Millionaire Dentist podcast, in-studio with Jarrod Bridgeman. How are you, sir?
Jarrod Bridgeman:
Great. How are you?
Casey Hiers:
Co-host, Jarrod Bridgeman.
Jarrod Bridgeman:
That's right.
Casey Hiers:
My apologies.
Jarrod Bridgeman:
Get the title right.
Casey Hiers:
So you were telling me a little bit about a new endeavor you're doing and, yeah. Why don't you tell our audience about this?
Jarrod Bridgeman:
So, I have gotten a little soft around the edges. One might say a little pudgy.
Casey Hiers:
It's more to love, right?
Jarrod Bridgeman:
Right. That's what my wife keeps saying, but I don't believe her. But I've decided, I've tried multiple times to do diets and moving, and move around more. And I've found that I either get too gung ho about it and give up, or I'll have one cheat day that turns into a cheat month. So I finally did some research, and I found myself a fitness coach and nutritionist to do a 12-week program to slowly build into hopefully a better, healthy lifestyle.
Casey Hiers:
Fitness coach and nutritionist. I mean, you sound like a Kardashian.
Jarrod Bridgeman:
I know.
Casey Hiers:
Listen to you, big time.
Jarrod Bridgeman:
That's right.
Casey Hiers:
So hold on. I think I heard Roseanne Barr on The Tonight Show, 15 years ago, talk about her cutting-edge secret to weight loss.
Jarrod Bridgeman:
Which is?
Casey Hiers:
Move more and eat less.
Jarrod Bridgeman:
Yes. It's the best way.
Casey Hiers:
So, you're hiring somebody to do this for you.
Jarrod Bridgeman:
Honestly, if they could actually do it for me, and I can just lay there, that would be ideal. But yes, that's I had an hour-long conversation, a very initial conversation to figure out if we can work together, what my goals were, what my plans were, what my current diets status was. And he's like, "I really think I can work with you. Here's the plan we're going to go with." And we talked about, and I was like, "Yeah, I know to not pig out on ice cream, I know I should have less beer." And he goes, "Well, everybody knows that 60%. That's 60% of the equation is eat less, move more. It's that extra 40% that a lot of people don't know."
Casey Hiers:
So, that's what you're paying for?
Jarrod Bridgeman:
Yes.
Casey Hiers:
Okay.
Jarrod Bridgeman:
And accountability helps.
Casey Hiers:
There, okay.
Jarrod Bridgeman:
But, I got to thinking about it, and we spent that hour-long conversation to see if we could even work together and figure out what he can do and what I can do. And it made me think about you, and us here at Four Quadrants.
Casey Hiers:
How so?
Jarrod Bridgeman:
Well, it's kind of what we do with our clients, right? Especially, before they get started. You come to us, we talk with you, but there's conversations about what we can do, and what they can do because everybody is different. Everybody's body is different, everybody's practice is different.
Casey Hiers:
Well, that 60% thing you just said resonates, right? People, for the most part, know as a practice owner, "Well, I can, I need to lower my overhead. And, I want to make more." Well, if you know it, why don't you do it? Right? Is that kind of aligned with what you're talking about with-
Jarrod Bridgeman:
I think so.
Casey Hiers:
... with, you kind of know what to do, but it's not happening.
Jarrod Bridgeman:
Yeah. So you know what to do and you may be, "Okay. I'm comfortable where I'm at now. I know it's a little high," but just like with food and stuff, it could spiral more and more slowly before you realize, "Oh crap, I've doubled, my overhead has doubled," or whatever the case.
Casey Hiers:
So, what changed? Was there a catalyst or a defining moment for you, that you decided that you were going to reach out and do something more than just, "Try harder?"
Jarrod Bridgeman:
My wife tends to work out quite a lot. She's in Pilates. She does some weight training and stuff, and she's working hard to keep herself looking good. And I figured, I just can't be the dopey soft-looking dad like you see in sitcoms.
Casey Hiers:
Okay. So, guilt, or what was that?
Jarrod Bridgeman:
Little bit of guilt, and I like the look of skinnier clothes. I like form-fitting suits and things like that, and skinny ties. And I got to the point where some of my favorite clothes didn't fit. And I've, over the years, have gone back and forth 20 pounds here, 20 pounds there, back and forth. And so then I'm like, "Okay, well now I have to get out my fat clothes." Six months later, "Now it's time for my skinny clothes." And I'm tired of the rubber band effect or the up and down effect. I want something that I can be happy with and comfortable with, and be at a reasonable look that I'm going for.
Casey Hiers:
Man. I lost a lot of weight when I had COVID, and so I don't really want to work out. So, but I don't really want COVID again. So, I'm really torn. Now, I'm feeling convicted right now.
Jarrod Bridgeman:
Well, so for example, I told him, "I was interested in doing some weight training." I'm not looking to be big by any means, but I've always been kind of embarrassed and shy to go to a gym and do it because I really don't know what I'm doing. I know to lift them, but I don't know the proper techniques. And I feel like a lot of our clients could be the same way in terms of overhead accounting and all those kinds of stuff. They know the general idea, but one mistake can hurt the practice like one mistake can pull a muscle.
Casey Hiers:
Well, I ask you, what was the catalyst or origin for you to change behavior, right? A lot of this comes down to psychology, and you shared something that probably got edited out, so our crowd won't actually hear one of the reasons. But, for the most part, there has to be a catalyst or some compelling reason why somebody wants to change. Change is hard. Nobody likes to change. Right? You'd like to do what you want to do, but you probably, you want to weigh less. So, when it comes to dentistry and practice owners, I always say, "We can't want this more than a practice owner wants it." Right? They have to have their own journey. And some are just content, right?
Casey Hiers:
We're not for those who are content. We're for people who want to achieve more. And so when it comes to making more money, saving more money for retirement, reducing overhead, all of the things that we incorporate in this podcast, and in our firm, and in dentistry in general, around the country when we educate, it's the same thing. We all want those things. It comes down to why haven't you already done it? Right. And, to your point, there's a handful of things that we'll do that, it's ...
Jarrod Bridgeman:
You always call it the low-hanging fruit. Right?
Casey Hiers:
Well, and we always say, "Yeah, but why haven't you already done it?" Right? "Oh, well, I can do those five things." "Great. You should, but why haven't you?" Right? And then there's a whole bunch of things that, my guess is that you're going to learn new techniques, and new drills, and new things that work for your body specifically, as you work with this person and he or she sees how you respond to things. Then it becomes very custom to you.
Jarrod Bridgeman:
Well, because it's, my body is obviously very different from yours. We both have four limbs, but besides that, we're very different. It's the same thing from practice to practice. Every region, every area, every doctor, everybody's different and every practice is different. So that's, I think, where I was trying to get at, that's a very self-serving element. But, we do go in and talk with you, and work with you, and figure out the best plan of action for you. We don't do a all blanket high type of solution.
Casey Hiers:
You're not going to measure your food, are you? Are you going to have a food scale?
Jarrod Bridgeman:
He's not that way. Thank God.
Casey Hiers:
Yeah. I mean, that's just no fun.
Jarrod Bridgeman:
Yeah.
Casey Hiers:
I mean, did you ask him about intermittent fasting?
Jarrod Bridgeman:
He does do that. And so, that's a possibility as well, but it's a 12-week program where we're going to, it's going to be ramped up. So we're going to kind of start off with feasible-
Casey Hiers:
When's it start?
Jarrod Bridgeman:
The Monday after Thanksgiving.
Casey Hiers:
Oh, you're going to be wearing sweatpants all Thanksgiving, just gorging yourself, man.
Jarrod Bridgeman:
Oh, man, I want to gain 10 pounds just to make it worth it.
Casey Hiers:
Yeah. Well, no, I've done that before. I did like a cleanse and I loaded up beforehand. Makes total sense. Yeah. No, I mean, we often say we're like a trainer, we're like a golf coach, a swing coach. There's a ton of analogies, but it does come down to, until you are ready for a change, until you identify areas that you want to. And so, you've tried everything and realized you haven't, you either have shame and you ignore it, or you get your head out of the sand and say, "I'm going to do something about it." Which sounds like you're doing from a food, nutrition, and fitness perspective. And for practice owners, unfortunately, it's hanging over their head. I mean, if you have 62% overhead, that's not terrible, but the achiever in you wants it to be lower. Right? If you're saving 80,000 for retirement, you probably know you can be saving more. And then when it happens, you're like, "I knew it." Right?
Casey Hiers:
So the goal is after 12 weeks, you look at yourself and go, "Why didn't I do this sooner?" Guess what the most common thing somebody tells us after two or three years working with our firm?
Jarrod Bridgeman:
"Why didn't I?"
Casey Hiers:
"I wish I would've done something like this sooner," right? So why don't we? Apathy. Apathy. That's the biggest competitor.
Jarrod Bridgeman:
Apathy, and then you mentioned, we can't want it more than the client wants it. And if-
Casey Hiers:
And your trainer can't want up more than you.
Jarrod Bridgeman:
Exactly, because once he's done with our program, I could easily fall back into my old habits, because I was not really all that motivated.
Casey Hiers:
Well, you had mentioned, you wish you could just lay there and him do it for you, but you are going to have to put some effort in.
Jarrod Bridgeman:
For sure.
Casey Hiers:
And anytime somebody gets better in their business or the financial side of their life, they have to take some ownership, and accountability, and be coachable.
Jarrod Bridgeman:
A hundred percent.
Casey Hiers:
But, one of the nice things here is, we try to implement 70 or 80% of what we advise on. Therefore, that wish of yours is something that's more of a reality here, is we want our practice owners do whatever the hell they want to do outside of dentistry. And producing dentistry versus doing business things, where your trainer-
Jarrod Bridgeman:
Feels the same way.
Casey Hiers:
... is going to have to have probably more effort from you. But he's going to pace it at a way that you're said in, "Well, now I'm feeling convicted."
Jarrod Bridgeman:
Want me to give you his number?
Casey Hiers:
I need a catalyst, right? Just like that psychology of everybody, I need a catalyst. I need one of my kids to say, "Daddy's got a big belly." So I probably have to wait until the weekend and then that'll happen.
Jarrod Bridgeman:
Oh, my son has pointed at, I don't know if you've ever watched Peppa Pig. Pointed out to the dad and then pointed at me and said, we're the same.
Casey Hiers:
Yeah, Peppa had a little attitude, so we turned that off. Our young girls were starting to mimic Peppa the Pig.
Jarrod Bridgeman:
It's still better than that Caillou. I hate Caillou.
Casey Hiers:
So how long did it take you ... here's a personal question. When's the last time you felt good about how you looked? How long did it take this slide to happen? And again, you look great, but it's all about how we feel and think. How long has it been since you were like, "Yes, I like this," for you to then take action.
Jarrod Bridgeman:
It was about three or four years ago, but that was, I lost quite a bunch of weight, 30 pounds or so, but that was not due to me being healthy. That was a mix of anxiety, depression, things like that, where I just was not motivated at doing anything for several months and I lost a bunch of weight. And so, I liked the way I looked and started feeling better, but I didn't achieve it in the right way. I took the shortcut, the cheaters way out.
Casey Hiers:
Ah, I see. Yeah. So a parallel would be, if a practice owner just thinks they're going to go fire two people and raise their fees 15%, on paper that might achieve their goals. Big picture, probably won't work out. But, it took you that long. You said, maybe two or three years to get to that point. Unfortunately, I talk to practice owners, it can take decades. Hopefully, it takes years. That's why we like people to own for three years because they realize all the additional challenges that are out there. Right? Just like as we get older, we realize we can't lose weight as fast as we use to. And we're like, "Shoot, I'm going to have to figure something else out." But for you, it took a little time. For a lot of practice owners, it takes some time. Even, we'll call them civilians, non-dentists out there.
Casey Hiers:
If you want to pay off credit card debt, if you want to do the things that you know you need to do, sometimes that can take time to get to a place of action. And this all ties back to as a practice owner when you look at the things that you need help with, how much time is it going to take? What's the catalyst that's going to get you to the place where you say, "If there's a better way, I want to do it." And then ultimately, can that be sustained, right? That's the other thing, the yo-yo dieting, all those things.
Jarrod Bridgeman:
Because again, as you said, increasing fees and out of on a whim, firing two of your employees, that's very drastic and there's could be quite a bit of long term effects from.
Casey Hiers:
Oh, I get that question a lot. "Well, how do you do it?" I was like, "Yeah, you just fire 2.5 employees, raise your fees, and magic happens." Right? I mean it's, unfortunately, it's not quite that easy. And obviously, that's why we promote having a team to help you, right? And, for you, you're going to go find your team of one to help you with a 12-week program on fitness and nutrition, which again is something that you know what needs to be done, but it's not getting done. Same thing with dentistry, right? I'll get off my soapbox here. But, I talk to so many practice owners who they wish things could be different. They probably could write a check one year for a significant retirement savings, and so they go, "Well, I could do that." Well, but you haven't, you don't have very much saved for retirement. So what are we doing here, right? It's like me saying, "I could. I know what to do. I'm just not doing it."
Jarrod Bridgeman:
No, and you can spend all day, every day researching on Google as much as you want. But at the end of the day, I'd rather just hire the expert.
Casey Hiers:
Yeah. You could research, you could talk to friends about it. People love talking about it, but ultimately action. Action. Action. So, yeah, so for those of you out there that have a lot to love, apparently there's these Kardashian style, what do you call it?
Jarrod Bridgeman:
Like a fitness coach, nutritionist.
Casey Hiers:
A fitness coach and nutritionist. Wow. I mean big-time stuff there. And obviously, if you're a practice owner, and you're not happy with some of your fitness financially or from the business perspective of your practice, news alert. Four Quadrants Advisory helps with, hey. Well, I wish you well. I will check in periodically-
Jarrod Bridgeman:
Oh yeah. That'll be fun.
Casey Hiers:
... when we're not recording, to see how you're doing. And then maybe we'll share with the audience how you're doing, if it's successful, down the road.
Jarrod Bridgeman:
Yeah. If it's not, it'll be the last you hear of it, so.
Casey Hiers:
All right, best of luck to you, Jarrod.
Jarrod Bridgeman:
Thanks, Casey.
Announcer:
That's all the time we have today. Thank you to our guests for their insight and for sharing some really great information. And thank you to you, the listener, for tuning in. The Millionaire Dentist podcast is brought to you by Four Quadrants Advisory. To see if they might be a good fit for you and your practice, go on over to fourquadrantsadvisory.com, and see why year after year, they retain over 95% of their clients. Thank you again for joining us, and we'll see you next time.
