Expanding your Identity as an Intrapreneur with Dr. Lisel Balk

The following transcription was from the Bulletproof Youtube channel. Here is the https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgMZWHSWkaw

Craig Spodak
0:00:00
Hey everybody and welcome back to another episode of the Bulletproof Dental Practice Podcast. It is me flying solo with my guest, Dr. Liesel.

Lisel Balk
0:00:08
Hello.

Lisel Balk
0:00:09
How are you?

Craig Spodak
0:00:10
So Dr. Liesel and I tried to do this podcast for many times and I realized that I should just do it in the office. We should be together and we should have some…

Lisel Balk
0:00:19
Beer.

Lisel Balk
0:00:20
Beer.

Lisel Balk
0:00:21
Beer.

Craig Spodak
0:00:22
I just love the way she says it, it's bear. So without any further ado, we're going to be having a bear.

Lisel Balk
0:00:31
Or two.

Craig Spodak
0:00:32
Or two.

Lisel Balk
0:00:33
Cheers.

Craig Spodak
0:00:34
Cheers.

Lisel Balk
0:00:35
Cheers.

Craig Spodak
0:00:36
Cheers.

Lisel Balk
0:00:37
Cheers.

Lisel Balk
0:00:38
Cheers.

Lisel Balk
0:00:39
There you go. This is complicated now to drink.

Craig Spodak
0:00:43
No, it's not that bad. So the reason why we have Dr. Lee Zellon, besides being a complete, amazing, badass doctor, is when I talk about it in the podcast, we talk about the solopreneur, the entrepreneur, and the intrapreneur. And for those that haven't heard that podcast, obviously we know what an entrepreneur is. An entrepreneur is a person that starts businesses and likes to build them and likes to scale them. And really it's the love of the business and the love of the numbers and growing and stuff like that. And then solopreneur we know is the single practitioner, the person that is the business. So it's their craft and they own the business. Think of like a single doctor of practice or a single architect or something like that. And then we have the entrepreneur. I'm sorry, the intrapreneur.

Lisel Balk
0:01:34
Ta-da!

Craig Spodak
0:01:35
Ta-da!

Craig Spodak
0:01:36
We're gonna edit and put a light on you.

Lisel Balk
0:01:39
Exactly.

Lisel Balk
0:01:39
We're going to make some sparkles.

Craig Spodak
0:01:40
So the entrepreneur is someone that takes it upon themselves to scale their own business, their own personal brand identity, and their practice within the framework of a larger business. And when I think of an entrepreneur, the perfect definition for me is you. And the reason why I say that is because you've taken upon yourself to, you know, you were a dentist for 10 years, almost 10 years, you know, and when we got together almost two years ago, I was like, you know, you had a very specific idea of what type of dentistry you wanted to practice, your imagination and your understanding of the field was set. And then you come here and you're like, oh, wow, okay, dentistry could be this plus this plus this. And you start to see what other people are doing and you reinvent yourself. And you're like, I'm gonna take on additional courses and I'm gonna learn, I'm gonna take it upon myself and I'm gonna follow these people on Instagram, see what they're doing. And you know what, I'm gonna start my own Instagram page that's not just the mommy Liesel and the wife Liesel and the traveling Liesel, but I'm gonna do one that's Dr. Liesel. And that has grown, oh my God, where are we at?

Lisel Balk
0:02:46
40 something.

Craig Spodak
0:02:47
I think it's 47,000 followers. 47,000. Which is freaking ridiculous. That's cuckoo bananas. That's cuckoo bananas by the way. And the cool thing about that is you have 47,400 followers. You should pay more attention. I know. Hashtag big deal. And on the Instagram page, I encourage you all to check it out at DrLiesel, D-R-L-I-S-E-L. She focuses on, you know, obviously being a mom, being a wife, being an amazing human being, but also her dentistry. And your dentistry is outstanding. And it's working because, you know, you start this thing and now patients are understanding who you are. And I have so many patients that call me and say like, oh my God, it's so funny. You know, I know you have this awesome practice and blah, blah, blah, but I never really wanted to go there because I like my dentist. And then I found this Zumba instructor.

Lisel Balk
0:03:44
Oh yeah, there's that too.

Lisel Balk
0:03:45
There's that too, right?

Lisel Balk
0:03:47
Why not?

Lisel Balk
0:03:48
Why not?

Craig Spodak
0:03:49
That is in my network and I wound up following her and I find out she's a dentist and now I'm coming and making an appointment with her. Yeah. So it's just incredible because there's a narrative that's out there that says, I'm an associate in a practice and Yes, I would love to go to the Bulletproof Summit or yes, I would love to go to Spear or a strop or one of these CE courses, but you know, I'm an associate So like if I found my own practice, I would do that But it's amazing to see the growth of your own practice how quickly Your growth has happened because of all the effort that you've put in. And it's really cool.

Lisel Balk
0:04:28
You know, I would say it's not just me. I think it's where I am, too. I feel, you know, this practice is definitely foster that because it depends on where you are for sure. So thanks for that. Thanks for fostering. Yeah. For fostering me. I didn't realize that you were fostered, but yeah, it is true.

Lisel Balk
0:04:46
It is the environment.

Craig Spodak
0:04:47
And you recognize that you said, okay, I was practicing in Massachusetts and it was, uh, you know, a bedroom community, probably Boston. And most of those people just want like restorative dentistry. And then you come in here like, okay, well, wow, that person is getting their life transformed. I want to be part of that. And then I just remember like, you know, once you do that, once you start doing life transformational dentistry, it's obviously very hard. It's very difficult. You're dealing with not just the teeth, but the whole human being, and sometimes that's very difficult. But it's highly rewarding, personally. And I just love how you adopted all that. You're doing it. It's really cool. So let's go back to life before here, life before you moved to Florida. Talk to me about your dental career, what it was like back then in Massachusetts. What were you doing? What was your view of dentistry? What did you want to do? All that stuff.

Lisel Balk
0:05:41
Normal, normal, I'd say normal stuff. So you know, fillings, crowns, definitely not any full mouth stuff because I would just refer all of that to the prosthodontist.

Craig Spodak
0:05:51
Was there a prosthodontist in the practice?

Lisel Balk
0:05:52
Yeah.

Lisel Balk
0:05:53
Okay. She was great. You know, she's wonderful. But I never thought that I should or would do those kinds of transformations because number one, I didn't feel trained in it number two I guess I was always taught in school like okay you your general dentist This is what you do, you know, then you go you specialize and actually funny enough So I went to Penn Penn is you know, a wonderful school amazing school Yeah, they've really though they want you to specialize and I didn't and everybody's like what the hell you doing

Craig Spodak
0:06:24
Why are you special when you say one you specialize you felt like pressure from the school itself to be like, you should specialize?

Lisel Balk
0:06:30
I did, and no offense to anybody, you know, from Penn watching this, but that was at that time, but I didn't do a GPR. I didn't do anything off. I was like, I feel like I'm ready to work. I'm gonna go work. And my professors, they're like, what are you doing?

Craig Spodak
0:06:44
Yeah, because you're top of the class. Cum laude, right? Oh God, we always had this. I haven't brought it up in a long time. I always get corrected by you. I can never get that right. It's a genre of cum laude though. It's just summa. It's just more important, right?

Lisel Balk
0:06:59
Well, it's… What's the one above summa?

Lisel Balk
0:07:01
Nothing.

Lisel Balk
0:07:02
Oh, that's awesome.

Craig Spodak
0:07:05
Okay, so you're the highest of the cum laude.

Lisel Balk
0:07:08
Yeah.

Craig Spodak
0:07:09
Is there one below?

Lisel Balk
0:07:10
Magna.

Craig Spodak
0:07:11
Oh, in my mind, not being a Latin expert, magna sounds stronger to me.

Lisel Balk
0:07:16
I mean it does.

Craig Spodak
0:07:17
It sounds like Transformer, yeah. Yeah, but… Like Sumo's like, oh, you're a little Sumo.

Lisel Balk
0:07:20
But you know, but…

Craig Spodak
0:07:21
No, I'm just saying the way it sounds to me. Magna is like, that's the big deal.

Lisel Balk
0:07:25
But Sumo, like, the summit. Yeah. The summit.

Craig Spodak
0:07:28
Okay, got it.

Lisel Balk
0:07:29
You know, like you…

Craig Spodak
0:07:30
So, go back. So, you're back in Penn. Yeah. And everybody's like, you're top of the class, literally top of the class. What are you doing? Why are you squandering the opportunities that are available to you? Is that what the vibe was?

Lisel Balk
0:07:41
Yeah, and I guess they felt they're like, you know, everybody should go specialize, they should do something to make sure that they're ready. Let's say ready to practice. I felt ready, though. And I was like, well, then why isn't dental school longer? It's four years. Like, am I not ready after these four years? Sure. And I'm glad that's what I did, because I feel like I got more training working, learning in the real world. I threw myself in the pool. You throw yourself in the pool and it's sink or swim. Sure.

Craig Spodak
0:08:12
And I'm a swimmer.

Lisel Balk
0:08:13
Yeah, you are.

Craig Spodak
0:08:14
You know? I think some people, I think you're also discrediting yourself to some degree in that you are the type of person that values learning. You're curious, you want to know it, you see things, you want to learn them. So I think for the person like you Yes, jump right out go swim. Some people actually benefit from that structure and that continued learning I I think the most dangerous thing that any of us can do including in my position is be like I know it I got it Yeah, you know, I think that's a danger zone and I think if you rewind back to my own career path, when I started this practice, I felt maybe 10 years ago that I knew everything about group practice and how to run it. I felt really confident. And now I'm so much less confident and so much happier. So it's funny how you get less confident and more happy at the same time sometimes. At least that's happened for me. But I do believe that there's obviously a business narrative, it's a specialty, and the school is existing to make money. And I felt the same way when I was at Tufts, and I love Tufts, and University of Pennsylvania Tufts are probably amongst the finest institutions, they're amazing. So nothing to knock there. I'm very proud of the education I got, I'm very proud of the education you got. But I do believe that there is a democratization of education. When I went to school 140 years ago, in order for me to be trained in ortho, and this was a legit type of barrier to entry, I had to bend my name in wire and have it lay flat on a glass block. So somehow, if I could do that, I was fit to move teeth. And then, obviously, clear aligners come along, and those line candidates, all those guys come along, and now there's a way that we can just drag it with a mouse and then the aligners create that. So I do believe that education has been decentralized, democratized. You can actually get a prosthodontic, the level of prosthodontic training on your own and cater to what you want. Maybe you can skip the whole elaborate, like, you know, ERA attachments and all that stuff that no one's really doing as much of. And it's, it's, I think you can have it your way. Whereas when I graduated, I think it was a little bit more one size fits all. There was not podcasts or YouTube channels and things like that. We actually had to go out and pay for it. So I think it's a really cool time to be in dentistry and you can do it all. I mean, look at Dr. Give a shout out to Dr. Alfredo learning implants at this point, you know, and I think it's just really cool. And technology helps you so much having CBCT and all that. It's a really cool time to be a dentistry and it's really whatever you want it to be. And I think you're a testament to having one understanding of what dentistry could be and then literally flipping on its head. So I know I took up a lot of oxygen, but I allowed you to have a sip of beer, sip of beer.

Lisel Balk
0:11:06
I did, yeah.

Craig Spodak
0:11:07
So we left school, going back to your story. Yeah, we left school,

Lisel Balk
0:11:11
we practiced in Philadelphia for a little bit.

Lisel Balk
0:11:14
Okay.

Lisel Balk
0:11:15
And then we moved to Massachusetts.

Craig Spodak
0:11:18
Okay.

Lisel Balk
0:11:19
Because that's where my husband's from.

Craig Spodak
0:11:20
Okay.

Lisel Balk
0:11:21
And then I practiced there for a few years. It was like a group practice. Was it, there was prosto in there?

Craig Spodak
0:11:24
How many others?

Lisel Balk
0:11:25
There was pros, there was ortho, and there was pedo. Okay, got it. So you're not doing any aligners?

Craig Spodak
0:11:28
No, no. You're not doing any pros?

Lisel Balk
0:11:30
Nope.

Craig Spodak
0:11:31
So it was a little territorial?

Craig Spodak
0:11:40
I wouldn't say that.

Lisel Balk
0:11:41
I just, I feel like everybody kind of knew their lane and stayed in it.

Craig Spodak
0:11:45
Yeah, that's called having territories. Well, that's the-

Lisel Balk
0:11:48
I'm not saying they stole it.

Craig Spodak
0:11:49
They didn't invade your territory.

25
0:11:51
Yeah.

Craig Spodak
0:11:52
But you stayed in your zone and I stayed in mine.

Lisel Balk
0:11:54
Yeah, exactly, exactly. So I wouldn't do any Vito, you know, I wouldn't do any Ortho, nothing like that. I didn't have the need to. Got it. They were all in the same building.

Craig Spodak
0:12:02
Got it. So was Prosto doing like cosmetic cases as well?

Craig Spodak
0:12:07
Yeah.

Craig Spodak
0:12:08
Okay, so people coming in wanting like veneers that just went to Prosto?

Lisel Balk
0:12:11
Exactly. Got it.

Lisel Balk
0:12:14
Exactly.

Craig Spodak
0:12:15
So how long in that environment?

Lisel Balk
0:12:17
Two years. Okay.

Craig Spodak
0:12:18
Yeah, two years there. That's it?

Lisel Balk
0:12:20
And then it was here?

Lisel Balk
0:12:21
Yeah.

Lisel Balk
0:12:22
We didn't stay that long in Massachusetts.

Craig Spodak
0:12:23
Okay, got it. In my mind it was like, so 10 years total dentistry what year did you graduate school 2012 2012 okay so it's coming up on 10 years yeah okay got it cool yeah

Craig Spodak
0:12:35
okay stop what you're doing the bulletproof summit is coming at you June 3rd and 4th at the Grand Hyatt in Nashville the Grand Hyatt is located in the gulch which as most of you know is the best area of NashVegas so we'll be featuring new never-done-before bulletproof tracks for doctors, team, and hygienists. There's going to be some VIP tickets available, but book by May 2nd and you can receive some group discounts for your team. Prices will also go up for the last 50 tickets, and tickets are already half gone for this event and it will sell out like all previous years. This is the biggest no-brainer in dentistry. If you want to elevate yourself, your team, and your practice, check it out.

Craig Spodak
0:13:15
Bulletproofsummit.com.

Craig Spodak
0:13:16
See you there.

Craig Spodak
0:13:17
So what happens when you get here?

Craig Spodak
0:13:18
Like, help me through your process because we interviewed COVID's going on. Um, you're like, this is the type of dentistry I like to do. I'm like, cool. We have a need for it. And I'm happy with what, you know, quadrant dentistry, fillings and crowns. Very cool. Yeah. You come here. What happened?

Lisel Balk
0:13:32
Well, I came here, I started here and I always remember it was after our first doctor meeting and Everybody was doing all this cool stuff and I went home. I'm like Like I'm so late what's going on So I think it was that week. I'm like man. I need to get my shit together. Really? Yeah It was after the doctor meeting cuz everybody was doing cool stuff. I'm like, well, I can't just you know me I'm competitive. Right I

Craig Spodak
0:14:04
didn't realize I was born out of that. Yeah. That's cool to know. Yeah. Wow. Yeah. I hope I didn't I didn't put me did I put any of that on you? No pressure. Okay good. No no pressure. Because like Quadrant Dentistry has a place in this practice.

Lisel Balk
0:14:16
Yeah but I felt like everyone had something a little extra. Yeah. They're doing and I was just you know like everybody was like you know a spicy a spicy chicken sandwich a cheesy chicken sandwich And I was like just a dry plain chicken sandwich

Craig Spodak
0:14:32
That's a good analogy for me. I appreciate

Lisel Balk
0:14:35
So I went and I got some sauce I call the first loss My I call my friend. We Sam dr. We Sam. I went to school with him. He actually teaches at NASH.

Craig Spodak
0:14:53
Okay, cool. Oh, I didn't know this.

Lisel Balk
0:14:55
Yeah.

Craig Spodak
0:14:56
Oh, good. I'm glad we're doing this.

Lisel Balk
0:14:57
I told you I'm an onion.

Craig Spodak
0:14:58
Yeah, I'm like, we're at the first level, but no crying.

Lisel Balk
0:15:01
No, no. Okay. So I said, let me know what you did. What did you do to become this really good aesthetic dentist? Like, what do I have to do? Tell me all the courses I have to do. So he gave me a list of all the courses I had to do. And I signed up for a bunch of them. I signed up for Nash. Remember I told you that I signed up for Nash. I signed up for Streppenbrum. I signed up for, I actually did sign up for Aesthetic Advantage, but I ended up not going because they changed the format because of COVID. So I want to do that at some point. And then, um, I also did Dr. Dean's course. Yeah, the FMR one. Oh, cool. But I remember that day, I was like, oh, guess what I did? I said, well, I signed up for all these things. And you're like, oh.

Craig Spodak
0:15:47
What did I say? It's okay, you can help me.

Lisel Balk
0:15:49
You're like, you know what you just did? You went from being a $1 million to a $2 million provider. Yes, you were so happy. That's what I said. Yeah, that's what you said. That's awesome.

Craig Spodak
0:16:01
Yeah.

Lisel Balk
0:16:02
I'm glad I said that.

Lisel Balk
0:16:03
But it was born out of that meeting and born out of kind of seeing what everyone else here was doing because I think in a way, number one, I said, you know, I can't be the only one just not doing anything. Number two, I said, it was inspirational because there was a possibility for me to do these things. These other doctors are amazing and they're GPs. I'm a GP. I can do this stuff too.

Craig Spodak
0:16:30
Good for you.

Lisel Balk
0:16:31
I didn't realize that before I came here. I thought I had to stay in my lane and then I realized that the world is my highway.

Lisel Balk
0:16:37
Exactly. Oh, I love that.

Craig Spodak
0:16:39
Did you just?

Lisel Balk
0:16:40
Yes, I did.

Craig Spodak
0:16:41
Oh, I love that.

Lisel Balk
0:16:41
Can we pass on that please?

Craig Spodak
0:16:42
Yeah, well it's yours.

Lisel Balk
0:16:43
Yeah, the world is my highway.

Craig Spodak
0:16:45
Lisa, I love this because there's people listening to this right now that are where you were, that just have a limiting belief system that it's just not what I'm supposed to do or I can't do it. And for you to go and have this transformation at like eight years into your career, you know, maybe there's somebody out there that's like, you know, four years into their career or 20 years into their career. And I just think it's so cool that you took it upon yourself to expand your identity to service the patients,

Lisel Balk
0:17:16
which is cool. Yeah, it's really, you know, I get like a high off of transforming people. Cause it's not just the teeth, it's their mind too.

Craig Spodak
0:17:25
They change.

Craig Spodak
0:17:26
Yeah, like a diatra.

Lisel Balk
0:17:28
Yeah, D and then our other little, our other friend.

Craig Spodak
0:17:32
Who looks wonderful. She looks so good.

Lisel Balk
0:17:35
She texted me the other day, she's like, I just want to let you know I miss you.

Lisel Balk
0:17:38
I said, I miss you.

Lisel Balk
0:17:40
No, she's she's rimmed her way into that.

Craig Spodak
0:17:42
Good.

Lisel Balk
0:17:43
She did.

Craig Spodak
0:17:44
Did you say wormed it? Yeah, because I like ate her way in there.

Craig Spodak
0:17:48
Yeah.

Lisel Balk
0:17:49
Yeah.

Craig Spodak
0:17:50
No, but if you go to your Instagram page, the results are awesome. And the transformation, seeing it all and watching. I mean, it's it hasn't been that long.

Lisel Balk
0:17:58
Yeah.

Craig Spodak
0:17:59
Not even two years.

Lisel Balk
0:18:00
Right.

Craig Spodak
0:18:01
And look at the transformational level of dentistry. You're learning at such a high rate. So it's really, obviously, I appreciate the compliment about the environment and seeing it and the fostering, but I just want you to recognize how special it is that you did

Lisel Balk
0:18:17
it.

Craig Spodak
0:18:18
You know, there's been providers that have not gone through that level of transformation in such a quick amount of time. It's just really a big testament to you. And I'm just really proud of you.

Craig Spodak
0:18:28
Thank you.

Craig Spodak
0:18:29
And it's really cool.

Lisel Balk
0:18:30
Thank you.

Craig Spodak
0:18:30
And going from a $1 million to $2 million provider is cool. But money is just a measurement of transforming lives, and doing more stuff, and providing more value. So it is cool. And I know the numbers you're doing. It's astounding. There's only a three-day-a-weeker, which is awesome. But that's so cool. So when so what's the future? What's future? What's dr. Lee's l3.0 3.0 I think doing more complex cases more of the Mars more statics

Lisel Balk
0:18:54
Combining invisalign with it. Yeah, you're killing it in Invisalign and really like trying to get High profile people or you've done a job with that's been good. Yeah, but trying to get more cool. Like I want to be I want to be known Yeah, I agree with that. That's that's my goal and educating people like educating. That's what I use Instagram for as well education

Craig Spodak
0:19:25
Yeah, I think there's a real lack of understanding about what dentistry can do I'm like your last post like less is more I came running over to you. I'm like, what did you do? It was literally your last post. I'm like, what is this? Like, I couldn't understand it. And you're like, all I, I'm like, this one. Yeah. The very last post from one day ago is a little Invisalign magic and whitening. I'm like, not so much. You did something there. Like you left something off the description. You're like, no, I just polished it.

Lisel Balk
0:19:54
No, I did, I bought it.

Craig Spodak
0:19:55
That's awesome, that's so good. Yeah.

Lisel Balk
0:19:57
I love that.

Lisel Balk
0:19:58
She's happy.

Craig Spodak
0:19:59
Yeah, I would be too.

Lisel Balk
0:20:00
Yeah, you know what else I wanna do? I've started on the Instagram, I'm kind of rolling with this idea like interviewing people as well So I'm trying to didn't you do a live on Monday night? I did a live on Monday. It was that with it was with dr Patrick Zolo. He's a pediatric dentist out of Miami. Cool. I did a live with him. I've done a few lives I did a live with Chanel II who's in Trinidad yeah my next goal is like I just want to show you know she's a fan oh yeah yeah but I just want to start doing that it's funny Myra she's like look at this house be an Oprah

Craig Spodak
0:20:42
but that's what I get a car yeah get a car you come over the secret car Ford Ford F-250 diesel. Like what you probably like.

Lisel Balk
0:20:52
I remember this conversation. But yeah, that's the goal, just trying to find ways to grow in that way as well. Because that's also about education. Educating people on the page, educating patients. Because we, I feel like we as providers forget what people actually do know. We assume that they know what we're talking about. And we forget that for us, it's like when we go to the mechanic, or maybe when I go to the mechanic, and they're like, you need blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I don't know what you mean or why. Break it down to me, you know? So in addition, like when I see a patient in the chair, I try and break it down for them into their language. But on the page too, I try and break things down so that people have a clear understanding of dentistry and its potential.

Craig Spodak
0:21:31
Yeah, I don't want to say it the wrong way, but really focused on showing the results to other dentists. And what I love about your Instagram and the results you're showing to, your audience is a patient. There are dentists that follow you, and many, because it's for both. But when you start showing this prepped tee, and those patients are like, oh, I love the veneers. And they see those preps like, oh, whoa, what, what, you know, what, I didn't really, you're gonna do that to my teeth? And they were to gently shape them. But, so I love that you picked your audience. And I think a lot of people don't really readily understand their audience. Like who are you trying to, who are you trying to go after? You trying to go after the patient and helping them understand the industry or you're trying to, you know, go after the dentist. I think it's a wise decision that you made to go after the patient because it's just such a bigger audience and dentists will follow you too.

Lisel Balk
0:22:29
Right. And it's fun. It's fun to have people really kind of comment and be like, oh, I didn't know this was possible. I have teeth like this. I didn't know we could do this.

Craig Spodak
0:22:39
Oh yeah, I repost your stuff. I get tons of comments. Thank you. Like, how did she do that? I'm like, oh, go ask her.

Lisel Balk
0:22:45
Right.

Craig Spodak
0:22:46
Yeah. But people widely don't understand it. And cosmetic dentistry has a bad route too because people are really afraid of that, like something about Marylook where you go in, you never had a diagnosis of wax up, you go in, your temperature is exactly like what they used to have. And then the final version is, you know, completely a surprise to them. And it's, I think, very frequently that's the most common route that patients experience cosmetic dentistry. They have no idea. It's a surprise. I hope you like your teeth. And that's unfortunate because we know a better way to do it.

Lisel Balk
0:23:17
Right.

Lisel Balk
0:23:17
It's not such a shock value.

Lisel Balk
0:23:19
Exactly.

Lisel Balk
0:23:20
Yeah.

Craig Spodak
0:23:20
Yeah.

Lisel Balk
0:23:20
Another thing I want to touch on as well with the whole intrapreneur ship is, you know, you're growing your own business business. Let's say you're growing your own patient base. But I think a key point in really, um, making a name for yourself and spreading your name by word of mouth among patients is to have the patient like you.

Craig Spodak
0:23:43
Yes.

Lisel Balk
0:23:44
I think that's really important. Yes. Because if they like you, they're going to talk about you. And if they don't like you, they're going to talk about you too.

Lisel Balk
0:23:51
Yes.

Lisel Balk
0:23:51
So you want them to talk about you and they like you. And I think the more they like you, the more that they'll refer friends, refer family, and then you'll be able to build your business that way.

Lisel Balk
0:24:02
I agree with that.

Lisel Balk
0:24:03
There's all these, there's Instagram, there's this, there's that, but I feel like word of mouth is the strongest, the strongest. Because people look at reviews. They look at reviews too. You know, is this person good? What did this person say? I go on Amazon, I buy products, I look at reviews to see if I want it.

Craig Spodak
0:24:19
I'll be in like Home Depot and buy a product and go to Amazon just to check the review. I'm gonna buy it at Home Depot. Because I'm there and I need it right now yeah I'll be like pulling up Amazon just to see which product I like yeah like even something that's

Lisel Balk
0:24:30
small never mind my mouth yeah and if you see that it's trash you're not gonna buy it sure you know so if someone has come to see me and I've done work on them I always follow I think that's so important yeah like follow up awesome how they're doing try and remember little things about them like oh how's your sister how's your mom? Oh, fine. Like they feel like they're a person and not just a number.

Craig Spodak
0:24:54
So people oftentimes will ask Peter and I, what's the single greatest hack to grow your practice? What's the single greatest marketing hack? What's the one thing you'd recommend? What's the one service or one thing? And people are expecting like incorporate videography or like, you know, have a coffee machine or some sort of like elaborate service. And it's always the same thing for Peter and I. It's a post-op call.

Craig Spodak
0:25:16
Yeah.

Craig Spodak
0:25:17
I don't know what it takes to do maybe five minutes, maybe less, but it's the single greatest thing. And my dad instilled that in me. My dad did that. I did that with everybody. But I think that if we could impart one thing to the person that's aspiring to build their own business, whatever paradigm or practice model they're in, that's the single greatest thing.

Lisel Balk
0:25:37
Yeah, because then they think you care.

Craig Spodak
0:25:38
People always remember that. And they know you care. But what happens if you don't is the bite's a little high. They talk to their best friend whose grandfather's best friend was a dentist. And like, you know, I tapped out on my teeth and it hurts. Oh, you need a root canal. They probably screwed it up. Versus like postoperative call, like, my bite's a little high. No big deal.

Lisel Balk
0:25:54
Yeah.

Craig Spodak
0:25:55
See you on Wednesday.

Lisel Balk
0:25:56
Exactly.

Craig Spodak
0:25:56
Give me five minutes. Totally normal. Yeah. They don't have to go to like WebMD and like research all that crap. Exactly.

Lisel Balk
0:26:01
But it's huge.

Lisel Balk
0:26:04
Yeah.

Craig Spodak
0:26:05
That's awesome. Yeah, but I think that when you, when we think about what makes the perfect dentist, unfortunately, we have a human attached to our result, the patient. So you have to be really clinically good at what you do. Yeah. The patient can't readily tell. They just know that you're nice, you didn't hurt them. You have to be diagnostically savvy so that you're diagnosing the proper amount of dentistry. And the trifecta is you need to be a nice, connected human being. And I know that every time, I would always come to you, like whenever we'd meet somebody, you'd always say the same thing, like, that was a tough nut to crack. That's your favorite thing. So can we talk about your Christmas present?

Lisel Balk
0:26:43
My nutcracker.

Craig Spodak
0:26:44
Yeah, I bought Dr. Liesel a nutcracker.

Lisel Balk
0:26:47
Yeah, I have it.

Craig Spodak
0:26:48
But that's funny that a lot of the patients that we have here in this practice, you know, higher profile, sometimes a little bit more demanding. But it's cool, some of the more, and I won't drop any names, but I really find it interesting that one of the most famous patients has become your friend, which is super cool.

Craig Spodak
0:27:05
It's amazing.

Lisel Balk
0:27:06
Yeah.

Craig Spodak
0:27:07
Yeah.

Lisel Balk
0:27:08
Oh, yeah, that's awesome.

Craig Spodak
0:27:09
That's true.

Craig Spodak
0:27:10
Yeah. That's an awesome, awesome human being, awesome family. So I'm happy about that.

Lisel Balk
0:27:13
They're wonderful, they're very kind.

Craig Spodak
0:27:14
Yeah, but I do believe, like, too, and I want to touch on this as well, if those that are in an associateship are refining their craft and want to practice at a certain type of dentistry, and want to go through the type of courses that Dr. Liesel went through and are on their path to doing that, you have to choose a practice that suits the type of dentistry you wish to do. And the opposite is the same. If you've done the FMRs and all that stuff, you're like, I just don't want to deal with all that pressure. I want to be a, I hate this word, but like bread and butter dentist and I just want to like not worry about this stuff. Choose the practice you want to find too. Because you can educate yourself and have the skill set, but if the practice is not at the profile that's going to attract patients to do the higher end procedures, you're not really going to be able to execute. Location, location, location.

Lisel Balk
0:27:59
Location, team.

Craig Spodak
0:28:01
We've got a great team and I want to acknowledge you for also, there's a fourth factor. So, we talked about diagnosis, hand skills, personality, leadership. The fourth factor, leadership. I want to acknowledge your leadership because look at what you've been able to create for the team. And we'll give a shout out to Tameka. Tameka's been with the organization four and a half years. We have a pipeline program where you come in a sterilization, then you move on to hygiene, a hygiene assistant, and the hope is that at a certain point you'll graduate and move on to being a dental assistant. And for Tameka, she was really comfortable and valued in the hygiene department, and it was A-Rod, Ashley, who suggested that Tameka come and be your assistant, and you had gone through some shifting in your system that you had. And we had this opening. And I remember saying to Erica, I'm like, if there's one person that can make Tameka into an assistant, like one person that can encourage her and nurture her to want to do it, it's going to be Dr. Liesel. And I remember the emoji I sent, because Erica was like, okay, Tameka's up for that on Monday. And I put the emoji of home run. And that was, you know, not that long ago. It was like eight months ago. And, you know, look at the learning that she's done and the encouragement that you've given her. So it's not just the value you add with your handpiece. Pardon me. It's really the value you add beyond the handpiece. And that's what I most appreciate about you. And that's why I consider you the ultimate entrepreneur, because you shouldn't just exist to nurture yourself and your own results, but you should cultivate the team around you. And that's exactly what you do. And why I wanted you to be on this podcast.

Lisel Balk
0:29:45
Thank you. Yeah. Yeah. So in terminal points, we have, you know, cultivate your team. This is my L of 10.

Lisel Balk
0:29:53
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Craig Spodak
0:29:54
I'm an L of one. By the way, we're talking about culture and extra those of you who don't know. So are you really a 10? I'm a 10. Holy smoke. So we are exactly opposite. So Dr. Liesel's personality is one plus one equals two, but my personality is like, yeah, it just doesn't feel right. I hear you, but it doesn't feel right.

Lisel Balk
0:30:12
You discuss why one plus one equals two.

Craig Spodak
0:30:14
Okay, so let's go through the L of 10s. Number one, to be a successful entrepreneur.

Lisel Balk
0:30:19
Right.

Craig Spodak
0:30:20
Cultivate a team.

Lisel Balk
0:30:21
I think find somewhere that will help you achieve your goal. Sure number two Find a team that will help you achieve that goal do the required education courses that you need to to achieve, you know that and Patient Interaction interaction is definitely important Then the fifth one be a leader.

Craig Spodak
0:30:49
Yeah, for sure.

Craig Spodak
0:30:50
Right.

Craig Spodak
0:30:51
And the definition that I love most about being a leader is if your actions or words inspire people to become more because of you, you're a leader. Right. So it's not that, you know, we all have different ideas and preconceptions of leadership, but it's just simply if you're inspiring people to become better, you're a leader.

Lisel Balk
0:31:08
Yeah.

Lisel Balk
0:31:09
So. I feel like we're very lucky here because I feel like people in this practice do that.

Lisel Balk
0:31:14
Yeah, I agree. For sure.

Craig Spodak
0:31:16
But I love what you said, that's great. I'm glad you have the complimentary logic to my L of one. So just in full disclosure, it is widely known amongst culture index that you never should hire an L of one. Oh really? Because we're too much of a basket case. So my L, and Brittany's an L of one too, by the way. She is, yeah. So we have some awesome L's of one. Yeah. Our L of one gang is strong.

Lisel Balk
0:31:42
L's of ones.

Craig Spodak
0:31:44
So that's awesome. That's super awesome. So anything else?

Lisel Balk
0:31:48
Hustle. Hustle hard.

Lisel Balk
0:31:50
Hustle hard. Yeah. Bring those business cards.

Lisel Balk
0:31:52
Dish those business cards out.

Craig Spodak
0:31:54
Yeah, you just have, you have a great gift everywhere we go. Rizal leaves in her wake a wake of friends. Wake up friends. Sunset sushi.

Lisel Balk
0:32:06
Yeah.

Lisel Balk
0:32:08
Shut up.

Lisel Balk
0:32:10
I'm like, I'm like, thanks. I have my captain's banks.

Craig Spodak
0:32:14
We don't get along. Thanks. She dominated me. And he will make you love him. I'm so sorry.

Lisel Balk
0:32:24
He will make you love him.

Craig Spodak
0:32:26
He will work his way to excite just dress them into something weird to it anyway my point is I just supposed to be clock I can't hold on my trainer thought I'm losing it I'm losing it you said everywhere you go you leave business you leave a wake of connections and you said I'm just like thanks yes

Lisel Balk
0:32:45
you have to you have to work on it so actually at another team meeting we had, pardon me if I get the name wrong, Tuff, Chris Tuff had said something about basically like kind of similar to knocking a wall down you just keep chipping away at it. So unintentionally you just keep chipping away, like check in with the person, see how they're doing, add them on social media, like their post, make sure they know you exist, you know, and then in that way, if you're meant to become friends or speak, you know, become close, it's going to happen. If you're not, then you're not, but if they don't know you exist, how can they be friends with you? That's true.

Lisel Balk
0:33:34
You know what I mean?

Craig Spodak
0:33:35
I think there's one more thing that you do as well, you're a genuine, caring, and kind person. So we can look at this, what you just said, as a hack. And it is a hack, but it's backed up with your genuine, you know, you're a friend to these people. You know, you're not looking, you know, I just want the listener to hear that it's not a hack, it's not a social climb. You are a good friend. And you build friendships. And like, immediately when you came here, it's like, when can we go to dinner? I want to have you over the house. Like, you know, you're paying incision. We're going to have this thing. We're going to, you like to build relationships.

Lisel Balk
0:34:09
It's who you are.

Craig Spodak
0:34:10
I don't have to be my friend.

Lisel Balk
0:34:11
How do you feel about me?

Lisel Balk
0:34:12
What's your social, your social dot?

Lisel Balk
0:34:13
Hi.

Craig Spodak
0:34:14
What is it?

Lisel Balk
0:34:15
Oh, no, you're below the line.

Lisel Balk
0:34:16
You're I think, I think that's what I think your social dot.

Lisel Balk
0:34:17
You're selectively exclusive.

Craig Spodak
0:34:18
You're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're

Lisel Balk
0:34:19
not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're

Craig Spodak
0:34:20
not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're

Craig Spodak
0:34:22
not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're

Craig Spodak
0:34:23
not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're social dot. You're selectively extroverted, I believe.

Lisel Balk
0:34:31
Yeah.

Lisel Balk
0:34:32
You're selective. Because sometimes I like my alone time. Once again, I'm an only child. I like my space.

Craig Spodak
0:34:37
Yeah. You've got a lot going on. Wife, dentist, influencer, Zumba instructor. Mom.

Lisel Balk
0:34:43
Mom, most importantly.

Lisel Balk
0:34:44
Yeah.

Craig Spodak
0:34:45
Yeah, there's a lot going on. I always say that we talked about this before. It's very difficult. I think that the female dentists have it a little bit more difficult. There's still a bias out there. We have not reached the point where it's not biased. But, you know, I think men get a pass about being at work at 620 and gunning. Like, if you think about what a woman needs to be, it's like, perfect mom, perfect this, this and that. You have to balance it all. Like, what does a man have to do? Protect, provide. Two things, maybe three. And I just think, so I appreciate that. And I always look at, you know, and we have a really predominantly female office.

Lisel Balk
0:35:31
Yeah, we do.

Craig Spodak
0:35:32
Doctors and team, like we work amongst.

Lisel Balk
0:35:36
Doctors assign a balance. They assign a balance now with the doctors.

Craig Spodak
0:35:39
Interesting.

Lisel Balk
0:35:41
Think of it.

Lisel Balk
0:35:42
Yeah.

Lisel Balk
0:35:42
Assign a get equal out.

Craig Spodak
0:35:44
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And equal out. But then if you incorporate the entire team, we're probably like 85% women.

Lisel Balk
0:35:48
Yeah, yeah.

Craig Spodak
0:35:49
And I love it. I love it, I mean, I think it's great because I think there's a, I think, you know, I have my own biases here too, but I do believe that there's a nurturing, natural nurturing instinct, and a lot of people are so afraid of dentistry that having a female dentist can be the bridge for most people because most of us were nurtured by a woman at one point in our life.

Lisel Balk
0:36:10
Yeah, I see where you're going with that.

Craig Spodak
0:36:13
Yeah, we can edit that whole part out too.

Lisel Balk
0:36:16
Can we?

Lisel Balk
0:36:17
No.

Craig Spodak
0:36:18
No.

Craig Spodak
0:36:19
No, we're not.

Craig Spodak
0:36:20
No, but I just think it's especially, I'm especially, I have a special admiration for the female dentists that are balancing everything. I think it's especially challenging for them to get it all right.

Lisel Balk
0:36:34
You should do a podcast on that for Women's History Month.

Craig Spodak
0:36:39
That'd be great.

Lisel Balk
0:36:40
March is Women's History Month, I think. Wonderful.

Lisel Balk
0:36:42
You should do a podcast on that.

Lisel Balk
0:36:43
I would love to.

Lisel Balk
0:36:44
Will you do it with me?

Craig Spodak
0:36:45
Yeah. That'd be great.

Craig Spodak
0:36:47
Can you do more than one person?

Lisel Balk
0:36:48
Yeah, we could do like 10 people yeah to my room I has a baby you know to Britney they get all at all sides for sure I think that would be neat I think

Craig Spodak
0:37:01
it would be neat too yeah well I really appreciate your time you barely had your beer it's this whole microphone thing you know what I mean you know what I feel like people are gonna have you sipping no they won't know what we Brittany and I tested this out you don't hear the sipping. Have a nice big sip while I take this portion of the.

Lisel Balk
0:37:16
Plus I'm not a very eloquent drinker. Like I take big gulps.

Craig Spodak
0:37:21
Go for it. No one's looking at you, I'm occupying the camera. I wanted to just say I appreciate you doing this. I know that you took time away from the family to get this done, but I really felt strongly about using you as an example for those that are feeling that dialogue of like I'm trapped. Just an associate can't do this. It's not true. You own your own destiny. And I really believe that having the ability to be in an environment where you can actually do well and earn and not have to worry about some of the other stuff that goes on is really productive. Had I found a practice that met my needs and was this amazing place and had great team. No worries, I would love to hook my wagon, hedge my wagon under that. But unfortunately for me, there was nothing that, I couldn't find something. So I felt like I had to build it myself. But, um.

Lisel Balk
0:38:15
Well, I'm glad you did.

Craig Spodak
0:38:16
Yeah, I'm glad I did too. But it's, um, it's definitely a lot of work outside of just the dentistry. And, um, but I, but I love what I do and I love being around people and having people like you on the path makes it all rewarding.

Craig Spodak
0:38:30
Gracias.

Lisel Balk
0:38:31
De nada.

Lisel Balk
0:38:32
Gracias for you too.

Craig Spodak
0:38:33
I think it's gracias a ti. But anyway, if you liked what we had to say, please leave comments. Please, as Peter likes to say, smash the like button, the subscribe button. Smash it. That's what he says, yeah. And please go follow my dear friend, Dr. Liesel. Great content and great tips and someone who's really walking the path and doing it right and loves dentistry and loves to help. So connect with her. Yeah.

Lisel Balk
0:39:01
And I appreciate you doing this. Thanks for having me. Of course.

Craig Spodak
0:39:04
I appreciate it.

Craig Spodak
0:39:05
Take care, everybody. Take care, everybody.

Craig Spodak
0:39:06
Bye.

Transcribed with Cockatoo