Anne: welcome to The Dental Entrepreneur, the Future of Dentistry podcast. Uh, we are so happy that you're here and I'm so excited to have this special guest, um, that has become a good friend of mine and we've spent some time together at the different meetings, um, this summer and last year.
And, um, I've really grown to admire him and what he's done, and I thought he would be a great podcast guest today because. He's actually done it. He's he's been an amazing practice 17 years in over 17 years in very successful, uh, with this, the, um, marvelous Bruce bar barred, right. And is it bared or barred Jeff?
Jeff: I always get that. I always get
Anne: that mixed up, but he's, he's just amazing. And of course we love Victoria Peterson and the whole PDA group. And just to be included in that. So I, I would love you, Jeff, to just. Introduce yourself. This is Dr. Jeff Boesky and um, he is just, um, you know, wealth of knowledge in the long journey of being a dentist, a dad, a husband, brother, son, you name it.
He's got it all. And so welcome Jeff. And, um, thanks for being with us today.
Jeff: Oh, and thank you so much for the gracious opportunity to come on and have a great chance to speak with you and your audience. And it really is just an honor and a privilege. So, yes, just a quick little bit about me. I've been practicing now for gosh, who 25 years and you're right.
I got to little Granbury, Texas, home of about 7, 000 people. I arrived here in 2004, home ever since. And you're right, for 17 years, uh, Bruce and I got to practice together as great partners. And Bruce was just one of those incredible people in my life that was not only just an amazing mentor, But, uh, the one thing that I loved about Bruce was his integrity and, you know, he not only walked the walk that he talked and that was so important for me to see.
And he always went above and beyond, um, you know, what my expectations were. So he exceeded them as far as being a partner and in a great individual. And so he was such a fantastic mentor, one of the many mentors in my life, but just such a fantastic mentor, especially in the dental space. Because I, it, it wasn't always, you know, unicorns, panda bears and happy fruit in my life and, and, and in the dental industry, especially in practice, truth be told, I mean, gosh, six years in, I wanted to quit and I wanted to leave dentistry and, and, uh, you know, I was thinking about going back to school and I don't know, doing something with pharmaceutical or, or just something to, I mean, I had so many different thoughts at that point.
I was thinking, well, I could actually go and. Become an underwater biologist and go spend time on the islands. I had just tons of different thoughts, but I was so frustrated with where I was at in dentistry. And it wasn't because I didn't have the skillset or the knowledge to be able to complete the type of dentistry that I wanted to do, it was more along the lines.
That, uh, I really felt like a guy who was all dressed up for prom, but I had no date. I was like, I was ready. I was ready to do the dentistry. I had been through all these amazing programs with like Dawson and, and, you know, Dawson Panky and occlusion and aesthetic continuums and implant continuums, all kinds of things.
But I just didn't have the patient flow or the practice that I was in. And I was just so frustrated. And one of the things that I think a lot of people can relate to is just had this feeling of being alone. And like, why, why am I the only one who can't figure this out? And that seemed to be a question that has shown up in my life more than once.
That makes sense.
Anne: Different verticals of your life. Right. But six years in, you say six years in, you were in this position thinking, you know, what is all this for? What am I doing on that? All that education behind you, you know, you were almost ready to, to throw that away to to. do something else. And was it just the patient flow?
Was it just your office? Was you, were you in it? Were you in, were you the, uh, principal owner of the office?
Jeff: I was not, I was in a practice and looking at becoming a partner in the practice, but it was just, it just wasn't the right fit ultimately. And, and that's what I really, really figured out was, is that it just didn't meet, the alignment that I was in and what I was looking to do.
And so, you know, I think that was just God's way of showing me, Hey, we've got to make a decision here. And, you know, I don't think that there's any coincidences, but that's how I ended up meeting Bruce. And we had an incredible conversation one day and he gave me an opportunity. And so I took the opportunity and joined him in practice down here in Granbury.
And that's how. Really everything came about and I was finally able to practice the way that I was designed and meant to practice. And, and now you're right. I get to, I get to enjoy the fruits of that because right now I currently practice Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and I love what I get to do. I focus mostly on implant dentistry and some reconstructive dentistry, but it's just so much fun.
And I love being able to go in there and have great energy with my team. I can have great energy with my patients. Be very productive and give them great care. And that to me is just such a blessing on being able to practice this way. And I absolutely love it. And I'll continue to be able to practice this way until I can't, unless I'm forced out, you know, physically or something of that nature, but that's also why there's so many reasons to take care of your body.
Just because we only have one of them. I
Anne: know. Well, a couple of things there, Jeff, you know, it's funny. Bruce saw something in you. He is an activator because I remember Victoria telling me her story and they had a conversation next to, you know, they're in business together and these are long lasting relationships.
I mean, just to be able to say that to you, he had a feeling about you and he working together to build something really special. That's very cool. And then you said, yes. Which is also, uh, you know, your intuitive nature to say like, okay, I'm going to pick up. And how far was that from your, from where you were living?
Jeff: That was about an hour, almost an hour and a half from where I was living. And so. And to let you know, and I drove that for almost the first year because I had a town home in downtown Dallas and I had to sell that and, and you know what, I had friends that were like, Jeff, why are you driving that far, you know, four days a week, that's crazy.
I said, you know what, I'm so happy. I'm actually practicing the way that I was, like I said, meant to practice by design, and I would use my time appropriately in the car, you know, it was like my role in university, obviously going home, I would follow up with patients going home, so I made sure I used my time effectively, but it didn't feel like Oh, that was a struggle to, to have to drive that for a time.
I was actually so happy. So it was really just the story that I was telling about it. That was the compounding effect of, Hey, I really am enjoying where I'm being at and where I'm at for practice and how I'm practicing right now. That's a big part. So
Anne: important. And then were you married with kids at that
Jeff: time?
Not at that time. No, I was not at that time at that time. I was not married. I was, so that did make it a little easier to pick up and go, you know, But I did still have, you know, I, I wanted to finish out in integrity, uh, the practice that I was in, and then also sell my condo and, and then have a great opportunity to move and, and start in a, in a new fresh place.
And that was, that was a really great catalyst for turning some things over in my life and started to see what's possible.
Anne: Yeah. Plus being surrounded by amazing people and to grow with them. Um, and you know, the other thing is so cool is like everybody thinks they want to go to the big city. And, you know, there's a special, there's just a special place for you and cranberry right now, when you think about it, I mean, you, you, you've got to be a pillar in the town.
It's, you got to mind your P's and Q's, I guess, right, because everybody knows everybody's business, right. It's still kind of cool and it kind of a dream come true because you can now you can live where you want but really make an impact on your community. Um, You know, it's like, I don't know, small fish in a big pond or big fish in a small pond.
Right. And I think sometimes we think we have to be big, big, big, big, and both, you know, big pond, big fish. And that doesn't give people a lot of joy. Sometimes it's just, it's, it's really nice to be able to make your mark.
Jeff: I completely agree. Just like you and I were talking a little bit and, you know, I, I love where we live.
Like I said, it's a small, small community, but. You know what? We're 45 minutes from Fort Worth, so if my wife and I and kids want to go there and have a big time, we can go do that and that's That's just part of that. But I love being able to, you know, live on a lake and be able to get out on the lake, we get out on the water, we do a lot of things like surfing and having a ball on the water, get out on the boat a lot.
And that's always just been a dream of mine to have a house that I could walk out the back door, push the button and be on the water in five minutes. And to me, that is just so much. And, and it's one of those things that, you know, you work hard and you get to play hard. And it's one of those things that's just been important to me, but I realize, you know, it's not about the stuff, what it is, is it's, it's about, it's about all the experiences and the adventures.
And so like, when we go out on the water, we're having adventures, we're having fun and we're having a great time. And. And guess what? We're getting to do that and connect as a family. And to me, I can't think of anything better than just to be able to have that time, be present. Nobody's playing on their cell phones.
We're just actually interacting and connecting and having a great time. And so that's what I think is one of the important things. Cause at the end of the day. Well, at the end of our time here on the planet, all we have really left is our memories, our experiences and the journey along the way.
Anne: Yeah. Yeah.
And you know, it's, it's neat that you have figured out a way also, because I, when I was looking at your LinkedIn profile, cause I, we, I realized like, Hey, I got to get connected to Jeff. What is that about? And, um, but I was looking at it and I was like, you know, to be able to work three days a week, um, and in your bio entrepreneurs, number one, that's your first thing.
Right. And so, um, You know, that it's really hard to be an entrepreneur when you are totally so focused and you don't have the time to lend to the thinking that you need to be an entrepreneur, right. And to be able to have that balance. And somehow you figured out a way. And if you're listening, you don't have to do five days a week.
If you hone your skills, if you have the right team, if you're in the right mindset, you can, you can really get. the quality of your work and the quantity of your work done in a lesser time than, than, um, you know, five days a week, if you're, if you're very, um, intentional on that. And how did you find that, that, uh, intention to be able to, you know, scale back your work hours in the dental chair, um, to be able to open it up for your entrepreneurial ventures, which we're going to talk about.
Jeff: Awesome. Yeah. And, and I will tell you, and so just mark my words by next year, I'll be down to two days a week. That's my target. So, you know, you have to have targets and that's one of the first things there. And so for me, it was really pretty easy to see because guess what? I had that modeled for me by Bruce in watching how, as his productivity went up, he would actually take more time to Down.
And I thought that's really remarkable because then I could see him interject into other areas of life. Maybe it was a different business. Maybe it was something with family. Maybe it was a trip. Maybe, you know, it just opened up different possibilities. So when I saw that modeled for me, I was like, wow, that makes a lot of sense.
And I'll tell you now I'm, I'm producing and doing better in my practice. And I don't say that from a braggadocious way than I did. I'm doing that on three days a week. Better than I ever did at five days a week.
Anne: Wow. Wow.
Jeff: And I think a lot of that comes from my way of being because I can go in at a level 10 and I can operate that way for three days and have high energy, great opportunities, great delivery, great production.
And then I get to shift gears and then on Thursdays and Fridays, I get to dump into other projects and that's actually very refreshing. It's not anything that steals my energy. It's something that so excites me because I get to go and perform in a different productive manner in a different arena. And I love that.
It's just that change of pace, but that's one of the things I think that allows that to become so successful. And it's, it doesn't, you're right, it does not happen overnight. You start to figure out the lanes that you really enjoy in dentistry. And, you know, dentistry can be very difficult or it can be very good.
Wonderful or both sometimes at the same time, but it really depends on how you look at it. And if you look at it, like, Oh gosh, you got to have another day to go in and dread it. And you're going to have a very difficult time and you're going to struggle just period at the end of the day. But if you have a different mindset of like, man, I get to.
Like, I think that's so important. I get to, I get to go in and support somebody's vision for having a healthy smile and having a healthy mouth and, and helping them facilitating that from getting them from where they are to where they want to be. That's a really unique opportunity that I get to have. I get to impact somebody's life tremendously and, and it may be as simple as, gosh, I didn't hurt them when I gave them an injection that changed their whole way of being, uh, coming to the dentist because they were hurt before.
It doesn't have to be this big, huge, you know, full mouth rehabilitation or full implants. It can be something so small and innocuous to what we would think of as, As simple as an injection. So you can impact people at so many different levels that we don't even really think about because we get on automatic and we just, that's what we operate on is automatic.
And all of a sudden you look at, wow, man, we really changed that person's life and gave them, I mean, like when they give you a hug and they're crying and they get to reinsert themselves in life, it makes me cry. My team cries and it's just so much. I don't know. It's such a joy. And like I said, it's such a privilege to be able to have that opportunity.
So I really, truly think a lot of it's how you look at what you get to do.
Anne: Well, what I love about that, Jeff, is that you celebrate the little wins, you know, it's not always the big wins. It's the little things. And I love, you know, I, I quote mother Teresa and I think, you know, she says, you know, do do small things with great love.
And when you look at it like that, um, we, we are, you know, living your calling and I love the fact this is, this is very key for. Those that are listening, especially young guys and gals out there that are just getting started in your career. You have to grind it out in the beginning, you got to take the courses, you got to do what it takes to get your skills up.
Then you start to make these decisions and pivot in ways that will help you grow personally and professionally, and then be able to have this lifelong career and I love that you said that you're going okay two days great but you're going to still be practicing. And for a long time Jeff because I mean you.
You're good at it. For starters, it gives you joy. The key, I think for long happiness and, and, you know, in your family and your friends and all that, it's just have a little balance that you're not just totally focused on one thing. And it's not all about work, work, work in these hands, but it's, it's a mirage of things that, that give you joy that you can, you know, Slowly, you know, not put them all in at once, but slowly grow because you're even doing, I mean, I'm excited because I, when I saw your dental festival and I met Sebastian, you guys are, you know, thinking about, or you're, you're putting on a retreat for men.
Um, and I don't think it's just for men in dentistry. Is it Jeff, tell me about, tell me a little bit about that, because you've had so much experience, you know, clinically, And, uh, from a personal standpoint, how did the, this hall come about, uh, the retreat that you guys are planning, um, in November?
Jeff: Awesome.
Thank you. Uh, yeah, the retreat or I, it's just going to be a conference, but it's called be the man and it is going to be focused on male dentists for this first big go around. Um, we have a target of having 100, 130 to 150 male dentists there. Oh
Anne: my gosh. Awesome.
Jeff: I, I am so excited because, you know, we've been doing trainings.
We've been doing small trainings over the last couple of years. COVID made a very different, uh, point or shift in our business, just because then we had to take things online, but we still got results, which I thought was fantastic, but opening back up to doing live events has been just amazing. And so just to give you a preference of, let me just back up here.
You know, I had to make some significant life changes in 2016, and I was going down a road that was just not very beneficial or, uh, supportive for my family or myself or my health or my spirituality, all of those things were really kind of going in the tank. And I had to make some very difficult choices and I decided to one, I didn't want to get.
Divorce. I've been divorced once in 2012 and I didn't want to go down that road again. I would have been kind of racking them up if you would have thought about it. And so I had to make some significant changes. And so I hired some coaches and mentors. And then what I did was just implement immediately.
And I took action immediately on what was being recommended. And that was a huge Perspective that opened up a different first, um, a different, um, priorities in my life because everything was work, work, work, work, work, work, work, work, work. I've got to get ahead. I've got to get ahead. And then someday I can be happy.
And I think that's one of the things that we're trained in and we're trained in so much like do, do, do. So I can have, have, have, and then I can become what significant, right. You know, and I think if, Right now, at least I'm 51. I realized that if we flip the script on that. And actually it's B because we already are enough.
If you think of it, I have a saying like your birth is your worth. You know, I mean, you are worthy from the minute that you were born, but if you are enough from the beginning and you are worthy, that way of being starts to show up and allows you to operate in a different way so you can do things differently and then you can have things that are unique.
So if we flip the script instead of do, you know, have become, or be, Let's go the other way. Let's go with B and then you can either have or do or do or have. And just put that B at the beginning. It's just a very different mindset. So with that. And it becomes what we call like a little challenge based lifestyle.
And one of the most important questions that I can, that I can tell you that I ask myself every 90 days is who do I have to become, whether it be, who do I have to become as a husband? Who do I have to become as a father? Who do I have to become as a business owner? Who do I have to become as a coach or consultant?
Who do I have to become in my spiritual journey? Who do I have to become with my connection with God? Who do I have to become in order to. X, Y, Z fill in the blank. And then I set some very difficult targets every 90 days in the four following domains in my faith. And my fitness in my family and my finance.
And so by living this way over the last gosh, six plus years now, I've seen how much this has completely altered and shifted my life. And that's something that I thought our profession needs. This so badly because it's riddled with divorce. It's riddled with depression. It's riddled with sedation and still riddled with suicide.
I've experienced all of those. Obviously I didn't commit suicide. I've had colleagues that have, so I've experienced all those in what my process, my journey has been. And what I just decided was I'm going to take a stand and I'm going to be a of change. And so for me, that's, what's so important. And The reason that I'm choosing to do that with male dentists, it's nothing against females by any means.
I just don't feel competent to look at, at coaching females from that perspective. And I don't feel authentic in that manner. So I'm choosing to choose to follow my authenticity. And to me, that is just being the you that you feel that you should be. That's, that's my kind of way of defining that. And you know, that allows me to show up that way authentically.
And So that's where I met, you know, my business partner, Sebastian, you got a chance to meet him at the festival. And he's a tremendous coach. You know, one of the ways that I like to characterize Sebastian and Sebastian will say what everyone else is thinking, but is afraid to say. And that's one of the things that I love.
Cause you always know right where you stand from the perspective, but he's also a tremendous. Uh, incredible coach. And that's one of the things that I love about working with him and we make a great team. So what we've been doing is deciding to bring this into the dental space. And what I've wanted to do is focus on male dentists.
And so that's where we've been doing it on smaller realms where we have 12 to 16 guys, and I realized. If I going to really impact our business and our dentistry and our profession, there's no way that I can do it at that small amount of people at a time. So I want to bring more people in so we can start to share the knowledge and start to change and transform our profession.
Anne: Oh my gosh. Well, you're going to teach them how to fish, right? I mean, you're not going to, you know, I mean, that's the thing you've learned it. Um, you've seen, uh, you know, again, if you build it, they will come. So you start off with little smaller groups and then bring it to this level because there are so many men and I, well, you know, you and I have a lot in common, you're working with the men.
And I just felt compelled to work with women. Um, even though I love men and in dental entrepreneur, you know, men and women and all that, but I have a little, I have a, you know, I think. Woman to woman and man to man is very special. There's, you know, there, I think that that's something that, um, we can, I don't know, not be proud about, but just know in our hearts that there's a special conversation when you just have a group of men in the room versus you have male and female in this and the same with, with a group of women in the room.
So I love that you're doing that. And, um, yes, it's a conference, not a retreat. So it's the same weekend. It's going to be November. 10,
Jeff: 11, 12, and 13, 11, 12, and 13 in Miami, the fountain blue at the fountain blue. Yeah. That's a tremendous resort. And so I love it there, but yeah, and I, I couldn't agree with you more, you know, and it's interesting because the event is called be the man.
And if you want to find out any more about it, you can look at be the man con c o n. com as in conference and you can find out all the details about it. But it's interesting when I have had women ask me, well, tell me about be the man. What is that like? What is that about? And in a nutshell, when I'll say, you know, it's really about.
opening up and giving men the tools so they can be better fathers, better husbands, better businessmen, and better spiritual guides in their relationships, and also feel like they have a sense of purpose, then the women that I talk to you are like, okay, I get it. That's awesome. And our
Anne: men, send all your men.
Jeff: Well, the cool thing is, is it's not about, you know, fixing somebody or saving somebody. And, you know, we're not operating on anybody that's broken. So to speak, we're just looking at a lot of individuals just really want to level up their game and say, okay, I need some tweaks here. It's like, I've got one flat tire.
Maybe I need to blow it up. And then boom, we can get there or guess what? We may have somebody that has four flat tires, the cars up on bricks and we meet them where they're at too, but it's, it's not about, oh gosh, my life is broken and I need, you know, somebody to save me. It's not that at all. It's looking at, there are some unique tools and things available out there that allow you to accelerate.
Where you want to be very quickly and you can really start to condense and compress time. And that's one of the things that none of us have more of is time.
Anne: That's right. And you know, the other thing is there's, it's nice to have that common thread of dentistry also. So, you know, that's a special group that have a certain, very similar to, uh, needs once.
Um, I also think it's going to make them be a better leader in their practice. I mean, there's so many wonderful things that we've never really. Poured in to dental professionals is the idea of personal and, and, and, uh, personal development. Absolutely. And so it sounds like, you know, we could all use a little bit of that.
And I think the sooner, sooner than later, because at the end of your career, you're going to be, I wish I would have done something to would have maybe made my relationships easier. It's all about. You know, relationships with the people that you love and with your and with your God and with yourself and and really loving yourself.
Is, is most important. And I love that you said that earlier about, uh, worthy in the womb as you're born, because I believe that too, we all have special gifts that we've been given. And it's our job to, uh, nurture and grow those, uh, to be strengths, you know? Um, so thank you for that. And you can look up, uh, that, um, That website to, to get registered for that.
And then also I wanted to talk a little bit about, uh, jumpstart your podcast because I love
gtVTpIseQmOdWRs4zGh2_Future_of_Dentistry_Ep_8_-_Jeff_Buske: what you
Anne: said. It's, it's what, why, less than an apply. So, um, tell us where we can find your podcast and where else can we find you, Jeff, when, after they're listening to this, they want to get a little bit more
Jeff: awesome
Anne: of
Jeff: you.
Yeah, perfect. Uh, you can find me easily on LinkedIn, Jeffrey T Buskey. That's easy to find there. You can also find me, um, on Twitter. Uh, on messenger, you can drop me a message as well. I'm I'll be able to respond to you in there. And then I, yeah, like I said, the, be the man con. com is the conference coming up in November.
And then my podcast is just called jumpstart with Jeff and it's usually between a five and 10 minute little podcast. That I like to do. And I really just take little excerpts of my life, like what happened and why is that important or why is it relevant today? And then what was the lesson that I extracted from it?
And then how can you apply that in your life or challenging you to look at what are ways that you can apply that in your life? And for me, it's just been a really fun way to, you know, get my thoughts out and also to have an opportunity to share with other individuals. So, you know, that way, if something's.
On there that resonates with you. You're like, cool, drop me a line and let me know.
Anne: Well, how fun would that be on my drive to work in the morning? I, I like that very much on the way in and the way out everybody. So Jeff, I just, you know, you're just a, an amazing gentleman and I have loved getting to know you.
I love the fact that we will continue to have these conversations and discussions. And, um, I can't wait to. Uh, hear about your conference and, um, and share it with our listeners today. So you take care, give, give that Bruce a big hug from all those people back at your office, tell them that and Duffy said, hello, any parting words, any parting words today?
Jeff: You know what I, and first of all, thank you again for, for having me on, it's just an honor. And, and I have so enjoyed getting an opportunity to know you, you're, you're a very gracious woman and just, your beauty just resonates from inside out. That's for sure. And I guess my parting words would be, you know, if I could just instill one thing, it's really, it's about, our life is about continuous change.
And, If you want to change your life, then look at just changing your story. And it's, it can be as simple as that. And that would be, I guess, the best way to leave everything is just change your story and you can change your life. And that's what I've realized for myself. And in the 51 evolutions around the sun for me, you know, that's one of the most important things that I can come back to.
So thank you, Ann.
Anne: You're welcome, Jeff. It sounds like it starts with a decision and it's there for all of us. So thank you, Jeff. Thank you so much for your time today.
Jeff: I appreciate it.
Anne: Have a great day, everybody. Most importantly, everybody out there listening, keep doing you. Thank you. Bye Jeff. Bye guys.
Thank y'all.
