Australasian Dentist Issue 89

96 AustrAlAsiAn Dentist aCQuIsItIons F ormer us secretary of state Hillary Clinton once remarked: “Don’t confuse having a career with having a life.” Knowingly or unknowingly, Dr Fisher has applied the positive implications of this truism throughout key moments of his life. the practice principal at Cardinia Dental (located in Pakenham, Victoria) is someone who clearly understands that it takes conscious effort to build a fulfilling career, just as it does maintaining work- life balance. And when it came time to make critical decisions – including the 2017 sale of his practice – Dr Fisher was not in the least confused. Paying dues since graduating from the university of Melbourne in 1988 and beginning private practice the following year, Dr Fisher has found dentistry nothing short of a dream vocation – albeit one that involves paying dues long before you can reap the returns. Within the first four years working as part-time dentist for two clinics in Koo Wee rup and Pakenham, Dr Fisher bought over the latter practice in 1993. Hesitant at first, he sought the advice of Dr David Grant, owner of the Koo Wee rup clinic. “i asked David if he was interested to partner up to buy the Pakenham practice. instead he convinced me to go at it alone, promising to support me every step of the way,” Dr Fisher says. Dr Grant’s support, though more moral than material, provided a timely Working out a work-life balance The ultimate delegation of responsibilities is to sell your practice to a reliable corporate, says Melburnian dentist Dr Andrew Fisher. By Danny Chan impetus. Dr Fisher continued plying his trade between the two locations, working six days a week. this went on until 1998, around which time Dr Fisher first realised the dangers of burning the candle at both ends. When the practice relocated that year – two doors down to a new facility purpose built by his brothers – he took the opportunity to reduce his clinical commitments, actively employing dentists to fill the gap. “this goes back to David Grant who was amentor in every sense. He encouraged me to have work-life balance, which i not only followed but also instilled in my dentists – asking them to have a day off besides saturday and sunday,” he explains. Regaining balance the Pakenham practice grew significantly. Annual business turnover doubled in the first 3-4 years, and subsequently maintained double-digit growth. By 2003, it had expanded into a 4-chair practice with six full-time dentists on the roster. “We were absorbing much of the growth in Pakenham. As the workload increased, however, i found myself drifting from my work-life balance again,” he recounts. He had completely stopped practicing as a dentist by 2012. Piling practice commitments ran the gamut from it to equipment maintenance, renovations to human resource. even sundays were not spared. Dr Fisher remembers this juncture for two reasons: One, he had read an article written by then CeO of Australia Post, Ahmed Fahour, about the need for an exit plan, which consolidated his fleeting notions about selling his practice; and two, he decided once again to scale back his involvement by increasing staff numbers and work delegation. He also began speaking to practice- acquisition firms with the intension of feeling out the market. unimpressed with many of the corporates, he felt most offered Dr Fisher with his family in Prague With David Grant in the Austrian Alps