The simplest guideline I have is that every action we take, I believe there should be a purpose to it, Growing ourselves, growing other people, and creating positive energy are the duties of any leader or entrepreneur.
Dr. Akhil Reddy was born in the great state of Texas in Lubbock. Growing up he was very involved in Boy Scouts, Soccer, Tennis, and the Red Cross. At an early age he knew his calling, it would be a combination of medicine, engineering, and hands on skill. He moved to California after he was accepted to the prestigious University of the Pacific’s Accelerated Dental Program where he received his B.S. in Biological Sciences. He also learned a great deal from the organizations he was involved with at the Stockton campus including being a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity. He then received his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry in San Francisco, CA. He received his Doctorate at the age of 23. After graduating he promptly moved to his home state and started his practice in Dallas, TX. His versatility in skills allowed his passion for cosmetic and family dentistry to thrive. Practicing in many parts of Texas he soon realized his passion was to create high standard of care dental practices that would provide access to all socioeconomic levels. He is still heavily involved with his Alma Mater serving on the Alumni Board and working with colleagues for the betterment of access to care. Dr. Reddy loves to travel and enjoys spending time with his fiancé, family, and beloved Border Collie.
Where did the idea come from?
I have always loved dentistry. As I grew in my dental career, I began to love coaching and mentoring doctors coming out of dental school or early in their careers. Later on my career stemmed into partnering and consulting with multiple dental practices. This ability to provide comprehensive treatment and increase the regions served grew organically from there. All the while the highest priority of increasing access to care was in mind. Although challenging, we started opening offices in suburban and tertiary markets where access to quality, affordable dental care was less available. Also, patient education and transparency in our practices ingrain a lifetime of oral health and have created such a loyal patient base.
What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?
Wake up then get the nutrients and hydration in by blending Greens and Fruit. Enjoy a fresh cup of coffee while replying to some emails. Head to a practice or the office. During my drive I take calls or listen to audiobooks. If the day is seeing patients, then that is simply my focus. If the day is management then I tackle my running priority list. I try to focus on the items that are most impactful and this creates productivity in a sea of tasks. I typically spend very little time eating during the morning or day which may or may not be a good thing but it does create more work time for me.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I use common business strategy with the Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threat analysis. This allows me to tailor the best way to make an idea happen. Then I utilize friends, colleagues, and mentors for feedback if it is something complex. The more feedback the better. The older I get the more of a gauntlet complex ideas have as well.
What’s one trend that really excites you?
Farm to Table. Such a simple historical practice but we have unfortunately lost it in the past decades. The resurgence of fresh and non-processed foods coming to restaurants and households excites me. Who knows maybe it will get our country back to fitness and out of a federal deficit.
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
I procrastinate very little. I like to get directives right out, answer emails immediately, directly speak to team members quickly, and go to people if I am unfamiliar with something.
What was the worst job you ever had and what did you learn from it?
I can’t say that I’ve had a horrible job but I can say that the hardest job I had was working in Texas farms during my summer breaks when I was younger. I learned the importance of a professional degree pretty quickly.
If you were to start again, what would you do differently?
I would take on mentors earlier and utilize them to the fullest. Each decade of experience is priceless and can save you a ton of effort.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
Blending and Exercise. Productive minds start with healthy living.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business? Please explain how.
Genuinely caring about my employees while not becoming their best friend. My goal is to help build better citizens in our community which will hopefully impact their whole network. Respect is so important and understanding the different needs of each individual. We can’t speak to everyone daily but we can build a culture of respect and positive growth.
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
I had to sell a dental practice once that wasn’t performing. I regret not having a better risk strategy and plan in place before buying it. Although there was a monetary loss the lessons learned are still helping me to this day.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
A prize similar to the Xprize awarded to the winner of plan or product that creates more Government efficiency. The winner would also receive recurring revenue from the savings for a certain period of time shared by this business. Would be great if someone created a model to pay our school teachers more and educate all our students at the highest world level.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
Concert tickets for my fiancé and I at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, Ca. The venue is Outdoor, engulfed with trees, great acoustics. Good beer and wine.
What software and web services do you use? What do you love about them?
Wunderlist – ability have and share multiple lists, collaborate, store, ease of use, organized.
Headspace – meditation training, simplicity
Audible – audiobooks allow me to absorb much more content per week
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People” is a classic that can greatly impact our communities. The concepts are very basic and innate; they just have to be remembered. Practicing respect, thoughtfulness, and genuine motives can increase the positive energy we need in our communities.
What people have influenced your thinking and might be of interest to others?
Arthur A. Dugoni
Richard Branson: @richardbranson
Howard Marks
Connect:
Dr. Akhil Reddy on Facebook:
Dr. Akhil Reddy on Twitter: @drakhilreddy
Dr. Akhil Reddy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drakhilreddy
Mario Schulzke is the Founder of ideamensch, which he started a decade ago to learn from entrepreneurs and give them a platform for their ideas.