Isaac Newman

Try, try, try, try. Always try and keep trying. You may fail or make mistakes along the way. That’s okay. Learn from them and keep trying.

 

The healthcare field requires much of the professionals who choose to participate in it. Care, sensitivity, and the highest level of competence are just a few qualities that make success in the wellness industry a task unlike any other. It doesn’t only take business acumen; it requires a touch that can only arise from a true understanding of patient needs.

While not a physician, Isaac Newman has built a reputation in the healthcare field as a conscientious and caring entrepreneur of operational expertise. For over 20 years, Isaac has set high standards in ensuring that medical providers run efficiently while never losing sight of their primary task. In his current role as Chief Operating Officer of DentServ, Isaac oversees a cohesive team committed to formulating, planning and executing the procedures that keep one of New York’s leading dental service providers running smoothly.

Isaac Newman joined DentServ after a highly proficient tenure at MetroStar Home Health Products, where he steered the medical equipment provider to its current position as the premier service group in their field in the NYC and Nassau County area. Previous to MetroStar, Isaac served as the Director of Business Development for Citywide Mobile Response, an ambulance provider serving New York City.

Operational management and healthcare entrepreneurship is his work, but it’s all in service of Isaac Newman’s biggest motivator: the patients. As COO of DentServ, Isaac oversees the delivery of high quality care to often-underserved populations in nursing facilities, psychiatric hospitals, facilities for the developmentally disabled, and many more. The operational excellence that Isaac fosters in his team allows DentServ to cater to all patients with generous measures of consideration and a solemn regard for wellbeing.

Towards the goal of delivering care to populations in need while extending operational functioning, Isaac is perpetually spearheading plans to extend DentServ’s care initiatives. Isaac Newman’s vision of expansion will ensure that no person will be forced to go without quality dental care, regardless of income or position.

For Isaac Newman, there’s little separation between his work and his philanthropic leanings. To that end, he took the lead in organizing a recent winter clothing drive to help keep the needy warm during the cold NYC winter. As effectively as his teams create maximum efficiency in handling the needs of customers and patients, that same conscientious work ethic can be applied to charitable endeavors in Isaac’s purview.

When not overseeing operations at DentServ, Isaac enjoys reading and spending time with his family. A New York native, he is an alumnus of the City University of New York (CUNY) as well as City College of New York (CCNY). Isaac Newman lives in Staten Island, New York with his wife and children.

Where did the idea for your company come from?

I chose to move into the Healthcare Industry and DentServ specifically because we are most passionate about the patients and the clients. Everyday I work with a vulnerable population. Many times, they are without families or are the last member of the families. Maybe they have aged out and they are mostly alone though some may or may not have a spouse. While they are being cared for in their facilities, when we are able to give them a new set of teeth or dentures, it can change their entire outlook on life. Being able to be that intermediary, being able to walk with these clients and transform their lives, which is what we do at DentServ, is a tremendous sense of pride and accomplishment.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

The first thing I do every morning is call my Quality Assurance reps. They are our boots on the ground, our first line of defense. They are the ones who tell me what needs to be dealt with in the facilities in their territory. I personally go out to our facilities twice a week to double and triple check that everything is up to the high standard that I require our services to meet. Besides for maintaining the great reputation of DentServ, I focus a great deal on growing and expanding our brand so most days I spend working on projects to do so.

How do you bring ideas to life?

Truth be told, it all starts with our exceptional group of staff. We do it old fashion on a piece of paper graphing it all together. We put our thoughts together write and erase and write it again until every crinkle is ironed out. From there, we stop at nothing to complete our projects.

What’s one trend that excites you?

The prospect of bringing the absolute best dental service to the urgent care markets. We are currently developing a model of urgent care centers throughout the state to start delivering dental services to them.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

Although being obsessive compulsive might not always be the best thing, it has defiantly helped me as an entrepreneur. I never accept mediocracy, I make sure that when we deliver our product its quality is held to an exceptional standard.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Stay in school, don’t do drugs. Isn’t that good advice? I would tell my younger self to stay focused, to be committed, passionate and proud of what you do and who you are. Always be honest, stick to what you say and say what you mean.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

Nobody is smarter than I am… except my wife of course!

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

Notes, Notes, Notes, taking and keeping detailed notes is and was a crucial part of my success. Every meeting I have and every phone call I take, you’ll see a pen in my hand and a pad on my desk. My office is full of pads each page full and with a date on it. Each day starts a new piece of paper and any time a tidbit of genius pops into my head it gets written down. No matter how much I rely on my computer these days, I always go back to my pad.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

Throw enough mud at the wall, eventually, something is bound to stick. I may have had ten failures, I may have tried twenty different things, while nineteen failed. I never stop I kept going back and trying again and again, eventually, the mud stuck and have been able to build on that since.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

About twenty-five years ago I made my first major investment into importing cell phones and accessories from China. For whatever reasons, it didn’t turn to anything and I was out thousands of dollars and for a young married guy with kids, you could imagine it was hard. One day my wife came to me and said, “If you don’t figure out how to make that money back, I’ll kill you” and right then was basically the turning point in my life as an entrepreneur. I told myself I had to do something, I had to support my family, I didn’t really have a choice. So, I brushed myself off and got back in the saddle.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

Well let’s be honest if I had a business idea I wouldn’t tell the world. I would be doing it myself. Especially after my last idea that was stolen from me. I don’t know how they found out about it, maybe my wife sold me out. But it was a glass, that the top part of it was a shot glass with a disk to pull out and the bottom half would become a beer chaser. But I saw that recently online or something.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

I had a conference in a casino the other day and somebody I do business came over to me and said, ‘listen I have to get out of here I have $300 in chips I’m going to give you one, $100, I’m going to use one and we’re going to a third gentleman and give him the last $100. I lost that $100 on blackjack. It didn’t come from my pocket. Which made it great, because it wasn’t mine. I don’t remember the last time I spent $100 on anything good in New York, quite frankly.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

Microsoft One Drive, it keeps my files in order and allows me to access them from anywhere. My emails, calendar, Outlook and more, it has everything I need to allow me to be productive.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

David Allen, Getting Things Done. It puts your daily tasks in perspective. Everything from your business to your life and the way you present yourself. As it’s written on the back of the book, “Apply the do it, delegate it, defer it, drop it rule to get your inbox empty.” Since then, that quote has been a centerpiece around my entire life. It prioritizes your tasks to accomplish your goals.

What is your favorite quote?

In my office I have a large picture that somebody gave me, it’s a quote by none other than the greatest swimmer of all time, Michael Phelps. Are you familiar with him? It says as follows, “You can’t put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get”

Key Learnings:

• Always remember why you are doing what you are doing. Sometimes, the work and the hustle gets in the way and you forget your main motivation. But when you remember, it’s like a renewed fire.
• Try, try, try, try. Always try and keep trying. You may fail or make mistakes along the way. That’s okay. Learn from them and keep trying.
• In everything you do, do it with excellence. Mediocre work is really unacceptable. We must do everything to be absolute best of our ability.

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