Padraic Deighan

Padraic Deighan is an experienced attorney based out of Cherry Hill, New Jersey. With a passion for academia, Padraic obtained a master’s in business from the College of William and Mary – a premier research institution in Williamsburg, Virginia, before pursuing a law degree from the Dickinson School of Law at Penn State University. With a keen interest in the medical landscape, he also went on to obtain a Ph.D. in Quantum Analysis.

After completing his post-secondary education, Padraic worked primarily in business law, helping clients navigate the complexities of the legal sector. However, drawing from his knowledge of the medical field, Padraic eventually found success in business and influenced the growth of medical spas in his area. By combining medical dermatology and aesthetic services, Padraic became the CEO of the largest network of dermatology and plastic surgery medical spas.

After selling the business in 2005, Padraic transitioned back to the legal field where he now specializes in healthcare law, helping doctors recover the fees they are entitled to from insurance companies.

In his free time, he spends time with family and enjoys time with friends for dinner at every opportunity. Besides family and friends, he enjoys traveling, reading, and outdoor activities.

Where did the idea for your career come from?

I wanted to be able to control my own destiny. Years ago, I saw college football players at a bowl game. They were at the highest level of their game – top performers from top schools – but they weren’t quite good enough for the pros. Many of them never completed their degree. These were young guys, maybe 21-22 years old, that were the pinnacle of their craft. But suddenly, they had no options. They went from the top to the bottom literally overnight.

I never wanted to be that person. I never wanted to be in that position of having no options.

Aston McLaren comes from my passion…cars.

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

When I get up, I look at the plans I made the night before to see if anything needs changed. Assuming there isn’t, I look at the most difficult thing on my list and try to do that first. That way, the worst part of the day is over first. It’s only downhill from there. I work through the rest of the list, checking off items as I complete them. I build in relaxation time as well, and leave time open for staff to contact me and other things like that.

How do you bring ideas to life?

I always have a notepad or my phone nearby, so the first thing I do when I have an idea is to write it down. Then I look at it again, reexamine it and try to expand on it, and then let it sit for a few hours or a few days. If it still seems like a good idea, I’ll develop an implementation plan for it. I’m doing that right now with a group that I’m developing an affiliate marketing plan with. I’m thinking about how to implement that, how to bring them into my life and how to bring my life into theirs.

What’s one trend that excites you?

It might be a generalized answer, but technology. Technology is developing and accelerating at a quicker and quicker pace, and as I’m involved in science, I find that all very exciting.

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

I’m able to separate myself from the noise of modern day society. People easily get wrapped up in the news and world events, but I’m able to separate from that and think about what I want and what’s best. If you’re not able to do that, then you won’t have a free mind. If you don’t have a free mind, you won’t be able to come up with concepts that you might be able to build upon. So it’s important for me to separate my thinking from the noise of society, which is getting louder and louder.

What advice would you give your younger self?

I would tell my younger self to be more selective about the people that I let into my life. There were times in my life I let more people in than I should have. I’m an outgoing person and I enjoy people, but I really need to be more selective, and I’ve had instances in the past where I ignored warning signs that I shouldn’t have. You don’t need a lot of friends in life. You need good friends.

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

Many people deny that there’s other life in the universe, but the reality is that it’s virtually impossible that we’re alone. It’s a topic that I’ve lectured on in the past, and that’s always one of the questions I get asked. “Do you think we’re alone?” I like to turn that question around and ask them what they think instead, but it’s almost always the same. People believe we’re alone. But the multiverse is so vast that the odds of us truly being alone are nil.

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

Never completely dismiss a person or an idea. File it away in the back of your head, or in a note somewhere. I’ve had situations recently where that helped, with regard to a person I hadn’t spoken to in nine years. A project came up, and I thought of him, so I contacted him. He remembered me vaguely, and I was able to refresh his memory on what we’d worked on in the past.

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

It’s all about referrals and networking. I ran a network of dermatology and plastic surgery centers spread out across the country, and no matter where it was, whether it was a new center or an established one, the number was the same: 85% of new patients came from referrals. You just can’t ignore that. So I cut the marketing budget way back, because if the patients are coming from referrals, you focus on referral patterns and how to facilitate that.

If your business is direct to the consumer, you focus on referrals. If it’s business-to-business, you focus on networking with other business owners that might have a similar customer base – which you might also think of as a form of referrals.

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

I think most failures come from implementation issues, rather than from bad ideas. It’s often the case that you have a good idea, but it wasn’t implemented correctly. You might have had the wrong people at the wrong time, or there was some flaw in the implementation plan, but more often than not, it’s the implementation. Looking back, you just have to live and learn from those experiences, to avoid making those errors and to learn to see the warning signs before it’s too late to save a project.

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

I’m a major proponent of hydrogen powered cars. Fifty years ago, they were running fleets of cars and buses on hydrogen. It’s a renewable resource – the most abundant resource in the universe. There’s zero pollution.

Fossil fuel cars have their flaws, and electric cars have their flaws, but hydrogen cars have neither the downsides of fossil fuel nor the downsides of electric. Electric cars are popular right now, but people are willfully ignoring their flaws. It’s a concept that kind of gnaws on me on a weekly basis – why haven’t these vehicles taken off? And what can we do to fix that?

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

Earlier this morning, I bought tickets to a charity event for Ukraine to help buy medical equipment for wounded soldiers. It was more than $100, but that was by far the best money I’ve spent, as it’s helping people that need it. I’ve done a lot of business and had a lot of projects in Ukraine, so it’s a cause that’s near to me.

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

The Microsoft Office suite of programs, because it contains a lot of tools that I use daily, including PowerPoint, Excel, and Word. A second place pick would be my accounting software, since that’s been a valuable part of my life, but it’s not something that I use every day like I use Office.

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

That’s a tough one, but right now, I’d say George Orwell’s 1984. I wouldn’t have said that five years ago, but I’m very concerned with what’s going on in the world today. I think anyone who last read it in school 40 or 50 years ago needs to read through it again, and any young people out there who aren’t familiar with the story need to pick it up.

What is your favorite quote?

“Today is tomorrow, yesterday.” It’s just four words, but it gives a solid life message. Do not procrastinate.

Key Learnings:

• Avoid putting yourself in a situation where you’ll lose everything if just one thing goes wrong.
• Diversify your life and your goals. Don’t let the noise of society overwhelm you and quell your creativity.
• Referrals are a key component of a successful business and vital to growth.
• Learn from your mistakes. Every failure in business or in life is an opportunity to do better next time.