Dr. Sameer Jejurikar

Don’t focus on making money, as money does not buy happiness.”

 

Dr. Sam Jejurikar is a board-certified plastic surgeon in Dallas, Texas and a partner in Dallas Plastic Surgery Institute, one of the largest plastic surgery groups in the world. Dr. Jejurikar specializes in cosmetic surgery of the body, breast and face. He is recognized by his peers and given numerous presentations has national and international plastic surgery meetings, including the Plastic Surgery – The Meeting, which is the largest annual meeting of plastic surgeons worldwide.

Dr. Jejurikar attended the University of Michigan for his undergraduate studies, from where he graduated with distinction. He then attended medical school at the University of Michigan and was selected to the prestigious Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. Dr. Jejurikar then trained in preliminary surgery and plastic surgery at the University of Michigan over 8 years, before moving on to New York City for a fellowship in Aesthetic Surgery; he was awarded dual certificates from both Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital and NYU. After that, Dr. Jejurikar joined a large multi specialty group in central Texas. After three years, he recognized his desire to run his own practice and, as such, joined Dallas Plastic Surgery Institute.

Dr. Sam Jejurikar is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and is a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, as well as the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. He participates in many charitable ventures, most significant is are international trips performing cleft lip and palate surgery to help the less fortunate. He has taken numerous of these trips, traveling to such destinations as Colombia, Guatemala and Bangladesh. Although he is clinically very busy, these trips affirm his commitment to help his patients, both in Dallas and abroad.

Where did the idea for (your business) come from?

I knew I wanted to be a surgeon at an early age, as I had a love for both science and working with my hands. From the time I was in junior high, I knew wanted to be a physician and studied hard to get into a combined undergraduate/graduate program at the University of Michigan. In medical school, I had exposure to a broad range of surgical specialties, but was drawn to the creativity of plastic surgery, as well as the broad variety of surgeries performed by plastic surgeons.

I was blessed to have the opportunity to join Dallas Plastic Surgery Institute, which is a well-known group in Dallas that was founded by a veritable who’s who of plastic surgery. As part of this group, I run my own plastic surgery practice, but have the benefits of shared overhead and economies of scale for purchasing. We also a skin care center, surgery center and postoperative overnight facility, all owned by the group.

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

A typical day for me involves seeing patients, performing procedures in the office, and performing surgeries in the operating room. Productivity for me involves performing procedures or surgeries, as they allow me to make dramatic changes in people’s lives as well as to bring revenue into the practice. I generally perform procedures and surgeries every day of the week. I can see more patients and perform more procedures and surgeries because of the proximity of our surgery center to my office; I can walk back and forth, seeing patients between surgical cases and, as such, avoiding downtime during the work day.

How do you bring ideas to life?

As a plastic surgeon, I get to bring ideas to life every day. I have the wonderful opportunity to discuss with people every day things they want to change about their appearance. It may be a patient discussing excessive fat of their love handles, someone discussing his or her desire to look more youthful, or a patient wishing to have bigger buttocks. Regardless of their presenting complaint, we discuss a collaborative plan of action to address their concerns, whether it’s liposuction, a face lift or a Brazilian Butt Lift. I then get to perform a surgical procedure on that patient and, over the ensuing weeks, I get to see our surgical plans come to fruition.

What’s one trend that really excites you?

The improvement in nonsurgical treatments has revolutionized algorithms for performing facial cosmetic surgery. Instead of having to perform facial rejuvenation surgery on every patient who seeks to look more youthful, I can utilize Botox and injectable dermal fillers such as Juvederm, Restylane, Radiesse and others to plump and fill their faces, not to mention eliminate wrinkles. Additional treatments such as Platelet Rich Plasma and microneedling now allow me to resurface their skin with relatively minimal downtime. These procedures are definitely delaying the need for facial cosmetic surgery and, in some instances, preventing the need altogether.

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

Focusing on customer service. I’ve always wanted to give patients an unrushed experience in my practice, giving them the chance to voice all of their concerns and to explain procedures to them in detail. They tend to understand their surgical procedures better, and, as such, tend to have an easier recovery. They tend to take note of their positive experiences and tell their friends and family. The business grows and has happy patients!

What advice would you give your younger self?

Don’t focus on making money as money does not buy happiness. Focus on taking great care of your patients and on striving for excellence. If you do those two things, a successful business will inevitably follow.

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

Read balance sheets and pay attention to expenses. It is very easy to buy the latest gadgets that come with promises to revolutionize cosmetic medicine and to make surgeons bundles of money. Usually these procedures never live up to their hype and end up costing plastic surgeons large sums of money. It is much more difficult to exercise fiscal restraint and to stick with tried and true, reproducible procedures.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business? Please explain how.

Surround yourself with great employees and treat them as though they are family. Pay them well and make sure they know how valuable you find them. Loyal, hardworking staff are irreplaceable and will go the extra mile to make sure your business runs smoothly.

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

I’ve made bad investment choices in health care entities which subsequently went bankrupt. These investments could have been avoided if I had truly understood the business plans of these entities, rather than following the herds of other doctors who sought to invest. As a result of these painful and expensive lessons, I have resolved to never invest money without fully understanding the business plan of my potential investments, as well as the potential risks.

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

I bought myself a clock for my shower. Sounds unexciting, but it has tremendously improved my efficiency in the morning. Instead of daydreaming and invariably running late, I now see the time mercilessly projected in front of me, forcing me to keep moving. It also has a built-in bluetooth speaker, which allows me to listen to the news or music. It’s obviously hyperbole, but this is one of the best things I’ve ever bought!

What software and web services do you use? What do you love about them?

I love food delivery services – all of them. Whether it’s UberEats, Favor or DoorDash, I love to have the power to deliver food from any restaurant to any location of my choosing. During busy days in the office, delivering food for all of the staff provides a wonderful boost in morale.

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

The Last Lecture by Dr. Randy Pausch. It truly is the most inspirational book I have ever read. Dr. Pausch was dying from pancreatic cancer when he wrote this book, which is a synopsis of a lecture he gave at Carnegie Mellon University. It’s about how to live life to its fullest and how to raise children in a positive, life affirming manner, written by a man facing a terminal diagnosis.

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