131: The 3rd Rail Entrepreneur with Alistair MacDonald

Dental professionals don’t always think of themselves as entrepreneurs. Let’s face it, not all dentists are entrepreneurs. Whether you are an entrepreneurial dentist or not, the risk for all dentists is not making a life outside of work. Today, Alistair MacDonald will help to enrich our minds, relationships, and share the meaning behind what it means to be a third rail entrepreneur. Alistair will share his entrepreneurial journey and some of the lessons he’s learned. We're both ingrained in dentistry. My hope is through our conversation listeners will come away with a new perspective on what we do as dentists now and in the future. Dental practice owner, Alistair McDonald is an entrepreneur and TEDx speaker, but he is not a dental professional. So, his views and insight are very interesting (and albeit a bit different than what we typically hear on this show). He's a wonderful storyteller and always brings a great point to each of his stories. His entrepreneurial journey is pretty amazing too. He's from Zimbabwe where he started his own Safari business— subsequently built it up and then sold it. He then moved to the U.S. where he began the next phase of his career; on Wall Street. In addition to being an entrepreneur, he is the host of The 3rd Rail Entrepreneur podcast.  In this episode, you’ll hear: Alistair’s entrepreneurial journey including how he became a dental practice owner. Why Alistair says not all dentists are entrepreneurs. Dentists aren’t taught the skills needed to be entrepreneurs: soft skills, budgeting skills, implementation skills. Every business is a human business. Leanness is a methodology. It's not a goal. Plus, how to measure leanness or margins in business.  The risk for dentists is they don't actually make a life.  How and why the third rail can be a super force in your life and help challenge you.   Connect with Alistair MacDonald: Alastair MacDonald TedX Talk Parallax Strategic Advisors 3rd Rail Entrepreneur Podcast   Connect with Russell: Dr. Russell Kirk Podcast Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/businessofdentistrypodcast/ IG - https://www.instagram.com/businessofdentistry/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/businessdentist LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/business-of-dentistry/   *** EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment. He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com