Upleveling Your Business: How Simple It Can Be with Dr. Emeka Obidi

If your business isn't working the way you expected, it's not because you're bad at business. It's because no one ever taught you how it actually works. We were trained to master algorithms in medicine, but when it comes to revenue teams and growth, we were never taught anything. We weren't even told to figure it out. We just assumed somehow we'd know. Like it would magically make sense. But it doesn't. The era of the seven Figure Physician CEO is here. And it's not about working harder. It's about learning entrepreneurship as a system. The same way you mastered ACLs and pals, you can master the algorithm of building a profitable scalable business. That's why I recorded the seven Figure Physician CEO audiobook. Whether you're building a medical or non medical business, and whether your goal is your first million, first 2 million, first 5 million, first 10 million, this is where the journey starts. There is no Calvary coming to save us. We are the Calvary. So. So go get your audiobook now. Www.entremd.com 7Figurebook. And let's rewrite the narrative for physicians starting today. Hi docs. Welcome to the Entre MD podcast where it's all about helping amazing physicians just like you embrace entrepreneurship so you can have the freedom to live life and practice medicine on your terms. I'm your host, Dr. Umna. Well, hello my friend. Welcome back to another episode of the On Tremd podcast. And as always, you are in for a treat. Now, one of the things that I believe is the greatest gift we can give the physician community is examples of what is possible. There are so many doctors who have not embraced entrepreneurship or have not up leveled their businesses or have thought like, I cannot build a seven figure eight figure business because we just don't see enough doctors doing it. And I love to showcase these examples because I know once we have enough examples, people are going to look around and say, yeah, I'm not doing that anymore. I'm not doing the status quo anymore. Like there's so much more available. And so today I have a treat because I was hosting a live workshop and Makeda, who is, you know, the one who runs my life, I just live it. She interviewed a number of doctors from the on trendy business school who are killing it and they got to share their stories in depth. Like I, there are so many things I hadn't even heard and I was so moved by it. And if I may be honest with you, I was really moved and I made a new commitment. Like what I've been saying. I'm going to say it louder, I'm going to say it bigger, I'm going to say it in more spaces. I'm going to support more people. I'm going to go out, you know, like, I'm going to go all out even more because I saw the tangible transformation in their lives on display. And so I am going to be sharing interviews with you and I want you to, you know, lean in and listen and find yourself in the stories and hear about how they overcame difficulties and how you can do that, too. How they dreamt up something that didn't seem impossible. They did it. And you can do that too. I want you to lean into it and just, you know, use this episode to create a big shift, like a quantum leap in your own life and in your own business. So enjoy the episode and I'll see you on the other side.

My name is Dr. Obedi. I'm a pediatrician and I am the CEO of Partners in Pediatrics and Family Health. It's a family practice out in Western Maryland. And I'm also CEO of Newborn Prep Academy, where I help new and expectant moms and recently delivered moms learn how to care for their newborns and how to release mom guilt and truly enjoy their babies caring for them confidently. So that's another new project I have going on. And so I, I, like I said, came into the Entre MD world about a year ago. And prior to that I was a physician entrepreneur who had just really discovered, been recently beaten by the entrepreneurial burg and had done a little bit of coaching. So I was really getting comfortable with the idea of being an entrepreneur and running my practice with a little bit more of a different mindset than just a doc walking in the practice. So I've walked at this practice for over 17 years. I've owned it for the last nine years now. And, and the first eight years I felt like I was just trying to like, you know, swim and survive and get my head above water and maybe like the first, the first, I'll say six years and more recently started to get more warm to the idea of running the practice as a business owner. But prior to Entre MD I really was still a very, very. I was not a confident entrepreneur. I was not a confident physician entrepreneur. So I was running my practice. I knew it was successful to some degree. I knew now I was making some money. I was being able to make payroll. We were able to get through the pandemic without firing anyone or slashing hours and still made More money that year, so. But I was not confident. I was plagued with like, what would you call it now? Really just wasn't sure of myself, for lack of a better way of putting that, right. A lot of self doubt, a lot of imposter syndrome, really. Just wasn't sure. Just felt like I wasn't. Didn't know exactly what I was doing. And so I came to the visibility formula just really to see what it was all about. I had said to listen to Dr. Ono on her podcast and really found great value in it. And what blew me apart, what blew, just blew my mind with the visibility formula was that first couple of days and the assignments that she gave out to do. And I had prior to that done maybe one or two Facebook lives, maybe done a few videos in my efforts to grow my online business, but I had never really done that confidently. And so she said, you know, you need to go out there, introduce yourself on your platform, tell people what you're about, what your business is about. And so I just went ahead and did just that, right? Did the assignment. And I was blown away by the engagement, by the audience, even just my practice audience on our Facebook page. And I was just surprised at how simple it was. Just go on there and say, hi, I'm Dr. Beedy, this is what I do. Thank you for being part of the practice, blah, blah, and just sort of talk about the practice and what our passion is for our patients. And it was just amazing, just the engagement and I. And there was another assignment about really pitching yourself. And I think everyone just pitched themselves recently, right on the untrained the Facebook page. And I got all these invites and there was actually a lady who I thought, like, okay, I'm going to approach her to get on her podcast maybe a year from now when my business has grown a little better, a little bigger. And I just went for it. And she said yes. I was like, so I was just so taken aback by the success from taking those small, simple steps that I knew that if this was a free program, this was what I could already benefit from just this few days, that it had to be a whole lot more in the business school, which has not failed to deliver. It's been an amazing ride so far in the business school. I think I had said yesterday, maybe it was yesterday or the day before when Dr. Uno was talking about you could pay in full and have a one on one session with her. Well, I was one of the people who took up that offer a year ago. And it was an amazing session. I mean, There was some advice you gave me about my business and the structure and the focus of my business that really just set me on a different path than I will have gone or at least I wouldn't have found that path right away. And just some distractions that I just sort of took my, my, myself away from and focused on, on my practice. And it was, it's been amazing. It really has been. We've grown this year revenue wise. So it's. The business is still growing. And not only did I join and trim the business, the ebs, the entrance business school, but it's also a high level program she was offering called MD Business School SP scale, EBS scale, which I took advantage of. I think it was November last year, right? October, November last year. And that in and of itself has been just an amazing experience. I mean the whole EBS community is just hands down just one of the best communities I've ever been a part of. And I was just thinking about just the other day in our small WhatsApp group for the EBS skill, I was just bouncing around some ideas and help. They were helping me workshop an idea and I was just calculating today what when I implement that in the next few weeks that will probably at the very least, you know, bring in 20,000 extra, 20,000 extra dollars this year without changing anything. And all this had to do with just what I'm going to be able to do with my billing with the services I'm already providing, which I would not have thought about, you know, if I was not part of that group just walking on my business. So it's really been amazing. Visibility has been just incredible. I'm more confident on camera and just being able to just sort of come on and speak without having to have all my notes super prepared. I remember the first, that first assignment. I was thinking about this the other day, that first assignment when she said to go and introduce yourself to your audience. I made sure everyone had left the building. It was at the end of the day, everyone had left, all the providers had left, all the airmen left. It was completely quiet. And I went online, did my thing and it was amazing. And now I just put a sticker on my door. Live recording in progress. Don't bother me. And business goes on as usual during the course of the day. I was doing just because of the teaching and the discipline to show up on camera week after week after week after week. And you just get comfortable in front of one. I was in a Facebook Live several months ago and my kids were in the room. They would never have been in the room. Me doing a Facebook Live, that would have been, like, impossible. But they were there behind the camera, and I was doing my thing, and they said to make faces at me. So I started to laugh. It was too funny. And I called them on to come on camera and say hi to the audience. But, you know, just again, I say all that to say it's going to be uncomfortable initially. I know for a lot of you, this may have been a big stretch this whole week, or the teachings to come on camera and to stand on a stage and to talk about your message, but embrace it. You know it's going to be uncomfortable, but embrace it, because it does get better. You do get more comfortable and you get seen. We've had patients come to the practice just because of. See my content online, which would not have been there if I hadn't attended this. This workshop and been part of the business school and sort of got trained to be able to speak in front of a camera and talk about my work. All right. And get to interview other guests on my Facebook Live. So it's been really an amazing experience. On a personal level, I've been able to rearrange my schedule where I'm able to get home earlier and spend more time with my family, which has just been amazing. It's been, you know, a few weeks now since I rearranged my schedule. But that wouldn't have happened without even having that mindset. Right. Because of the container I'm in right now, I'm able to look at my calendar or the situation and say, okay, instead of saying, this is not possible, I'm asking, how can this be possible? Right. And so I was able to rearrange my schedule and still study the same number of patients, which will just, I just thought was not possible prior to now. Right. My goal is to take more vacation time this year, which is already all booked out, and still make more money this year. But I wouldn't have thought that way. I would have just thought, okay, how can I spend more time so I can make my money? Right. But. So it's really been a great experience. And I know I'm rambling right now at this point, but stop me anytime. Yes, it's been. I will. I will make that decision a thousand times over without hesitation.

That is awesome. And we're. We're all. Dr. Chinway says in the comments, how can this be possible? Take more time off and still create more revenue. Congratulations. We're all rooting for you. Can we. Can we give it up for Dr. Obedi in the comments. Man, that was beautiful, wasn't it? That was so powerful. I'm so glad you shared. One of the things that, you know, one of the things that was so important that a lot of people deal with and, and is fear. A lot of people wonder, you know, what, can I really be an entrepreneur? Can I do this? You know, we get that question often and you addressed it. You said that you felt like that before you entered the school. School, you weren't as confident in being an entrepreneur. You knew you're a great doctor, but when it came to being an entrepreneur, you weren't that confident. But being in the school gave you the tools to become so confident that, you know, you're, you're, you're doing Facebook lives like it's nothing, you know, and you're seeing the fruit in your business. So that's really wonderful. You are one of the people, Dr. Beatty, if I remember correctly, that made your investment in the school before you even started.

Yeah, you know, it's, I think, get your investment back.

Yeah, yeah.

I've certainly got on that path and I definitely have. I mean, like I was saying, just one simple suggestion within the group is going to, you know, I'm certainly going to get 20, and that's been very conservative. $20,000. I've been able to renegotiate my payer contracts. One just came through. I've never shared that with my abs skill. You guys are here. One came through, renegotiated my. I'm renegotiating my payer contracts. Right. Which, you know, was something I just felt was not possible. Like, you know, I'm a small practice. They're not going to talk to me. They're not going to even agree to like, you know, we negotiate my contracts and raise my prices, my, you know, fee schedule. But it's happening right at the end of the day when I. That's going to net me God knows how much more for the same work. Right. That I'm doing. But because of the training within the school, I was able to show up to the negotiation table, albeit through email, with just more confidence. Right. I think honestly that was probably one of the biggest thing I've gained from being part of the Entre MD Business school. And just the Entre MD world is appreciating what I bring to the table as a physician entrepreneur. Right. Like you said, I knew I was a good, good physician, but I think I bought the line like, you know, with everybody, a lot of other people, maybe a lot of you watching right now that, yeah, I'm just a physician, but I'm not a good business person. But that's just such, you know, that's bull crap. Because I really, for the first time understood how my training as a physician really prepares me to be a fantastic entrepreneur. Right. I knew it prepared me to be a hard worker. I've always, you know, I can work hard. Right. You know, it's not a big deal to wake up at whatever time in the morning to go to the erc, patient, whatever. Right. I knew I could work hard, but I didn't realize how transferable all those skills were in the business world as well. And I was only looking at the fact that I wasn't experienced doing it. But we weren't experienced either. The first time we got to see patients. Right. The first time as a medical student, you were taking history, the HPI and coming up with an assessment and the plan and differential diagnosis. That was very messy. Right. But now I'm a pediatrician. I'm sure my fellow peds people will say the same thing. I'm sure it's probably the same for a lot of other specialties that half the time you can just look at the shift, presenting complaints, and you could very well just write the assessment and the plan and prescribe and you'll be right most majority of the time. Because we've done it so many times that we can just tell what the issue is. Even without taking a detailed history, we still go in there and take a detailed history just in case there's something else going on, you know, also just good bedside manners. But because we've done it so many times, you know, we can do a lot of things in our with our eyes closed and in our sleep. Right. And that was just the same thing with business also. Yes, we aren't great at it initially, but because we just haven't practiced. But we have everything, you know, it takes to really do this well, just the tenacity and the ability to do hard things and not to be afraid. Right. I know you're a lot of people are afraid of business, but because you just haven't set their minds to it. I mean, we're all afraid in med school initially, but we had all set our minds to be in med school, and so even though we're afraid, we still showed up and did the work. Right. And it's the same thing in business also. Like, if once you've decided, okay, I'm going to do this, you're going to be afraid initially, but you're still going to show up just because of your makeup as a physician, where you're able to just step on a stage and just do what needs to be done regardless of how you feel. And yeah. So that's probably one of the greatest things that have actually benefited from being part of this amazing community.

Thank you so much for sharing that. Dr. Uno always says physicians make the best entrepreneurs.

100%. Yeah.

And what sets the business school apart, the Entre business school, is that Dr. Una takes business principles and distills them to the physician world. It's gold. I mean, it's really wonderful. The link is in the comments. Entre md.com forward/business. If you're even thinking about it, you know, there are people that have already applied, there are people that have already, already joined the school. We have new classmates. I'm so excited for them. Some of them, Yay. Yeah. Some of them will get a one on one call with Dr. Una and you know, some will get a one on one call with me. If you're just thinking about it, I know there was a comment in the chat about what if you have a new business or some. I thought, I thought I saw something like that. Whatever. You have a new business, just go ahead and fill the application. I'm going to call you, we're going to talk about it and we'll find.

The right fit for you.

All right. Thank you so much, Dr. Obedi. Can we just clap for him? That was so amazing and insane.

Thank you for having me on. I appreciate it. Take care, everyone.

Thank you.

It's not totally worth it.

Yes. That's from somebody who made their investment back in the school before he even started the school because of the things he was learning. So that's pretty amazing. And he's still, I think he's gone on to open a second location. So many things are, so many wonderful things are happening since entering the school. Thank you for sharing, Dr. Obedi.

And there you have it. I hope you enjoyed that interview as much as I did. And so what I want you to do now is really, I want you to take action. You know, there's something, some aha moments that you got some decisions that you made. I want you to take action on those. And I really would love for you to share this with the doctors in your life. You can take a screenshot of this, share your aha, put it on Facebook, tag us Entre md. You can share it one on one with the physicians that you really love and say, oh my goodness, you have to listen to this episode. Why? Because we are the Calvary and together we are changing medicine. So thank you so much for listening. Share this with another doctor and I'll see you on the next episode of the Entre Podcast. Hey, if you love listening to the Entre MD Podcast, I want to invite you to join Entre MD On Demand. It is my signature subscription program that gives you access to a library of business courses designed to help you do one thing as a physician entrepreneur, and that is to thrive. Just head out to entremd.com ondemand and I love to have you join us us. See you on the inside.