Narrator: Welcome to today’s episode of True to Form. True to form is a podcast that highlights leaders making headway in the aesthetic, anti-aging and elective medical industries. Learn from the experts to discover the secrets to success and the pitfalls to avoid when it comes to growing your aesthetic revenue.
Adam: Hey everyone it’s Adam DeGraide in for Tim Sawyer on True to Form. We’re so glad that you’re a regular listener to this amazing podcast and it is my honor and privilege to be filling in for the illustrious, the beautiful, the highly educated and effective Timothy Sawyer. This morning we have William P. Mack with us from Tampa Bay, Florida who is a board certified ophthalmologist who is fellowship trained and specializes in Oculoplastic and Facial Cosmetic Surgery. Dr. Mack is a member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery and accredited counsel of professionals devoted to postgraduate medical teaching and physician education in the field of Cosmetic Surgery. Dr. Mack is fellowship trained by the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Dr. Mack, welcome to True to Form and we’re so glad to have you here today.
Dr. Mack: Thank you Adam, good to see you sir.
Adam: It is great to see you too and now so to the listeners out there, his nickname is the Mack Attack and that’s what they call you in the Surgery Center right.
Dr. Mack: Absolutely yes sir.
Adam: That’s fantastic. So you are an Oculoplastic Surgeon in Tampa Bay at the Mack Cosmetics Center and it’s great to have you here today in True to Form.
Dr. Mack: Well, thank you and I’d appreciate being here.
Adam: So, I would love to have you and the listeners know a little bit about your practice, go and tell them.
Dr. Mack: Well, we were in Tampa, Florida. We are located in South Tampa. We specialize in Facial Cosmetic Surgery with our main emphasis being on Cosmetic Eyelid Surgery. We are — our practice is located in kind of unique situation, we are – we renovated a 1923 House because they are [Indiscernible] [00:02:00].
Adam: Is it store building or–?
Dr. Mack: It is, so we have a very relaxed atmosphere, our patients really enjoyed that when they enter to our office.
Adam: So your actual office is in the house, is it a two-story house or –?
Dr. Mack: It is a two-story house. We actually have a separate building where my institution practice, it is right in the middle of South Tampa, lot of homes were built in 1920s in that area and actually some other physicians have renovated houses as well as including ours.
Adam: That’s great, that’s amazing. I don’t think I’ve ever been in practice that was in the house before, that’s awesome.
Dr. Mack: It’s very unique. Our patients say they feel very relaxed. One of the unique things that the previous owner had this ugly green carpeting covering this beautiful original wood floor that we renovated and the patients love it so it’s great.
Adam: That’s awesome. What’s a typical experience like where patients when they come in – are they greeted – is there are reception right there and –?
Dr. Mack: Absolutely, so we have a reception area, we have just a great staff. We really focus on positive enthusiastic staff members, so the patients felt very relaxed, we want them to be relaxed here.
Adam: Yeah, what we want them to do is have a five star experience
Dr. Mack: Well absolutely.
Adam: From the time they walk-in, they feel like they’re at home and they’re literally at home in your office, they’re literally at home in your office.
Dr. Mack: Absolutely.
Adam: In your practice what is the favorite types of the procedures that you like to do personally?
Dr. Mack: We really try to encompass the whole cosmetic experience for the face, so we do, you know, cosmetic eyelid surgery, facelifts, brow lifts, and then we also have skin care and then the third part of the tryout would procedures, you know, Botox, fillers on the face, fillers around the eyes. So some patients may start with surgery and then they stay as long term patients. We’re doing procedures, some they start with procedures, and in advance they do surgery. We really don’t try to push surgery or procedures. We have a lot of patients that they – I’ve seen another doctor, I’ve seen a couple of other doctors, they say I need seven or eight things in surgery. And we may say what really bothers you and if it’s only you know they want some lip augmentation then maybe some fillers on their lips so.
Adam: So, you don’t push, you are not pushing.
Dr. Mack: No, we’re not. We’re known for that. We are very natural with our approach and I think the patients appreciate that.
Adam: Yeah, people do appreciate that. I don’t think anybody, nobody wants anything pushed on them, right?
Dr. Mack: Yeah, absolutely, absolutely we hear that from a lot of patients they come in. We were very blessed, very, very high percentage of patients said we seen consultation for surgery, well come to the Mack Center for their surgeries. We appreciate that.
Adam: And you’ve been doing it for how long again?
Dr. Mack: I’ve been in practice 23 years.
Adam: My god, that’s long time. I’ve been actually doing digital marketing for 25.
Dr. Mack: Excellent, you look young.
Adam: Yeah, we actually do look pretty young, not bad, right. And you got to look young when you come to events like these, you got some [Indiscernible] [00:04:56] right now.
Dr. Mack: Absolutely.
Adam: How do you enjoy the show so far?
Dr. Mack: This is a great meeting. I’ve actually had the privilege of speaking at this meeting for about 10 or 11 years, so I was here when this meeting was much smaller, smaller meeting. It’s been a great experience to see this meeting grow. I’ve actually been involved with organizing the oculoplastic portion of the meeting.
Adam: That’s great.
Mr. Mack: Not only do I speak, but I learn a lot from other doctors.
Adam: It’s great.
Dr. Mack: It’s a great experience.
Adam: It always fascinated me when you know you realize it’s truly a lot to learn about where you went to school that will be fantastic to learn about that.
Dr. Mack: While originally from the mid-west, so I grew up in Ohio, went to John Carroll University, a small liberal arts graduate school in Cleveland. And then I came down to Tampa, Florida, University of South Florida for med school and residency. And then I went to New York to do my oculoplastic fellowship and I’ve done additional training in facial cosmetic surgery and back to Tampa where I love it.
Adam: How many years of schooling did you all together?
Dr. Mack: Well, let’s see four years of med school, four years of college — four years of med school, four years of residency and then two years of fellowship.
Adam: Do you think about how much time and effort energy you put in the schooling, they don’t do a lot of business training for doctors like, what it’s like to actually open a business, hang a shingle up put your name on it, hire staff, market their business, you know, payroll, HR issues, it is very underserved area of I believe the doctors really what –. What made you decide, you know want, to get all the kits and the skills of a great surgeon. You know, what I’m going to start my own business, I’m going to become an entrepreneur, I’m going to take this old house that’s a [Indiscernible] [00:06:32] in Tampa Bay. I’m going to put a sign on it and I’m going love and serve the patients’ right there in Florida. Like what decision with, who is going to your mind to say that?
Dr. Mack: Yes, your point is dead on because in med school and even now I don’t think they get a lot of training with starting a business or running a business, like most business owners I learned along the way. Its school hard knocks, but –.
Adam: That’s unfortunate. That’s unfortunate.
Dr. Mack: No you’re right. It was — in fact, it’s interesting I was at a meeting from the Alumni of University South Florida Med School a year or two ago and I mentioned it to the Dean of the school and I think they are trying to incorporate a small amount of training but, you know it’s probably just the number of hours that are required for medicals, but I don’t think I have a lot of time for that.
Adam: Yeah, what other things that we hear to from doctors all the time is the fact that you know, the stresses of running a business can sometimes take away from their passion and their love of why they started the business, the practice in the first place. And so you know, Tim and I have to often talk about how it is important at the schools or colleges, and we do have a life residence in the business side tracks so to speak. What you expect here because if you get a disgruntled employee or what do you do with a patient who reads your negative reviews, you know all of these different things that are very modern and affecting us today are not really taught or trained in the school. It could be challenge for us.
Dr. Mack: That would be extremely valuable and I think the other big trend which goes along with that is there are very few solo practitioners, there is very few solo physicians in the US had stopped rapidly over the last 5-10 years as physicians join other physicians, or they are bought by larger corporations, hospitals, insurance companies things of that nature, but I tried –.
Adam: Equity companies are now getting involved.
Dr. Mack: Yes, in a big way, but I think there is – you know I think there’s more pros and cons to run the business, you’re right there’s definitely an added stress level with that. I really like the fact that I can deliver like services I want to do with my patients. I don’t have somebody telling me what I can or can’t do and I think that lets us, you know have services at a higher level. So, I think there’s more pros and cons.
Adam: Yes, 100% love running your own business and being able to love and serve your patients. You know, doing it for as many years as you’ve been doing it what still gets you up in the morning, gets you excited says I can’t wait to go to Mack Cosmetic Center?
Dr. Mack: You know, I love, I love the patient experience. I always start my day with the workout, either play basketball, working out every morning.
Adam: He’s very fitful. The listeners you are not — you can’t see Dr. Mack right now, also known as the Mack Attack. He is very, very fit and handsome I might tell.
Dr. Mack: Well thank you very kind sir, but I think, for me this is a great way to start the day. We have four children, so I start my day with working out. We have – just I say like great staff at the office, so I love coming to the office any morning. I will continue to work for many years. Obviously with four children I may not have a choice, but I do you know after work we focus on, I coached all my children in sports particularly basketball and –.
Adam: Oh it’s [Indiscernible] [00:09:55] for you, difficult to coach your actual kids, because I have never done that.
Dr. Mack: It’s incredible, I think like most coaches are probably harder on my own children than the other players on the team, my children tell me that. But it’s been a great experience.
Adam: Do you find yourself as a coach with your kids whether it’s your son or your daughter actually want you that they do more than the other people or do you find — you actually are being more difficult and hard on them?
Dr. Mack: I think I expect more out of my children as any parent would, so we probably are harder on them. What is also interesting as I’ve been coaching on my oldest child, my son is 17, so I started coaching him when he was probably four or five. But it is great to see children who are now becoming young adults around the community, they’re often in the college and they come back to me and they don’t know me as Dr. Mack and they know me as Coach Mack. So I saw one of my players was actually golfer, [Indiscernible] [00:10:55] one of best young golfers in the country. But he walked up to me the other day at the Pharmacy Country Club and he was talking about place we used to run when he was 9-years-old playing on my basketball team.
Adam: And he remembered that.
Dr. Mack: He remembered it, which is great.
Adam: And he is calling you Coach Mack. Now when you are thinking about that the nickname, coach Mack also known as the Mack Attack. What other things you can do with your own practice right now that you’re not doing in coaching your team, have you ever give any thought in regards to that or how – you know what are the process is right now at the practice for you coaching your team or creating that team work environment?
Dr. Mack: I think that’s great, I think you always have to be proactive, I think you have to always be planning ahead, you know you want to stay ahead of the competition. We are looking to expand and grow our business, so we’re looking to hire more people. We’re adding a new procedure HydraFacial, which we actually purchased yesterday [Indiscernible] [00:11:55] cosmetics so you like it.
Adam: My wife gets HydraFacial [Indiscernible] [00:11:58] True to Form did, Hydrafacial, Hydrafacial.com.
Dr. Mack: I don’t know if that’s actually it, but –
Adam: I will be sending you guys a bill here at True to Form –
Dr. Mack: And we’ll split that proceeds. But the company actually came out to our office, we could to know and my wife had a treatment and she loved it.
Adam: Yeah, my wife loves it too.
Dr. Mack: So I was directed to purchase that product this week.
Adam: So, I need to get marketing, you’re gonna have to do now on HydraFacial.
Dr. Mack: Absolutely.
Adam: We look forward to help you in that. This is very good.
Dr. Mack: Wonderful.
Adam: But I think you have to offer new procedure.
Dr. Mack: We’ve had a demand for patients for HydraFacial, so you know that’s one example. Like I say we’re constantly focused on team works with any business, I mean it’s a day-by-day experience, you just have to be planning ahead.
Adam: You know it’s interesting because when you think about adding something new into an existing dynamic that requires training, right.
Dr. Mack: Absolutely.
Adam: And so there are so many things you already have in your practice that they could probably be utilizing even better and one of things we try to encourage people to do is have weekly staff meetings. Are you are currently doing that is that something you wanted to be start doing.
Dr. Mack: You know, we probably do have more emphasis on staff meetings, we definitely do have staff meetings, but I think just to keep everyone on the team involved and everyone understanding our vision and where you want to go forwards, the same as your business. To have everyone of where they say we’re actually looking to expand our business. So the great news is we’re very busy, 2019 has been our best year so far and 2018 is our best year up until that point. So we are continuing to grow. And you know I think part of that is patients’ sense whether you love what you’re doing. I like to hear patients say, I saw one or two other doctors, but I feel comfortable here I sense your enthusiasm, I can tell you love what you do, I can tell you your staff is very enthusiastic. It’s a good experience for me. For us we really focus on, you know we love when a patient comes into the office, is a returning patient, our front desk staff will stand up and greet them, they’ll know their name, they’ll know why they’re there, they’ll bring them back. I think the patients really like that.
Adam: One other things that I give you as a little suggestion is as being a coach imagine we are having place that you and your staff actually stripped out. So someone’s coming in for a consultation on this procedure here is this place, flank left, flank right, you see what I am saying. So looking at your business much like you look at a sporting event, a sporty team might be something that would be beneficial to you as you go on for training your team.
Dr. Mack: Absolutely. And we are always looking to learn, you know like from experts like yourself. And I think if you’re not trying to learn, if you’re happy where you are, you’re not going to grow.
Adam: No doubt about it. If you’re not growing, you’re dying I tell people that all the time. So where can people find you online?
Dr. Mack: It’s Mack M.D. www.mackmd.com and we have, you know, complementary consultations with myself in my institution. And we are happy to welcome new patients.
Adam: Continuing to grow. That’s awesome dude. Dr. William Mack, thank you so much for visiting us today True to Form.
Dr. Mack: Absolutely.
Adam: Say hi to Tim, Tim wishes he could be here with you.
Dr. Mack: Tim, how are you sir?
Adam: Tim, we miss you, we miss you here. This is a lot of work, so you got me going, you got me doing for you. I love it though. Thank you so much for your time.
Dr. Mack: That is a wonderful job. We are really appreciating with it doing for practice.
Adam: We appreciate it, we’re grateful to have you as a client and most importantly coaching your team, mentoring your team, being a great father, being involved in those things, all speak volumes too what your practice is all about.
Dr. Mack: Absolutely.
Adam: You are in a house, its’ a family vibe, it’s amazing. Thank you listeners for tuning in this week to True to Form, you never know who’s going to host next week it might be me again. I might be doing it again, so anyway this is Adam DeGraide checking out of True to Form, have a great day everyone, thank you.
Dr. Mack: Thank you.
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