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Professional Courtesy: Paper Boy Entrepreneur by Dr. Thomas Giacobbi

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Categories: Practice Management, HR and Accounting;
Professional Courtesy: Paper Boy Entrepreneur


by Thomas Giacobbi, DDS, FAGD, editorial director

One of the timeless complaints about dental education is the lack of business skills in new graduates. It was as much a criticism 30 years ago as it is today. The short explanation is that there isn’t enough time or room in the four-year program to accommodate the additional coursework.

This month, I’d like to reflect on the future entrepreneurs among us—our children. If we can teach them some important lessons early in life, perhaps they can absorb some important business lessons and be prepared for their careers in dentistry or any passion. With a healthy dose of exaggeration, I can say that I learned almost all I needed to know about business from my paper route.

I started delivering papers at the ripe age of 10 because I had two older brothers who shared a large paper route. They were kind enough to let me join in the fun by having me take care of a small side street on their route. A couple of years later, my family moved to the other side of town, and I continued delivering papers with one of my brothers. In the new neighborhood, we split the long street down the center—I took the left side, he took the right.

The elements of a business are in a paper route in their most rudimentary forms. Seven days a week the distributor (dental supplies) dropped off the bundle of papers at the top of the block. I delivered the papers (provided a service) in the late afternoon six days a week and early Sunday mornings (stay on schedule). I had to show up for work every day and if I couldn’t make it, I needed to have a substitute cover for me. Each week, I went door to door to collect the money owed (billing), used some of that money to pay the distributor for the papers (supply invoice), and the little bit leftover plus tips was my income (collections – expenses = profit). Of course, there were people who didn’t pay their bill in a timely manner or weren’t home when I came to collect. This resulted in return trips (overdue notices) and if enough people were late, a strain on my cash flow.

With the basic routines in place, it didn’t take long to figure out the opportunities to increase my income. the most important thing is delivering the paper on time and in the designated spot. Weather was another issue to contend with, so it was also important to keep the paper dry or risk a refund request. Once I demonstrated these basic competencies, some of the customers on my route would hire me to do other odd jobs: raking leaves, shoveling snow or mowing lawns. To continue the dental analogy, I started with fillings (delivering the paper) and soon added crowns, implants and dentures (grass, leaves and snow). The final element to my income stream was the rapport and relationship I developed with the people on my route. When things were going well, the tips would increase and the job also became more enjoyable.

When I visit with young patients in my practice, I’m surprised at how few of them have jobs. Any student actively involved in a sport or school organization has the equivalent of a job in terms of demands on their time and opportunity to learn skills, but it’s critical to find a time for your kids to have a job that pays—and preferably where their supervisor is not a family member. This could be seasonal work, a summer job or simply a side hustle they start in your neighborhood walking dogs, babysitting or mowing lawns. The lessons they learn will serve them well in whatever they might pursue in the future.

Now that I think of it, you might say my job as a paper boy was my first job in the publishing industry! OK, that’s a stretch. If you want to share your story, please visit the comments section under this column online or drop me a line at tom@dentaltown.com.
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