Most Important Lessons are Learned During the Most Difficult Struggles

By admin October 29, 2014 07:10

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Dr. Nicolas Porter
Founder Risas Dental and Braces

By: Dr. Nicolas Porter

I am often asked, “What life event was the most impactful on you as a person and eventual successful business person?”

This is a tough question for me because I feel like my entire life, from growing up in the small community of Heber, Arizona around family and cousins to the humble circumstances that taught me the value of hard work and discipline, has been one valuable lesson after another.

However, if I had to choose one event or period of time, I’d choose the years I spent in the South American country of Peru at the age of 19. No other time has been more impactful on me as a person and as a future businessman.

I recall the first few nights arriving in Lima, Peru. It was just around Christmas time and I was missig my family terribly. In South America, the summer months span from November to March so it was the hottest time of the year and the humidity was nearly unbearable.

I recall walking the busy, dirty and sometimes dangerous streets of Lima sweating and miserable – wondering why I was even there and contemplating just giving up and returning home.

Each night I would arrive to my very humble single room apartment right on the busy street with rebar for windows. I could hear every sound of the vehicles passing by, the drug deals and homeless people right on my doorstep and trying to sleep in a puddle of water – my own perspiration – was as difficult as it could get for me. I was scared and I was alone.

I was staying with a native Peruvian who had a lot of compassion for what I was going through – culture shock. He didn’t speak any English and so I was unable to communicate any of my thoughts and frustrations except for the little broken Spanish that I knew and the little broken English that he spoke.

I remember the first few months… I would arrive home after giving and serving the people all day and I would just fall apart and cry myself to sleep. All the pain and frustration just came spilling out as I wept until my mind shut off and I could rest.

It was during this time that I learned one of the most powerful lessons of my life – the power of the mind. I learned how to turn off the pain of sweating all day long and I began learning how to appreciate a nice cold bucket shower after a hard day’s work. I learned to study harder so I could speed up the process of learning the Spanish language. I used all this pain to drive me to work harder than I had ever worked and to lose myself in the cause that took me to this foreign land to begin with.

It was during these tough moments that I learned to rely on the power of motivating

words from others, as I would often listen to uplifting music or powerful speeches by men and women who had what I wanted. I learned and lived the mottos that I had heard for much of my life – “No Pain, No Gain” was one that would constantly ring in my ears when things got tough.

All in all, as a person, I grew leaps and bounds during this incredibly difficult time of my life. I learned to appreciate the difficult times in life because that’s when we grow the most!

In addition to personal growth, there were many things I learned that have helped me in business. For starters, I was able to learn the Spanish language – something that has opened doors for me that I would have never been able to open without it.

It was also during this time in my life that I learned the value of what eventually would become the Risas Group Partnership that is pivotal to the success of the Risas Brand.

In our offices, we have 3 dentists and 1 orthodontist. This is different than most dentists who set up shop by themselves. I learned this important cost savings concept from the way families grow up in Peru and other Latin countries.

When a family raises their children in the home in the USA, the kids leave and start their own family in a different house with their own bills and expenses. This is similar to dentists who go out and open a clinic on their own.

In Peru, however, the family will raise the children; the children will then occupy a room or two in the same home as their parents and raise their own family there. They share the rent, the car, the utilities, the food, babysitting and any other expense you can think of. In the end, their “family overhead” is so much less because it is shared among multiple people.

In Risas, we do the same. Instead of going out on their own and opening a single doctor office, the 4 doctors share all the expenses in one office – the staff, the rent, the utilities, the supplies, the management costs and any other expense there is running the business. It allows us to be open 66 hours a week instead of the normal dentist open only 30 and in the end, all of this results in us have a much lower “business overhead” than anyone else.

THIS is the reason we can charge half price on dental services and still be high quality. Because, if we can charge $500 for a crown vs. the normal $1000 it costs at another dentist, and we can profit the same because our expenses are managed the way we can manage them, the patient wins and is provided a high quality product. It is truly a win-win-win for everyone involved and I see it happen over and over again everyday!

Some of life’s lessons come when we least expect them. These lessons come in the form of a challenge and hard work. I can tell you that I would not be who I am today without the experience and struggle I have described above. Never stop looking for a lesson in everything you go through. Sometimes, as in my case with the Risas Partnership, the lesson doesn’t come to fruition for several years. That’s ok!

Hang in there. Remember that time heals all. This too shall pass. You’ll never be given a challenge that you cannot endure and survive. Fight through it. No Pain, No Gain. The most valuable things in life are earned, not won. Life is an amazing gift, do your best with what you’ve got.

Until next week… – Dr. Nicolas

This article is a feature from the series, “From the Mouth of Dr. Nicolas.” You can listen to “El Show del Dr. Nicolas” every Wednesday from 8 a.m. – 9 a.m. on 1190AM. Visit the official website at www.DrNicolasShow.com

If you have any questions regarding this topic, and would like to make an appointment for a free consultation, visit RisasDental.com, or follow Dr. Nicolas on Twiiter @DrNicolasShow or “LIKE” his page on Facebook at Facebook.com/DrNicolasShow