As a part of my interview series with prominent medical professionals about “How To Grow Your Private Practice” I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Anthony Youn.
Dr. Tony Younis a holistic anti-aging, health and wellness expert and thought leader who specializes in using dietary changes, revolutionary products, non-surgical cosmetic treatments and more to improve overall health and appearance. Dr. Youn is considered one of the world’s best-known experts in looking younger with or without surgery. He hosts a podcast called “The Holistic Plastic Surgery Show.” He is passionate in his mission to bring holistic beauty to the masses. Dr. Youn’s holistic beauty is a ‘whole body’ approach to health, wellness, and looking your best. It consists of addressing the full spectrum of factors that influence aging and appearance, including an anti-aging diet, age-reversing activities, a non-toxic environment, mindfulness, natural skin care, and non-invasive treatments, with surgical solutions utilized only as a final resort. Dr. Youn advocates that with such a wealth of options and tools available, the vast majority of people can get the look they’ve always wanted without going under the knife.
Thank you so much for joining us! Can you tell our readers a bit about your “backstory”?
I grew up the son of an immigrant doctor. I was told from the day I was born that I was going to be a doctor. All my life I had this vague desire to help people in some way, but it wasn’t until I had plastic surgery of my own (to set back an overgrown jaw) that I knew that plastic surgery is the right field for me.
What made you want to start your own practice?
I actually sent letters to every plastic surgeon in the Metro Detroit area to look for a job, and no one offered me one. Therefore, I set it upon myself to start my own practice. My goal was to be the top plastic surgeon in the area within ten years. I believe I may have accomplished that.
Managing being a provider and a business owner can often be exhausting. Can you elaborate on how you manage both roles?
Over the years I have delegated more and more to my employees. My payroll is done with an outside service. I have my employees handle other things, such as skin care inventory and day to day office tasks. It leaves me time to do what I love — take care of patients and work on my various creative projects.
As a business owner, how do you know when to stop working IN your business (maybe see a full patient load) and shift to working ON your business?
I always prioritize my patients first, so that is pretty simple. However, I have very set hours which I see patients (unless it’s an emergency), and the time outside that is spent working on my business.
From completing your degree to opening a clinic and becoming a business owner, the path was obviously full of many hurdles. How did you build up resilience to rebound from failures? Is there a specific hurdle that sticks out to you?
My biggest hurdle was starting a private practice with no patients, no reputation, and a ton of debt. Luckily, I had help from a source that no one would have expected — national television in the form of the E! show Dr. 90210. This show hurtled my practice years ahead of where it would otherwise be without it.
What are your “5 Things You Need To Know To Grow Your Private Practice” and Why?
1. Hire the right people — Part of growing a practice involves getting the right people in place. Many entrepreneurs believe they are saving money by doing things themselves. As a physician, the problem is that your time is best served seeing patients and making money, not doing things that can be delegated to others. The best thing I ever did in my practice was hire a nurse injector. Initially I lost money on her, but with time and patience she has become a good money-maker for my practice.
2. Brand yourself — I have always tried to set myself apart from others by branding myself appropriately. Initially it was the “Beverly Hills” plastic surgeon. Now I am “America’s Holistic Beauty Doc.” I recommend figuring out what sets you apart from your competition and use it to brand yourself and set you apart from everyone else.
3. Be present on social media — Twenty years ago you had to have a good Yellow Pages ad. Ten years ago you had to have a good website. Today social media is where it’s at, and where your customers or patients are at. Your social media account doesn’t have to be flashy, but you should post regularly and post authentically. Do not pay someone to post generic quotes for you.
4. Encourage online reviews — More and more patients and customers rely on online reviews every day. It’s also much more likely for an unhappy person to review you than a happy one. So, take the time to ask your happy patients and customers to review you online.
5. Do good work — This goes without saying, but the best way to grow a medical practice (and business) is by having happy patients or customers. Word will get out, and things will grow organically. It’s not flashy and doesn’t get a swarm of people in your business right away, but doing good work is the best way to keep your business stable and successful.
Many healthcare providers struggle with the idea of “monetization”. How did you overcome that mental block?
That’s funny. As a plastic surgeon, I’ve always been comfortable with monetization since so much of what we do isn’t paid by insurance. It’s the nature of the business for me!
What do you do when you feel unfocused or overwhelmed?
I tend to take time out to exercise, like go for a run, or take time out to spend it with my wife and/or kids. Being grounded in what is most important- family and health- is very important.
I’m a huge fan of mentorship throughout one’s career — None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Who has been your biggest mentor? What was the most valuable lesson you learned from them?
My biggest mentor is probably my Dad. The most valuable lesson I learned from him is to work hard and persevere. Don’t let anything stand in your way.
What resources did you use (Blogs, webinars, conferences, coaching, etc.) that helped jumpstart you in the beginning of your business?
I read a couple books on starting a medical practice. These were super helpful, especially their checklists of what to do. I also asked my fellowship director for advice at times.
What’s the worst piece of advice or recommendation you’ve ever received? Can you share a story about that?
That’s a funny one. I once asked a doctor about advice on an unhappy patient. In plastic surgery, it’s just not possible to keep every single patient happy all the time. I had one patient who was being very difficult, to the point of harassing me and being very inappropriate. I asked this doctor what he did in the past with a similar patient. His response: “I hired someone to beat her up.” Seriously!
Please recommend one book that’s made the biggest impact on you?
Tere are so many of them, but one of the beat is “How Not To Die” by Dr. Michael Greger. It’s an exhaustive description of how an animal-based diet has a hand in causing the vast majority of the causes of death in the United States. This opened my eyes to the power of changing your diet and getting away from so much of the meat we eat since it’s so bad for our health.
Where can our readers follow you on social media?
I am very active on Instagram: Instagram.com/tonyyounmd
I also have a very robust Facebook group called True Beauty is Holistic at www.dryoun.com/dryoun
For other incredible interviews, please check out our podcast: Healthcare Heroes.
A special thanks to Dr. Youn again! The purpose of this interview series is to highlight the entrepreneurs, innovators, advocates, and providers inside Healthcare. Our hope is to inspire future healthcare providers on the incredible careers that are possible!
Stay in the loop — Follow NPHub to get the latest updates when we post new interviews: Facebook, Instagram.