Let’s be real, your day already starts at a sprint.
You’ve got a morning huddle, patients stacked back-to-back, three hygienists needing checks, a team member asking about PTO, and a text from your lab wondering where the final shade photo is!
And, in between all that?
You’re approving Facebook ads and getting payroll done. You’re digging through your inbox for that CE registration link you remember you saw but can’t quite recall the name. Speaking of CE, you’re booking flights for your next course you already paid for but can’t find the receipt. You have to reprint a form someone misplaced (again). And worst of all, you’re trying to remember that ONE THING you just KNOW you forgot to do yesterday that you remembered while you were falling asleep but didn’t write down.
By the end of the day, you’re not the CEO of your practice—you’re the world’s most expensive assistant.
Here’s the Truth
If you haven’t hired an executive assistant yet, it’s not because you don’t need one; it’s because you’ve gotten used to thinking, “I can just do it faster myself.”
“Faster myself” really costs lost production, stalled projects, slower growth, and a fried nervous system. So, how do you know it’s time to hire one?
Here are the 5 signs you’re ready (and overdue) for an executive assistant as a dentist and business owner scaling a practice:
1. You’re the Bottleneck
Your team can only move as fast as you approve things. Treatment plans sit unsigned, supply orders get delayed, and new team members stall with their onboarding because you haven’t had a minute to review everything. Meanwhile, the practice slows down because everyone’s waiting on you.
An executive assistant acts as your second brain: keeping things moving (without adding more to your plate).
2. Projects Keep Getting Delayed
That CE calendar you wanted to plan out this quarter? Still in draft. The updated job descriptions for your growing team? Not touched since last summer. You’re probably juggling so many clinical and business priorities that anything not due right now doesn’t get done. Executive assistants help close the loop.
An executive assistant doesn’t just “assist,” they move your vision forward.
3. Your Inbox is a Black Hole
Whether it’s patient emails, lab confirmations, or staff PTO requests: your digital world is in chaos. Important messages get missed. Team morale dips. Patients fall through the cracks. You know it’s costing you money and eroding your brand.
A well-trained executive assistant can triage your communication, surface what matters, and give you back control.
4. You’re Doing $25/Hour Tasks in a $216/Hour Body
The average doc grosses over $450k/year. That means your time is worth about $216/hour. If you’re managing your own calendar, booking travel, coordinating birthday cards, or doing supply returns you’re leaking money.
An executive assistant allows you to operate like the CEO you are: focused
5. Constant Guilt, Stress, and Being Overwhelmed
You’re not just managing a practice. You’re leading a team, seeing patients, growing a business, taking CE, and trying to be present at home. If your nervous system feels frayed, like you’re always reacting and never creating, you don’t need another productivity hack. You need help. Not someday. Now.
The bottom line is hiring an executive assistant isn’t about “being fancy,” it’s about getting back your time and mental clarity so you can lead like the CEO you’ve been building into.
DSN Members get access to my Finding and Hiring a Personal Assistant series with videos and ad templates. Sign up now to get a 7-day free trial of DSN!
Until next time,
Ashlee Hirschfeld
COO, Dental Success Network
Founder, GSD Queen, LLC
P.S. If finding an executive assistant just sounds like one more soul sucking thing to do, reach out to me inside the network or reply to this email for more info on how I can help.
