Jeff earned his undergraduate degree in economics rather than science so he looks at numbers a little differently than some, and certainly in more detail than most.
In the past several editions of The Progressive Orthodontist magazine, we’ve featured a series of articles by Dr. Kozlowski called “Running the Numbers.” As an active member of our online study group, he regularly provides his unique perspective on the business of running an orthodontic practice. Jeff earned his undergraduate degree in economics rather than science so he looks at numbers a little differently than some, and certainly in more detail than most.
He’s not your typical “analytical thinker” though; he thinks a little outside the box. He remembers his father telling him at a young age that to be successful, you had to be good at a lot of things. While that may or may not be true (there are solid arguments for both sides of that equation), it drives him to be better. As is true with most successful people, he’s never satisfied with being “good enough.” His sights are always set on reaching the next level of performance, achievement or results, and he knows that he has yet to understand or achieve all he’s capable of.
In college, Jeff didn’t choose behavioral economics as a way to become more successful as an orthodontist. He was always interested in cause and effect and… running the numbers. When the time came, he had to make a career choice, and for him, that meant Wall Street or dentistry. Dental school was the “safe road” to travel, and so his journey began.
It was in dental school that he met his wife, Dr. Amy Napierala, and by his own admission, she at first thought he was a bit of an — well, let’s just call it as she saw it — he was a bit of an ass. He obviously changed her mind. They were married in 1998 after they both completed their residencies. Together they moved back to his hometown where he joined a multi-doctor, multi-location practice. The experience was intensely valuable, and looking back, he wouldn’t have traded the opportunity for anything. As time went on, however, he realized that he wanted something different.
Dr. Rael Bernstein (not so coincidentally, another brilliant member of The Progressive Orthodontist study group) was Jeff’s roommate in ortho school. They became the brothers that neither of them had, and they challenged each other to be and do their best. The beginning of the end for Jeff in his multi-doctor practice came the day Rael opened his own solo practice. Of course, Jeff was happy and excited for him, but “Koz” found himself envious of Rael’s unlimited runway and opportunity. He knew at that moment that, to be his best, he too would need to have his own practice. As comfortable as it was to have the knowledge and experience of the other doctors in his practice, he didn’t have the opportunity to treat cases from start to finish. It wasn’t his team, they weren’t his cases or his patients…and it was not his practice.
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