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Right About Now - Legendary Business Advice
The Riches Are in the Niches: How a Beverly Hills Surgeon Built a Luxury Empire with ZERO ads | Dr. Deepak Dugar
00:18:24
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- [00:00]
A
Stop chasing every lead and start engineering exclusivity. Today we're joined by Dr. Deepak Dugar, the world renowned surgeon who scaled a Beverly Hills empire by mastering the riches in the niches philosophy. From operating on global icons to building a luxury brand that commands attention without spending a dime on ads, he's revealing the exact blueprint for high performance hiring and elite market positioning. Get ready to ditch mediocrity and learn how to treat every single day like a champion. Championship win starting right about now.
- [00:35]
B
One thing that everyone should learn is you have to be so wise about picking your competition. Do not compete with losers. Do not compete with idiots. Do not compete with mediocrity. I picked the best in the entire planet at this craft. I picked the three, four people and I said that's my competition. And people think that's crazy. But what you do is you rise to their level to be able to compete with them. This is Right about Now with Ryan Alford, a Radcast Network production. We are the number one one business show on the planet with over 1 million downloads a month, taking the BS out of business for over 6 years and over 400 episodes. You ready to start snapping necks and cashing checks? Well, it starts right about now.
- [01:20]
A
What's up, guys? Welcome to Right about now, your number one marketing and business show on Apple podcasts. We thank you for that. If you're listening the first time, I'm Ryan Alford, your host. I am blessed to be here. Get to do what I love and love what I do. It's a benefit and I don't take it for granted. Granted. We want to thank you for tuning in. And you know, I get to talk to people I like. I get to talk to people I respect and sometimes I just get to talk to the best in the world at what they do. It's just the benefit of sitting in this chair and I get to. Today, we're going to talk business. We're going to talk the business of science and medicine and surgery. We're going to bring it through the lens. You may not expect, but I can just tell you I respect the hell out of people that build their business the right way and understand human nature, behavior and the principles of marketing better. The doc knows it, but let me just tell you, he does. He is a brilliant doctor. He is the world's best rhinoplasty doctor. He's in Beverly hills. It is Dr. Deepak Dugar. What's up, doc? I always wanted to say, what's up, doc? Yes, thank you so Much.
- [02:25]
B
Thank you for having me. I'm excited. Thank you, Ryan.
- [02:32]
A
I always say, you know, they say you can't hide money, but you can't hide good marketing and good PR and good understanding as a marketer. It was like a marketer's dream. It was brilliant how you've built it. Every touch point, luxury, everything just felt right. That's the best compliment I can give you as a professional marketer.
- [02:50]
B
One of the keys was starting a practice in such an elite place like Beverly Hills, which is one of the most competitive markets for what I do. So no matter what business you run, no matter what business you're starting up or continuing to dominate in, the key is figuring out your angles and niches. I think for me, in Beverly Hills, coming with a niche was really important because there's so many famous, articulate, well marketed plastic surgeons. So how do you even create a little wave, like a small one, not even a big one. The way I figured that out was by going really hard into one singular procedure. Tesla, when they started, people forget that Tesla started out as a roadster company. That was it. They sold one car. They were Tesla Roadster. That was it. That was the entire company. That was their strategy. And then they perfected the concept of it. They never even released it. They perfected the concept of it to get the waves in the car world. And that's how Tesla became where it is today. But the same thing, we went in really heavy with one singular procedure. I do what's called a scarless nose. Nose rhinoplasty. So traditional rhinoplasty, you make a cut at the base of the nose, lift up the hood of the nose, take it apart, you reconstruct it from scratch. It's like tearing a house down and rebuilding a brand new glass box. Like most modern homes today, they all look the same, versus if you have like a beautiful French chateau, you don't tear it down. You just restore, refine, improve. And so coming at it from a more natural lens, scarless technique, all internal incisions, it got a lot of attention really fast, really early on. And I think that's probably one of the biggest success pillars I had, you know, one of many, but that was one of the biggest ones, was finding a little niche. It's like those restaurants have really small menus and they just get really good at that. One type of burger.
- [04:18]
A
Riches in the niches, baby. That's what they say. It helps when you're also damn good at it. You got to have the goods. There's a saying in marketing, putting lipstick on the pig only lasts so long. But when you're the world's best at what you do and you're in a niche, it's magic. And judging by the clients you work with, I'm going to ask you to name drop a little bit. Everybody likes the stars. Who can you name that you've worked on?
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B
The ones that have gone public like recently. We were just featured on this Bravo TV show called Denise Richards and her Wild Things. Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards daughter Sammy Sheen. She did her nose job with us and we got to document the entire thing and she put it on the shows on two of the episodes. We worked with a lot of other celebrities like Daniela Monet, Mia Khalifa. I spent a lot of time working with some of my friends on content that are really famous influencers face not necessarily patience, but just close friends of mine like Adam W. And Hannah Stocking, King Bach and some of the most famous influencers in the world that you'll see me in a lot of their videos. So you know, we have a lot of organic relationships, a lot of really high end celebrity patients and then influencer friends that I get to have the privilege of being around and working with. And the world is full of mediocrity. It's really easy to get rewarded in this life for being mediocre. Most mediocre people, even in business, it's a good life, you know, because even mediocrity takes a certain amount of work. It's not like mediocrity is easy. It's still a good amount of work to be mediocre, but it's a lot of work to be great. And it's insane amount of commitment and excellence to be the best in the world at what you do and really want to be one of the best in the universe. Business is tough because you really have to break down niches because what is the best businessman in the world? Is it the richest? Right? Then it's okay, Elon Musk, that's it. No one else can talk. Everyone shut up. And that, that can't be how life works. So it's got to be within your branding of business and how you do business that you become the best in your cycle. So for me, when I look at competitive energy, I don't want to be like the best plastic surgeon in the world. I want to be the best scarless rhinoplasty surgeon to have ever. And that's kind of the way that I approach it within that niche. And so yeah, that's kind of How I think about what I do and how I put that mindset to it, liberties and all that stuff is just. It's a privilege and it's an honor because they truly have the ability to go to anyone in the world. So when they come to us, whether it's a billionaire, whether it's a Saudi sheikh, whether it's one of the most famous celebrity children in the world who comes to us, those moments mean a lot because it shows that the skill and craft has earned beyond just the marketing reputation.
- [06:29]
A
Talking to Dr. Deepak Dugur. He is the world's best rhinoplasty surgeon. I like to get underneath the hood a little bit with how people tick. I'm trying to imagine Doc growing up. You're clearly competitive. You're clearly driven to excellence. So I always like to unpack for audience those characteristics or things you identified that you worked on. I don't know that you can build grit and drive, but there's probably things that make Doc who he is. Talk to our audience a little bit about that journey was for you. And what are those characteristics you feel like that are uniquely yours?
- [07:03]
B
I'm one of three siblings. My older sister, older brother, both definitely smarter than me. One thing I had was I had a little bit more dream power. I put that energy, you know, almost a competitive edge with my own mentality of how to be the best. I also take everything personally in a good way and bad way. You know, taking things personally in business is stressful, as you to take every pain point home with you at night, and you're sitting there at the dinner table thinking about every pain point. But it's also good, too, because when you watch Michael Jordan in the last dance, he's like, everything they said, I took that personally. One thing that everyone should learn is you have to be so wise about picking your competition. Do not compete with losers. Do not compete with idiots. Do not compete with mediocrity. I picked the best in the entire planet at this craft. I picked the three, four people. And I said, that's my competition. And people think that's crazy. But what you do is you rise to their level to be able to compete with them. They always say, don't meet your idols because your idols become your enemies. That's only if you're really good at what you do. The key was picking the right strategic partners. And these aren't partners. These are enemies. And these are not really facetiously, but they are my competitors that I take personally. So when I see them do something, I say I want to do it more. When I see them do something good, I say, I got to do it twice as good. If you look, look at Federer, Djokovic, and you look at Nadal, that energy, they hated each other at one point. You see this camaraderie. Today they're all hugging and kissing. That didn't exist during the 15 years they were playing competitively against each other. They used each other's ammunition to get better and better and better. So that's my biggest success secret, I think, is I picked the best and most competitive people in the world to be my competition. I didn't. I didn't go for the people at my level. I want the people at the top.
- [08:37]
A
I used to be really good at hiring people. Then I seem to get bad at it, and then now I'm back to good. I realize, like, the characteristics. If you don't like to win, I don't want you on the team. Competitive people typically get what they want if they're channeling it the right way. Sometimes it can totally go the other direction. But that's something I really respect and feel from you, Doc.
- [08:55]
B
I completely agree with you. The team around you makes such a difference. The problem is that mediocrity doesn't look mediocre. Sometimes mediocrity can put itself in a nice facade, say the right things. But what is success? What's the difference between an NBA player who's the worst in the NBA or the NBA player is the best in the NBA? They both practice their butts off. They both work out hardcore. They ball, they all have six packs. They all eat healthy, they all train, they all work nonstop. So what's the difference? It's not the facade of the NBA player and seeing how tall they are. It's that at 4am the mediocre players sleeping. And at 4am Kobe Bryant's already on his way to the gym. It's the stuff you don't see. And that's the problem, I think, with hiring, is that mediocre can look superior really easily trick us, and then you really got to get to. One thing I've been doing lately with hiring is I do what is called skills assessments. First interview is always for, like, the vibe. I want kindness, I want empathy. I want politeness. Because I do think it's important in a workspace for everyone to feel comfortable. I don't want people being diminutive to each other. And then the second thing I do is the skills assessment, where actually we put them to work. We let them see For a few minutes, give them some tasks, give them some skill sets, live in the moment and we see how quick or smart they are. Because what I found toxicity comes from is having really smart people around. People who aren't as good at their job and it's not their fault. The problem is is that the doers, the killers, they get dragged down sometimes energy wise. There's energy vampires that happen in the workplace and I think you got to really separate those people and try to give the winners the best team around them. Otherwise their performance starts to draw away too.
- [10:19]
A
What Doc just described is a masterclass in hiring the right people and blending together. Because not just the hire, it's the blend of the team, the makeup of the team. Because it's hard to have all type A's or like all you will get brought down if everyone's not at least on a similar plane. It's just, it doesn't work because your B players will pull not even B, let's call them D players will pull your A players down. They don't all have to be A's. You need A's and B's. Your D's are gonna pull your A's on. It's important. And look, everybody's got a different skill and so it's the blend of talents. But everybody needs to be on the level playing foot field of at least great in what they are and what they do within the skill sets that are needed for your office run or any business to run.
- [11:02]
B
Another big thing that I've learned too over the years, I'm sure you know this for sure, Ryan, is you got to say no. You know, you can't say yes to everything. Being a yes man, it seems the right thing to do. When you're young entrepreneur, you just say yes to everything. Every meeting, every moment, every dinner, everything. You just go to anything and you end up wasting so much time and energy. You got to be really select and who you work with, what you do. Saying no to the wrong clients will save you so much time and money. And saying yes to the wrong clients will literally suck the life and energy out of you. Be really being selective, starting to get that confidence. I think young entrepreneurs, they get nervous of saying no. Well, any revenue is good revenue and it turns out it's not true. There is such a thing as good revenue and bad revenue.
- [11:41]
A
I've learned that lesson. I still learn it every now and then from time to time. Even I can get lured in. You'll get the confidence that you can change them. I know what problem I might be getting, but I think I can work my way through it. I call it be greedy with your energy. That's what it is. It's not literally being greedy just with your energy and where you apply it. Because it's a finite resource for, like, new businesses. The idea of exclusivity is like, just like what you just said, oh, any revenue is good revenue. Like, oh, I got to get it. But maybe not. When building your brand, talk to me about your perspective on luxury experience.
- [12:11]
B
One of the biggest things with luxury experience is you got to have a funnel that weeds out the waste of time. Leads. When you're starting out, you create these funnels and you want every single lead. You don't want to lose a single one. You're getting mad at your employees that they missed the email on that one and they didn't get the right phone number on that one. Versus worrying about the high level useful leads. You want quality leads. You don't want to just want every lead. That's what a lot of young entrepreneurs get wrong too, is they want to create these massive email lists, these massive things. And I get it, at some point there's a scale to those things when you sell your list or do things like that. But in a medical space, especially for luxury concierge branding, where I'm trying to create myself as the Hermes of what we do in our business, you know, not even Chanel, Louis Vuitton, like straight up to the Hermes Birkin bag of what we do. This is the Rolls Royce, this is the Birkin. That's the branding we took from day one. So the concept is we want quality leads. In order to book an appointment with me, first of all, just to talk. It's $500 to spend 10 minutes with me basically to get to do the consultation. And that 500. I'm not trying to make a business off of 500. That's not how this works. It's a quality lead generator where if you're not willing to spend that, then you're probably not going to be comfortable spending 20 to 40,000 on a surgery. So it's okay to those go. Because a lot of patients will call me, like, oh, will you do a free consult? Or what happens if I don't do surgery? Can I get the money back? And listen, I understand if you don't go to Hermes, you don't go to Rolls Royce if you don't have the budget for it. And that's totally fine. There are lots of options. There's lots of surgeons out there. There's nothing disrespectful about it. We tell the patients with grace, like, oh my God, God bless. There's so many good options out there for you. Do not worry, however, to book a consultation with Dr. Dugard is $500 and that is non refundable. And we make it very clear and we're just very matter of fact. The other thing I learned is you got to have employees who are comfortable talking about money.
- [13:49]
A
Money.
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B
Money is such an awkward thing for the average person because they're not trained in sales. But when you're in sales, you have to be very comfortable talking about money. Money is just a commodity. It's just something you use to get what you want out of life. So it's not some weird scary thing. It's just money. It's just pieces of paper that you collected and now you spend it on something you want. It should be a good thing. It should be an exciting moment to spend your money on something like me, because I'm an exciting moment for most people in their lives. That's number one and two is funneling them through quality lead generation, having the concierge ability to talk to them with a really respectful way and make sure they feel heard, make sure they feel listened to and have people not overworked with the minutiae of your business. Every business, how much minutia is they're like, look at your current podcast. There's a giant TV behind you. Someone has to make sure it works. There's an audio guy making sure the audio works. There's a video guy making sure the video works. There's seven, eight people doing minutiae right now. For Ryan to be able to do what he does, which is deliver message to the person listening right now the key is we have to look at our employees that way too, is I don't want the video guy worrying about the audio guy's work and I don't want the audio guy worrying about the video guy. Guys work, everyone's got to take care of their thing so that the luxury person who is selling can just talk. Just focus on that client eye to eye. Give them confidence, influence in a way that makes them feel at home. And then we took a lot of inspiration from hotels and from some of our luxury brands that we identify with. And we have hotel infused scents in our lobby. We have minimalistic restoration hardware, minimalized decor everywhere. So it kind of has this inviting feel and you have like this cleanliness to it. So like you get that medical sense with like this calming sense as well. It kind of fuses together and we kind of create this, like, holistic energy of concierge medicine, one level above whatever other office they've went to. And my whole thought is that if we put that level of attention into this, imagine how much attention I'm putting into the surgery.
- [15:40]
A
Where can everybody keep up with all you're doing with your practice? And obviously a lot of wisdom to share in business as well.
- [15:47]
B
My website is scarlessnose.com and my name is Dr. Deepak Dugar D U G A R. I'm on Instagram at Deepak Dugar md. I'm on Twitter X and I'm on Tik Tok under the same name. Deepak Dugger md. Love to share. If anyone has any questions, just shoot me a dm. And anywhere. My team is amazing. We get hundreds of DMs some days, depending where in the world and what I posted and what people liked. But shoot us a dm, we'll always respond. We try our best to get through them all as best as we can.
- [16:11]
A
It's a pleasure having you on, doctor and I look forward to continuing the relationship.
- [16:14]
B
Yes, sir. I'll see you in LA soon. We'll go to Nobu.
- [16:16]
A
I love that. Hey, guys. You're to find us ryanisright.com we'll have highlight clips, links to all of the content. No, it won't be pretty people and beautiful women, but it will be drops of wisdom and knowledge from Dr. The best in his field and we appreciate him. We appreciate you for making us number one. We'll see you next time. Right about now.
- [16:35]
B
This has been Right about now with Ryan Alford, a Radcast network production. Visit ryanisright.com for full audio and video versions of the show or to inquire about sponsorship opportunities. Thanks for listening.