Dr. Michael Filosi of Fullarton Park Dental: From 2 Chairs to Adelaide’s Largest Dental Practice with 18% Annual Growth, Building Strong Habits, Leading Teams, and Selling the Business Successfully in 2025 Exit Mastery. (Episode 770 - Dr. Michael Filosi)

1. What do you think is the hardest thing in growing a small business?

Dr. Michael Filosi believes the hardest thing in growing a small business is managing people and relationships.He explains that as a team grows, the number of relationships increases rapidly, making communication, alignment, and culture more complex. Staff management, maintaining motivation, and handling conflicts can become overwhelming, especially when team members are not aligned with the business vision. He also notes that unlike other investments, a business requires constant effort just to maintain performance because staff, customers, systems, and equipment naturally decline over time if ignored. Overall, he emphasizes that people are both the greatest asset and the greatest challenge in building a successful business.

2. What's your favorite business book that has helped you the most?

Dr. Michael Filosi mentioned that several business books helped him, but the ones that stood out the most were The Checklist Manifesto, The E-Myth Revisited, and Built to Sell 📚

3. Are there any great podcasts or online learning resources you'd recommend to help grow a small business?

Dr. Michael Filosi recommended listening to the podcast How I Built This as one of the best resources to help grow a small business. He shared that this podcast was especially valuable because it features founders of well-known companies explaining how difficult it was to build their businesses from scratch. Hearing real stories—from brands like Airbnb and founders such as Sara Blakely of Spanx—helped him stay motivated and realize that business growth is always challenging, even for highly successful companies.

4. What tool or resource would you recommend to grow a small business?

Dr. Michael Filosi recommends investing in business books as the most powerful tool for growing a small business. He explains that instead of chasing expensive courses or trendy tools, consistently reading high-quality business books provides massive knowledge at a low cost. He believes that simply sitting down and reading valuable content can take a business much further than any “hot new gadget.”

5. What advice would you give yourself on day one of starting out in business?

Dr. Michael Filosi says that if he could go back to day one, his advice would be to hang on and enjoy the ride, because business growth is full of ups and downs. He emphasizes that there is no single shortcut or magic tip—success comes from persistence and learning through the journey. His message is to stay strong during tough times and be ready for challenges, because the ride can be bumpy but rewarding.