This week saw my final “on my feet” presentations of 2006 and, although public speaking is on my list of unique abilities (things I love to do that generate future profits), there is an internal sigh of relief this morning that I will not be seeing another hotel room until the New Year.The phrase “business travel is not glamorous” has adorned these posts many times and the last three months have been especially active.

This week, I achieved “Diamond VIP” status with Hilton Hotels (that’s as high as you can go) – which is a bottle either half-full or half-empty. Half-full because I get all sorts of priority treatment and upgrades when I arrive at any Hilton worldwide. Half-empty because it’s almost a symbol of the lack of balance there has been during the Autumn marketing season.

Over 40 nights in Hilton Hotels so far this year – and I have no idea what the total count is if I include other hotel chains – possibly double that?

It’s been a mad life of hotels, trains, planes, cars – and it’s now more important than ever that the personal time is protected and used for quality experiences.

I’ll repeat myself by saying that the efforts of the last 3 months have been a “harvest time” and have placed The Dental Business School is a strong position financially for 2007 and beyond.

I do still have some business travel between now and the seasonal break – some work with clients 1:1 – but I’m hoping that over the next 2 weeks I will also have some “business development time” with Team CB and with myself – reflecting on what did and didn’t work this year and looking forward to next year and the opportunities ahead.

UK dentistry is changing rapidly and have a suspicion that, at this time, even I cannot accurately visualise what I’ll be doing in 12 months from now.

I’ve written already this week about changes in the market – and I remain convinced that a combination of

• The tyranny of the UDA
• Incorporation and
• The arrival of City cash back into the profession

Will herald a new age of retail dentistry.

See The New York Dental Office for a vision of the future that exists right now!

Boots Dentalcare may have been too early – but now the time is right.

What intrigues me at the moment is whether I want to participate in that £5bn a year market as a coach, an investor or a participant?

All three I suspect.

These are exciting times.