Next Level Executive

Have you ever wondered why it is that after 15 years of ownership only around 2% of dental practices fail, yet industry experts indicate that between 50% to 80% of dental partnerships fail? The dental practice model is incredibly sound, but the associate partnership model surely isn’t.  I think there are 3 dominant reasons that account for most of those failures. If you’re looking to avoid the com...

I get more questions about Associate Dentists wanting to become Partners than any other topic.  It doesn’t matter if it’s the structure or a buy-in versus an earn-in or even how to actually bring them into ownership. These are all mechanical questions that totally fail to address the underlying dilemma: whether or not your Associate is truly prepared to become a good partner.  For that matter, you...

Practically every Associate at some point wants to become a Partner, and most Founders want their Associate to become a Partner.  But “time served” is for prison sentences – not ownership in a business.The reason most partnerships fail is because the Founder never takes the time to develop their young Associate into the partner they want them to be – let alone the partner they need them to be. If...

One major difference that separates a great Clinician from a successful CEO is the ability to understand changing market dynamics while living through them.  Timing can, in fact, be the make-or-break factor in your success.In last week’s episode, I said that the “Gold Rush” of those selling their practices ended in 2019 and that we were now a new era of “Fool’s Gold.”  If this is the era of Fool’s...

Many Founder dentists have based their growth strategy on “scale for a sale.” If you’re one of them, you’re not going to like this episode. Today’s world of Private Equity-backed DSOs has become a house of cards when it comes to recaps and “second bites of the apple.” For far too many, there is no hope of recap and there is no windfall return to shareholders. Welcome to the world of “the Zombie DS...

S3 E2: Your Biggest Career Risk – I'll Go FirstEveryone likes to talk about transitioning from Clinician to CEO, but nobody talks about what you actually have to do to make that a reality – let alone be effective in the new role.To become an effective executive of the group or practice you lead means getting comfortable as an agent for change. And the first change that has to happen is in reinvent...

Next Level Executive is back — sharper, more focused, and built around the one conversation that almost no one in this space is willing to have with a practice owner who has already made it. If you have built a practice that clears seven figures, runs well as long as you are in it, and leaves you wondering what comes next — this show was made for you. Leadership, ownership, and growth strategy for...

All of us should aspire to own businesses that allow for entrepreneurial freedom when it comes to time, money, relationships and purpose. Ever wonder what that really looks like? I'm joined by two friends from the Executive program who have done just that: Dr. Ben Tolley and Dr. Geoff McIntosh. You're going to love listening to this episode almost as much as I did recording it. Enjoy!

As I'm about to relaunch the podcast, I figured I'd share the episode you've downloaded the most, which is...My Own Personal Journey?! Well, judging by the number of downloads, it actually is. I went back and re-listened to it, and there's actually a lot of good "teaching points" in it, so it's actually worth another listen - or a first listen, if you've never heard it! Here it is...again! Quite a...

As we roll through 2026, I will be sharing some interviews with a few curated company relationships. These are companies I know and trust, and people whose opinions I value. My intention is to share these collaborations with my audience of subscribers in members in hopes that they are equally beneficial to each of you. My interview on today's spotlight is with Bob Foss and Ted Wegman, Co-Founders...

I've taken quite a few calls and had a lot of conversations recently that all seem to orient around metrics and benchmarks. Wondering if you're on the right track? Curious if your business is up to standard? Tune in for a handful of metrics you need to know! Want to experience a "mini version" of the Next Level Executive program yourself? Join me in a 3-week sprint series. Details at: www.grouppra...

To be effective, you have to improve your decision making skills. What happens when you get it wrong? Do you really understand the price you - and your team - are paying in terms of time, distraction and dollars? In today's show, I unpack three critical skills that every effective executive must learn and master: evaluating opportunity costs; avoiding the sunk cost fallacy; and recognizing further...

Being an Effective Executive of an emerging group practice is easy to talk about, but hard to accomplish. You're going to learn from two guys directly what it means. Dr. Nate Tilman and Dr. Dan Hostrander have each built incredible businesses. Both of them are in my Executive group, so I asked them to share some of their "lessons learned along the way" with you. Enjoy! Want to experience a "mini v...

If it's one thing I've learned in my journey as an entrepreneur, it's that "certainty yields comfort, but uncertainty yields opportunity." That being said, I only realized it when I audited my personal and professional journey over a longer period of time. Ceilings of complexity and inflections points are more predictive than you might think. Join me on this episode as I discuss intentional change...

Have I lost my mind?! Or is the business SO BAD that I have no possible outcomes for the year?! Not exactly... In this episode, I'll give you a LOT to think about in terms of "Being & Doing" goals that are much more subjective than objective in nature - and they're a great application for every entrepreneur! Got questions? I've got answers! You can reach me directly at: Perrin@TheNextLevelExecutiv...

As we roll into 2026, I will be sharing some interviews with a few curated company relationships. These are companies I know and trust, and people whose opinions I value. My intention is to share these collaborations with my audience of subscribers in members in hopes that they are equally beneficial to each of you. My interview on today's spotlight is with the Founder and CEO of SMC National, Gar...

Is your leadership approach one of being "hands off?" Do you like to "delegate and hold people accountable?" Do you want to know what's wrong with that approach? Tune in to find out! I give you handful of specific coaching questions to deploy when coaching your team. Got questions? I've got answers! You can reach me directly at: Perrin@TheNextLevelExecutive.com You can find out more about me and t...

My audience is filled with growth-oriented entrepreneurs, but no one's growth journey is linear. It's filled with peaks, valleys and bumps along the way. Last week, In the first of a two-part series, I unpacked the professional inflection points healthcare entrepreneurs confront in their growth journey, and I gave you the key decisions to consider along the way. In this week's "part 2" episode, I...

My Executive group and I just spent two full days with Dr. Andrew Matta diving deep into topics like: establishing your clinical philosophy; developing a coherent recruiting and development system; and establishing clinical standards to live by. I grabbed a member of our group, Dr. Jason Tanoory, to share his insights and experiences in the workshop as well as the program itself. This conversation...

My audience is filled with growth-oriented entrepreneurs, but no one's growth journey is linear. It's filled with peaks, valleys and bumps along the way. In the first of a two-part series, I unpack the professional inflection points healthcare entrepreneurs confront in their growth journey, and I give you the key decisions to consider along the way. In next week's episode, I'll share the personal...

We should all hope to build great businesses that compliment the lives we want to lead. Dr. Mike Carpenter and Dr. Max Meinerz are two friends who have done every bit of that. They share their journeys and a few of the lessons they've both learned along the way. You're going to love this conversation every bit as much as I did recording it! Got questions? I've got answers! You can reach me directl...

Have you ever felt that uneasy feeling like you're unqualified for the leadership role you now have? Are you unsure of what the role actually is and how you should be judging success or failure? Do you ever feel like you're ultimately responsible for everything, but in control of nothing? You're going to love this episode. Tune in to hear me unpack the root causes of your anxiety. Got questions? I...

As leaders, we deal with conflict on a constant basis and all too often all we want is to "make it go away." Only rarely does the situation demand true urgency. In this episode, I share my reflections from a coaching call with one of the longstanding members of my tribe. I'll share with you the insights I shared with him. My hope is that you start to see the gaps in your own leadership experience....

2025 Was an incredible year for me and I learned a lot during those 12 months. My own insights might create insights of your own. This episode is taken from my Freshly Brewed monthly essay in January. Got questions? I've got answers! You can reach me directly at: Perrin@TheNextLevelExecutive.com You can find out more about me and the Next Level Executive program at: www.TheNextLevelExecutive.com

Everybody loves to talk about exits and multiples as some sort of brass ring, but those who fall into this way of thinking overlook one key point of success in life: personal freedom. Freedom of time, money relationship and purpose. Freedom to choose what you want to do and who you want to become. Dr. Ed Hood and Dr. Milton Cook are both equal parts financial success and personal humility. They're...