The Dental Amigos

Episode 133 – Mark Costes, D.D.S. on High-Level Practice Ownership and Philanthropy by The Dental Amigos

Episode 132 - Josh McSpadden, Co-Founder of the PracticeFinder App by The Dental Amigos

This week, the Dental Amigos welcome Alan Stern, D.D.S, recipient of the 2023 Nifty Award for “Most Inspirational Dental Professional.” Alan works with dentists who are looking to create a workplace that is productive and profitable and a life that is rewarding and meaningful. As a speaker, Dr. Stern conducts presentations for dental groups focused on redefining what it means to build a better tea...

This week, the Dental Amigos welcome Valerie Woo, D.M.D. entrepreneur, pediatric dentist, and dental consultant. She leverages her extensive experience to consult, guide, and mentor dentists, helping them transform chaotic practices into thriving, well-organized businesses. She integrates leadership, marketing and operational systems into customized programs, providing strategic guidance that is b...

This week, the Dental Amigos welcome Rebecca Herring, a specialized dental coach and Vice President of the Denver Dental Professional Learning Network. With over 25 years of dental industry experience, Rebecca guides and empowers dental teams to unlock their full potential through developing office management systems and work environments. In doing so, Rebecca has transformed dental practices thro...

Paul Etchison, D.D.S. is the author of two books on dental practice management, a dental coach, the owner of a $6 million group practice in the south suburbs of Chicago, and the host of the Dental Practice Heroes Podcast. This week, the Dental Amigos host Dr. Etchison and they discuss strategies for growing and expanding your practice. Through creative planning and scheduling, a practice owner can...

Soraya Safi, D.M.D. is a coach and mentor to dental students and associate dentists. She helps associate dentists maximize the flexibility and freedom of choosing associateship over ownership and coaches them on how to overcome the isolation that often comes with such a challenging job, all while effectively navigating professional relationships and developing their dental skills after completing...

This week, the Dental Amigos welcome returning guest Stephen Trutter, the CEO of Ideal Practices, a leading consulting firm for dental start-ups. Ideal Practices follows a proven process to guide dentists through every step of opening their start-up. Stephen Trutter has helped launch nearly 1,000 dental start-ups in his 20-year career. Stephen discusses how to position yourself for a smooth transi...

The Dental Amigos welcome DDSmatch’s Joe McGonigal, a dental industry veteran with over 20 years of experience helping dentists plan and execute successful practice transitions in both doctor-to-doctor and DSO affiliated transactions. As a “sell-side” advisor who focuses on the Greater Philadelphia area, New Jersey, Delaware and Connecticut, Joe helps clients maximize practice value, identify care...

The Dental Amigos are back! Rob and Paul discuss recent developments in the dentistry world regarding the prohibition of covenants not to compete in the employment context by the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”). This federal non-compete ban by the FTC has been controversial spurring lawsuits that challenge the constitutionality of the ban, resulting in a court order that stopped the FTC from enfo...

The Dental Amigos Rob and Paul are back, welcoming licensed private investigator, forensic CPA, and certified fraud examiner David Harris for a conversation about protecting your practice from financial crime. Returning guest David Harris is CEO of Prosperident, a firm dedicated to investigating financial crimes committed against dentists. Today, David walks the Amigos through the alarming danger...

n the fourth episode of The Dental Amigos’ fifth season, “Assembling a Group Practice,” Rob and Paul discuss key differences between growing a DSO “de novo” (as a start-up) and by acquiring existing practices. They dive into pros and cons of both strategies, such as how branding is often more consistent in a DSO that grows its practice “de novo” and how a DSO acquiring existing practices benefits...

In the third episode of The Dental Amigos’ fifth season, “Assembling a Group Practice," Rob and Paul discuss the logistics of offering an associate equity in a DSO. The Amigos begin by explaining the reasons why DSOs frequently offer associates equity, such as to increase associate retention and to garner associate loyalty. Then, they discuss considerations that associates should weigh prior to ac...

In the second episode of The Dental Amigos fifth season, Assembling a Group Practice, Rob and Paul discuss different strategies that DSOs employ to acquire financing for their group practice ventures. The Amigos identify different factors that lenders consider when reviewing loan requests such as liability, risk of default and success with prior dental practice acquisitions. Finally, they discuss...

In the first episode of The Dental Amigos’ fifth season, Assembling a Group Practice, Rob and Paul explain the logistics of a dental support organization (“DSO”), and discuss the variety of ways that group practices are formed. Understanding that DSOs may seem complex and difficult to understand, the Amigos kick-off the season with a breakdown of what group practices are, which services they provi...

In the final episode of The Dental Amigos’ fourth season on buying a dental practice, Rob and Paul discuss critical issues buyers should consider when buying a dental practice and planning for the transition of the practice following the purchase. First, the Amigos outline strategies to help new owners facilitate a smooth transition for the remaining staff. Then, Rob and Paul elaborate on the sell...

In this episode of The Dental Amigos’ fourth season on buying a dental practice, Rob and Paul discuss common mistakes that buyers make with practice acquisitions regarding purchasing the real estate. While buyers often view the option to purchase real estate as an opportunity, the Amigos caution that it could be a liability. Tune in and learn why Rob and Paul suggest that buyers think twice before...

In this episode of The Dental Amigos' fourth season on buying a dental practice, Rob and Paul discuss how a buyer can create a healthy working relationship with a practice seller, the importance of establishing the seller’s role after closing, and the implications of certain terms that the seller may request or demand in a purchase agreement . How long should a seller stay on after the practice is...

In this episode of The Dental Amigos, Rob and Paul help listeners understand how to conduct due diligence when buying a dental practice. The Amigos know that due diligence can seem daunting to buyers and that it may be difficult for buyers to know where to start. With this in mind, Rob and Paul break due diligence down into three main categories: financial, operational, and legal. Using these thre...

Rob and Josh Salzer FTC Restrictive Covenants Webinar by The Dental Amigos

In the third episode of Season 4, the Dental Amigos discuss common misconceptions about the negotiation process and establishing a letter of intent when buying a dental practice. Rob and Paul give a working definition of a letter of intent and emphasize the importance of buyers having strategic communications with sellers during the initial stages of negotiating the purchase of dental practices. T...

In this episode of The Dental Amigos, Rob and Paul discuss the logistics of finding a dental practice to purchase. The Amigos start this episode by explaining the importance of bringing a broker onto the buyer’s team as early in the process as possible, and then they focus on how to leverage key networking strategies to help find a dental practice. They propose a realistic timeline for potential b...

The Dental Amigos are back for Season 4, where they’ll dig into important aspects of buying a practice, plus they’ll be tipping off listeners to some common mistakes that they’ve seen time and time again in their many collective years of assisting buyers with dental practice acquisitions. With Rob’s experience as a dental-focused attorney and Paul’s experience as a dentist and dental broker, they’...

In the eighth episode of this season of The Dental Amigos, Rob and Paul discuss how the ownership of real estate can affect the relationship between business partners. First, the Amigos discuss the importance of shared decisions in a partnership, which sometimes can go awry if partners do not have an equal share in the ownership of the real estate. Then, Rob and Paul confer about forming partnersh...

In this episode of The Dental Amigos, Rob and Paul discuss some of the financial, clinical, and legal due diligence that buyers and sellers should conduct prior to entering into a partnership. First, Rob explains why it’s so important for the buyer to obtain a projected cash flow analysis. Then, Paul discusses some key considerations that buyers should keep in mind when conducting clinical due dil...