Tag
#Exit Planning
17 articles
The Handshake Valuation: Why Selling to Your Associate Is the Most Mispriced Deal in Dentistry
Selling a dental practice to an associate skips the auction — and usually the forensics. How internal transitions get priced by relationship, why the seller becomes the bank, and what a defensible internal deal requires.
The Net Number: Why Your Multiple Isn't the Money You Keep
Two dentists sell for the same $5M headline, but one keeps $700K more. How deal structure — asset vs. stock sale, purchase-price allocation, and entity type — decides your after-tax dental practice sale proceeds.
The Wrong Board: Why Dentists Optimize a Game They Never Chose to Play
Most dentists inherit their practice model — insurance contracts, real estate, associate hires — and optimize a game they never chose. Why that path builds a high-paying job, not the business an institutional buyer pays a real multiple for.
The Boutique Fallacy: Why Size Sets Your Dental Practice Value
Two dental practices, same profit, can sell millions apart. Why size — not margin — decides whether you get an SDE multiple or an institutional DSO/EBITDA exit.
The Consultant's Mirage: Why Standard Advice Fails a Dental QoE Audit
The standard dental consultant advice — boost production, cut overhead — is exactly what gets your EBITDA slaughtered in a buyer's Quality of Earnings audit.
Personal Goodwill: Why a Dental Buyer Can Withhold Your Cash
Goodwill is most of a dental practice's price — but buyers only pay full for goodwill that transfers. How personal goodwill and the key-person discount cost you at close.
Dental Practice Broker: The Incentive Problem Nobody Explains
You almost certainly need a dental practice broker. But the success-fee model means defending your number through diligence was never their job. Here's the gap — and why it costs so much.
Successor Liability: The Algorithmic Cost of the Independent Contractor
The 1099 associate structure is the most common staffing decision in dentistry — and the most calculable forensic liability at exit. Here is exactly how buyers price it, from successor liability escrow to the compensation cascade.
What Is My Dental Practice Worth? Why the Answer Depends Entirely on Who's Buying
The value of your dental practice depends entirely on who is buying. Here is how individual buyers and institutional buyers calculate it — and why those are two different numbers.
Dental Practice Exit Strategy: The 5-Year Forensic Blueprint for an Institutionally Auditable Sale
A year-by-year dental practice exit strategy for building a practice that institutional buyers pay premium multiples for — the forensic blueprint starting 5 years before you sell.
The $250,000 Audit: How Retroactive Payer Downgrades Destroy Enterprise Value
A $25,000 insurance chargeback becomes a $250,000 enterprise value reduction at a 10x multiple. Here's how retroactive payer audits and QoE extrapolation compound to destroy dental practice valuations.
The KPIs That Kill Your Multiple: Which Dental Practice Metrics Institutional Buyers Actually Score
Not all dental KPIs matter at exit. Here are the metrics PE-backed buyers weight most, the thresholds that move multiples, and the vanity metrics they ignore entirely.
The Other Side of the Door: What You Are Actually Trading When You Sell Your Practice
A 45-year practice owner sold into a DSO and was forced out during COVID by someone 75 miles away. The number was right. The trade was not what he expected.
How DSOs Actually Evaluate Your Dental Practice: The 11 Underwriting Criteria They Score But Never Publish
Former NADG regional director reveals the 11 criteria DSO underwriting teams actually score — and the specific thresholds that separate premium multiples from discount ones.
The Hygiene Asset: Why Your Recall System Is Your Practice's 401(k)
The Hygiene Asset: Why Your Recall System Is Your Practice's 401(k) In my last piece, we dissected "The Expert's Trap," exploring the journey from practitioner to true business owner. That discussi.
Income Rich, Asset Poor: The High-Production Valuation Trap
Income Rich, Asset Poor: The High-Production Valuation Trap You are the most profitable producer in your practice. Your clinical skills are unmatched, your schedule is perpetually booked, and you p.
The Million-Dollar Mistake: Why Waiting Until You're Ready to Sell Could Cost You Your Legacy
The Million-Dollar Mistake: Why Waiting Until You're Ready to Sell Could Cost You Your Legacy For decades, you have been a pillar of your community, a trusted caregiver for generations, and the lea.