Shared Practices | Your Dental Roadmap to Practice Ownership | Custom Made for the New Dentist

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A bootcamp in small business ownership and practice management for dentists, giving the new graduate a roadmap to successful practice ownership. We interview the best dentists, experts, consultants and more on our weekly show. Here's the topics we will be covering in our 8 Seasons: 1. First Years…

Richard Low, DMD


    • Jul 20, 2026 LATEST EPISODE
    • weekly NEW EPISODES
    • 49m AVG DURATION
    • 819 EPISODES

    4.9 from 537 ratings Listeners of Shared Practices | Your Dental Roadmap to Practice Ownership | Custom Made for the New Dentist that love the show mention: dental students, dental podcasts, practice ownership, side of dentistry, thank you richard, year dental student, new dentist, best dental podcast, dentists, new grads, young dentist, year of dental school, practice management, dental practice, dental business, thanks richard, d4, business aspect, business education, looking to buy.


    Ivy Insights

    The Shared Practices podcast has quickly become my favorite podcast lately. As a dental student, I have limited time to listen to podcasts, but this one is worth making the time for. I have tried many dental podcasts, but this one with Dr. Richard stands out because it stays focused on the topic at hand and keeps the discussion on track. I highly recommend listening to it in chronological order, as it feels like I am learning alongside Richard. Plus, the podcast is very motivational, especially during these challenging pandemic times. It is easy to get down with all the craziness happening, but this podcast helps me stay focused and continue doing what I love.

    One of the best aspects of The Shared Practices podcast is its structure and sequencing of episodes. The hosts do an excellent job of providing all the information needed to become knowledgeable about the business side of dentistry. Each season is thoughtfully planned out and covers different aspects of practice ownership. It has truly helped me become more literate in running a dental practice and has given me valuable insights that I would not have learned in dental school.

    Another great aspect of this podcast is that it provides practical and implementable information. It goes beyond just leading up to the content, but actually gives actionable advice that can be applied in real-life situations. The conversations with other dentists on the show are always insightful and provide different perspectives on various topics related to dentistry.

    However, one minor drawback of this podcast is that it may not appeal to those who are not interested in starting their own practice or owning a practice in the future. While there is still valuable information for all dentists, some episodes may be more focused on practice ownership and management rather than clinical aspects of dentistry.

    In conclusion, The Shared Practices podcast is an incredibly informative and educational resource for dentists, particularly those interested in practice ownership or looking to start their own practice. It provides valuable insights, practical advice, and motivational content that can help dentists navigate the challenges of the dental industry. I highly recommend this podcast to all dental students and new dentists who want to expand their knowledge beyond clinical dentistry and gain a deeper understanding of the business side of dental practice.



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    Latest episodes from Shared Practices | Your Dental Roadmap to Practice Ownership | Custom Made for the New Dentist

    The Dental Menu Factor: Elevating Patient Retention and Practice Profitability

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 20, 2026 36:45


    In this episode of Coach's Corner, Caitlin Embree interviews Paul Lowry, co-founder of Dental Menu, to solve one of the biggest bottlenecks in dental practice management: failing in-house membership plans. While dropping insurance is a common goal, data shows that unmanaged cash-pay patients only have a 12% retention rate over five years, compared to 64% for insured patients.To achieve sustainable dental practice growth, practice owners must treat their membership programs like true subscriptions (e.g., Netflix or Amazon Prime) rather than one-off "Groupon" discount bundles that cause renewal gaps. Poorly administered plans not only create massive administrative headaches but also artificially lower your practice valuation by forcing you to zero out production or write off massive adjustments.Here is your blueprint for upgrading your dental practice management through a properly structured membership plan:Stop the "Discount" Mindset: Shift from selling a bundled package of cleanings to an auto-renewing subscription model to prevent patients from lapsing for months at a time.Fix Your Accounting: Stop adjusting membership preventative care to $0, as it destroys your KPIs. Dental Menu uses a separate bank account to process monthly fees and generate internal EOBs so production flawlessly matches collections.Protect Provider Pay: Proper dental practice management requires accurate ledgers so associate dentists and hygienists receive their correct collection-based bonuses when treating membership patients.Incentivize Your Team: Drive dental practice profitability by offering your front office staff bonuses (e.g., $25 per sign-up) to consistently present the membership plan to cash-pay patients.Ready to take the next step in your dental practice journey? Visit https://sharedpractices.com to learn more about our Buyer Representation and Coaching services, designed to help dentists buy, grow, and optimize profitable practices. You can also use our Free Look to evaluate dental practice opportunities with real data before making a decision. For daily Dental Moneyball insights, strategy tips, and updates, follow us across our social channels.

    Ask George: Maximizing Profitability Through Solo Dental Practice Management

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 13, 2026 34:40


    In this episode of the Shared Practices Podcast, Dr. George Hariri answers listener requests to strip away group practice bias and focus entirely on elite solo dental practice management. Many practitioners mistakenly believe that a multi-provider clinic is the only route to high-level profitability, but optimizing a solo model can create an incredibly low-stress, high-income asset. George outlines the precision growth pathways and details how transitioning from a standard solo dentist to a "productive solo" or "smart solo" can elevate your take-home pay to $400,000 and beyond.To break out of the low-revenue trap, you must learn how to manipulate the core levers of dental practice management.Implement these critical solo growth metrics and systems in your practice:Build the 2-2-2 Operational Balance: Scale your patient base to seamlessly support two full-time hygienists, two front office team members, and two dental assistants to perfectly balance your diagnostic and administrative workflow.Master Hygiene Benchmarks: Understand that there are roughly 200 active patients per day of hygiene. Target a base of 1,600 active patients to completely fill two full columns of hygiene working four days a week.Hit Case Acceptance Targets: Elevate your presentation style to consistently achieve an 80% patient acceptance rate (patients saying yes to at least one treatment item) and a 30% to 40% total dollar value treatment acceptance rate.Lock In Diagnostic Consistency: Develop clear, research-backed clinical diagnostic protocols so your hygiene team can confidently co-diagnose and tee up treatment plans before you even enter the room.Maximize Time Efficiency: Unlike group practices that focus heavily on analytical data points, a solo practitioner must treat their personal clinical time as the most valuable asset in the building by delegating every legally allowed task to auxiliaries.Transforming your solo office requires moving past basic survival and adopting highly intentional dental practice management strategies.Ready to take the next step in your dental practice journey? Visit https://sharedpractices.com to learn more about our Buyer Representation and Coaching services, designed to help dentists buy, grow, and optimize profitable practices. You can also use our Free Look to evaluate dental practice opportunities with real data before making a decision. For daily Dental Moneyball insights, strategy tips, and updates, follow us across our social channels.

    Sitting Down with an Office Manager - Uncovering Dental Practice Pearls

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 6, 2026 38:08


    In this episode of the Shared Practices Podcast, Caitlin Embree interviews Max Dempsey, the rockstar office manager for Dr. Jaspreet Parmar's two growing practices. Max provides a rare, behind-the-scenes look at dental practice management from the perspective of an elite team member navigating an ownership transition. With 29 years of experience, she shares how she evolved from a lead dental assistant into a multi-practice manager by mastering front-office billing, insurance communication, and team leadership through targeted coaching.For any dentist evaluating dental practice acquisitions, this episode highlights how crucial it is to establish a unified culture from day one.Here is your masterclass in team-driven dental practice management:Establish Core Values Early: Do not let your team wallow in uncertainty during a transition. Dr. Parmar took his team out on day one to collaboratively define the clinic's core values, instantly proving his commitment to structured leadership.Master Fee-for-Service Verbiage: Running an out-of-network practice requires flawless communication. Train your team to respond to insurance questions by offering to verify benefits and calculate estimated copays, ensuring a "wow factor" patient experience.Delegate and Trust: True dental practice management scaling requires the owner to step out of the daily administrative weeds. Dr. Parmar built trust with Max to the point where she now handles major HR issues independently, allowing him to focus strictly on clinical production.Hire for Personality: Never make desperate hires. Prioritize candidates who fit your culture and exhibit a strong desire to learn, as technical skills can always be taught through effective dental practice management systems.Ready to take the next step in your dental practice journey? Visit https://sharedpractices.com to learn more about our Buyer Representation and Coaching services, designed to help dentists buy, grow, and optimize profitable practices. You can also use our Free Look to evaluate dental practice opportunities with real data before making a decision. For daily Dental Moneyball insights, strategy tips, and updates, follow us across our social channels.

    Ask George: Unlocking Dental Growth Strategies with 4 Levers That Make a Difference

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 29, 2026 35:16


    In this episode of Ask George, Dr. George Hariri shatters the industry myth that achieving more than 10% same-store growth is impossible. For the modern dentist, transitioning from an exhausted clinician to a strategic CEO requires executing targeted dental growth strategies. Rather than forcing generalized systems onto your team, true leadership means diagnosing your clinic's unique bottlenecks. To scale efficiently, stop treating every operational issue equally and focus your administrative time on the constraints that generate massive dental practice profitability.This episode serves as your survival guide for mastering dental practice management. George reveals the four operational levers that guarantee sustainable dental practice growth:- Patient Flow: Implement the Retain, Open, Fill method. Lock the back door by mastering hygiene reappointment rates, then open new columns.- Case Acceptance: Empower your staff to co-diagnose. When the team leads patient education, doctor production becomes completely predictable.- Consistency: Close the performance gap between your best and worst clinical team members to instantly elevate the practice floor.- Efficiency: Play "Whac-A-Mole" with your metrics. Identify massive operational leaks, like a high missed call rate, and resolve them immediately.Elite dental business strategies require you to leverage your time. If you only spend a few hours a week working on the business, you must direct that energy toward your weakest links. Customizing your dental growth strategies to target these precise inefficiencies guarantees predictable expansion year after year.Ready to take the next step in your dental practice journey? Visit https://sharedpractices.com to learn more about our Buyer Representation and Coaching services, designed to help dentists buy, grow, and optimize profitable practices. You can also use our Free Look to evaluate dental practice opportunities with real data before making a decision. For daily Dental Moneyball insights, strategy tips, and updates, follow us across our social channels.

    Maximizing Efficiency: Implementing Virtual Dental Assistants for Success

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 22, 2026 40:58


    In this episode, Caitlin Embree and Cory Pinegar, CEO of Reach, dive into integrating virtual support to elevate your dental practice management. With operating costs rising roughly 87% since 2001 and insurance reimbursements remaining stagnant, the modern dentist is getting squeezed. To maintain dental practice profitability, owners must rethink their traditional staffing models.Cory explains why conventional outsourcing fails and how embedding a dedicated virtual team member transforms your dental practice management. By delegating repetitive front-desk tasks, your in-office staff can focus exclusively on the patients directly in front of them, driving sustainable dental practice growth.Here is your blueprint for implementing elite dental business strategies using virtual support:Capture Missed Revenue: Over 60% of Reach's clients start by delegating inbound phone calls because the industry average for missed calls is 33%.Define Success Metrics: Before hiring, clearly outline whether your goal is saving money, buying back time, or driving revenue to ensure a measurable ROI.Customize Your Training: Provide the final 20% of practice-specific training, such as exact verbiage and software nuances, to fully integrate your virtual assistant.Embrace AI as a Tool: Combine the efficiency of AI technology with the empathy of human virtual assistants rather than treating them as opposing forces.Treating virtual assistants like actual human team members is the missing link in modern dental practice management.Ready to take the next step in your dental practice journey? Visit https://sharedpractices.com to learn more about our Buyer Representation and Coaching services, designed to help dentists buy, grow, and optimize profitable practices. You can also use our Free Look to evaluate dental practice opportunities with real data before making a decision. For daily Dental Moneyball insights, strategy tips, and updates, follow us across our social channels.

    Ask George: How to Transition from a Job to Dental Practice Ownership and Profitability

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 15, 2026 35:13


    In this Ask George episode, we tackle the ultimate debate in dental practice ownership: have you built a highly profitable business, or just a high-paying job? Dr. George Hariri breaks down the reality of "key man risk," proving that if your office relies on your personal clinical energy to generate revenue, you are acting as an employee. For a future owner, making the shift to CEO requires mastering advanced dental practice management so your team performs efficiently without your oversight.This ultimate survival guide for mastering dental practice ownership shows you exactly how to shift from a stressful owner-driven clinical model to an autonomous, team-driven powerhouse. To achieve sustainable dental practice growth, implement KPI accountability:Missed Call Rate: Track front office metrics to capture inbound leads.Reactive Retention: Consistently monitor your overdue recare efforts.Proactive Retention: Push daily hygiene reappointments past a 90% target.To cement your dental practice ownership, delegate case acceptance entirely. When hygienists are calibrated to co-diagnose, they educate patients before you arrive, massively boosting dental practice profitability. We also highlight why the associate to owner transition fails without an Office Manager handling HR and payroll, ensuring scaling does not create more work. Embrace entrepreneurship for dentists by building systems that leverage your team's time.Ready to take the next step in your dental practice journey? Visit https://sharedpractices.com to learn more about our Buyer Representation and Coaching services, designed to help dentists buy, grow, and optimize profitable practices. You can also use our Free Look to evaluate dental practice opportunities with real data before making a decision. For daily Dental Moneyball insights, strategy tips, and updates, follow us across our social channels.

    Being Clinically Busy vs True Dental Practice Profitability and Sustainable Dental Practice Growth

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 8, 2026 36:49


    The "Busy" Trap in DentistryFor Future Dental Practice Owners, a packed schedule feels like success. Yet, a booked day lacking strategic production leads to clinical burnout. Dr. Andrew Clingan and Caitlin Embree reveal why being merely "busy" destroys dental practice profitability. Moving from clinician to empowered CEO means stopping the cycle of stepping over dollars to pick up pennies. This requires mastering dental practice management through intentional scheduling.Your Scheduling Survival Guide:If your days are chaotic but collections are stagnant, your systems are failing. Allowing patients to cancel restorative work without consequence is why dental practice profitability drops. You cannot achieve sustainable dental practice growth if your team scrambles for supplies instead of prepping same-day treatment. To implement elite dental business strategies, engineer your operations:Implement Block Scheduling: Define daily "rocks" and "boulders" to hit goals before filling gaps.Enforce Front Desk Protocols: Separate doctor time from assistant time to end bottlenecks.Demand Accountability: Stop absorbing no-shows by collecting upfront deposits for major cases.Optimize Back-Office Systems: Standardize inventory so your team can add same-day treatment.Dr. Clingan shares how these systems turned a routine limited exam into a prepaid $17,000 case in ten minutes. This operational mindset lays the foundation for scalable dental business ownership and predictable dental practice profitability. It is vital for the associate to owner transition.Ready to take the next step in your dental practice journey? Visit https://sharedpractices.com to learn more about our Buyer Representation and Coaching services, designed to help dentists buy, grow, and optimize profitable practices. You can also use our Free Look to evaluate dental practice opportunities with real data before making a decision. For daily Dental Moneyball insights, strategy tips, and updates, follow us across our social channels.

    Ask George: Why Hiring an Associate Can Hurt Dental Practice Profitability

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 1, 2026 36:36


    In this episode of Ask George, Dr. George Hariri breaks down the common—yet avoidable—trap where adding an associate leads to a massive drop in dental practice profitability. George shares his own Dental Moneyball cautionary tale: how he went from a thriving income to making zero dollars after hiring his first associate. This episode serves as a survival guide for any dentist moving from clinician to CEO, ensuring that your associate to owner transition actually results in more freedom, not just more expenses. George explores the "perfect storm" that kills dental practice profitability: rising overhead costs paired with a less efficient provider seeing your patients. You will learn specific dental business strategies to mitigate these risks, including the "two-to-one" hygiene-to-restorative ratio and how to expand your office capacity by modifying your schedule. We discuss why owner doctors are typically more efficient and how to train your team for co-diagnosis so that your associate walks into a well-oiled system of case acceptance. Whether you are looking to work fewer days or simply want to scale your net worth, George provides the roadmap for delegating lower-level procedures while keeping your high-production hourly rate intact. Stop guessing and start using data-driven insights to ensure your next hire is a catalyst for dental practice profitability rather than a drain on your bank account. Ready to take the next step in your dental practice journey? Visit https://sharedpractices.com to learn more about our Buyer Representation and Coaching services, designed to help dentists buy, grow, and optimize profitable practices. You can also use our Free Look to evaluate dental practice opportunities with real data before making a decision. For daily Dental Moneyball insights, strategy tips, and updates, follow us across our social channels.

    Bridging the Gap: Financial Management for Dentists and the Role of CPAs

    Play Episode Listen Later May 25, 2026 45:47


    Caitlin Embree and Morgan Hamon from EAG Dental Advisors bridge the gap between daily operations and proactive financial management for dentists. Transitioning from clinician to CEO requires deep financial clarity. Most owners only speak to their CPA during tax season, but advanced financial management for dentists transforms raw data into insights that fuel long-term dental practice profitability.  If your goal is sustainable dental practice growth, this is your survival guide. Morgan explains how specialized CPAs act as your financial radiologist—diagnosing cash flow bottlenecks—so your dental practice management team can perform the operational surgery. We explore why standard profit and loss statements hide critical metrics like debt service.  Here is your blueprint to master dental business strategies and dental practice ownership:Master the Rule of Threes: Hygienists must produce three times their total pay to sustain dental practice profitability.  Calculate Cash Reserves: Keep one to two months of break-even capital, combining operating expenses and debt service, to eliminate stress. Optimize Distributions: Implement structured monthly or quarterly distributions to maximize personal wealth.  Demand Strategy: Stop accepting tax-season surprises. Demand year-round communication to track liabilities as you scale.  Proactive financial management for dentists protects your revenue. Contact Morgan Hamon at morgan.hamon@eisneramper.com or visit https://eagdentaladvisors.com/.  Ready to take the next step in your dental practice journey? Visit https://sharedpractices.com to learn more about our Buyer Representation and Coaching services, designed to help dentists buy, grow, and optimize profitable practices. You can also use our Free Look to evaluate dental practice opportunities with real data before making a decision. For daily Dental Moneyball insights, strategy tips, and updates, follow us across our social channels.

    Ask George: Revenue vs. Cash Flow: The CEO's Guide to Real Dental Practice Profitability

    Play Episode Listen Later May 18, 2026 32:45


    Transitioning from a clinician to a CEO requires a fundamental shift in how you view your bank account. In this episode of Ask George, Dr. George Hariri reveals the "survival guide" for mastering dental practice profitability. If you've ever felt the frustration of a packed schedule and high production that never seems to translate into a growing bank balance, you are likely missing the "Moneyball" discipline required for true dental business ownership. George shares his personal journey from a revenue-only focus to becoming a disciplined CFO, providing the roadmap for every future owner to follow.The core of dental practice profitability lies in understanding three financial pillars: the Income Statement, the Balance Sheet, and the Cash Flow Statement. George explains why your practice management software might lie to you about your revenue and how to reconcile bank deposits with collections. By mastering financial management for dentists, you can stop guessing and start leading. This episode breaks down the "one month break-even" liquidity rule, ensuring you have enough cash on hand to weather the volatility of dental practice management without the stress of payroll cycles or credit card bills.For those looking to scale, George explores dental growth strategies that prioritize cash-on-cash returns over "paper wealth." He discusses how to utilize a quarterly distribution schedule to accumulate cash before deciding whether to reinvest in the practice or take a personal draw. This approach to sustainable dental practice growth ensures that every dollar you spend—whether on a new operatory, marketing, or coaching—acts as a soldier sent out to bring more soldiers back.Don't let your practice be a high-revenue trap. Learn the dental business strategies that separate struggling associates from wealthy owners. By focusing on dental practice profitability through the lens of cash flow and disciplined reinvestment, you can build a business that generates consistent, predictable wealth.Ready to take the next step in your dental practice journey? Visit https://sharedpractices.com to learn more about our Buyer Representation and Coaching services, designed to help dentists buy, grow, and optimize profitable practices. You can also use our Free Look to evaluate dental practice opportunities with real data before making a decision. For daily Dental Moneyball insights, strategy tips, and updates, follow us across our social channels.

    Unlocking Group Practice Opportunities For A Solo Dentist - Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later May 11, 2026 32:08


    Transitioning from a clinician to a CEO is the ultimate hurdle in dental practice ownership. In this episode of Practice Underwater, Dr. George Hariri and Elizabeth navigate the "logistical nightmare" of scaling an eight-month-old practice that is already bursting at the seams. With 3,000 patients and only six operatories, Elizabeth faces a pivotal choice: stay in a challenging second-floor space or chase a "shiny object" real estate deal with mismatched timelines.George reframes the traditional dental business ownership mindset by challenging the urge to move too soon. They break down the ROI of a $43,000 construction project to add two operatories versus the capital-intensive trap of buying a building that doesn't fit the long-term vision. This is a survival guide for any dentist wrestling with dental growth strategies and the fear of patient attrition.The conversation pivots to the "Mega Group" concept, where George introduces the power of the 12-operatory model. For those pursuing sustainable dental practice growth, reaching 12 operatories allows for a three-doctor rotation, providing the owner with the "school schedule" flexibility they crave without sacrificing dental practice profitability. Elizabeth gains clarity on why settling in her current space—for now—is the fastest way to hire an associate and preserve her patient base. Ready to scale your dental practice ownership?Visit https://sharedpractices.com/ for our "Free Look" service and follow our social channels for roadmap updates. Join the community and turn your clinical skills into a thriving business.

    Unlocking Group Practice Opportunities For A Solo Dentist - Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later May 4, 2026 30:28


    In this episode of Practice Underwater, Dr. George Hariri sits down with a dentist, Elizabeth, to discuss the initial hurdles she faced following an associate to owner transition.They analyze her impressive growth as a new dentist, jumping from a projected $1.2M to a $1.4M finish within eight months, while exploring dental business strategies to manage a bursting 3,000-patient base with only 11 hygiene days.The core strategic debate centers on whether to simplify the schedule via a fee-for-service model or expand into a multi-doctor setup by hiring another dentist, a dilemma complicated by real estate constraints discussed through a Shared Practices framework.This is a must-listen for any dentist weighing the long-term flexibility of group practice against the streamlined profitability of staying solo.In this episode:• Scaling production from a projected $1.2M pace to over $1.4M.• Managing a bottleneck of 3,000 patients with only 11 hygiene days.• The strategic debate: dropping insurance versus hiring an associate.• Evaluating real estate options for a growing team.• Balancing clinical autonomy with family flexibility.Whether navigating an associate to owner transition or vetting acquisitions in dentistry, this is your survival guide. Ready to scale your dental practice ownership? Visit https://sharedpractices.com/ for our "Free Look" service and follow our social channels for roadmap updates. Join the community and turn your clinical skills into a thriving business.

    Ask George – How Aspiring Dental Practice Owners Can Build a Real Business, Not Just a Job

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 27, 2026 29:59


    Welcome back to the Shared Practices podcast.In this episode of Ask George, we're diving into a question we hear all the time from aspiring owners: How do you build a real business instead of just buying yourself a job? Whether you're preparing to purchase your first practice or thinking about expanding into your second or third location, this conversation will give you a clearer, more honest picture of what ownership really looks like today.Dentistry has changed a lot over the years. With more options like DSOs, choosing private practice is no longer the default—it's a decision. And for many, that decision means stepping into the role of an entrepreneur. That comes with real challenges: managing rising staff costs, dealing with insurance reimbursements, and navigating tighter margins, especially in a post-COVID landscape. But at the same time, it creates an opportunity to build something that can grow beyond your own clinical work.So what's the difference between a job and a business? If everything depends on you being in the chair day in and day out, it's still a job—no matter how successful it looks on paper. A true business is built to operate and generate income even when you're not there. That shift in mindset is what separates operators from owners.George breaks down a practical path to get there, including how to build around multiple providers, improve efficiency, and create systems that support long-term growth. From bringing on associates to optimizing your space and team, it's all about creating a structure that doesn't rely solely on you. Ready to take the next step in your dental practice journey? Visit https://sharedpractices.com to learn more about our Buyer Representation and Coaching services, designed to help dentists buy, grow, and optimize profitable practices. You can also use our Free Look to evaluate dental practice opportunities with real data before making a decision. For daily Dental Moneyball insights, strategy tips, and updates, follow us across our social channels.

    Coaches Corner - The Case Acceptance Mistakes Dentists Make Without Even Realizing It

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 20, 2026 42:43


    Patients aren't rejecting you—they're asking for trust. Caitlin and Dr. Andrew break down cost, fear, and “not now,” plus the simplest tech moves that turn objections into yes.

    Ask George - Am I Too Late to Build Real Wealth in Dentistry

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 13, 2026 30:42


    Am I too late to build real wealth in dentistry? George explains why you're on time, the “golden way,” and the best paths today: DSO equity, one mega practice, or multi-location growth.

    How to Choose the Right First Job If Your Goal is Practice Ownership

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 6, 2026 30:24


    What is the best first job if your goal is dental practice ownership? Andrew Clingan breaks down associate options, clinical skill development, financial preparation, and how new dentists should prepare for buying a practice.

    Ask George - Does Practice Ownership Still Make Sense Today?

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 30, 2026 34:22


    Thinking about buying a practice? Learn how to avoid the “messy middle,” pick a ready-to-grow opportunity, and decide if you're built for ownership in today's market.

    Coaches Corner - How Out-Producing Your Problems Can Lead to an Ugly Duckling Phase

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 23, 2026 31:05


    Adding an associate sounds exciting—until everything breaks. Andrew and Caitlin unpack the “ugly duckling” stage: lost cases, team tension, delegation, and the systems you must fix.

    Ask George - Should Your CPA Be Your Most Trusted Advisor in Dental Practice Ownership?

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 16, 2026 37:52


    Ask George on dental CPAs in practice ownership: tax planning, embezzlement prevention, deposit ratios, expense categories, and why operational KPIs matter more than accounting for growth.

    Practice Under Water - The Anchor Dentist Plan That Can Unlock a $4–5M Dental Practice - Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 9, 2026 34:34


    George finally drops the answer: minority equity + a workhorse anchor doctor. If recruiting is your bottleneck, this episode shows how to expand reach and close the right hire.

    Practice Under Water - The Anchor Dentist Plan That Can Unlock a $4–5M Dental Practice - Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 2, 2026 27:07


    A returning Practice Under Water guest breaks down five associate hires, rapid growth to $3M, and why scaling a dental practice can still trap owners in the chair.

    Ask George - Does Practice Ownership Still Make Sense Today?

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 26, 2026 33:44


    Thinking about buying a practice? Learn how to avoid the “messy middle,” pick a ready-to-grow opportunity, and decide if you're built for ownership in today's market.

    Ask George - Leadership in Real Terms

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 23, 2026 33:54


    In this Ask George episode, George breaks down leadership for dental practice owners, covering self-leadership, vision, culture, team development, and systems to help practices grow with clarity and purpose.

    Coaches Corner - Dental Staffing Solutions That Protect Revenue While Allowing for Growth

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 16, 2026 37:19


    If you're investing in marketing but missing calls, you're leaking revenue. Learn how dental virtual assistants can boost conversions, improve verifications, and stabilize staffing.

    Practice Under Water – How an $8M Multi-Location Owner Gains Clarity and Reclaims Control – Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 9, 2026 33:48


    Is rapid growth always worth it? This $8M dental owner reveals the stress, mistakes, and boundary-setting required to grow without sacrificing lifestyle.

    Practice Under Water – How an $8M Multi-Location Owner Gains Clarity and Reclaims Control – Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 2, 2026 33:31


    What happens when you let your P&L get ugly on purpose? This dentist explains how he scaled to $8M fast—and why profitability became the next big challenge.

    Ask George - When Achieving Your Goals Still Feels Hollow

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 26, 2026 37:29


    In this Ask George episode, George breaks down how to set practice ownership goals you'll actually be happy you hit. He walks through the three stages of a dental career, how to align qualitative lifestyle goals with quantitative income targets, and why bottlenecks and “surface area of luck” matter more than arbitrary production numbers. If you're a dentist who wants to grow your income without hating Mondays, this episode gives you a practical roadmap from today to your ideal Point B.

    Coaches Corner – Why What's Next in Dentistry Isn't Always More Practices: A Conversation with Dr. Megan Timm

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 19, 2026 44:25


    A real-world breakdown of multi-practice ownership, associate management, rural dentistry challenges, and the financial and emotional reality of scaling back to a profitable solo dental practice.

    Ask George - Dentistry Has Changed — How Private Practices Win by Using Technology

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 12, 2026 37:50


    Private practice feels tougher than ever. George shows how embracing AI, automation, and team-driven tech turns staffing headaches, competition, and insurance frustrations into growth and better patient care.

    Stop Practicing Blind: Embracing the Use of AI Dashboards for Analytics

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 5, 2026 45:08


    On this episode of the Shared Practices Podcast, George sits down with Dr. Aditi Agarwal, co-founder of Practice by Numbers and practicing dentist, to unpack how AI and data are transforming private practice ownership. Aditi shares the origin story of PBN, practical examples of Operations AI, revenue finding, and call analytics, and why embracing technology is becoming essential for private practices competing with DSOs. They close with a candid look at team-led tech adoption and how to reduce stress for your front office while increasing performance.

    Ask George - The Secret to Growth: Turn Your Team into Leaders

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 29, 2025 38:44


    Ready to stop being the bottleneck in your practice? In this powerful Ask George episode, George and Richard unpack exactly how to delegate without losing control—and why building leaders is the key to exponential growth. From patient ownership metrics to hiring the right office manager, you'll learn how to reclaim your time, energize your team, and scale with confidence.

    Dentists Hate HR: The System That Actually Works

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2025 48:17


    Let's face it—no dentist got into ownership to handle HR headaches. Richard chats with Jill from HR for Health about how to finally stop worrying about HR. They cover everything from time-off tracking and employee handbooks to preventing team drama before it starts. Turns out, “compliance is caring”—and HR doesn't have to suck.

    Coaches Corner - Teachability Wins: Hiring, Training, and Standards of Care that Stick

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 15, 2025 36:08


    Tired of choosing between a great personality and plug-and-play experience? Richard and Caitlin show how real-world SOPs let you hire for attitude, train the skills, and stop feeling held hostage by turnover. Plus: easy ways to draft manuals with AI and keep a steady pipeline of candidates.

    Practice Under Water with George – Thor Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 8, 2025 42:35


    In Part 2 of Thor's return to Practice Under Water, George and Thor tackle the complexities of scaling a thriving $2.5M practice. From facility constraints to associate performance and insurance strategy, this episode offers a real-time masterclass in transitioning from hustle-based growth to systems-driven sustainability.

    Practice Under Water with George – Thor Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 1, 2025 40:52


    In this episode of Practice Under Water, returning guest "Thor" shares how he grew his suburban dental practice from $700K to $2.5M in just four years. George helps him evaluate the next strategic step—moving, expanding, or embracing a pseudo-specialist role—all while preserving income and quality of life.

    Ask George - The Ownership Reset

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 24, 2025 42:27


    Kick off 2026 with a plan that actually sticks. George walks through choosing your practice vision, pinpointing your #1 bottleneck, and installing a weekly operating rhythm so growth stops being random. Pick your avatar, align your team, and make the calendar turn count.

    Coaches Corner - Turning Strategic Vision Into Operational Excellence

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 17, 2025 38:02


    Richard and Caitlin break down a four-part framework for practice vision—anatomy/scale, philosophy of care, team culture, and life design—and show how to use it to drive buy-in, staffing math, and bottleneck-based prioritization. Learn cadence tips for communicating vision, preventing change fatigue, and creating clear pivot points that reduce burnout.

    Ask George - Going Beyond the Clinical: Using AI in Practice Management

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 10, 2025 35:53


    Join George Hariri and Richard Low as they dive into the real-world applications of AI in dental practice management. From co-diagnosis tools and automated SOP creation to marketing insights and team performance reviews, they explore how dentists can harness AI today—and what's just around the corner.

    Taking the PPO Power Back: Clint Johnson's Guide to Smarter Contracts

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 3, 2025 39:06


    Struggling with low reimbursements and PPO chaos? In this eye-opening episode, Richard Low and Clint Johnson reveal the exact process for climbing the “PPO Profit Ladder,” negotiating higher fees, and simplifying your practice's insurance landscape—while boosting your bottom line and your peace of mind.

    Practice Under Water with George – Scuba Steve Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 27, 2025 41:19


    In Part 2 of this Practice Under Water interview, George helps Scuba Steve unpack the deeper reasons he doesn't love walking into his practice—despite impressive growth and income. Together, they explore team alignment, systems, environment, and the foundational role of pride in private practice ownership. A candid and tactical conversation for any dentist seeking fulfillment in ownership.

    Practice Under Water with George – Scuba Steve Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 20, 2025 43:49


    In this episode of Practice Under Water, George speaks with “Scuba Steve,” a dentist who purchased a struggling fee-for-service practice and quickly doubled production. They explore Steve's unconventional ownership journey, his challenges with infrastructure, hiring, and practice culture, and preview key decisions about whether to stay solo or expand. A must-listen for anyone navigating the early years of ownership.

    Coaches Corner - Chart Merger

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 13, 2025 31:21


    In this Coaches Corner, Richard and Caitlin break down everything you need to know about chart acquisitions—how to negotiate the deal, analyze if it's the right move for your practice, and operationally prepare your team for the incoming patient load. Whether you're eyeing growth or simply curious about creative acquisition models, this episode provides clarity on a complex topic.

    Ask George - Mastering New Patient Growth

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 6, 2025 34:03


    Join Richard and George as they dive into a real-world fee-for-service case study, uncovering the secrets to boosting new patient flow, overcoming hygiene bottlenecks, and scaling without sacrificing patient relationships. If you want to transform efficiency, retention, and profitability in your practice, this is an episode you won't want to miss!

    Never Miss a Call Again: AI Solutions for Dental Practices

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 29, 2025 33:04


    AI isn't just coming—it's already answering your phones. Richard Low sits down with Mango Voice's Richard May to uncover how practices are using AI to transcribe, summarize, and even respond to patient calls. From never missing a lead to smarter call audits, this episode reveals the AI tools changing the dental front desk forever.

    Practice Under Water with George - Tom Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 22, 2025 34:01


    Tom's back—and he's ready to take control of his schedule. George helps him ditch the dreaded Fridays, streamline his hours, and plan a smart path toward a group practice, all while keeping his sanity (and family time) intact.

    Practice Under Water with George - Tom Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 15, 2025 41:29


    In this Practice Under Water episode, George sits down with Tom, a Canadian dentist navigating the challenges of ownership, financial pressure, and work-life balance. With high new patient flow and untapped expansion potential, Tom faces a critical crossroads: pursue group practice now or optimize his solo practice for sustainability and personal goals. This episode explores the nuanced considerations of timing, clinical growth, and long-term strategy.

    Ask George - Making the Right Call: Tough Decisions in Practice Ownership

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 8, 2025 40:05


    In this episode of Ask George, Richard and George discuss the difficult decisions that come with dental practice ownership. They cover real-life examples of failed partnerships, premature hiring, and costly expansions, offering insights on how to navigate and recover from these challenges.

    Coaches Corner – How to Handle Cancellations and No Shows in Your Dental Practice

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 1, 2025 35:00


    Struggling with last-minute cancellations and no-shows in your dental practice? In this Shared Practices Coaches Corner episode, Richard Low and Caitlin share proven scripts, cancellation policy strategies, and tips to train patients to respect your time. Whether you're considering broken appointment fees, patient deposits, or short-call lists, this episode delivers practical advice to protect your schedule and improve practice efficiency.

    From Overhead to Opportunity: The Virtual Team Revolution in Dentistry

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 25, 2025 44:47


    Discover how international virtual team members are transforming the dental industry. Richard Low sits down with Cory Pinegar, founder of Reach, to explore hiring trends, practice profitability, and operational strategy. They break down how to save $24K per hire while boosting team culture, patient satisfaction, and bottom-line growth.

    Ask George - The True Definition of the Dental CEO

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 18, 2025 44:42


    In this episode, Richard Low and George Hariri explore the mindset and strategic responsibilities of a dental CEO. From defining management versus leadership to understanding how to align a team with a long-term vision, they provide actionable insights for practice owners looking to elevate from operator to executive.

    Is Hygiene-Led Growth Still Viable

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 11, 2025 40:19


    In this episode, Richard Low and Alex Sharp dive deep into the role of hygiene in modern dental practices, asking whether hygiene-led growth is still viable in 2025. They explore recruiting strategies, economic realities, and leadership systems that make or break a hygiene department. Packed with tactical advice and forward-thinking insights, this is a must-listen for any practice owner navigating today's hygiene landscape.

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