This article by ADS member Earl Douglas will be featured in the October issue of Dental Entrepreneur. Boy, talk about being dealt a bad hand, and that’s definitely an understatement. Who could imagine that just as I’m finishing an eight year journey to becoming a licensed dentist that the country would experience the most dire […]

I would like to share some stories with you concerning a few of the transition disasters I have witnessed. Whether you are a potential seller or buyer, learning from them might help you avoid the same mistakes that some of your colleagues have made. We will start with my first dental practice sale. Almost 30 […]

One thing for certain in our industry, nobody could have foreseen the impact and chaos that COVID-19 caused all of us. But, with that said, and as the dust of the pandemic’s initial assault settles, a lot of practice owners are coming out of their quarantines with questions about what the market is for those […]

COVID-19 has all of us questioning how we move forward. Unfortunately, many will retreat into their safe zones when it comes to making a career choice or financial decision. From a strictly financial standing during times of economic prosperity or downturn, it is always better to own a practice than to be an associate in […]

Whether you are a first time practice owner or someone looking to expand, relocate or add an additional location, the options for financing today have never been more extensive. When it comes to the types of financing available for the purchase of a dental practice, the most common options are conventional banks, small business loans […]

“MILLENNIALS” are people born between 1980 and 2005.1(p3) They’ve grown up in a much different world than previous generations and are already showing some very interesting tendencies as they enter the workforce. I’ve been brokering dental practices for 28 years, and it was traditionally assumed that most young dentists would go into private practices for […]

After graduating from dental school, you’ll need to make a crucially important decision: What do you do next? Where do you want to practice dentistry, and what type of dental work do you want to be doing? This decision will affect you for the rest of your life. It is important to take time and […]

After completing your formal training and saving money for a down payment, you might be excited to purchase your first practice and start advertising your services. For those who are moving to a new area after having worked in another practice, this is also an exciting time. However, because purchasing an existing dental practice involves […]

“If we think about it, nearly every notable purchase or sale we’ve been involved with during our lives has evoked a certain level of emotion. Whether it was the purchase of a toy as a child, or our first car or home as a newlywed, we often remember how we felt when the transaction occurred.” […]

There are many issues that have to be agreed upon in order to sell a dental practice. One of them is the transition period, which is the time from settlement to the time the seller leaves the practice. The purpose of this article is to address key points that should be considered in order for […]

If you ask a group of doctors the most important aspect of a practice transition, the majority will point to the purchase price. Too few doctors realize that the other terms of the sale have a dramatic financial impact on the final sales price. To achieve a successful transition, buyers and sellers must work out […]

While speaking with a lender who does dental transition financing, he mentioned the great rate of returns a lot of corporations get by purchasing dental practices. He said that buying the right practices, even at fair market value, would result in rates of return as high as 15-20%. That is an incredible return rate for […]

by Bill Avery, DDS, PhD As happens with most dental practice brokers, I frequently get calls from dentists who are considering bringing in an associate so they can eventually sell their practice to the associate and retire in a few years. For simplicity’s sake, I prefer the “sell and walk away” transition method where the seller […]

PRACTICE TRANSITIONS often require buyers to deal with leased facilities and a host of unfamiliar issues. Stability is the name of the game in a transition, so leaving a practice in its current location is wise. This does not mean you’re stuck without options on the lease of the current facility. The seller has one important […]

If you’ve ever watched one of the popular trauma ER documentaries, you’ve probably thought, “I’m glad that wasn’t me!” After reading these actual practice purchase traumas, you may think, “I’M GLAD IT WASN’T ME.” FUTURE SALE DATE: A practice had $300K collections. Nearby, a young dentist agreed to buy the practice to merge it into […]

Dental practice sales are very difficult transactions. They typically involve a young buyer with limited experience in the world of business, and an older seller who has great concerns regarding the perpetuation of his or her legacy. To compound the problem, this is usually a once-in-a-career event for both parties, and neither party is very […]

In order to maintain the best possible relationship between buyer and seller during a practice sale, it’s important to have an intermediary or buffer such as a broker, attorney, or accountant to assist in the negotiation of the sale of the practice assets. Selling a dental practice usually requires some negotiation, and having this  intermediary […]

Not doing due diligence is not a good excuse for finding out poor decisions have been made. Too often, doctors interested in buying, selling, or transitioning a dental practice don’t look at all of the information they should to make correct decisions. My studies have shown that most doctors know what information they should obtain. […]

Before buying or selling a dental practice, great care and planning should be taken to consider the TAX CONSEQUENCES regarding the allocation of the sale price to the various assets involved in the transaction. Typically, the group of assets that would be sold between the selling party and buying party would include dental supplies, furniture, […]

A significant number of dental careers begin with the purchase of a practice. This purchase is one of the most important financial decisions a dentist will make in his or her professional career. If you are entering into an arrangement to purchase a practice, whether now or in the future, you are entitled to the […]

The fear that existing staff will not stay with a new doctor after selling a dental practice is largely unwarranted in the majority of practice transitions. Although it could happen, it normally does not. Here’s why. When a new doctor buys an existing practice, the staff has two options: 1) Stay on (provided the new […]