Retiring and selling your dental practice is one of the most significant events in a dentist’s career. You only have one chance to get it right – so be prepared. The average retirement lasts 6,470 days. For these Autumn days to be successful, equal amounts of personal and practice planning are required. In this article, […]

Selling a dental practice can be challenging and ensuring that you sell your dental practice for the right value is crucial. A successful dental practice sale needs careful planning to get the best return on your investment. The selling process can be complicated when you’re ready to sell your dental practice. It’s best to avoid […]

Should You Sell Your Accounts Receivable? The short answer to this question is yes, it is a good idea to sell your accounts receivable if both parties agree and the price is carefully evaluated. The reasons for transitioning the accounts receivable are related to supporting a seamless transition for the Selling Doctor and the Buying […]

EBITDA – six letters that can make all the difference in your dental practice transition.    Whether you’re thinking of buying or selling a practice or just want to know what your practice is worth, all you need to do is calculate your practice’s EBITDA, and you have the magic key that unlocks all the […]

Basic Understanding of Key Dental Practice Purchase Agreement Elements Understanding key elements in a dental practice purchase agreement are necessary to ensure a successful dental practice transition. Making the decision to buy or sell a dental practice is a major life event.  Once that decision has been made, navigating legal documents can certainly feel daunting. […]

Tips for Announcing a Dental Practice Transition Transitioning your dental practice requires balancing the amount of information released against maintaining the confidentiality of the transaction. On one hand, you want to market the practice and inform potential purchasers of the opportunity. On the other hand, you need to control how and when the patients, staff, […]

Make a Good Impression It may sound like common sense, but the best thing a buyer can do is to put your best foot forward with the seller the moment you first meet, and make a good impression. Forget that you are nervous about paying all that money for goodwill and old equipment. The most […]

I agree with Madeleine Albright, former Secretary of State, when she said, “Every step in life should be more exciting than the last.” If you are contemplating an exciting new stage in your life, from buying your first practice to retiring from dentistry, then a roadmap is critical to your success. However, it is the […]

Dental transitions are very much like the PRACTICE of dentistry in that we all know that years of “practice” is usually the key to excellent dentistry. While we were all confident that we received great training in dental school, most of us realized that only years of practicing in one location was truly the yardstick […]

Recently, a retiring doctor perused the website of a large and trusted dental insurance company and found information relating to practice sales. Part of that information included letters for sellers to give to their staff to make sure the selling doctor would be in compliance with state labor law upon the close of sale. The […]

The single-most important factor in determining the practice sales price is the collection total of the previous calendar year. Lenders and buyers like to see stability without large variances from year to year. It should be obvious that steady, slight increases in revenues are always better than even the slightest of decreases. Poor performance of […]

Planning Dental Practice for Sale by Owner Can be Daunting. Take our Quiz to See if You’re Ready. If you’re considering selling your dental practice without the help of a professional, take this quiz to make sure you’re both physically and mentally ready. The key is to be able to answer all these questions as […]

You’re ready to sell your practice and you want the best result possible, so common sense tells you to list your practice with as many brokers as possible. It only makes sense, right? When I am contacted by these sellers, they are often surprised by what I have to say. Work with several brokers during […]

Be Sure to Ask These Six Questions When Considering Selling to a DSO In the first 25 years of our company’s history, dating back to 1993, 100 percent of our transitions were from one solo practitioner or partnership to another. For some buyers, this might have been their second, third, or even fourth office – […]

Do you know the value of your dental practice if something were to happen to you? It’s important to know the value of your dental practice. We are emerging from the most surreal time that we are likely to ever encounter in our lifetime. All of us have paused to reflect on what has happened […]

What is a DSO? A DSO (dental service organization) contract with dental practices and provide business support and management. The DSO model works by supporting dental practices with administrative and non-clinical services. This allows dentists to conduct patient care without having to focus on operations management. Who do DSOs Employ? Aside from acquiring private practices, […]

Whether you’re buying or selling a dental practice, one of the most important initial documents is an Offer to Purchase (OTP).

None of us want to discuss or think about death or long-term disability. Humans cope with the possibility of death by ignoring it, which leads to a lack of preparation when the inevitable happens.

The pandemic’s impact on the dental industry and business as a whole has been severe, but it has revealed some unexpected opportunities for many dental practices. You’re most likely well into the recovery of your practice because of one simple truth…people need dental care. That fortunate fact means your profits, while taking a hit in […]

Life is like a record album for those who remember what that actually is. It spins around and around, and once it gets to the end, it starts back at the beginning. Like the 70’s Rock Band, The Clash simply put it in the 1982 top 40 hit, “Should I Stay, or Should I Go”? […]

Hello Again, Our last article was dedicated to the basics of tax considerations in the practice transition process. As a quick refresher, the total sale price of a dental practice is typically allocated in some part to goodwill, equipment, and supplies. Each of which carries with it its own tax consequences for both the buyer […]

Investing in a Dental Practice is a Smart Investing Move The United States had the best economy it’s seen with the lowest unemployment OF ALL TIME prior to the 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic. Many economists predicted the stimulus package would result in several years of better-than-average growth in the US economy. I personally have had private […]

While economic recovery is progressing in the right direction, its slower pace is a concern for everyone in the dental industry. But there does appear to be hope on the horizon. The ADA started conducting biweekly surveys in March of 2020 to get a better idea of the impact of COVID-19 on dental practices. As […]

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 […]

As an entrepreneur, a successful dentist, a respected part of the community and a business owner, you will at some point have to make the decision to exit. Do you have an associate willing, able and financially capable to buy a portion or all of your practice? Some, unfortunately, make a terrible, and most likely […]

The decision to buy or sell a dental practice is a significant undertaking. It can be overwhelming for many doctors because they often only buy or sell a dental practice once in their career. As a seller, your experience from when you purchased a dental practice will significantly differ from what a buyer experiences today, […]

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 […]

These are unprecedented times with dental offices closed for weeks and social distancing. Sadly, until 2020, social distancing was not a mainstream term. But here we are and social distancing is an everyday reality that permeates the news and our lives. What does this mean for your dental practice value going forward? The reality is, […]

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 […]

Use Downtime as an Opportunity to Add Value to Your Dental Practice Sale We are often asked by potential dental practice sellers what they need to do to get their practice ready to be sold. Our expert dental brokers developed a list of 10 tips to prepare for a dental practice sale. They are: TEN […]

“No time like the present” has never been more appropriate than right now when it comes to protecting your practice from any form of an infection. And, while patient well-being is always first and foremost, there’s a secondary concern about an infection incident that can impact a practice – image and value. Anything that adversely […]

I’m currently doing an analysis for a client who will be selling his practice. It’s rare that someone who has been offered 120% of their gross income for their practice and an offer to work for five years after the sale for $350,000 per year would bother to ask if that was a good deal or […]

What are DSOs? DSOs actually go by a number of different names: Dental Service Organizations, Dental Management Organizations, Dental Support Organizations, and variations on the theme. They provide dental practice management and administrative services including marketing, human resources, billing, accounting, regulatory compliance, lease negotiation, and purchasing services. The DSO Model The DSO model can fundamentally […]

“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 […]

Over the past several months, WE HAVE HEARD A GREAT DEAL ABOUT CHANGE. Change in any aspect of our life often creates some level of stress. However, some of us actually look forward to change and view it as an opportunity. One thing that is an absolute certainty is that change will happen in all […]

If you are healthy and just want more free time, you are fortunate to have time to plan for a successful dental practice transition.

Dental practice buyers and sellers may think that a sale is complete when the sale agreement is signed, the check issued, and handshakes completed. However, a successful transition needs much more work. Since 1984, I have sold over 250 practices. With this experience, I developed a practice-transition checklist. Results include the following: • Less than […]

“If you are a general dentist, the last thing you want is for your patients to know that you are looking to retire.” Recently a dear friend of mine was on “Master Chef.” This was someone who I’ve known for more than 25 years; we even help raise each other’s kids. Although I knew from […]

“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 […]

Dr. Joseph was a happy man when he sold his practice. His practice appeared to be merely “average” for the area. He got almost precisely his listing price, and not because he had a better location, newer equipment, or higher profit than many of his colleagues. The reason he got his price is because he […]

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 […]

Often when we are hired to sell a dental practice, owners ask us if we think they should sell their building at the same time as their practice. Here are some questions for consideration: Location, location, location. Is the building located in a vibrant part of town where there is high visibility and a significant amount […]

I once overheard a dentist say to one of his colleagues that selling a practice couldn’t be all that complicated. Obviously he had never been involved in the process. Basically, it’s like anything we do — the more we do it, the easier and less complicated it becomes. If it’s someone’s first and only time […]

By Steve Jordan Before you try to sell your practice on your own, you need to take this test. Unless you are SURE of the answers, and why, you should rethink trying to sell without professional help. There will be lots of “tire kicker” prospects. Some you will know. T/F A classified ad in the dental society bulletin […]

When sellers hit the twilight years of their practices between aggressive growth and the sale, they want to be comfortable and not face hassles or be hustled. Staffing is generally the biggest angst that doctors have, and they make every effort to be comfortable when they build their teams. With employee costs being perhaps the […]

Some of the frequent statements or questions I hear from dentists these days are – “I wish I could just be a clinician and not worry about running the business,” “What is the value of my practice?” “When is the right time to sell my practice?” and “What options do I have to practice after […]

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 […]

Baby boomers are perhaps the largest segment of full-time practicing dentists in the country today. Many are reaching a point where they need to decide how to transition out of their profession. We will briefly discuss some options during this important phase in your decision-making process. The goal is to arm you with 1,000 questions […]

Most dentists look forward to retirement, even if they’ve had an interesting and rewarding career. However, in the rush to achieve their retirement goal, practitioners often fail to anticipate the changes that come with selling their practice and riding of into the sunset. Selling a dental practice is an emotional as well as financial step, […]

Many dentists never consider the business side of their industry until they are faced with buying or selling a practice. In many cases, dentists have staff or outside help to manage the intricate legal and financial side of their business. This is fine during the normal course of ownership, but more involvement becomes necessary when […]

There are many factors to be considered when attempting to increase the value of your dental practice prior to a sale. The primary goal is to make your practice as attractive as possible to prospective buyers. This doesn’t mean slashing staff salaries or adding shiny new equipment. Instead, you should identify the best aspects of your practice […]

Evaluating a dental practice for sale is a multi-step process. If steps are skipped, problems can arise before, during and after the transition. If this process is completed properly, however, the transition will be carried off in a professional and successful manner. Step 1: The Initial Consultation The initial consultation for a practice valuation should cover […]

There is a lot of misleading information about how to increase the value of a dental practice.

Although opinions are divided on selling accounts receivable (A/R), a strong argument for “yes” is that it’s a good idea if both parties agree and the price is carefully evaluated. The reasons for transitioning the accounts receivable are related to supporting a seamless transition for the selling doctor, the buying doctor, and the patients. From the […]

A recent article from Forbes Magazine/Forbes.com reviewed the ten highest paying jobs. Not surprisingly, topping the list was surgeons (averaging $225,390 per year). Of the top ten, seven spots went to medical professionals and two to dentistry, specifically Oral-Maxillofacial Surgeons (#3 at $214,120) and Orthodontists (#5 at $200,290). The article mentioned the specialized nature of […]

What if you could sell your practice and office space at the FAIR MARKET VALUE and stay on after the sale, continuing to enjoy dentistry and earning a fair compensation for two to 10 years or more, depending on your age and exit timetable? Although an outright sale when the selling dentist exits the practice […]

For most dental practices, goodwill constitutes the largest component of the practice’s value. A mistake in handling goodwill could cost you thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars in unnecessary taxes when you sell your practice. Giving Uncle Sam your hard-earned money in the form of unnecessary taxes is a costly mistake at any […]

We all know that DEATH AND TAXES are the only two certainties in life. We also know that when you sell a dental practice, chances are you are going to have to pay income taxes on the sale. What may come as a surprise is that the amount of taxes due can vary widely depending […]

For those of you who practice as C-corporations, the sale of your practice results in a double tax; 35% at the corporate level and 15% at the individual level. Since 1998, advisors have relied on several favorable tax court rulings to minimize this double tax by taking the position that your goodwill is personal to […]

A dental practice transition requires expertise in many different areas of business and the law. I will narrow my advice as it applies to the U.S. federal income tax laws as they may apply in dental practice transitions. Proper tax planning and preparations in the sale of your dental practice can afford the seller of […]

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. […]

Our organization has found that more dentists than ever are selling their practices and moving on to an active retirement or a new vocation. The retirees who postponed their retirement due to the stock market decline post 9/11, the baby boomers who are beginning to retire, and the dentists who are moving to new areas have […]

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, […]

With a book and a little bit of free time, it is possible for a dentist to perform his or her own electrical work. The problem with this approach to a dental practice sale is that disputes and liabilities resulting from the sale may be more significant than a blown electrical fuse or a little […]

In the course of a year, we will receive several calls from a grieving spouse or staff member, informing us that the doctor has suddenly passed away. The spouse or staff member has been given our name by other dentists, the dental society, the dental association, or the dental board. The question is always the […]

According to recent ADA figures, only 6 percent of dentists in America today can comfortably retire at age 60. Such information is sobering and warrants the question: What measures are you taking to ensure the independence and freedom you desire upon retirement, particularly as you begin to approach retirement age? Most dentists are self-employed and […]

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 […]