August 9, 2022

Should I Sell My Dental Practice by Myself?

man in front of computer

You survived dental school, opened the practice of your dreams, but now are ready to start the transition process. You’ve worked so hard for so many years, it may only seem natural to want to take the sale of your business in your own hands. Whether you’re gearing up for retirement or just want to release managerial responsibilities, you won’t want to go it alone. After all, your time is money, and you’ll want to focus on keeping your staff and patient attrition rates up during this time. Here’s one example of how hiring Professional Transition Strategies (PTS) can make a difference in the long run.

The backstory

A single practice in a suburb of Portland, Oregon, was doing $2.5 million in collections. The doctor-owner had been approached in the past by dental service organizations (DSOs) about undergoing an affiliation. One DSO offered the owner $4 million for a joint venture model only.

The process

The dentist came to PTS to see how we could help lever up the deal and show him more options. Together we explored potential partnerships, associateships and more transition options to ensure the doctor was making the best decision for his transition goals. By hiring an experienced dental practice broker, he was also afforded more marketing opportunities for his practice in front of more qualified buyers than he could have on his own.

The outcome

We worked with the dentist to secure a joint venture/holding company deal for an enterprise value of close to $8.2 million from the exact same group that offered $4 million initially. By working with us, he received six other offers that not only leveraged up the various offers, but it also gave him the ease of mind to understand market comparables and be more excited and comfortable about his decision.

What’s next?

Contact the experts at PTS to learn more reasons why you should hire a dental practice broker for the transition of your business.

January 29, 2020

4 Reasons Confidentiality Is Important During the Dental Practice Transition Process

It’s only natural to want to share your news with the world as soon as you decide to purchase or sell a dental practice, but there are more pros than cons when it comes to keeping the details of your deal under wraps. Here’s how and why confidentiality is important during the dental practice transition process.

Relationships

As a business owner, you’ll want to make sure the deal is finalized before notifying your staff and patients alike. Just as staff can get nervous and even start job hunting at the thought of insecurity with a new boss, patients can likewise start looking for other doctors if they find out you’re hanging up the proverbial hat.

Bottom line

Any drastic changes to your practice during the sale process can result in a decline in value, whether based on a change of staff or patient demographics. A “warm handoff” that is properly executed and conveyed will account for significantly less attrition, not to realize good faith in knowing both staff and patients will be in good hands.

Competition

If word gets out that you’re working on selling your practice, that opens the door for competing dentists to up their marketing game and try to steal patients and staff. Even if your pending departure isn’t for another couple of years, sale details shared too soon can be used against you and your business too soon.

Associate

If you are currently an associate in a practice but in the market to purchase your own, leaked details can get back to your employer and result in termination of your employment contract. For this reason, it’s worth repeating that associateships are typically only 20 percent effective due to not everything being agreed upon from the outset and different expectations not being met by both parties.

What’s next?

Whether you’re looking to buy or sell, contact the experts at Professional Transition Strategies to start and finish the dental practice transition process the right way.

November 14, 2019

3 Reasons to Start Your Dental Practice Transition Early

Dental practice transitions don’t happen overnight. In fact, a well-laid plan can take as long as five years if done properly. Even if you aren’t ready to hang up the proverbial hat, it doesn’t hurt to take a few steps in the right direction. Here are some suggestions to make sure your dental practice lands in the right hands.

More transition options

Once upon a time, the only options for transitioning out of a dental practice were to sell to another dentist or close its doors. But today, the options are seemingly endless. You can choose to sell your practice in whole or a portion to a partner for a longer-term transition plan, sell your practice but continue to work as an associate, merge with another successful dental practice, affiliate with a dental service organization, among others.

More offers

Your options aren’t limited to the type of transition but also the offers you receive. If you wait until the last minute to transition out of your practice, you may be stuck in a situation where you have to take the first offer you receive. By starting early, you can be more discerning on offers that come in and truly only move forward with the one with which you feel most comfortable.

Increase value

The necessary step of valuating your dental practice not only helps determine which type of transition would be best, but also tells you what upgrades need to be made before selling your business. If the value of your practice isn’t enough to clear your debts, you can decide if you need a few more years to build up the value of your practice before taking that next step.

What’s next?

Learn more about your transition options with the e-book “Strategies for Transition,” then contact the experts at Professional Transition Strategies to begin the process.

May 29, 2019

You’ve Graduated from Dental School; Now What?

You’ve studied for the past eight years and now finally have that much-coveted dental degree in hand. Now what? Even if your dreams are to own your own practice, there are other options to consider and a few steps you might want to take first. Here, we break down some options for dental school graduates to add to their list of considerations.

Build an advisory team

Assembling a team of advisors to help guide you through every step of the process will ensure the success of your business is established from the beginning. As with any team, you’re only as strong as your weakest link, so it’s important to choose advisors who have experience in the dental industry, such as a consultant, technology advisor, real estate broker, equipment and supply representatives, CPA, and attorney.

Consider location

Make sure that your lifestyle works with the location you are considering, whether in a metro or rural area. Also consider the old real estate adage of “location, location, location” also applies to your dental practice when considering a purchase. Evaluate whether you want to lease or buy, your timeframe, and size requirements, as well as how much sweat equity you are willing to put in.

Acquire license

Arguably most importantly, get licensed in your desired area, if you are not already. If you are not currently licensed in the state in which you want to practice, learn the process. Do you need to take an exam? How much will it cost? Do you have the correct insurances? How long will it take?

Determine options

Purchasing a dental practice isn’t a cut-and-dry process. There are seemingly endless transition options, from buy-outs and buy-ins to associateships and affiliations, as well as options tailored specifically toward dental school graduates, such as establishing a start-up or working for the military, school, or government.

What’s next?

Read more about the options for dental school graduates in the e-book “Recent Graduate,” then contact the experts at Professional Transition Strategies to get started on the right path.

April 23, 2019

Webinar: “10 Ways to Prep Your Practice for Transition”

Every so often, Professional Transition Strategies hosts a webinar for sellers to learn more about the transition process. In April, a webinar geared toward sellers detailed the steps and options when considering buying a dental practice. Here are the key takeaways.

Think about your strategy

A seller should begin with the end in mind. Think about your long-term needs, how much time is needed to implement the plan, and what your ideal strategy looks like, including a buy-out, partnership, or associateship, as well as whether or not you would consider selling to a dental service organization, private equity for extensive growth, or merger with another local practice.

Start or keep growing your practice

The biggest failure of owners is letting the practice start to decline when thinking of selling. In turn, the value of the practice drops significantly and can cause a bank to decide not to finance the acquisition. What’s more, it lowers the total options that a broker can deploy. It is worthwhile to market your practice right up until the point of transition to ensure the value won’t decline over the course of time.

Focus on core details

Other than financials, it’s important to take a wholesale look at your practice to assess what has made your practice successful. Do you provide certain treatments that set you apart? What niches do you work in? Do you serve a cetain community very well? Are you engrained in the business sector? Is your management style unique in that it allows you to keep employees for a long time?

Run an equipment evaluation

Most practices are valued using a weighted system that takes into account how old the equipment is. If time allows, it may make sense to purchase upgraded equipment, use that equipment, depreciate it over five years, and achieve a much higher sales price, even though you won’t get a 100 percent return on your investment. Consider going digital if you haven’t already, then upgrade cone beam computed tomography, digital impressions, computer-aided design and manufacturing system, and new chairs and units.

Consider the real estate

If you don’t own the building, notify your landlord that a transition will happen. If possible, sign a new lease or an addendum that allows the lease to be assignable to a dentist who qualifies for bank financing. If you do own the building, which can be sold as an asset to help pay for retirement, start paying yourself market rent. Alternatively, consider relocating your practice to a more desirable location, which can raise your practice valuation by as much as 5 percent.

Clean up your books

In addition to charging yourself market rent if you own the building, if you employ your spouse, consider replacing him or her or at least start paying him or her what market value for the position would be. What’s more, don’t stop writing off items through your practice; keep track of personal travel, depreciation, etcetera.

Know your “why”

One of the biggest worries for a buyer is that they will have to compete with you over time so it’s important to be able to articulate a real and communicable reason to a buyer at least a broker so that they can tell the story for you.

Build an advisory team

Know your practice’s worth

Creating a practice prospectus that breaks down the profitability of the practice helps to understand the value of the practice and can help determine the best strategy to use, as well as give you a road map for what you need to do before the sale occurs, which could alter your expectations in terms of horizons. Factors such as revenue, net income, seller’s discretionary earnings, and value of assets will all be taken into consideration.

Execute strategy

After determining which strategy to implement and how long it will take to get there, you can start getting the work done that needs to happen before the transition takes place. Now is the time to start working with an advisor to take the next steps toward implementing your strategy over the set period of time.

What’s next?

Learn more about the dental transition process in an upcoming webinar, then contact the experts at Professional Transition Strategies to learn about the next steps.

March 8, 2019

Transition Timeframes and Factors that Contribute to Them

One of the contributing factors and most commonly asked questions when it comes to dental practice transitions is “How long will this take?” As with any business transaction, the answers are not cut-and-dry. Here are some transition timeframes and the factors that contribute to them to help guide your decision.

Buy-out: 0–365 days

A buy-out is the quickest and most predictable transaction with the search being dependent upon marketability and location of practice. In a buy-out, the senior doctor is looking for someone to take over the entirety of his or her practice but can choose to stay on as a long-term associate, contributing to the transition period. Once a buyer is found, the success rate is close to 100 percent.

Buy-in: 1–4 years

A buy-in is essentially a short-term and defined associateship period that is approached from an owner time set, not employee. While the majority of the time is spent finding the right fit, the buy-in should occur within one year after the getting-to-know-you period. A roadmap is established upfront with all the material facts about the transition to make the process more predictable and the time horizon to be more defined.

Merger: > 2 years

The longest part of this transition is finding two clinicians who are not only compatible, but also have a similar timeframe and geographic location, both in terms of real estate. Though not always the case, in most mergers, one facility is kept while the other is relocated. However, the operational side can be as quick as a buy-in as only purchase documentation and operational agreements are required.

Affiliation: < 3 years

Similar to a merger, with an affiliation, the doctor will most likely stay on for a period of time with the buying dental service organization or group, depending on the practice type and location. Also similar to the search process of a buy-out, the operational process for an affiliation can be even quicker even though there is more due diligence as they are familiar with the process, compared to a first-time individual buyer.

Associate: 5 years

On paper, taking on an associate is normally the fastest route as there are often a lot of prospects; however, with a one-in-five success rate, timing can be unpredictable finding the best match for your dental practice. While the search can be the quickest part at about one month, the operational part of having that person buy in can take up to a year and ultimately might not work out in the end.

Private equity investments: > 5 years

The underlying goal of this transition is to make sure the practice is big enough that a private equity group would be interested in funding it. Private equity groups are constantly searching for the right practice and can close as fast as any DSO or individual once the correct partner with a solid platform is found. However, the majority of the time is spent because the doctor would need to stay on board for at least five years since it is the business they are looking to take over.

What’s next?

Read up on the different options for dental practice transitions in the e-book “Strategies for Transition,” then contact the experts at Professional Transition Strategies to start the conversation.

January 16, 2019

5 Considerations when Sharing a Dental Office Space

Transitions aside, an often-overlooked option is to share an office space. Renting out under- or unutilized office space can come with its financial advantages if done correctly. In locations that are more densely populated and with greater competitive saturation, just by joining forces, consolidating operations, minimizing facility costs, bundling overall expenses, and maximizing production, an additional 14 percent can be made on the bottom line. However, like with any leasing agreement, there are factors to consider to ensure you aren’t costing your dental practice money or goodwill. Here are some considerations to take into account before signing any agreements.

Share the load

A space may be underutilized if there are multiple unused operatories or the current doctor only works a few days a week, leaving the office closed for many days. Renting out space to another doctor will also provide emergency patient coverage while one doctor is away.

Save on costs

Taking on a tenant to help reduce overhead will only help increase income, not to mention the ability to upgrade equipment through a shared cost with the leesee, while also offering additional networking and business opportunities for both parties.

Provide a test-run

A lessee is afforded the opportunity to save on business expenses in terms of equipment and office space until they build up their own practice. Along the same lines, the leasing doctor is able to test out success rates in specific geographical areas before opening their own practice doors.

Draw the line

Just because you are sharing space, does not mean that you are also sharing patients. It is important to know the difference between a spaced share versus an associateship or partnership as it can be harder to sell your practice if you already have a space share in place.

Crunch the numbers

Have an attorney with health care law experience draw up a legal contract before the commitment is made, including duration of and terms of lease, termination and renewal terms, conflict resolution, insurances accepted, outline of equipment sharing and maintenance costs, any shared staff or office number, and schedule for the shared space.

What’s next?

Contact the experts at Professional Transition Strategies to learn more about different space-sharing opportunities to find out if this option makes sense for your dental practice.

December 28, 2018

How to Manage Your Dental Student Loans

While dentistry will most certainly be a lucrative career in the long run if you play your cards right, the harsh reality is that the average dental school debt is approximately $260K. Add to that an average of $220K in lost earnings plus interest, and a graduate can count on expening $570K toward dental school. Don’t be discouraged that dentistry is the number one job in America for debt; your investment is typically paid back within eight years of practice. Here are some points to consider along the way.

Buy a practice

Rather than starting as an associate or even working for a dental service organization, after graduating with a negative net worth, the fastest way to make dentistry worth it is through practice ownership, most notably in an area where there is demand. Though counterintuitive, taking on more debt will pay off.

Grow your practice

Consider the population-to-dentist ratio in your practice area, then hire consultants to grow your practice and stand out above the rest. Working with smart financial planners and CPAs throughout the process will keepy you headed in the right direction.

Shop insurance providers

The leading cause of a lower income is the lower fees associated with PPO insurance plans. Shopping insurance providers will not only be financial beneficial as a business owner, but for your patients, as well.

Ask the right questions

What are my debt repayment options? Can I pay down my student debt? Can I limit my student debt? Should I repay my debt? And perhaps most importantly, will practicing dentistry make me happy?

What’s next?

Read up on other options in the e-book “Recent Graduates,” then contact the experts at Professional Transition Strategies help guide you on the right path.

December 4, 2018

How to Manage Multiple Locations

You’ve been bitten by the entrepreneurship bug and have started to wonder if purchasing additional dental practices is your next move. But first, you’ll need to understand what’s involved in owning multiple locations. Here’s how to get your gears moving.

Ask the right questions

Start thinking: Do you have an admin who will oversee and manage the business aspects of each location? Will you work at both locations? If so, how will your time be split up? Are you going to bring on an associate or partner (understanding that associateships are only successful 20 percent of the time, while partnerships see a 60-percent success rate)? What are the costs associated with improvements to keep both locations upgraded?

Crunch the numbers

The first consideration that should be made is the amount of operating capital you would need and to make sure you have a good banking partner. From there, you’ll need to clarify options about keeping the two practices completely separate versus centralizing the front office functions, including billing, accounting, and scheduling. Determine how you will increase effective cash flow, by focusing on new patients, efficient equipment, better technology and software, and minimize outflow. Additionally, don’t forget the additional cost of advertising and having an online presence.

Assess the location

The success of a second location hinges on just that: its location. Assess the area growth and population, as well as the competition around you. By placing an additional location in a separate socioeconomic area other than that of your primary practice, you may see that while one practice is slow, the other is booming.

Staff accordingly

Simply put, you can’t run two or more offices by yourself, even if you plan to practice at multiple locations. The staff can travel with you, but depending on your growth plan, it may make more sense to have certain staff members exclusively at the different locations, such as admin personnel, other dentists, hygienists, and dental assistants.

Count your inventory

Creating an inventory system that keeps all office supplies in one location and extra medical supplies in another will only make everyone’s lives easier. What’s more, investing in technology at the same time will ensure you can manage multiple locations from a central location or database. Consider automating your billing and digital staff scheduling systems at the same time so everyone is on the same page.

Consider all options

Starting from scratch isn’t the only way to grow your practice. Consider strategies that involve either an acquisition or de novo startup, both of which have their perks, but understanding the consequences of either will ensure more pros than cons. Alternatively, consider merging your practice with an existing practice to get an influx of patients without the overhead of another office.

What’s next?

Ready to take the next steps? Contact the experts at Professional Transition Strategies to figure out which path is right for you.

November 6, 2018

Dental Practice Transitions, by the Numbers

You’ve kept up with the Insights blog; you’ve taken the dental practice transition quiz. Now it’s time to learn even more about the process by way of a cheat sheet broken down by the numbers.

1,500

Number of active patients considered full capacity for a single dentist. Any more, and it may be time to consider taking on an associate or partner.

680

Credit score that is favorable to getting a better business loan.

80

Percent of goodwill that contributes toward the overall value of your practice.

150

Hours it takes to sell a dental practice, which is one of many reasons to hire a professional broker.

15

Minimum number of days patients and staff should be notified about the sale of a dental practice.

30

Percent of dental practices that will belong to a dental service organization by 2021, as predicted by the American Dental Association.

5

Years out you should start thinking about a retirement plan.

20

Pages that make up a prospectus, broken down into different categories of interest to the buyer identifying the areas that potentially need attention.

99

Percentage success rate of a buy-out, versus 60 percent for a partnership and 20 percent for an associateship.

What’s next?

Read the e-book “Strategies for Transition” to learn more about the different dental practice transition options, then contact the experts at Professional Transition Strategies to learn more.