Travis, Can I Have This?

Travis Slade
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Welcome to Travis, Can I Have This?, the podcast for dental practice owners looking to master their business finances, navigate tax challenges, and unlock their practice’s full potential. Hosted by a CPA who specializes in working with dentists, each episode delivers actionable insights, clear strategies, and a touch of the dry humor to help you take control of your financial future. From tax tips to goal setting, we tackle the questions that keep practice owners up at night—so you can focus on what you do best: complaining about student loans, correction, creating beautiful smiles. 

  1. 3d ago

    032 – The Year-End Tax Planning Checklist Every Practice Owner Needs

    It’s late October, the busiest stretch of the year at Uluru. Travis gives a sneak peek into his year-end client meetings and walks through the tax planning list every practice owner and 1099 associate should review before December 31. What’s covered: Why fall, not April, is when the real tax planning happens, and why nine to ten months of data makes it the perfect windowRetirement plans: 401(k)s, solo 401(k)s for 1099 associates, SEP IRAs for new owners, and why SIMPLE IRAs usually aren’t so simpleCash balance and defined benefit plans, the “401(k) on steroids” for owners ready to save bigRoth IRAs, the backdoor Roth, and the pro rata trap that can trip you up if you have other IRAsThe HSA: deductible going in, tax-free coming out, and why it “feels illegal, but it’s not”Putting your kids on payroll: the real math once payroll taxes are counted, why fair market wages matter, and why the newborn model is a harder sellThe family management LLC strategy for avoiding payroll taxes on kids’ wages, and the risks that come with itChild tax credits and why childcare costs don’t get you muchThe two income numbers every doctor should know, where brackets jump and QBI and child credits start to phase outYear-end equipment purchases and Section 179: when they make sense, and how financing can create cash confusion laterWriting off a vehicle: the 6,000-pound rule, the commuting trap, and why auto logs matterReasonable compensation for S corp owners, and the payroll tax savings of getting it rightThe pass-through entity tax: paying your state taxes through your S corp, and why it has to happen in DecemberThe Augusta rule, the Masters golf story behind it, and how to document it properlyHealth insurance, meals, and travel: the most overused and underused deductionsAdvanced moves: cost segregation studies for practice real estate, and why the R&D credit has lost its shineThe bottom line: most clients find $10,000 to $40,000 in savings, some in the hundreds of thousandsBoring? Travis admits it. Worth tens of thousands of dollars? Absolutely. Tune in before year-end. LET’S CONNECT Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travisslade.cpa/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@travis.slade.cpa

  2. Oct 23

    031 – Buying the Practice Nobody Wanted: From $380K to $900K in Two Years

    Travis sits down with client Dr. Melanie Vandenberg of Harbor Dental in Santa Cruz. She bought a small, shrinking practice that had sat on the market for years, one Travis’s own numbers said to pass on. She nearly doubled it in her first year.  Here’s what we get into.  The numbers that worried Travis: declining collections around $380K, a heavy Delta Premier patient base facing a 30% haircut, no hygienist since COVID, and a listing that sat for years across multiple brokersWhy a small practice turned out to be a feature: low debt, time to learn the business side, and room to grow without being buried on day oneYear one results: $640K in collections, almost double the seller, while going out of network with DeltaThe “don’t rock the boat” approach: keeping the existing staff, learning the office’s systems before changing them, and respecting the seller’s dentistry with patientsHiring ahead of the need: adding a hygienist, front desk, assistant, and an associate day, because you can’t grow into capacity you don’t haveZero paid marketing: word of mouth, 98 five-star Google reviews, and referrals even from patients who left for an in-network officeYear two on pace for about $900K, with overhead under 50% compared to the seller’s 62%The real time cost of ownership, a supportive spouse doing project research, and her experience in Glidewell’s Guiding Leaders programBonus round: the accounts receivable headache, and why Travis now tells buyers to just buy the A/RProof that a bad-looking prospectus isn’t the end of the story. A lot of your success depends on you more than anything else.  LET’S CONNECT Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travisslade.cpa/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@travis.slade.cpa

  3. Oct 16

    030 – Three Reasons NOT to Sell to a DSO (From a Broker Who's Seen It All)

    Travis brings back Jared Bergquist, a Las Vegas-based dental broker with two decades of transitions under his belt, for a blunt breakdown of why a DSO sale isn't always the win it's made out to be. What's covered: Reason one, transparency. How EBITDA calculations, complicated contracts, and vague post sale expectations leave sellers confused about what they actually agreed toReason two, financial risk. Why earnouts and equity rollovers depend on a private equity market that has cooled significantly in the last few years, and why some sellers are still waiting on money they were promisedA real example of a client who would have made less money selling to a DSO than by simply staying putReason three, legacy. A gut wrenching story about a Summerlin practice owner who watched her staff and patients walk away within a year and a half of sellingWhy corporations are financially pressured to increase production fast, whether the team and patients like it or notThe bonus round, Jared's own answer to the DSO problem: skipping the middleman by co founding Las Vegas Dental Management, a dentist owned collective aiming for private equity multiples without giving up control to a traditional DSOA candid, insider's view on the tradeoffs of corporate dentistry from someone who has helped broker it hundreds of times. Tune in. LET’S CONNECT Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travisslade.cpa/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@travis.slade.cpa

  4. Oct 9

    029 – The Lay of the Land: Buying a Practice in Northern California

    Travis sits down with longtime friend Phill Hoover of Western Practice Sales to map out what buying a practice in Northern California actually looks like, from the Bay Area's sky-high demand to the hidden gems everyone overlooks. What's covered: Phill's 20+ years in dental finance and transitions, from banking to running Western Practice SalesWhy geography (not just miles) dictates where you can realistically live and practice in Northern CaliforniaHow Silicon Valley, San Francisco, and Walnut Creek each demand totally different practice strategiesHot, competitive markets vs. underserved gems like Stockton, Modesto, Turlock, and Monterey, where a $100K practice can grow into a $1M practice in two yearsThe Delta Dental Premier trap: how legacy sellers quietly inflate collections, and what buyers need to ask before making an offerWhy hygienist and staffing costs run higher in Northern California, and how loyalty works differently hereA surprising stat: only about 110 of roughly 3,800 active Northern California dental offices are DSO-owned, making it one of the most private-practice-friendly regions in the countryWhy corporate consolidation has largely skipped Northern California, and how private doctors are running their own mini roll-ups insteadPhill's biggest advice: know yourself, know the dentistry you can deliver, and don't let analysis paralysis keep you on the sidelinesA must-listen for anyone weighing whether (and where) to plant roots in the Bay Area or beyond. Tune in. Contact Phill: WesternPracticeSales.com | phill@westernpracticesales.com | 415-481-2933 LET’S CONNECT Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travisslade.cpa/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@travis.slade.cpa

  5. Oct 2

    028 - Should You Sell to a DSO? A Broker's Honest Take

    Travis sits down with David Haynes of the Menlo Group, a dental-specific M&A firm, to dig into one of the most polarizing topics in dentistry: is selling to a DSO actually a good idea? What's covered: David's winding path from accounting dropout to dental lender to DSO deal expertWhy practices collecting under $1.5–2M rarely make sense for a DSO sale, and why size changes everythingThe real reasons doctors sell: burnout, staffing headaches, reimbursement struggles, or just wanting to de-risk their biggest assetThe single biggest argument for a DSO: eliminating "transition risk" if you're mid-career and your wealth is tied up in one practiceWhy EBITDA calculated by a DSO is nothing like your actual tax return numbers — and why that gap trips up so many sellersThe dangers of rollover equity, and why "free" future upside isn't guaranteedRed flags: too much debt, too little cash at close, culture mismatches, and multi-doc partnership complicationsWhy leases are a hidden minefield for doctors who own their real estateThe case for hiring a professional negotiator instead of going direct to a DSO solo — and yes, the mustache came upA clear-eyed, no-hype breakdown for any practice owner wondering if a DSO offer is actually worth it. Tune in. Contact David: david@menlotransitions.com LET’S CONNECT Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travisslade.cpa/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@travis.slade.cpa

  6. Sep 25

    027 - Exceptional Dentistry, One Year Later

    Travis catches up with Dr. Bustos and Dr. Thacker, a husband and wife team who bought a thriving fee for service practice in Las Vegas and just wrapped their first year as owners. What is covered. They met in college, went through UNLV dental school together, and spent three or four years searching for the right practice before this one landed in their lap through a chance connection at Bank of America. The practice they bought had a devoted following and decades of history in Las Vegas, and they walk through the nerve wracking process of earning the seller's trust before ever seeing the office. They share the tangible lessons, like discovering the entire office ran on outdated computers with no IT due diligence done, and a lease with no clear language for a dental tenant, including a rogue printer contract that cost them thousands. They dig into the harder, intangible lessons, like learning to communicate their vision clearly to a longtime team instead of quietly trying to preserve the status quo. They talk openly about the emotional weight of managing employees through change, and why taking feedback and conflict personally makes ownership so much harder. They reflect on stepping into a highly regarded predecessor's shoes clinically, and how honesty with patients about their own pace and standards built trust instead of losing it. Despite the stress, both agree they would do it again without hesitation, choosing the freedom and integrity of ownership over the comfort of being an associate. A grounded, funny, and honest look at what the first year of practice ownership really feels like. Tune in. LET’S CONNECT Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travisslade.cpa/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@travis.slade.cpa LET’S CONNECT Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travisslade.cpa/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@travis.slade.cpa

  7. Sep 18

    026 – Insurance 101: What Every Dentist Actually Needs

    Travis sits down with Conor DePalma of CFS Dental Division to cut through the noise on dental insurance — because "insurance" is one of those words with a hundred meanings, and picking the wrong policy can cost you way more than a premium. What's covered: Why CFS's salaried (not commission-based) model changes the advice you actually getThe big three every new dentist needs: malpractice, life, and disability insurance — and when (or if) you actually need themOccurrence vs. claims-made malpractice policies, and the "tail coverage" trap that can leave you exposed after leaving a jobHow vicarious liability hits multi-doc practices, and why associates' coverage matters to owners tooTerm vs. permanent life insurance — and why whole life often makes salesmen rich and clients poorDisability insurance deep dive: level vs. graded policies, how much coverage actually makes sense, and why "get the max" isn't always good adviceWhat changes when you go from associate to practice owner: bank-required life insurance, business overhead expense coverage, and moreBusiness owner's policies — general liability, property/contents coverage, and business interruption — plus real claim stories (yes, cars have driven into waiting rooms)Newer risks every practice owner should know: employment practices liability (especially in CA) and cyber liability/social engineering scamsA must-listen before you sign anything with a commission-hungry insurance rep. Tune in for the real breakdown. Contact Conor: CFSdentaldivision.com | conor@cfsdentaldivision.com LET’S CONNECT Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travisslade.cpa/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@travis.slade.cpa

  8. Sep 11

    025 – Vegas, Baby: Buying a Dental Practice in Vegas

    Travis kicks off a brand-new mini-series exploring dental markets across the country, starting with the one and only Las Vegas. Joining him is Jared Bergquist, a dental-specific broker and commercial real estate expert who's called Vegas home since 1992 and has lived through every boom, bust, and boom again. Jared Bergquist 702-521-9953 jared@bergquistgroup.com What's covered: Vegas dentistry's wild ride — from the golden 70s-90s, to the 2008 recession gutting the market, to today's red-hot buyer demandWhy Vegas has some of the highest insurance reimbursement rates (and patient spending) in the country — and how that fuels heavy DSO competitionThe case for buying an "ugly" older practice with decades of goodwill over chasing a shiny new locationA geographic breakdown of Vegas's best opportunity pockets — Northwest, Inspirada, Summerlin's hidden restrictions, and moreReal numbers on de novo startups: build-out costs, lease rates, and why it's not the cheap route it used to beThe often-overlooked goldmine of second-generation dental spacesVegas's unique hygienist and assistant shortage — and how the service industry (yes, cocktail waitressing) is stealing your staffJared's parting advice: get on every broker's radar and surround yourself with real dental-industry prosA must-listen for anyone eyeing Vegas as their next practice home. Reach Jared at BergquistGroup.com. LET’S CONNECT Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travisslade.cpa/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@travis.slade.cpa

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5 Ratings

About

Welcome to Travis, Can I Have This?, the podcast for dental practice owners looking to master their business finances, navigate tax challenges, and unlock their practice’s full potential. Hosted by a CPA who specializes in working with dentists, each episode delivers actionable insights, clear strategies, and a touch of the dry humor to help you take control of your financial future. From tax tips to goal setting, we tackle the questions that keep practice owners up at night—so you can focus on what you do best: complaining about student loans, correction, creating beautiful smiles. 

Information

  • Creator
    Travis Slade
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    32
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Travis, Can I Have This?
  • Show Website
    Travis, Can I Have This?

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