👉 Free training for dentists who want a "true sub-12% body fat abs", despite the stress and lack of time: https://youtu.be/cYhvSAeAbJs Limited Spots - 6 per month DM me RIP6 on IG - instagram.com/dr.richard.low/ OR text (219) 245-7050 for availability If I lost everything and had to start over as a dentist… What exact practice would I buy (or build) today? I get asked “startup vs acquisition?” all the time, and I’m actively looking at practices right now, talking to brokers, networking, and running the math all over again with way more experience than I had the first time. In this video, I walk through: - Why I’m still acquisition‑biased - The exact size and type of practice I’d be hunting for - And how your personality should drive your choice, not Instagram I’m Dr. Richard Low: - Dentist & former CEO of 35 dental practices - Founder of the #1 rated practice‑ownership podcast in dentistry - Burned out, rebuilt my life around faith, family, and fitness - Now coaching 50+ male practice‑owner dentists inside Next Level Fathers to lose weight, reconnect with God, and lead better at home In this episode, you’ll learn: 1. Why I lean acquisition over startup (for me) - Startups = 1,000+ decisions: : Location, design, ops, vendors, equipment, branding, marketing, hiring, etc. - Acquisitions = one giant decision: : “Did I buy the right business?” - I’m a perfectionist / over‑researcher who procrastinated a 3‑op remodel for 6 months because of all the micro‑decisions. That personality is a terrible fit for a ground‑up startup. 2. The real risk of startups If you’re a first‑time owner, a startup usually ends in one of two ways: - You crush it : Figure out marketing, systems, team, retention : Hit your cap and wish you’d built bigger - You struggle hard : Misjudge demographics, hiring, insurance, your own leadership : Now you’ve got a big loan and a practice that never quite hits stride Startups can absolutely work, but they’re a high‑variance bet and require a specific type of founder and risk tolerance. 3. What I’d actually buy today For me right now, the “dream” acquisition is: - 8–12 operatories, with: : Room for 2–3+ doctors : Hygienists at proper ratios - Rural Indiana, but: :Within 30–45 minutes of somewhere an associate would actually live (Indy, Lafayette, Bloomington, Fort Wayne) - Ideally: : A former 2‑doctor practice that’s now 1 doctor : Hygienists booked solid, lots of overdue patients : Doctor slowing down, referring out procedures I can keep in‑house : Some combination of real estate + practice, with room to expand further if we want 4–5 docs down the road If I were earlier in my career and wanted a solo practice: - 5–7 ops minimum, with: : At least 2 full‑time hygiene chairs : 2 doctor chairs (plus emergency space) - Only consider 6+ ops if I know I can sustainably check 3 hygiene columns and still do 2 columns of dentistry. Your ops count hard‑caps your growth. You can’t out‑hustle chair count. 4. How to think about your own “ideal practice” Ask yourself: - Do I want to be a solo doc, a super GP, or build a multi‑doc group? - How comfortable am I with: : Ambiguity : Endless micro‑decisions : Marketing from zero : Leading people from scratch vs evolving an existing culture? - What procedures do I actually want to do all day? - How big do I eventually want to go? Only after that do you decide: : Startup vs acquisition : 5 ops vs 8 vs 12+ : Urban vs rural vs “rural but near a real city” 5. Due diligence and the ugly truths Check: : % hygiene vs doctor production : Crowns vs 3‑surface fillings : What’s referred out vs kept in‑house (and what you’re comfortable with) : EBITDA, overhead, owner comp, add‑backs Beware: : 80% doctor / 20% hygiene practices with aggressive diag : Locations where other owners have already failed or left Even after 10+ years of looking at practices, I still send numbers to people I trust so I don’t fall in love and invent a fake opportunity. Why this matters even if you’ve already bought once - Sometimes your first office was your learner office. Your second (or third) can be where you: : Make the real financial difference : Build the practice you actually wanted : Align size, ops, patients, and procedures with who you are now That’s where I’m at: Round 3, no DSO dreams, just a great cash‑flowing practice that fits my life and skills. What next? Have questions on: - Startup vs acquisition? - Ops counts? - Rural vs urban? - Practice #2 or #3? Drop them in the comments or DM me on Instagram. I’ll use them to shape future episodes and share more as I go through my own acquisition search. If you’re a successful, stressed or burned-out dentist, 🚀 Watch the full Next Level Fathers Framework: https://youtu.be/cYhvSAeAbJs Connect with me 📸 Instagram (daily content & behind the scenes): instagram.com/dr.richard.low/
