The Planning Process for Early Stage Development of your Group Dental Practice or DSO

"Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe." - Abraham Lincoln

Various versions of this quote have been attributed to our 16th President and most of the variations are based on the amount of time, but the overriding point is one that gets down to the aspect of working “on” our group dental practice (DSO) versus working “in” our group dental practice (DSO). Many of us talk about this, but how many of us actually have scheduled time set aside every week, month, quarter and year devoted to planning, developing and executing our strategy? 

Strategic planning is the discipline of sharpening your saw and it doesn’t “just happen” when you’re done with patients.  It also doesn’t “just happen” when you’re alone and usually tired.  Planning is a process, and the process starts with blocking time.  Can you commit to blocking 2 hours of every week and 4 hours one day per month?  If so, that would gain you 10 hours in a typical month (for a 4-week month: 2 hours per week * 3 weeks + 4 hours on the 4th week). 

 

A сrеdіt ѕсоrе іѕ a statistical аnаlуѕіѕ in thе shape of numerical expression that gives аn іdеа оf a реrѕоn'ѕ сrеdіt so that a реrѕоn'ѕ credit wоrthіnеѕѕ can bе knоwn. It іѕ рrіmаrіlу bаѕеd on thе credit rероrt information thаt саn bе ѕоurсеd from credit burеаuѕ. Mоnеу lеndеrѕ (e.g. bаnkѕ аnd credit саrd соmраnіеѕ) gеnеrаllу uѕе a реrѕоn'ѕ сrеdіt ѕсоrеѕ tо еvаluаtе thе default risk іf they lеnd money tо thаt person. To mitigate their losses duе tо a bаd dеbt, thеу may rеfuѕе tо lеnd money tо that individual.

TUSK was invited to the 2017 ADSO Summit  to share the stage with Dr. Marc Cooper of the Mastery Group to present to emerging group practices and DSOs. I focused on the Strategies + Tactics to grow your group / DSO, while Dr. Cooper discussed the leadership qualities necessary to build a group. We had the pleasure of presenting to over 200 industry professionals over the course of 4 hours – it was a remarkable morning.

Two weeks ago, my partner Perrin DesPortes and I spent most of the week in Chicago at the McGuireWoods Healthcare Private Equity Conference where we were honored to be a “Featured Company.”  For those who might not be familiar, McGuireWoods is a 180 year-old, international law firm covering numerous sectors of the economy and are recognized as one of the preeminent firms in the DSO space.  This conference was very well attended as it was their 14^th time putting it on. 

Last week my Partner, Diwakar Sinha, and I spent most of the week in warm and sunny Chicago at the McGuireWoods Healthcare Private Equity Conference where we were honored to be a “Featured Company.”  For those who might not be familiar, McGuireWoods is a 180 year-old, international law firm covering numerous sectors of the economy and are recognized as one of the preeminent firms in the DSO space.  This conference was very well attended as it was their 14^th time putting it on. 

Last week, my Partner, Diwakar Sinha, and I spent most of the week at the American Academy of Dental Group Practices (AADGP) Expo ’17 in Las Vegas, NV.  The trip was full of reconnecting with old friends and clients and making new connections as well.  There was plenty of excitement this year as it was the 45^th Annual Session, and Henry Schein sponsored an additional day of presentations and study before the AADGP on Wednesday.

Your dental practice isn’t worth 60-85% of collections or 6-12x earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA).  It’s worth what someone is willing to pay for it. 

Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to attend the Group Evolution Seminar in Austin, TX, hosted by my dear friend, Heidi Arndt, Founder of Enhanced Hygiene.  Heidi and her team pulled together some of the brightest minds in the Dental Service Organization (DSO) and Group Practice space to share their insights on the industry.

 Have you ever received an unsolicited call from someone offering to buy your practice? It could have been a friend in the community, a fellow dentist, or a new Dental Service Organization (DSO) that has come to town. What about a piece of direct mail from a company offering 100% of last year’s revenue for your practice? If you own a multi-practice group or DSO, it is likely that you have been contacted by a Private Equity Group or larger DSO looking to buy you out.