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Dr. Jack Bayramyan

A Vision for your Dental Practice: 12 Key Areas of Value

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You didn’t build your dental practice without some sort of plan. And you didn’t create a plan without first having a vision. You know how I know that? Because no one ever wakes up and says, “I want to give myself a whole bunch of work without knowing if that work will ever lead to anything.” Amiright?  

You gotta have a plan if you’re going to be successful but you gotta have a vision of where that plan will lead you. Think of it this way, your plan is how you will get where you want to go, your vision is the place you want to end up at, your point B, if you will. So, in this post, let’s break down what a vision is and how to define it, outline it and make sure it’s on solid ground before you strategize a plan for it.  

Your vision is your point B for your dental practice. It’s where you want to end up at the end of all that hard work. Your vision can be personal or professional or a mix of both so that you’re as satisfied personally as you are with your business results.  

In fact, with the doctors I consult, I make sure they include and prioritize their personal well-being as well as their family’s and team’s well-being. If you don’t prioritize that in your vision, you will watch yourself run ragged for a dream that you’ve come to despise because it’s made too many demands on your mental and physical health. You must be mindful of what you’re capable of and what you need to delegate.   

Along with how you’re feeling personally you want to have a clear picture of what every aspect of your business looks like and where your practice(s) will be when you arrive at your vision. That is typically a 3-year period. So, what is it and how do you use it?  

What is the Vivid Vision® method for your Dental Practice?  

I was introduced to the Vivid Vision method a few years back when I started working with my coach, Cameron Herold. Cameron is the author is Vivid Vision: A Remarkable Tool for Aligning Your Business Around a Shared Vision of the Future and he introduced me to using his Vivid Vision® method in figuring out where I wanted to take my organization. Using that process allowed me to create a vision based on my values, my passions and how I wanted to live my life.  

Cameron Herold on his Vivid Vision® Process

So, what does creating a Vivid Vision® entail? There are 12 key areas of focus that you will need to address in creating your Vivid Vision®. Remember, this vision is your point B, it’s where you want to end up in 1 year, 3 years or 5 years, depending on the current state of your practice.  

I highly recommend doing a full audit of your point A, how your practice is performing right now, so you get a clear idea of how long it might take to get to your point B.

Read this article about assessing your practice, Clarify your Dental Practice Vision: Assess your Point A and Launch your Legacy 

Once you’ve done a thorough assessment of the state of your practice, then you can begin to craft your vision. As I mentioned, there are 12 key areas of focus that you will want to pay attention to as the first steps in crafting your vision. Check out some wonderful examples and a checklist here for some ideas of how to begin and where to put your focus.  

These 12 areas are fundamental to your practice, but they also encompass how you want to live and operate within the boundaries of your organization. This process asks a lot of you in the beginning but watching my organization transform and grow because of this foundation I created has been the most rewarding experience of my professional life. I urge you to take the time to do your due diligence and answer all these questions fully.   

The first thing that goes on the blank page is the statement –  

“It’s December 31, 20__ …”  

This beginning will help put you in the future and let you see what your practice can look like in that year, typically that year will be 1 year, 3 years or 5 years from the day you begin writing your vision. Be generous with yourself, don’t try to solve every issue, transform your culture and double your annual revenue in one year. Give yourself time to fulfill this vision.  

Your Personal ‘Why’  

Why I do what I do – These 1 to 3 sentences are a description of why you started your practice and what you hope to achieve with it. This comes from the heart. Keep it simple and short.  

Core Values – Paired with your personal ‘why’, your core values are what will guide your vision. You don’t want to put yourself in the position of going against your values even and especially in business. Identifying your core values will help you make decisions about your practice while crafting your vivid vision. Do you know your core values?  Check out James Clear’s list of core values here.  

The People in your Dental Practice 

Culture – What do you want your team culture to look like? How do you want to interact with people in your offices? How do you want them to interact with the public and your vendors? What kind of cohesion do you want to build within your teams? How do you want to build that cohesion?   

Team/Employees – Write down every key role in your practice. Do you have the right people in the right seats? Is everyone doing the job they are best at and most passionate about? Do team members work and live with purpose? 

What You Do – Your Dental Practice Focus 

Core Business Activity – What does your dental practice specialize in? Emergency care? Cosmetic dentistry? Are you a concierge practice? Detailing your USP or unique selling proposition will help you create offers, messaging and services in alignment with your core business activities.  

How the World Sees Your Dental Practice 

Operations – How do your patients see your practice? What do your reviews and testimonials say about your services, operations and in-office experience?  

Offices/Headquarters – What does your office feel like walking into your practice? Does the office reflect the types of services you offer? A comforting environment for emergency dentistry? Or a sleek, upscale vibe reflective of a cosmetic dentistry practice? A homey feeling for a more traditional hygiene practice? Does your office aesthetic reflect your practice’s services and values?  

How Your Dental Practice Communicates with the World 

Sales/Marketing – How do you communicate with the world to attract patients to your practice? Do you have a marketing strategy? Is it based on your core values and mission? Is your social media presence reflective of your core values? Is your marketing strategy successful?  

Community Involvement & Giving Forward – Does your dental practice support local and community-based charities or organizations? Do you have sponsorships, scholarships or dental intern programs? How do you give back to your community?  

How Media Portrays your Dental Practice 

Media & Awards – What has the media said about your dental practice organization? How are you portrayed to the public? Have you been recognized in local or national publications?  

The KPIs of your Dental Practice  

Financials – This aspect of your vision is your chance to see the actual heartbeat of the dental practice. What are your sales, yearly revenue and profit? What is your annual growth rate? Have you done an EBITDA analysis of your practice?  

From Dental Practice Owner to Investor and Leader 

Founder Feeling – Although this is the last key area of your vision, I consider it one of the most important ones because this is where you take time to evaluate how you want to show up in the practice, your day-to-day interaction with your practice and your mindset.  

Ask yourself, “how do I want to spend my time?” “What does my daily activity look like?” “How do I want to feel every day?”  

You can also take time to write down your mentors, how you became a dentist, what your core motivation was, your initial passion for starting your business and what personal growth looks like now to you. Take your time. Write down from the heart, where it all began, how it’s going and where you truly want to be by December 31st, 20___.  

This is an incredibly transformative experience if you dare to embark on the journey of crafting your Vivid Vision®. This brief overview that I’ve laid out here is only the beginning. If you would like more information, I recommend checking out Jennifer Hudye and her site Conscious Copy & Co. And here’s more info on my Vivid Vision® process, check out my book, Extraction: The Surprising New Formula to Systemize, Scale and Sell Your Business.

Remember, to get to point B, you need to start at point A, define where you want to end up, your point B, and then develop a strategy for how you’re going to get there. But the first step is always to define what point B looks like for you. Similar to a GPS system, you punch in where you want to go, then punch in where you are, once you have both of those coordinates you can devise or choose a strategy for getting there from here.  

One More Tool for your Toolkit 

At first glance, creating a comprehensive vision for your dental practice might seem overwhelming—another big task on top of everything else you do to keep your business running. But there’s a powerful reason to take this step: to design the life and practice you truly wanted when you started this journey.

As a practice owner, you quickly discover you’re not just a dentist, you’re also the CEO, the strategist, and the visionary. If you’re feeling the weight of burnout or wondering how to recapture that original spark, you’re not alone. Many dentists face these same challenges as their practice grows.

That’s why we developed the Extraction GPS Template. This free, step-by-step worksheet helps you clarify your vision, define your values, assess where you are now, and set clear goals for your practice’s next chapter. With the Extraction GPS, you can turn those 12 key areas of value into a concrete, actionable plan, so you can build the business and the life you’ve always envisioned.

Ready to take control of your future and lead with clarity?
Download your free Extraction GPS Template now and start mapping out a vision that works for you, your team, and your family.

DOWNLOAD YOUR EXTRACTION GPS TEMPLATE

How Do I Create Growth in my Dental Practice? The #1 Invaluable Tool for Mapping your Success 

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In your dental practice, do you have one over-arching goal that unifies and drives your organizational growth? If not, keep reading. You have a successful practice; your team is aligned with your success; your goal is to assist and propel the health and well-being of your patients. Is that enough?  

No.  

What is a ‘Vision’ for your Dental Practice?

As a dentist, your focus is, of course, on your patients and their health and healing. However, as a dental entrepreneur, responsible for, not just your patients, but the overall health and stability of your organization, you need to focus on the overarching goal of economic success to keep doing what you’re doing for your patients and your teams. And Unfortunately, it’s not enough to “get butts in seats” to drive that economic success.

As with many entrepreneurs, economic success entails an overall vision for your business, not just your practice. You need a vision that guides and aligns your business decisions, and that vision is different from the one you had for becoming a dentist.  

Working On your Dental Practice, Not Just In It

You are a dentist, but you are also a dental entrepreneur. You show up at the start of your day, get in the dentist’s chair and work in your practice. While you’re doing that, who is working on your business? Well, if you want to oversee your future and your legacy, you must be the one to show up and work on your business, not just in it. Meaning, you’ve got your overall vision as a dentist, but if you own your practice, you must have an overall vision for your business.  

How do I know this? Because I was once right where you are: a dentist with no clear idea of how to run a business. In fact, I learned the hard way how to run my business, but that’s a story for another post. Let’s dig into the importance of a vision for your business. The following is an excerpt from my book, Extraction: The Surprising New Formula to Systemize, Scale and Sell your Practice. In this excerpt, I describe how my vision for my first practice became a reality.

Extraction by Dr. Jack Bayramyan - Dental Practice

Why Do You Need a Vision for your Dental Practice?  

Excerpt: Chapter 3: Creating Your Vision

THE POWER OF VISION  

While I was an associate dentist in the early 2000s, holding onto the vision of owning my own patient-centered practice opened my mind to exploring opportunities for purchasing my first dental office. A year after successfully buying that office and establishing our practice, I envisioned how we could expand our business model to serve additional under-served communities.  

In 2005, as I started to explore possible communities, I had a flashback of my dental school days. I remembered my daily drive back from USC. There was a stop light across from MacArthur Park that would take me 15 to 20 minutes to cross due to the volume of pedestrian traffic.

As annoying as it was trying to get home to my family after a long day of school, this red light, forcing me to stay in one place and observe the public life around me, ended up being an opportunity to scope that exact location for our first start-up practice. The intersection of 6th and Alvarado was, and probably still is, one of the busiest intersections in L.A., serving a high number of residents with minimal access to transportation who must walk for their daily needs.  

I spent months scoping out that community. I had a vision of where I would like the practice to be. It had to be visible, accessible and welcoming to walk-in patients. Finally, after six months of searching with no results, I noticed an empty location. I walked into the building which had only a church sign on the front door and some chairs inside. I never saw anyone inside during the day nor did the building have a For Lease sign.  

The following day I went back with my dental assistant who could translate Spanish and spoke with some of the tenants trying to find out if the storefront was available for rent. They informed us that the place was occupied for nightly gatherings, and they gave us the prop- erty manager’s contact information.

If I could have the tenant agree to relocate to another location, the property manager would consider giving me a lease. I went back out for several nights with my dental assistant to catch them during their gathering and present an offer. The first night there was no one there. This is not a location you want to be past nightfall when the city turns from families running er- rands and shopping into a gang and drug epicenter.  

The second night, we had luck and were able to speak with the pastor who preached in the storefront regularly. We shared our vision with him of opening a dental practice for kids in the community. We told him how important it was to be in that location and how we needed to obtain permits and have visibility for walk-ins. The pastor agreed to relocate if we paid for their move.  

Once the location had finally been leased to us, we had to create a strategic plan of sourcing the contractor, drawing up plans, speaking with lenders, and understanding credentialing requirements from the state insurance office.  

As soon as the construction started, we needed to build a team as well as a marketing strategy to bring in new patients. We invested capital to hire and train staff at our existing location to ensure that we had a competent and experienced team when we opened our doors. I knew that we had only one chance to make an outstanding first impression with our patients. We also built a robust outreach patient education marketing strategy and hired a team made up of dental assistants who could educate and guide the parents in our community on the importance of establishing a dental home for their children.  

Finally, the opening day came, and we had to execute. It was the sweetest feeling to see the smiles and to feel the gratitude and appreciation from our partners and the children we were going to serve in our new community. I remember to this day, one of the moms telling my assistant that in all her life she had never felt so loved by any doctor.  

Within three months of opening, our practice was organically growing with new patients and financially profitable. This growth is my most memorable and rewarding experience of creation, from vision to execution. That first vision was the foundation of our ability to expand and scale that, to this day, has blessed us with the privilege and responsibility of serving close to a million under-served children across the country. The extraction process was at the heart of this experience. It started as a vivid clarity of vision for growth, expansion and value creation.  

End excerpt.

Creating Your Vision for your Dental Practice 

Every successful business grows with a clearly and consciously crafted vision. So, how do you create a vision for your business?

I’ve been incredibly fortunate to seek out and participate in masterminds, conferences, coaching and round tables that have given me access to talent and resources that propelled my success. One of my coaches was Cameron Herold. And his book, Vivid Vision: A Remarkable Tool for Aligning your Business Around a Shared Vision of the Future really defined for me what a vision aligned with my values could do for my business.

The work I did using Cameron’s Vivid Vision® process helped me craft a vision that was aligned with my core values; it wasn’t only about the growth of my business but how I wanted my future to be aligned with that vision and my values.

About the time I met Cameron Herold, I started attending a conference aimed at entrepreneurs looking to build, scale and protect their businesses and legacies. Dan Sullivan‘s Strategic Coach offers entrepreneurs the opportunities to find their voice, create stability within their organizations and build lasting success. Another incredible coach I worked with was Julia Waller. She along with her sister, wrote another book that helped me immensely during my vision creation process, Unique Ability 2.0 Discovery: Define Your Best Self.

The Next Best Tool for Mapping Growth in Your Dental Practice

Designing a sustainable vision rooted in your values is the foundation for lasting economic success and a legacy you can be proud of. If you’re ready to embark on this life-changing adventure, there’s one more essential tool you need in your toolkit: a strategic roadmap that brings your vision, values, and goals into sharp focus.

That’s why we created the Extraction GPS Template. Inspired by the strategies in our founder, Dr. Jack Bayramyan‘s book, this worksheet guides you step by step in defining your core values, assessing where your practice is now, setting your 3–5 year vision, mapping your marketing plan, and creating focused, achievable goals for the year and quarter ahead.

With the Extraction GPS template, you don’t just dream about growth, you build a clear, actionable path to reach it.

Ready to map your future and make your vision a reality?
Download your free Extraction GPS template now and start charting your course to sustainable success, one goal at a time.

DOWNLOAD YOUR EXTRACTION GPS TEMPLATE

Scaling Your Dental Practice: 7 Comprehensive Steps to Prepare your Practice for Success

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Scaling your dental practice is not just about creating new and more locations; it’s also about enhancing your operations, patient experience, online presence and community impact. In this comprehensive guide, let’s delve into various strategies to help you scale your dental practice organization effectively. 

The Need for Scaling your Dental Practice  

But first, let’s talk about why scaling is crucial for any business looking to survive. The Covid-19 Pandemic and its ensuing upheaval brought with it massive disruption, confusion and chaos into every aspect of economic life and especially small businesses and the medical industry writ large. At the intersection of small business and the medical industry is where dentists and dental practices live and die.  

This disruption and upheaval brought devastation to many and opportunity to a few. The last few years have been banner years for private equity as opportunists for the weak and slow-moving. But another group has emerged and begun to flourish as well during the chaos and confusion…the dental entrepreneur.  

Your Dental Practice through the Eyes of an Entrepreneur  

The businesses and entrepreneurs who stayed afloat during and after the pandemic are the ones who learned to pivot, stay nimble, be curious and cultivate risk to discover opportunity. And dental practice owners were no exception to this new behavior. No longer was the status quo acceptable.  

Dentists and dental practice owners needed to learn many new skills, study new landscapes and be willing to take their teams into uncharted territory to stay in business, much less thrive. And the ones who succeeded were often the ones who figured out that scaling their practice model was going to save them from the jaws of the PE sharks in the water or even the last gasps that comes with a dying practice.  

These hard-working dentists and dental practice owners are true heroes in my book, having survived some of the most difficult economic times in recent memory only to enter the even more uncertain times that we are all now experiencing. To face certain extinction with grace, curiosity and energy and decide that you will succeed in such turbulent waters is a testament to the character, selflessness and perseverance of dentists that I have seen from the very beginning of my career starting with my first volunteer mission trip to Mexico as a young dentist. 

Scaling your business model is essential if you don’t want to become chum for the sharks or fade into obscurity with no legacy. It is an absolute must for a practice owner to remain successful in these times.

So, what are the elements of scaling your dental practice successfully?  Let’s review these elements so you can create your own comprehensive blueprint for success. You want to get to point B. First, let’s put in some coordinates, some steps to help you get there.  

Embrace Technology in your Dental Practice  

As the dental industry continues to evolve, new technologies are constantly being developed to improve patient care, enhance diagnosis and treatment, and streamline dental practice management. 

Integrating these new technologies and modalities can significantly enhance the efficiency of your dental practice. Improve and refine your diagnostic tools and skills; stay in better touch with patients; see and study long-term trends in your patient activity; create tailor-made recall and reactivation campaigns and outreach; and reduce the time your team spends on repetitive record-keeping.  

There is no better time to research new and emerging technologies than when you are about to embark on a scaling program in your dental organization. Take some time to get out there, visit conventions, conferences and webinars and get an expert understanding of game-changing technologies.  

Optimize your Online Presence and Marketing Strategies  

Your practice’s online presence is often the first point of contact for potential patients. Ensure your website is user-friendly, informative, and optimized for search engines. Dive into the world of dental SEO to improve your visibility online. As stated in the previous paragraphs, new technologies are emerging to assist your practice in SEO, patient management and outreach and building websites that provide the best online experience you can give your prospective and existing patients.  

Don’t forget the power of social media – engage with your audience, share valuable content, and humanize your practice. Introduce your team to the world. Craft targeted marketing campaigns and ads to reach your desired audience. Utilize a mix of online and offline channels as well as paid and organic content to maximize your reach. Measure the ROI and effectiveness of your marketing efforts weekly to refine your strategies over time. 

Enhance the Patient Experience in your Dental Practice  

Creating a positive and welcoming environment is key to retaining patients and attracting new ones. And that starts well before a prospective patient enters your practice. As stated previously, having a robust online presence gives patients a lot of information to digest. It also gives them an initial impression of your practice, your team, your associates and you.  

After creating a comprehensive online patient experience, it’s essential to implement mechanisms for gathering patient feedback to continuously improve your services. Along with feedback portals, research and create a robust plan for patient recall and recare. Exceptional customer service goes a long way in building lasting relationships with your patients. 

And patient satisfaction can become an incredibly rewarding experience that includes long-term loyalty and feeds a strong referral system.  

Collaborate with Specialists 

In addition to a healthy loyalty and referral system for your patients, consider building partnerships and referral programs with other healthcare professionals to offer outside care and services to your patients. Establishing referral networks not only improves patient outcomes but also expands your practice’s reach within the medical community. This kind of outreach and referral builds your reputation and establishes strong ties to your community and the medical community in your locations’ areas generally.

Establishing relationships with orthodontists, dental surgeons and cosmetic specialists can become a strong feedback loop for your practice as you build your organization and your reputation.  

Staff Hiring, Training and Development 

When I built my first practice, I became curious about hiring and retention. Early on, I had a terrible experience watching my first office manager quit and take all her knowledge of our bookkeeping, patient recall and insurance reimbursements with her. I was stranded. The reason she gave for leaving was she felt the culture I was building within our practice was simply not for her. So, she left.  

That was an extremely painful and costly lesson for me. I ended up losing quite a bit of money from lapsed reimbursement invoices, etc. But it also left me questioning how to build an organization that people loved and didn’t want to leave. I spent a long time investigating and researching psychology and culture, a process I detail in my book, Extraction. Check it out for a comprehensive understanding of team building and cohesion.  

From that experience, I created and invested in programs and processes that allowed me to have clear lines of communication with my team; set guidelines for expectations; and set team members up for success. We started a book group, created and tracked personal and professional goal development and invested in ongoing education and development. I also made it a priority to set a tone of inclusion, diversity and camaraderie amongst team members, so everyone felt like a part of the team.   

This kind of effort, though extraordinary for some practices to undertake, became a cornerstone of our culture across 8 dental practices. Our retention rate was extremely high, in fact, it was something that I didn’t have to give much thought to because my focus was on making sure my team was happy, fulfilled and capable. Jim Collins is a wonderful resource for learning to understand what you need in team members and making sure they are the right fit for your organization. Read more about my experience here and read about Jim Collins’ work with teams here.   

Community Involvement and Investment

Making sure you have happy patients and happy team members is an imperative to scaling a successful operation. But one other area to think about is the community you’re setting up your first, second or third dental practice in.  

Engaging with your local community to build a positive reputation through hosting events, sponsoring local activities, and partnering with other businesses can elevate your practice’s standing within the community. In this digital age, it is so easy to forget and neglect your community IRL. Amiright? 😉  

Create Community around your dental practice
Engage and support your local community to elevate your dental practice.

Incorporating community-outreach programs into your strategic scaling plan may seem like overkill or extra work, but it is truly that extra mile you go that people notice. It may take a little bit of time to make the connection but when people see your organization’s name around the community and see how you’re investing in the environment that allowed you to set up shop, their recognition and commitment to you will become one of the linchpins of your success and longevity. People can’t help but want to give back to the ones that gave to them.  

The Path to Long-Term Growth for Your Dental Practice

Scaling your dental practice requires a holistic approach that combines technology adoption, patient-centric strategies, and strong partnerships. By following these comprehensive steps, you’ll not only expand your business, but also strengthen its roots in the community for sustainable, long-term growth.

But even the best strategies need a way to measure progress. Without clear data and tracking, it’s easy to lose sight of what’s really moving your practice forward, or what needs adjustment.

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

That’s why one of the smartest steps you can take right now is to implement a simple, effective KPI tracking system. When you consistently monitor your key performance indicators, you create a strategic roadmap for scaling: you’ll spot opportunities sooner, address challenges faster, and lead your team with clarity.

To make this easier, we created the OPA KPI Tracker, a free, dentist-friendly template designed to help you track what matters most. Whether you’re planning your next big move or simply want to keep your finger on the pulse of your practice, this tracker is your companion for smarter, more confident growth.

Ready to move from goal-setting to real, measurable progress?
Download your free OPA KPI Tracker now and take control of your practice’s growth journey, one metric at a time.

Download Your KPI Tracker

Scaling Your Dental Practice: Avoid 5 of the Biggest Business Mistakes

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Scaling your dental practice for success is our deep dive for January. Each week we’re diving into one aspect of scaling: benefits, mistakes, strategies, etc. to give you a better understanding of why scaling your dental practice is so vital to your vision, your success and your legacy.

You want to scale your practice, but you want to do it right and avoid the mistakes, obstacles and oversights that can come with scaling and growing a single practice into a thriving dental organization.  

One of the reasons that dentists in particular face challenges after deciding to scale is because they’re never taught how to design a scaling protocol in dental school. To truly understand the complexities of scaling a practice a dentist would have to go back to school and study business after getting a degree in dentistry. Who has time for that?  

That’s where an organization like us, Optimize Practice Alliance, comes in handy. We optimize your raw materials, talents, teams and existing infrastructure; listen to your vision and goals for the future; and then design a strategic plan to scale your dental practice according to what is going to work for you, your team and your community while lending our leadership, expertise and knowledge base.  

One Great Resource for your Dental Practice Growth 

But if you decide to go it alone, we’ve still got you covered. We offer tools and resources to help you, where you’re at and with the talents, teams and know-how you’ve already got at your disposal. In fact, one of the resources we offer is sort of a step-by-step guide to avoiding the pitfalls of scaling, my book, Extraction: The Surprising New Formula to Systemize, Scale and Sell Your Business.  

I wrote Extraction as a road map for dentists and dental practice owners for scaling and growing a successful dental practice organization. And I’ve gotten great feedback from dentists who’ve used it to scale their practices, grow their teams, and even sell their organizations. And stick around to the end of this post, I’m going to offer another free tool to assist you in your scaling efforts.  

Are you Serious About Scaling your Dental Practice?    

According to the international business management firm, McKinsey & Company, only 22% of businesses launched in the last decade have successfully scaled their operations. That is a frustrating problem since most of the value created in building a new business is created during the scaling process. So, how do you avoid being one of the 78% of businesses who fail to scale their model?  

Let’s start with the mistakes to avoid in the scaling process.  

Ignoring Market Research    

One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is assuming that what worked in the past will automatically work when scaling up. Neglecting thorough market research before you create your strategic plan can lead to missteps in understanding your target audience, competitors, the community and industry trends.  

When creating your strategic plan keep in mind where your new locations could be; study the surrounding areas; figure out where your next practices might best serve the community; and take some time to study market trends not just for where you want to locate your next practice, but who your community is and what they want and need in a dental practice.   

Neglecting Team Experience and Training  

As you plan for scaling your dental practice you will also need to plan to scale your team. Scaling to a second location will not work with a team of 5 people. You will need to hire people for that second location, of course, but you will also need to designate team members to help with scaling operations.  

Poor team management and training can lead to the wrong people being in the wrong seats or being on the wrong bus altogether. Focusing on quantity over quality can result in a team that lacks cohesion and shared values. But it can also hinder growth. A strong team has bought into your vision. They are as excited as you are to reach your vision. Without your leadership, the bus doesn’t know where to go and lacks the motivation to get anywhere.  

Take the time to find individuals who not only possess the necessary skills but also align with your company culture, values and vision. Your team is the backbone of your dental practice. Build out your strategic plan to include scaling your team, providing adequate training for their new roles and staying on top of team cohesion and mindset so they are part of the journey with you.  

Mission, Values, Norms for your Dental Practice

Not Budgeting for Technology Upgrades and Scalable Systems in your Dental Practice 

As your dental practice organization grows, so should your technology infrastructure. Ignoring or delaying necessary upgrades can lead to inefficiencies and bottlenecks. While detailing your strategic plan, budget for technology that streamlines your operations, enhances patient- communications systems, and provides robust and nimble processes for your business including AI, where you can incorporate it.  

But this is also a time to research and find new technologies to introduce to your patients: new diagnostic tools that simplify and enhance your abilities; new treatment options; and new advances in cosmetic and teledentistry. It is truly a brave new world in dentistry and delving into these advances will be an exciting experience for you and your team.  

Successful scaling requires scalable systems. If your processes and systems can’t handle increased demand, you risk compromising the quality of your products or services. Invest in systems, apps, programs and vendors that can grow alongside your business, ensuring seamless rollout and expansion. 

Scaling is an opportunity to innovate and stay ahead of the competition. Businesses that rest on their laurels and fail to embrace innovation risk becoming irrelevant. Encourage a culture of continuous improvement and explore new ways to add value to your offerings and business structures.  

Read this post to learn more about emerging technologies in the dental field.

Losing Sight of the Patient Experience 

Word of mouth might not create more business for your practice if you’ve got a robust marketing strategy, but it can most definitely break a dental practice, if you’re not careful. Losing sight of patient experience is like losing sight of the goal post. One of the major goals and benefits of scaling your organization is a desire to ensure a positive patient experience. Personalized care, a welcoming environment, and clear communication systems and technologies contribute to patient satisfaction, fostering loyalty, positive reviews and robust word of mouth. 

Detailing a patient-centric approach in your strategic plan, as you grow, ensures that you and your team continue to provide excellent service and meet or exceed patient expectations. This part of the plan will involve researching the best vendors and CRMs (Customer Relationship Management programs) to fit your budget, your needs and your patients’ preferences.  

Not Investing in a Robust Strategic Plan 

Scaling your dental practice requires a significant financial investment. Ensure you have a clear understanding of your cash flow, expenses, and revenue projections before scaling while you’re analyzing options for growing your business. This will help you make informed decisions and weather the inevitable challenges that come with expansion. 

One part of strategic implementation will come when you begin to measure your lead and lag KPIs. You need to study and understand the measures that got your dental practice to the point where it is ready to scale while also understanding what might come around every corner ahead.

Before you create your strategic plan, you will need to undertake a better understanding of these areas of your dental business:  

  • KPIs 
  • Your practice’s EBITDA 
  • Your teams 
  • Market Research 
  • New and emerging technologies 
  • What your practice can utilize and what it won’t need 
  • Profit vs. Revenue vs. Expenses 

Once you study and understand all of these aspects of your dental practice, you’re ready to create your Strategic Plan. A strategic plan is an overarching blueprint for scaling your dental practice. It is your roadmap from point A to point B and it will become your and your team’s bible for accomplishing your vision.  

I was able to develop a successful strategic plan to scale my dental organization to 8 practices across two states. If you’d like to read about how I did that, I detail it in my book Extraction. But I was also extremely lucky to get introduced to Dan Sullivan and his invaluable annual conferences for entrepreneurs (yes, you are a dental entrepreneur) Strategic Coach. Check out Strategic Coach for another incredible resource offering insights, tools and community while you develop your entrepreneurial skillset.  

SA specifically offers many tools and materials that help you develop your strategic plan. Arguably, a strategic plan is the single most important document and piece of information you will create to scale your dental practice. It is not the first step, but it is the most important step. Without a plan, it’s just a dream.   

One More Mistake to Avoid in Scaling Your Dental Practice 

Scaling your dental practice into a thriving organization is a complex process that demands careful planning, execution, and the ability to learn from both successes and setbacks. By steering clear of these five common mistakes, you position your practice for sustainable growth and long-term success. Remember: the journey matters just as much as the destination and with the right support and tools, it can even be enjoyable.

One of the most powerful ways to keep your growth on track is to regularly monitor your practice’s key numbers. Relying on guesswork or gut instinct isn’t enough, successful entrepreneurs use real data to make decisions, identify opportunities, and catch issues before they become costly problems.

That’s why we created the OPA KPI Tracker. This easy-to-use template is designed specifically for dental entrepreneurs, helping you measure what matters, see your progress clearly, and guide your team with confidence.

Ready to take the next step in scaling your practice?
Download your free OPA KPI Tracker now and set yourself up for a smarter, data-driven path to growth.

DOWNLOAD YOUR KPI TRACKER

For Dental Practice Owners: 3 Scary Mindsets that Stifle Growth 

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As a dentist, dental practice owner, entrepreneur and now the founder and president of OPS, I talk with other dentists all the time. More to the point, I to listen to dentists. And one thing I’ve come to realize is that much of what holds dentists back from growing and scaling is their own mindsets.

The Biggest Obstacle to Growth and Opportunity

In my experience, there is one type of mindset that destroys hope and possibility in professionals and entrepreneurs in every industry. I call it growth fear and it is a very real phenomenon. I want to address 3 limiting growth fear mindsets in particular in this post.  

Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” 
~Dale Carnegie 

Fear is an effective action-killer. Once fear has its grip on you, you’ve stopped before you’ve even begun. It’s one of the most time-consuming and pointless wastes of energy. Yes, fear is a useful emotion not to be ignored. It alerts us to immediate and long-term danger whether physical or emotional. It can also teach us a lot about ourselves. We need to pay attention to fear when it arises.  

However, paying attention to it is not the usual focus we take in business. When fear arises in us or in our business dealings, we usually don’t immediately understand it, address it or remove the cause of it. When we feel fear in business we ignore it, push it aside or belittle ourselves for having it if we do acknowledge it at all.  

Why is that?

Fear is the First Step in a Challenging Situation

I think the answer is that we don’t recognize fear for what it is when it comes up while we’re working. Fear shows itself in other ways in our business lives: we push plans aside; we repudiate ideas from others as unattainable or far-fetched; or we conveniently forget or ignore valuable insights that can spur growth, risk or investment.

All these responses can be justified as “safe” or “down-to-earth” or “rational” choices. And sometimes they are. But sometimes, many times, these responses are not ‘rational’ but an unconscious reaction to the fear that arises in us when we think about the risk, the work, or the delegation it would take to achieve a goal that triggers fear in us.  

Let’s look at these three fundamental fears and how they affect our business growth and dental practice function.  

The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” 
~Nelson Mandela 

Growth Fear #1: Nothing Will Be in My Control in My Dental Practice

When you’re feeling out of control in your business that is a sign of fear or trepidation. It’s time to take a pause. Step back from your duties, your work and your busy day. It’s very easy to get into a groove, or more accurately, a rut in our businesses and get stuck. This experience has plagued every business owner at one time or another. You get stuck working in your business and forget or ignore working on your business.  

What’s the difference?  

Working in your business means you’re sitting in the chair looking into mouths day after day. This is a fine place to be until your dental practice is coming apart at the seams because you haven’t hired a new associate in months; you haven’t thought about raises for your team and they’re starting to revolt; appointments are dropping because you haven’t paid attention to training your staff on a recall program.

There is a part of you that knows action needs to be taken but you are not taking the action required because it means monetary investment, or stepping up and out of your dental chair which is where you’re most comfortable; or you rationalize that the time away from the chair will hurt your income and profit. But that’s where the thinking stops because you’re too afraid to dig into the feelings and discomfort that these situations bring up.  

The solution is to give yourself time and patience to learn to work, not just in your dental practice, but to work on your dental business. Sometimes, taking the leap from dentist to dental entrepreneur is scary and uncomfortable. But it is a necessary step for your success.  

Growth Fear #2: Growing My Dental Practice Means More Work for Me 

This is a big and often unconscious fear for dental practice owners. The thinking goes, “if I try to grow or scale my dental practice, I will just be giving myself more work.” So, they put that idea aside for “one day.”  

More work with growing your practice is a distinct possibility. However, that is not the only possibility. It is possible, preferable and optimal to grow your dental practice after having identified and delegated the goals and responsibilities for growth to your team. This step requires that you get agreement and buy-in from your team members. And asking them to see and agree to your vision and assist you in that attainment is scary. It means putting yourself, your dreams and your personal desires on display and asking people to agree with you and fight for your vision alongside you.  

That’s a big ask and it requires your vulnerability. So scary. I remember coaching a dentist on this very issue. And it took a while to uncover that this was actually the issue. We were working on ways to establish more revenue and profit for his practice. I offered up the idea of scaling his business and almost immediately started offering excuses as to why it wouldn’t work.  

We took a break from our coaching session for lunch where we both got a chance to breathe and relax. I asked him why he didn’t think scaling was an option for him and in all honesty, he said that it would mean more work for him while he was already feeling spread too thin in his current responsibilities. There it was. We got to the core of his fear – more work. I explained that this need not be the case and we went back into our coaching session focusing on solutions that ensured no added responsibilities to his workload. It turned out to be a very productive session for him.  

Growth Fear #3: Growing My Dental Practice Will Cost Me Big 

The final area where fear stealthily stifles growth is the thinking that growing your practice cuts into profit and revenue with no guarantee of ROI. You may have had thoughts of growing your practice in the past and the minute you have those thoughts you think, “welp, it’ll be too expensive to implement those changes. Never mind.” And you move on as quickly as you start thinking about it.  

On the face of it, that thinking is logical, obvious and safe. Yes, growing your practice does incur expense and require investment, but that is the initial short-term aspect of all growth. If you were to stop there then, of course, you would never see the ultimate results of your investment or work.  

But I challenge you to look at this fear in another way. Your fear of not seeing a return on your financial investment might very well be rooted in your lack of confidence in your or your team’s ability to see your actions through to the end.  

Why do I say that?  

Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.“ 
~Marie Curie  

Because a financial investment in your dental practice is a bet on your abilities. Full stop. You’re betting that you’ve got the courage, the know-how and the endurance to build, test and grow your systems until they start yielding the results you want. So, what’s the real fear? The real fear here is you wondering if you’ve got what it takes. But once again, you can’t grow your practice alone or in a vacuum. It takes an entire team to bring your vision into reality.  

And the sooner you can be honest with yourself about the root causes of your fear the sooner you can address them and begin to take effective action in the direction of your choosing. And that is what real freedom is about, isn’t it? The ability to respond as you choose.

It’s Only the Entrepreneurial Unknown You Fear

In fact, all these fears are rooted in questioning yourself and your abilities. Why? Because, most likely you’ve never done this before! You leave dental school striving to be an expert in dentistry and then spend years perfecting your craft. Where is that same level of expertise, perfection and mastery for your business??  

Many dentists come by their business acumen through trial and error and many mistakes and missteps. It takes years of exhaustive efforts to build a successful dental practice. So, when you start to ask yourself bigger questions about growth, the fear leaps up and instantly quashes the hope and then camouflages itself as something else: non-interest, overwhelm, logic or practicality.  

Conquer Growth Roadblocks with Clarity, Not Fear

After exploring the mindset traps that quietly sabotage progress, it’s clear that lasting growth doesn’t come from wishful thinking or simply hoping things will get better. It comes from bringing clarity to your business—understanding what’s working, what’s not, and having the confidence to act on real data.

If you’re ready to stop letting uncertainty or fear dictate your next move, the fastest way forward is to measure what matters most in your practice. When you know your numbers, you can spot early warning signs, address challenges before they become costly, and empower your team to reach new levels of performance.

That’s why we developed the OPA KPI Tracker, a practical, user-friendly tool designed specifically for dental entrepreneurs. This is the very tool we use when we consult with our partner practices so they gain real insight into how the business of their practice is actually going. With it, you can:

  • Track your production, case acceptance, scheduling efficiency, and more, all in one place.
  • Identify the small tweaks that can make a big impact on your growth.
  • Turn unknowns into actionable next steps, so you always know where you stand.

Ready to move past fear and lead with clarity?
Download your free OPA KPI Tracker now and take the first step toward a more resilient, data-driven, and successful practice.

You don’t have to navigate this journey alone. With the right tools and a mindset focused on progress, you can transform uncertainty into opportunity, starting today. 

Download Your KPI Tracker

The #1 Most Powerful Secret Ingredient for Scaling Your Dental Practice

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Are you planning on scaling your dental practice? Whether you are or you’re not, keep reading because I will be making the case for growing your practice no matter what your plans.  

One of the most difficult aspects of being an entrepreneur is your mindset. Bet you didn’t think I’d say that, right? There are a lot of challenges and obstacles when it comes to being an entrepreneur, but every single solution starts in the same place…a growth mindset.  

If you don’t have a growth mindset, every single challenge will be exponentially harder to defeat because you will be meeting that challenge with a never-ending supply of resistance. 

 

Growth Mindset for your Dental Practice

What’s that saying? “There’s as many as excuses as there are…” you get the idea. If you’re going to scale, grow, expand or do anything of importance for your business, yes dentistry is a business, you’ve got to start at the root of stagnation…your mindset.  

That’s a nebulous, cloudy proposition, though, isn’t it? How do you change your mindset? Glad you asked! There are all kinds of ways to get started in creating a mindset shift. You can read some wonderful books on entrepreneurism and mindset; You can attend lectures, conferences and retreats dedicated to this topic; You can hire a coach; In fact, one of the most effective ways to challenge an old mindset and shift your thinking is by joining a mastermind. More on that a little later.  

All these solutions are effective because they allow you to take action without taking any risks in the business; and they allow you to learn and grow from others who have done exactly what you want to do. These two qualities: action and proximity to opportunity and knowledge help you build the courage to take the risks you need to grow your dental practice organization.

The #1 Strategy for Scaling Your Dental Practice 

I have another strategy for shifting your mindset in addition to the ones above. This strategy allows you to bounce ideas off someone else, just like a mastermind does; you get the opportunity to brush up on new skills, just like going to a retreat or conference would; and this strategy allows you to work on your business, not just in your business, much like working with a coach would.  

But the quality that makes this secret strategy the most effective one is…this strategy will actually make you money as opposed to all the other strategies which will cost you money. Now, tbh, the above strategies are fantastic and effective and the cost is worth the Investment. But this strategy is designed to increase sales, expand your practice and change your mindset. So, what is it?  

If you want to scale your practice, but you can’t even envision what that will look like much less begin executing a plan, start with hiring an associate dentist. Hiring an associate dentist is the fastest way to grow your practice while allowing you the time to evolve your thinking and shift to a growth mindset. How?  

Josh Gwinn, Co-founder, CEO of OPS on the advantages of hiring an associate for your dental practice

Learning to Shift into a Growth Mindset in Your Dental Practice  

With an associate, you will have someone to bounce ideas off of when you start thinking about making changes to your practice. In fact, just making room for an associate may bring up other areas of your practice that need your attention. You may have to do a bit of remodeling; you’ll need to make room on your website for the new addition to your team; this might be a good time to talk about your pricing structures, making sure they’re up-to-date and comprehensive; and the new associate may bring her own ideas and inspirations to the discussions. Opening discussions with your new associate will allow you both to engender trust, share ideas, troubleshoot problem areas and brainstorm on solutions.  

Learn New Leadership Skills for Your Dental Practice 

When you take on an associate, there may be some subtle shifts in the power dynamics within your team structure. This is totally normal. Questions from your team may arise, like, “who do we answer to now?” “Does this mean you are stepping back?” “Are we getting a new hygienist?”  And there will definitely be questions coming from your new associate as well.  

This period of transition offers you an opportunity to step into a leadership role. If you have not already taken on a leadership role in your practice now is the time for you to step up. You went to dental school; you may have started out as an associate yourself; you started your own practice; but all of that doesn’t necessarily allow you to flex your leadership muscles.  

Taking on a new associate means your team just got bigger; you will be looked at to make the big decisions. Your leadership may have up to this point seemed almost like a by-product of your dental practice, a necessary aspect that you need to revisit from time to time. However, with an associate, there will be no mistaking that you are the person in charge, and you are the one who makes the big decisions.  

This can feel uncomfortable at first, but with time, you will accept this new role and more importantly, so will your team and your new associate. Leadership takes practice and having a new associate will allow you to figure out what kind of leadership style fits you best. Enjoy the process and everyone will be that much more comfortable while you grow into your new authority.  

Learning to Delegate will Improve Your Dental Practice 

The last area of growth that comes with taking on a new associate is in delegation. You will now have someone else who can take on more work! This will free up your brain in so many ways. You will finally get the opportunity to start thinking bigger when it comes to your practice. Why? Because now you’ll have the time and mental clarity to start working ON your business, not just IN your practice.  

This is a huge leap forward when it comes to expanding or scaling your practice. Now, you’ll watch the creative juices start flowing when it comes to ways your practice can expand and grow. This will be an exciting time because this is one of the most immediate and expansive results of taking on a new associate. You will suddenly start to look for other ways you can grow your dental practice as well we your mindset.  

Expanding your dental practice = expanding your mindset. You can’t have one without the other. Whether you want to scale your practice by adding new locations or expand your single practice by adding more dentists and operatories, taking the leap and welcoming a new associate will give you the growth mindset you need to achieve your goals and reach your vision. By taking on the responsibility of hiring a new associate to join your team you’re already taking the steps to expand your mindset, and when you expand your mindset, you expand what is possible for your business.  

One More Way to Activate a True Growth Mindset

A growth mindset isn’t just about thinking differently, it’s about giving your ambition a direction. Without clarity, even the most motivated dental entrepreneurs can find themselves working harder without making real progress.

That’s why we created the Extraction GPS. This tool helps you clarify your values, assess where your practice is today, and define a clear path forward, so your growth mindset is supported by a real plan. When you know where you’re going and why it matters, momentum becomes sustainable instead of exhausting.

Scaling your practice requires more than optimism. It requires intention, alignment, and a roadmap that keeps you focused when challenges show up.

Ready to turn your growth mindset into purposeful action?

Download Your Extraction GPS

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