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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

PRESS RELEASE: HOUSTON-AREA DENTAL PRACTICES CREATE A GLOBALLY-RESPECTED NETWORK OF PERIODONTISTS, DENTISTS AND OTHER SPECIALISTS

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Rocket Health Partners - A Dental Practice Provider

HOUSTON, TX (July 25, 2023) – Houston-based Perio Health Professionals is excited to announce the successful formation of Rocket Health Partners, a project formed by Perio Health and facilitated by the Optimize Practice Services consulting team. The project is funded by the impact investment fund Altura Capital, in partnership with Plexus Capital and Hamilton Lane, and was brought to market by Kurt Harvey and Caber Hill Advisors.

Dr. Todd Scheyer of Perio Health Professionals had a vision and passion to scale a highly differentiated platform with worldwide impact alongside his partners Dr. Michael McGuire and Dr. Andrew Rossi.

“Making Rocket Health Partners a reality required leadership, credibility, and hard work. My partner Dr. Todd Scheyer and the Optimize Practice Services team brought all three in equal measure. I am so proud to see the legacy of my 40+ year career reach these heights and am forever grateful for the partnership it took to get here,” Dr. Michael K. McGuire, DDS, FICD, FACD, Board Certified Periodontist, Founder.

“At Altura Capital, we look for investment opportunities to improve lives in communities across the country. The vision of the Rocket Health Partners founders will do just that,” says Altura Capital managing partner Carlos Signoret. “We are eager to work with these skilled clinicians to build a platform for growth and excellence for years to come.”

Josh Gwinn, CEO of Optimize Practice Services, joined Rocket Health Partners as CEO-Consultant in 2022. He built trust and teamwork across the network of doctors and supported clarifying the doctors’ vision. From that early process through the close of the deal, the team worked together to put all the necessary pieces in place to make their vision a reality.

“The close of this deal for Rocket Health Partners is a testimony to what can be accomplished when clear intentions are declared and all parties are respected. The result is a structure that reflects the vision of the founders and is built for growth. It will benefit the member practices for years to come,” says Josh Gwinn, CEO, Optimize Practice Services, “we are looking forward to seeing their future success.”

Optimize Practice Services worked with all parties involved in the following areas:

  • Communication, support, and leadership through the transition.
  • Robust project management infrastructure.
  • Operational leadership.
  • Best-in-class vendors to support the management group build.

After many years of planning, Rocket Health Partners has successfully:

  • Brought 90+ doctors and employees together onto one team.
  • Centralized HR, accounting, procurement, and more under one roof.
  • Established a foundation for M&A activity to bring this innovative model to new areas.

ABOUT ROCKET HEALTH PARTNERS
Rocket Health Partners is a Houston-based dental support organization led by world-renowned and respected periodontists that have hand selected a highly committed group of founding practices. The network is comprised of master clinician dentists that provide comprehensive dental services. We believe our collective legacies will last for generations to come and positively impact the healthcare system worldwide.

ABOUT ALTURA CAPITAL
Altura Capital is a lower-middle market investment firm led by a team with 110+ years of collective experience in private equity, private debt, and company building. Altura uses an impact investing model to back healthcare, business services, consumer, and manufacturing businesses across the United States and Puerto Rico.

ABOUT OPTIMIZE PRACTICE SERVICES
Optimize Practice Services is a full-service consulting and dental partnership organization with the sole purpose of helping dentists and their teams clarify and then execute their own specific meaningful vision for growing and scaling, building or joining a platform, or securing investment.

ABOUT PLEXUS CAPITAL
Founded in 2005, Plexus has raised more than $1.7 billion across five funds, partnering with leaders of small businesses to help facilitate growth and create jobs. The Plexus team consists of 38 professionals with offices in Raleigh and Charlotte.

ABOUT HAMILTON LANE
Hamilton Lane is a leading global investment manager with over $830 billion in assets under management. The direct credit team has a 22-year track record of investing in direct credit, with $43.1 billion of deal flow since 2015 and $4.9 billion of committed capital across 195+ transactions.

Use These 6 Principles in your Dental Practice to Unleash Exponential Growth

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As a former dental practice owner who successfully scaled and exited my dental business, I wrote my book Extraction: The Surprising New Formula to Systemize, Scale and Sell Your Business specifically with the dental practice entrepreneur in mind. Why?  

I am a hard worker. I worked diligently for decades to build and scale my dental practice organization. But I am also an observer of the human condition, and I observed again and again how difficult it was for me to duplicate my success. With every new patient, every new team member, every new system or piece of technology we integrated we were faced with as many complications.  

Those complications wore out my teams, inundated our processes and overwhelmed each practice. And all these complications ended up stagnating our growth until we could dig ourselves out only to be met with another new patient and another several complications to our systems.  

That redundancy became a frustrating and predictable aspect of our growth. So, I set about working on a process to eliminate that stagnation from our business model lifecycle. As you can see in the chart below, a typical business lifecycle, pictured on the left, starts out with a vision and then moves into growth.

Once in growth, entrepreneurs and teams focus on the growth aspect of the business until everyone basically runs out of steam and the business starts to stagnate. Once a business has been in a state of stagnation for a while, there is a decline. That decline may lead to a complete burnout of the business or, if the entrepreneur is able to pivot and has a lot of resources, the business can recover from that decline.   

Lifecycle of your Dental Practice

Stagnation in Your Dental Practice Growth is Real – You Are Not Alone 

The question I wanted to answer was, is it possible to avoid or lessen that stagnation phase in order to avoid decline altogether? And after a lot of research, study and feedback from my teams, I can confidently say, that, yes, it is possible for a business to avoid falling into the deep crevasse of stagnation. There is a way to continue duplicating your success through scaling without experiencing crushing complications every time you add a new patient, team member or system to your scaling efforts. Ok, how?  

The Practice Optimization Process for Your Dental Practice 

I grew my organization from 1 dental practice to 8 in a very short time. At first, I enjoyed the process. It was a very exciting time, and I was learning so much. But as we kept growing things became more and more complex, stressful and overwhelming. I was spending less time in the dentist chair and more time putting out fires and managing chaos. Eventually, I burned out and I started to watch my efforts stagnate and my organization fall into some decline.  

All through this hectic time, I still tried to learn and understand and grow. I observed the process, took notes and tried to figure out a duplicate-able system for scaling that did not involve chaos management and getting stuck in stagnation.  

It took several more years of hindsight and reflection, but I was finally able to put my lessons into a sequence that I call the Practice Optimization Process. The Practice Optimization Process is a formula for staying out of stagnation while learning to pivot quickly as a leader to continue to grow and scale your business. There are 6 steps in this sequence:  

Define Point A

This step in the sequence allows you to assess where your practice or organization is right now and what mindset you have as a leader and dental practice entrepreneur. After all, if you or your practice is not ready or willing to scale or grow you need to be aware of that and understand why and what might be holding you back.  

Face Your Fears and Challenges 

You’ve assessed your Point A and more likely than not, have come away with an understanding that you’ve got some roadblocks and obstacles on the way to growth. Time to face those obstacles and understand them so you can remove them from the path. Many times, this means delving within your own mindset, beliefs and myths that you hold as a leader and an entrepreneur.

After all, our business often reflects our own limiting beliefs. But how do you remove those limiting beliefs? Well, along with reading my book, I’ve created a companion workbook that allows you to use the information in the book and the exercises in the workbook to uncover and Extract those limiting beliefs and old mindsets that are keeping you from growing your dental practice organization.   

Define Point B 

You’ve defined where you and your practice are; you’ve uncovered and extracted the obstacles to growth within yourself and your business. Now it’s time to create a vision for your new future. Through the work you’ve just done on your mindset you’ve literally changed the trajectory of your future. Now you must define it!  

Build Your Teams 

In defining your point B you created your Vivid Vision™ which aligns your practice around what you’ve defined as your vision, your point B. One of the first steps in alignment is building or rebuilding your team. You cannot grow and scale your dental practice all by yourself. You need a team that is going to own that vision as much as you do.

My book teaches you how to choose the right people for your organization. It also helps you decide whether people already within your organization are in the right positions or if they would be better suited to a different position. As Jim Collins likes to say, you gotta get the right people on the bus and the right butts in the right seats before you can drive anywhere.  

Create Your Strategic Plan 

You’ve defined your vision and you’ve gotten your dream team assembled. Now it’s time to define your strategic plan. Your strategic plan is your blueprint of execution. This is where you drill down and start to define real-world goals for your teams to execute. These are the goals that will actually move the needle of success in your dental practice.  

Moving from the Dentist’s Chair to the Investor Seat 

This last step in the sequence is solely focused on you, the business leader and investor in your organization. To lead your teams through your goals and strategic plan as well as the accompanying obstacles you will inevitably face, you need to have a growth mindset. And that starts with seeing yourself not only as a dentist, but as an investor in your practice. This step is where you learn to wear different hats as a leader.

Yes, you are a dentist first, but you also need to be nimble enough to know when to stop thinking like a dentist and start thinking like an investor and leader of an organization. There is a lot you don’t learn in dental school and this formula is where you’ll learn exactly what you need to know to grow, scale and even sell your business eventually.  

The Support You Need for Your Dental Practice

As you can see, this formula is a sequence. You need to take the steps in the correct order to receive the full benefit of this formula and ready your business and your mindset for growth. So, now it’s time for you to do some thinking. Are you ready for transformation? Are you ready for growth? Are you ready to liberate yourself from the limiting beliefs that have been stagnating your growth?  

Our experienced consultants are here to help. One of the most effective ways to quickly transform your business as well as your mindset is to schedule a complimentary consulting call with one of our Expert Advisor Consultants. In just 30 minutes, you will gain immediate clarity of your desired point B and begin developing your path to get there.

Click the button to secure your 30-minute consulting call!

Schedule Your Consulting Call

The Power of Authentic Partnership for Your Dental Practice, Part 2: Are Shared Values Enough?

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Do you own a dental practice? Are you looking for a partner? Keep reading… I knew that Jack Bayramyan’s organization was a cut above. I would be lucky to partner with him. His organization had the chops: standardization, the organization, teamwork, team culture and optimized systems. No other company we looked at was even near the level of optimization and expertise that Kids Dental Place was providing to its patients.  

What I didn’t know about Jack was his level of commitment to that optimization, service and culture. I didn’t know until I got into a room with him and sat down and spoke with him. From his telling all I wanted to talk about was his team culture, how he built it, the values he used to guide his team building efforts, etc. And that tracks. As the CEO of several healthcare companies, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about these very subjects for myself and my teams. It’s a very important piece of leadership for me. But it isn’t for everyone.  

Many leaders, CEOs and executives don’t give a hoot about those questions or intricacies of an organization when they start talking about partnership to outside investors. And that’s fine. But a word of warning, don’t go into partnership with one of them if they don’t match your values, interests or commitment.  

When looking for a partner for your dental practice, look for someone who shares your values, your leadership style and your interest in team building as a priority and a commitment. So, how do you do that and is that enough?  

Are Shared Values Enough for a Dental Practice Partnership?   

But are shared values and an interest in team culture enough for a partnership? As you heard in the video, they are most definitely not. I went in, excited to meet Jack and find out more about his company. Then almost like a first date, we just started talking and couldn’t stop. I could tell we shared a lot of the same passions around cohesive team structure, service excellence, leadership style. But during the interview I found out he wasn’t expecting to stick around. That came as a shock to me, and I needed to dig in and find out more.  

So, we sat in that room, and I got to the bottom of what Jack’s plans, goals and ultimate vision for his life and organization actually were before taking the next steps. And that’s my advice to you. Don’t stop talking to prospective partners. Find people that match your interests, goals and passions. Discuss all those fun topics, but don’t stop there. Dig into the hard conversations. It’s important to ask hard questions to gauge and know where they’re at and what they want and be honest with where you’re at and what you want. Here are some great examples of hard questions to ask your prospective partners:  

Questions to Ask As a Dental Entrepreneur:

  • What are your 3-5 year goals for your company?  
  • What are your 3-5 year goals for yourself, personally?  
  • Are you interested in scaling your business?  
  • What does your personal and executive calendars look like?  
  • How many hours a week do you work?  
  • How many hours a week do you want to work in the future?  
  • What are your professional values for your company?  
  • What personal values overlap with your company values?  
  • What is your leadership style?  
  • Who are your business heroes?  
  • Who are your personal heroes?  

Some of these questions will come up naturally during the course of your conversations and some of them will need to be prompted and pointedly asked. But that’s ok. It’s kind of like going on a date and gauging whether this will be a person you will spend the rest of your life with. Will you have kids with this person? Do they want kids? What values will you instill in them? Etc.  

If you’re looking for a partner whose only value is the money they can put on the table, then honestly, that’s not a terribly hard search. They may or may not accept an offer from you but finding those kinds of partners is not difficult. What’s difficult is meeting and connecting with someone who shares your vision, values and commitment to building something that becomes a legacy, not just a cash cow.  

When Is it Not Enough for Your Dental Practice?  

Shared values matter, but values alone aren’t enough. Authentic partnership requires alignment around vision, direction, and where you’re ultimately trying to take the organization. You have to know your own Point B before you can evaluate whether someone else belongs on the journey with you.

That clarity didn’t fully emerge for Jack until he stepped back and asked the harder questions—not just about potential partners, but about himself. What did he really want his role to be? What future excited him? What was no longer acceptable? Once those answers became clear, partnership stopped feeling like a compromise and started feeling like an opportunity.

That’s why we created the Extraction GPS. This tool helps dental entrepreneurs clarify their values, define their current reality, and articulate a clear vision for where they’re going, so partnership decisions are made intentionally, not emotionally or reactively. When your Point B is clear, it becomes much easier to recognize whether someone else is truly aligned with that future.

Authentic partnerships aren’t rushed. They’re chosen.

Considering a partner for your dental practice or organization?
Download the Extraction GPS to get clear on what you want, what you don’t, and what a true partnership should support before you move forward.

At Optimize Practice Alliance, we believe the future of dentistry belongs with dentists and that future is best built through clarity, alignment, and shared vision.

Download Your Extraction GPS

A Fearless View of Your Dental Practice Through the Lens of the 21st Century

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Is your dental practice ready for disruption? A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of sitting in on the ExO 2.0 Launch Event with Salim Ismail and Peter Diamandis, the founder of the XPRIZE. It was a mind-blowing experience to listen to these two guys talk about what makes a company an exponential organization (ExO). They laid out how to transform your own company into an exponential organization while also transforming your mindset as a leader of an ExO. 

The exponential pace of technological advancements has the potential to revolutionize industries and transform society as we know it. Recognizing this potential, Diamandis and Ismail unveiled the framework designed to unlock exponential growth for organizations.   

An exponential organization (ExO) is a term coined by Salim Ismail and is used to describe a new breed of organizations that leverage accelerating technologies and exponential growth strategies to outperform traditional companies. These organizations are designed to thrive in a rapidly changing and disruptive business landscape.  

Exponential Organizations 2.0 Book image

Exponential organizations are characterized by their ability to achieve massive scale and impact with relatively few resources. They harness the power of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, big data, and blockchain to rapidly scale their operations and deliver products or services with unprecedented efficiency.  

How can you, the dental entrepreneur, leverage these technologies and ideas to turn your dental practice into an ExO? It starts with your mindset. Let’s look at the characteristics of an exponential organization.   

The ExO 2.0 Framework: The Pillar Principles of Exponential Organizations 

At the core of ExO 2.0 lies the recognition that traditional business models are ill-equipped to navigate the rapidly evolving business and economic landscape of the 21st century. To address this, Diamandis and Ismail introduced a new set of attributes that enable organizations to tap into exponential growth opportunities. These attributes allow us to define and navigate the contours of Exponential Organizations and how dental entrepreneurs may apply them.  

The Pillar Principles of An ExO:   

1. Massive Transformative Purpose (MTP):  

  • An MTP is a compelling and inspirational mission that goes beyond profit-making goals. Organizations with a clear MTP attract talented individuals, foster innovation, and create a sense of purpose that aligns everyone towards a common goal. An MTP taps into people’s intrinsic motivations and creates a sense of meaning and fulfillment.  

2. Scalable Learning:  

  • With the exponential rate of knowledge growth, organizations need to adopt scalable learning practices. This involves leveraging technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, and virtual reality to enhance education, training, and knowledge sharing. 

3. Rapid Scalability:  

  • Exponential organizations leverage technology and networks to achieve scalability. Through the use of digital platforms, automation, and global connectivity, they can reach a vast audience and serve them efficiently and effectively. This scalability enables exponential organizations to grow rapidly without proportional increases in resources.   

4. Experimentation and Adaptability:  

  • Embracing experimentation and being adaptable are critical components of success in a rapidly changing world. ExOs create an environment that encourages risk-taking, allows teams to iterate ideas and strategies quickly, and embrace failure as a steppingstone towards success. By encouraging a mindset of experimentation, they can uncover new opportunities, pivot when necessary, and stay ahead of the curve. 

5. Social Technologies:  

  • Leveraging social technologies and platforms enables organizations to tap into the collective intelligence of their employees, customers, and stakeholders. By fostering collaboration, communication, and co-creation, companies can harness the power of their network to drive innovation and growth.  

6. Engagement and Community:  

  • Engagement is a crucial pillar for exponential organizations. They focus on creating meaningful experiences for their customers, employees, and stakeholders. By fostering engagement through interactive platforms, immersive technologies, and personalized interactions, they build loyalty, advocacy, and a sense of belonging. These companies create engaged communities that act as brand advocates, co-creators, and a source of valuable feedback and ideas. 

7. Algorithms and AI:  

  • Exponential organizations utilize algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI) to drive efficiency, personalization, and innovation. By harnessing the power of data and automation, they can make better decisions, optimize processes, and deliver tailored experiences. AI enables them to analyze vast amounts of information, identify patterns, and generate insights that fuel growth.  

By implementing the key elements outlined in the above framework, ExOs foster an environment conducive to exponential growth and disruption. These companies transcend conventional limits, create sustainable competitive advantages, and drive innovation in an era of rapid change. 

These pillar concepts also provide traditional organizations with a framework for embracing exponential growth and navigating the challenges of a rapidly evolving business landscape. By adopting these principles, companies can position themselves as agile, innovative, and future-ready entities capable of driving transformative change. So, let’s look how you, the dental entrepreneur, can implement these tools and applications. You can start using most of these right now to turn your business into an exponential organization.   

Turning Your Dental Practice into An Exponential Organization

I was curious to listen to what these gentlemen had to say because I used the very principles, they spoke about in the webinar to scale my first organization, Kids Dental Place. And they are also the principles and mindset I’m using now to help our partners and clients at Optimize Practice Services.   

This mindset transformation, to fully embrace the future of the 21st century and where it’s headed, rather than stick to old 20th century traditional business models, allowed me to scale my first business with incredible speed and success. And it’s what we talk about with our partners and clients at OPS. It is us, the leaders of our organizations, who must have the courage to embrace the future, learn to use its tools and create the companies and businesses we envision.   

And the good news is…the future is here! We don’t need to wait around for these tools, mindsets and cultural shifts. They are at our disposal. We simply need to have a beginner’s mind, a curious disposition and a willingness to dive into the deep end of the future to see what is truly possible for our success. So, now let’s look at what you can do right now to implement these tools, strategies and mindsets to disrupt and redefine your dental practice.  

The Pillars of Exponential Growth for Your Dental Practice:

  1. Massive Transformative Purpose (MTP): Exponential organizations have a clear and compelling mission that inspires and motivates employees and stakeholders. The concept of exponential organizations highlights the importance of agility, adaptability, and embracing disruptive technologies and business models.   You can do this with your dental practice. Notice the first characteristic is about mindset, having a MTP or Massive Transformative Purpose. This is exactly what I had when I started my first practice, Kids Dental Place. My MTP was to create a million smiles for children. I got this purpose while still in dental school on a mission trip to Mexico working in a free dental clinic. Volunteering in that clinic transformed my idea of going to college to become a dentist simply to have a secure financial future, into a mission to transform lives and bring smiles to as many children as I could help. Do you have a massive and transformative purpose for your business?  
  2. Scale: These organizations have the ability to scale rapidly and effectively, leveraging external resources and platforms to achieve exponential growth. I went from one practice to eight practices in a very short time using these principles. Now, this was the early 2000’s so the technology was different, but mindset and determination were the same. I figured out how to leverage my profit and other external resources while optimizing our systems and processes to meet the demand of new practices coming online very quickly. Are you thinking about scaling your practice?   
  3. Leveraged Assets: Exponential organizations make use of external resources, such as shared economy platforms and crowdsourcing, to minimize costs and maximize efficiency. Leveraged assets is not a new concept but it’s one we are very familiar with at OPS. Leveraging new technologies, lending our leadership, and making available our templates, processes and skillsets is our job #1 when we work with you.   
  4. Engagement: These orgs have a strong focus on engaging their communities and stakeholders, often utilizing social media and digital platforms to connect and collaborate. This is something that you are probably already doing within your communities both online and offline. Engagement within your community is one of the pillars of strength for dental practices. And knowing how to utilize it effectively cuts down on marketing costs and keeps interest high.   
  5. Interfaces: Exponential organizations create user-friendly interfaces and leverage emerging technologies to deliver seamless and personalized experiences to their customers. One of my core passions is team building and team culture because I learned very early on in my career that happy teams are one of the most valuable assets of a growing practice. At OPS we have a lot of tools for reforming your interfaces to create a better experience for your patients. And this includes the teams your patients interact with every day. But interfaces encompass so much more. One of the benefits of working with a partner is the access you will have to emerging technologies in the dental field like Augmented Reality, AI, Laser and Robotic dentistry and so much more.   
  6. Dashboards: ExO’s use real-time data and analytics to monitor performance, make data-driven decisions, and identify new opportunities. Back when I was starting my practice and my office manager left us without a proper way to bill, track and understand our numbers, I learned the power of data-driven decisions. We could not move forward without her knowledge. I spent six months learning our systems and I vowed to never let another single human have all that power to just walk out the door with the info driving our business success. So, I got to work creating a system and custom software that allowed me or anyone else that needed it, to track our growth and progress. That was a mistake that was to never be repeated in my organization. Another lesson I learned was how to analyze and experiment with strategies to increase sales, reduce costs and try on new models without hurting our bottom line. Taking a scientific approach to our marketing and business operations was unique but it really paid off. I would try a new technique or process; measure our growth and compare that to our old way of doing things. Over and over, we fine-tuned our entire organization. And it was obvious to investors when I finally decided it was time to sell. And technology has come so far even from a few years ago that it makes no sense to not take advantage of these new monitoring dashboards. This level of granular data study and management is now completely automated!

All these characteristics of an ExO can be applied to your dental practice with incredible results if you’re willing to get educated and keep an open mind. And that’s where it starts: You and your mindset.   

A Fearless, Exponential Future for Your Dental Practice

Becoming an ExO starts with a willingness to think differently—and the courage to do the work that clarity demands. When you define a clear purpose and align your organization around it, your dental practice can move beyond incremental improvement and toward exponential possibility.

Innovation, impact, and scale don’t happen by accident. They happen when leaders intentionally define where they’re going, why it matters, and what kind of organization they’re building along the way.

That’s why we created the Extraction GPS. This tool helps dental entrepreneurs clarify their values, define their current reality, and articulate a clear vision for the future—so growth is driven by purpose, not fear. It gives you the structure to move from ambition to alignment and from ideas to execution.

A fearless view of your practice begins with knowing your direction.

Ready to define your purpose and chart an exponential path forward?
Download the Extraction GPS and start building a dental practice positioned for innovation, impact, and long-term relevance.

Download Your Extraction GPS

Optimize Practice Services Webinar – Group Dentistry 3.0: How to Own Your Future and Shape the Next Phase of Your Dental Practice

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This webinar is over. If you missed it – don’t worry! We’ll do it again. Register below for the next replay!

About This Webinar

From its beginning, group dentistry promised to improve patient care and clinicians’ lives. At times hitting or missing the mark, group dentistry has evolved as an important way for dentists to secure their legacies and financial futures – but not without tradeoffs. Get a decision-making checklist to help you plan your next steps and hear from Optimize Practice Services CEO and Co-Founder Josh Gwinn on how other dentists are navigating this landscape – and how you can too!

Agenda

  • THE “WHY” BEHIND GROUP DENTISTRY
  • TRADEOFFS AND FACTORS TO CONSIDER 
  • 3 CASE STUDIES FROM DOCTORS WHO’VE DONE IT BEFORE
  • HOW-TO GUIDE TO EVALUATE YOUR OPTIONS

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About the Presenter, Josh Gwinn, Optimize Practice Services CEO and Co-Founder

Josh Gwinn

As the CEO of Optimize Practice Services Joshua Gwinn leads dentistry and orthodontics healthcare operations at our locations in several states.

Gaining extensive logistical and leadership expertise as an operations specialist for the United States Navy allowed Josh to hone a leadership style based on teams of scale driven by accountability, compassion, mission and the promotion of courageous and creative “outside-the-box” problem-solving.

After leaving the Navy, Josh worked for several years with national vision-affiliated brands applying his expertise in large team-management to multi-state organizational operations.

Transitioning to the dental field, Josh was recruited to become the regional director of over 50 practices for the Great Expressions Dental Centers throughout Michigan and Ohio. Josh then pivoted to lead education and training operations for over 200 Gentle Dental practices in the Pacific Northwest and California.

And most recently, Josh served as the Chief Executive Officer for Hero Practice Services a pediatric-focused Dental, Vision, and Orthodontic organization serving providers and patients in seven states and over 70 locations across the nation. Josh’s team-focused, mission-driven leadership style ensures that his teams lead with their core values of accountability, honesty and fearless drive toward objectives.

Register to Watch the Webinar Now

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