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Every dentist thinks a partnership will be:

More fun

Less lonely

Less risky

And “like being in it with my best friend”

Reality: business partnerships are harder than they look—and often harder to keep healthy than marriages.

I’ve been in multiple partnerships that didn’t last. They weren’t with bad people; our goals, seasons, and effort levels just changed. Exiting was painful, emotional, and avoidable in hindsight.

This video is for any dentist considering:

Buying into a practice

Partnering with a friend

Making a rockstar associate a partner

Or giving equity to an office manager

Before you sign anything, ask: “Why do I really want a partner?”

I’m Dr. Richard Low:

- Dentist & former CEO of 35 dental practices

- Founder of the #1 rated practice‑ownership podcast in dentistry

- Burned out, rebuilt my life around faith, family, and fitness

- Now coaching 50+ male practice‑owner dentists inside Next Level Fathers to lose weight, reconnect with God, and lead better at home

In this video, we cover:

1. When does a partnership actually make sense?

In general business, you partner when someone brings:

- Capital you don’t have

- Skills / experience / connections you don’t have

In dentistry:

- Banks will often fund a solo practice acquisition without a partner.

- You can often grow into ownership skills with coaching + a strong office manager, not necessarily a partner.

So many partnerships are built on:

“I want one, not that I need one.”

That’s fine but be honest about it.

2. Lifestyle reasons (and their risks)

Common emotional drivers:

- “I don’t want to own alone.”

- “I want flexibility around kids / family and someone to share the load.”

- “I like this person, we’d be great partners.”

Those are not bad reasons, but they are fragile if:

- Your visions diverge in 3–5–10 years

- One person carries more leadership / risk than the other

- One is more driven, more frugal, or more growth‑oriented

Someone will become the “alpha,” even if it’s 50/50 on paper.

3. Associate buying in vs just profit sharing

If you’re an associate considering buying in:

Be brutally honest:

- Do you want to be a true business partner…

- Or do you just want more upside (profit share, bonus, slightly higher comp)?

Those are different roles.

Red flags:

- Buying in without working there 1–2+ years

- Never having seen your future partner under stress

- Assuming 50/50 on paper = equal say in practice reality

Key questions:

- Is there real growth potential, or am I buying at the peak?

- Can we add ops / doctors / services, or is the practice maxed?

- Am I okay if, when it comes to a tie, it effectively goes the senior partner’s way?

4. Owner bringing on a partner

If you own the practice and are considering a partner:

- Are you doing it to retain a unicorn associate who is truly owner material?

- Or to solve loneliness / burnout / fear you could solve differently?

Consider:

How hard is it to recruit in your market?

- Super rural + good associate = more reason to partner

- Dense market with lots of talent = less reason to give away equity

Do you want to keep full control over:

- Spending / reinvestment

- Culture and hiring / firing

- Your own clinical days / schedule / involvement?

You can keep them long‑term with:

- Better pay

- Better culture

- Shared upside

…without automatically making them a full partner.

5. The “prenup”: how you’ll break up (before you start)

Whatever you decide, you MUST:

- Define the breakup mechanics up front in the operating agreement.

Examples (talk to an attorney):

- If I want out, I must first offer to buy you out at a defined price formula.

- If you decline, you then must either buy me out or allow me to sell my shares.

- Clear timelines, valuation method, and steps—so nobody is trapped, and you don’t immediately go nuclear with lawyers.

And character-wise?

You want partners who are honest and not greedy.

If you’ve already seen:

- Questionable judgement

- “Ends justify the means” money behavior

…that’s not going to get better once you’re tied together.

My honest take

If you can do it solo, do it solo.

- You can still get coaching, build a strong leadership team, and join masterminds so you’re not alone.

- You can always add profit sharing, phantom equity, or minority stakes later if it truly makes sense.

If, after all that, you still want a partnership:

- Go in eyes wide open

- Get a good lawyer

- Don’t skip the prenup

- Make sure you’ve seen each other in the hard seasons first

If you’re a successful, stressed or burned-out dentist,

🚀 Watch the full Next Level Fathers Framework:

https://youtu.be/cYhvSAeAbJs

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