Growing A Dental Practice

In this episode, Mike checks in with Marcus Macleod - a serial entrepreneur with several dental-focused businesses; Defacto Dentists, InterDental TV, Your Dentist Recommends, Blue Glove Jobs, and Net Zero Dentistry.

Marcus starts off by talking about his early career, how he retired and started a chain of wine bars with art galleries, before getting heavily involved in dentistry thanks to his cousin, Dr Mike Gow.

Defacto Dentists is a directory website connecting patients searching for a dentist with local practices. The site generates thousands of enquiries and hundreds of appointments for dental practices across the UK. The best bit…practices can register for free and start receiving leads immediately.

InterDental TV is a website and YouTube channel for dentists. It gives them access to media content from interviews with industry leaders to clinical cases.

Your Dentist Recommends is an e-commerce website that gives dental practices the opportunity to earn commission for products they already recommend to patients from toothpaste and mouthwash to water flossers and electric toothbrushes. Clinicians simply send patients a suggested shopping basket based on their conversion with the patient, the patient orders the products online, and Your Dentist Recommends delivers the products directly to the patient. Dental practices are earning hundreds, sometimes thousands, of pounds without the need to stock any products at all.

Blue Glove Jobs is a dental recruitment website with a unique feature. Dental practices can list a position for free or upgrade to a video listing. Video listings give practices the opportunity to stand out and attract more candidates. Candidates are required to submit a video of themselves, giving practice owners or managers a better idea of what they’re like. This could save time by eliminating the need for an extra interview, give others within the practice the chance to evaluate the candidate, and, ultimately, make sure the right person is hired.

Net Zero Dentistry is on a mission to help the dental industry reduce their impact on the environment. Through its Awareness, Assessment, Education, Offsetting process, Net Zero Dentistry is helping practices reduce their carbon emissions, reduce single use plastics, reduce clinical waste, target a figure to achieve, and providing them with offsetting methods which are more effective, more sustainable, and have a higher impact versus other offerings.

Marcus shares his number one piece of advice for any associate dentists thinking about buying or starting their own dental practice.

If you have any questions regarding Defacto Dentists, InterDental TV, Your Dentist Recommends, Blue Glove Jobs, or Net Zero Dentistry, then reach out to Marcus Macleod.

• Email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marcus-macleod-a859b219

Visit the Growing A Dental Practice podcast page for more details and links to streaming platforms > patientboost.dental/podcast

This episode is brought to you by PatientBoost - The Business & Marketing Growth Consultancy for Dental Practices.

Last year, we phoned over 100 dental practices to understand how receptionists handle patient calls, and we were SHOCKED by the results.

Based on what we learnt, we put together the Dental Receptionist Greeting Script to help receptionists make the best first impression and increase the likelihood of turning a complete stranger into a patient.

Grab your copy of the greeting script here

In this episode, Mike checks in with Dr Sahil Thakkar - Principal Dentist at Dickens Yard Dental in Ealing, London and Co-Host of the Growing A Dental Practice podcast.

It had been several months since Mike & Sahil last recorded an episode, so there was plenty to talk about and catch up on.

Sahil gives a brief update on how the business is going, before diving into how the firing of a receptionist went, how he finally got his second chair, and what it’s been like bringing in associates.

At the end of the podcast, Sahil discusses what he’s learnt over the past few months.

Mike’s check-ins with Sahil are always honest and insightful, and the plan is to make them more regular.

Visit the Growing A Dental Practice podcast page for more details and links to streaming platforms > patientboost.dental/podcast

This episode is brought to you by PatientBoost - The Business & Marketing Growth Consultancy for Dental Practices.

Last year, we phoned over 100 dental practices to understand how receptionists handle patient calls, and we were SHOCKED by the results.

Based on what we learnt, we put together the Dental Receptionist Greeting Script to help receptionists make the best first impression and increase the likelihood of turning a complete stranger into a patient.

Grab your copy of the greeting script here

In this episode, Mike is joined by Dr Mike Heffernan - Specialist in Prosthodontics, Harley Street practice owner, and Co-Founder of Dr Heff’s Remarkable Mints. Mike’s remarkable career has taken him to the US where he specialised at the University of Iowa, led him to part-owning a prestigious dental practice on London’s Harley Street, and drove him to build a fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) brand.

Mike kicks the episode off by sharing details of his childhood. The son of immigrant Irish parents and one of five brothers, Mike’s family owned and operated a bakery. He says it was brilliant growing up surrounded by delicious cakes, but less brilliant for his teeth with an endless supply of sugar.

Keen to pursue a career that utilised his hands - but didn’t give him unlimited access to sticky buns and sugar coated doughnuts - Mike trained as a dentist and graduated from Guy’s Hospital in 1990. He worked as an associate for several years before deciding to become a Specialist. He relocated to the US to specialise in Prosthodontics.

When it was time to move back to the UK, Mike made the crazy decision to invest in a Harley Street dental clinic that he’d never set foot in. He learnt a lot as a Co-Principal, but after 5 years of living in central London, Mike had had enough and was presented with an excellent opportunity to relocate his young family to the South Coast.

In 2018, Mike took a 9-month sabbatical which saw him and his family exploring South America. They learnt Spanish in Costa Rica and were captivated by Argentina.

Various commitments brought Mike back to the UK and he soon split his time between an associate role and renting a room on Harley Street. It’s during this time that he co-founded Dr Heff’s Mints with Dr. Toby Edwards-Lunn.

Mike’s wife was really into juices and smoothies, but would often complain about her teeth feeling “hairy”. Mike being a dentist knew this was actually the sugars in the juices and smoothies breaking down her teeth enamel. This inspired him to create a dental supplement in the form of mints.

Dr Heff’s Remarkable Mints is researching new products and looking to expand beyond the UK. Mike’s love for research will likely see him devote more time to the business and less time practising dentistry.

Towards the end, Mike briefly describes the content marketing company he and his wife have launched; Praxis Content. For a one-off fee or monthly subscription, dental practices can get access to a monthly newsletter full of useful oral health information that they can send to existing patients to improve communication, boost loyalty, and, ultimately, increase sales.

Dr Heffernan shares his number one piece of advice for any associate dentists thinking about buying or starting their own dental practice.

If you have any questions regarding practice ownership or you’d like to learn more about Dr Heff’s Remarkable Mints, then reach out to Dr Mike Heffernan.

• Email: [email protected] 
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/michael-heffernan-62399b31
• Website: drheffs.com

Visit the Growing A Dental Practice podcast page for more details and links to streaming platforms > patientboost.dental/podcast

This episode is brought to you by PatientBoost - The Business & Marketing Growth Consultancy for Dental Practices.

Last year, we phoned over 100 dental practices to understand how receptionists handle patient calls, and we were SHOCKED by the results.

Based on what we learnt, we put together the Dental Receptionist Greeting Script to help receptionists make the best first impression and increase the likelihood of turning a complete stranger into a patient.

Grab your copy of the greeting script here

In this episode, Mike is joined by Adam Smith - Co-Founder and Director of Sales at EnquiryBot; an advanced, automated chatbot and sales management system which increases website enquiries by at least 240% and returns an annual ROI in around 4 weeks.

Adam discusses his background in golf and hospitality, and how his experiences helped him get to grips with dentistry faster.

He explains what a chatbot is, and identifies the different types of “chat” you can find on a website. Adam then talks about the history of chatbots which were pioneered by large corporations with big budgets, and how this created problems for SMEs looking to benefit from the technology.

Adam then dives into why he started EnquiryBot with his Co-Founders, Elliot Hamilton and John King, and how they overcame several challenges with chatbots. He also gives an overview of the lead management system on the backend of the chatbot which helps businesses more effectively manage enquiries.

Mike and Adam then discuss the importance of speed when it comes to following up with enquiries and how EnquiryBot’s automated response emails can improve your chances of converting an enquiry into a sale.

He then explains exactly how EnquiryBot is helping dental practices turn more enquiries into patients. EnquiryBot works for many different industries, but dentistry is EnquiryBot’s largest sector.

At the end of the podcast, Adam shares his number one piece of advice for any associate dentists thinking about buying or starting their own dental practice.

If you have any questions regarding chatbots or you’d like a demo of EnquiryBot, then reach out to Adam Smith.

• Email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/adamsmithenquirybot
• Website: enquirybot.com

Visit the Growing A Dental Practice podcast page for more details and links to streaming platforms > patientboost.dental/podcast

This episode is brought to you by PatientBoost - The Business & Marketing Growth Consultancy for Dental Practices.

“We get it. Dealing with low value patients day in, day out is exhausting. That’s why we promise to help you earn an extra 10k per month in cosmetic treatments within 90 days.”

Book your free, no obligation triage call today to learn how we can help you earn more money, work less hours, and attract better patients.

Book your 15-minute call

In this episode, Mike is joined by Dr Brett Wells - Owner of Wells Family Dental Group and Founder of DentalHQ; an online platform helping group practices and DSOs create and manage their own dental membership plans.

Brett introduces himself as a dentist by trade and entrepreneur by passion, and it’s easy to see why. He’s a highly skilled clinician and savvy businessman who started his first practice from scratch after just 6 months as an associate, opened a second practice only several years later, started and sold a gourmet hotdog restaurant, grew two practices into a group, and founded a tech company to solve problems he was facing and help other practice groups and DSOs.

Dr Wells shares how work experience with a friend’s dad - who was a dentist - gave him the jumpstart he needed to go from coasting at school to being a driven dental graduate. He describes why he started his own practice from scratch after only a few months as an associate and how casual beers with a buddy led them to opening a practice in Downtown Raleigh. Brett would eventually become the majority owner after realising the business needed a single decision maker.

Brett’s foray into the food industry with a gourmet hotdog restaurant - which he sold after a few years - taught him one of his biggest lessons; if you’re going to have multiple businesses, you need to give the operator of each business a stake in the company for it to truly succeed. Anyone you trust to run a business for you, needs to have a vested interest.

He explains that he founded DentalHQ to solve the problems he was facing as the owner of a group of practices and decided to share it with fellow group practice and DSO operators. As a visionary, Brett knows he needs to bring in “executors” to help him realise his many ideas. He recently brought in a senior exec team at DentalHQ to take the SaaS company to the next level with a whole raft of exciting updates.

At the end of the podcast, Brett shares his number one piece of advice for any associate dentists thinking about buying or starting their own dental practice.

If you have any questions regarding practice ownership, DentalHQ, or hotdogs, then reach out to Dr Brett Wells.

• Email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/brett-wells-1441a8139
• Website: dentalhq.com
• Website: wellsfamilydental.com

Visit the Growing A Dental Practice podcast page for more details and links to streaming platforms > patientboost.dental/podcast

This episode is brought to you by PatientBoost - The Business & Marketing Growth Consultancy for Dental Practices.

“We get it. Dealing with low value patients day in, day out is exhausting. That’s why we promise to help you earn an extra 10k per month in cosmetic treatments within 90 days.”

Book your free, no obligation triage call today to learn how we can help you earn more money, work less hours, and attract better patients.

Book your 15-minute call

In this episode, Mike is joined by Dr Hussein Shaffie - Principal Dentist of Bexleyheath Dental Practice and The Sandford Implant and Cosmetic Centre. Hussein is passionate about cooking and has a YouTube channel called The Hungry Dentist.

Dr Shaffie was born and raised in Iran, and was exposed to business from a young age. Hussein would regularly help his father who owned a chicken farm. When he was just 9 years old, Hussein’s father proposed a partnership with his son; if he raised a baby goat, he would receive half the money they received from selling said goat. He learnt the value of hard work.

Hussein discusses why he chose to pursue a career in dentistry and his time studying dentistry in Sweden. After struggling to find a job in Sweden, he moved his young family to the UK. Within three months of arriving in the UK, Hussein had found a position as an associate dentist and offered to buy a practice from the owner. Better yet, he had no money and asked for a loan from the owner which he paid back in full in just seven months.

He talks about the downsides of working too hard to achieve success; namely getting divorced from his first wife and not spending enough time with his children as they grew up. Hussein is unbelievably open about this period of his life, and impacts his advice for new and aspiring dentists at the end of the episode.

Hussein describes how he learnt the hard way that you shouldn’t rely on handshakes when it comes to business arrangements after being burnt by “friends” and their spouses. In fact, he insists you always sign a contract!

Dr Shaffie talks about how he grew his first practice from one to twelve surgeries in six years, including the unique way in which he separated NHS patients from private patients. He also talks about buying his second practice and his plans for expansion.

Towards the end of the episode, Hussein proudly talks about how his team handled emergencies during the height of the pandemic, why hiring and retaining staff in a ‘Work from Home’ world is so difficult, and how his love for cooking led to a YouTube channel called The Hungry Dentist.

Finally, Hussein shares his number one piece of advice (which turns into a few value nuggets)  for any associate dentists thinking about buying or starting their own dental practice.

If you have any questions regarding practice ownership or cooking, then reach out to Dr Shaffie.

• Email: [email protected] 
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/hussein-shaffie-b90a3733/
• YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCzZ-e3AzpQxhmb_Hgv6nUQg

Visit the Growing A Dental Practice podcast page for more details and links to streaming platforms > patientboost.dental/podcast

This episode is brought to you by PatientBoost - The Business & Marketing Growth Consultancy for Dental Practices.

“We get it. Dealing with low value patients day in, day out is exhausting. That’s why we promise to help you earn an extra 10k per month in cosmetic treatments within 90 days.”

Book your free, no obligation triage call today to learn how we can help you earn more money, work less hours, and attract better patients.

Book your 15-minute call

In this episode, Mike is joined by Dr Ferhan Ahmed - Principal Dentist of Edinburgh Dental, Implant Trainer & Mentor, and Author of the book, Being Unstoppable.

Ferhan has an incredible mind and is unbelievably driven to grow as an individual, as a clinician, as a teacher, and as a leader. He credits his strict morning routine - which includes waking up at 5am and running every day - with helping him get more done and pushing him closer to his potential.

Dr Ahmed drops quotes throughout the episode from inspirational leaders such as Warren Buffet, Mahatma Gandhi, and Steve Jobs, and recommends several must-read books including Atomic Habits by James Clear.

He talks about his childhood and his parents, and how he wanted to make them proud when choosing his future career. Not only did he qualify as a dentist in 2005, an interest in oral and maxillofacial surgery then led to him becoming dual qualified in medicine in 2012.

During his 20s and early 30s, Ferhan often sacrificed income in favour of gaining experience and learning on the job. He believes this early sacrifice and the ability to see the bigger picture, is paying off at this stage of his career.

After studying medicine, Ferhan had the opportunity to grow a mini corporate of 6 dental practices, but recently sold the last of 5 locations and bought out his partners to become the sole owner of Edinburgh Dental. He discusses the highs and lows of being a practice owner.

Focusing on a single practice has given him more time to focus on his passion of teaching implants. At any one time, there are 150 dentists benefiting from his programs, and he is personally mentoring 15-20 students. It’s safe to say he’s having a positive impact on these individuals, their patients, and dentistry in general.

Dr Ahed briefly talks about his book, Being Unstoppable - The Mindset of a Great Clinician, and the amazing cause that’s close to his heart and being supported by book sales, Dental Aid Network.

Finally, Ferhan shares his number one piece of advice for any associate dentists thinking about buying or starting their own dental practice.

Reach out to Dr Ferhan Ahmed regarding his book, or implant training and mentoring programs.

• Website: drferhanahmed.com
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/drferhanahmed
• Instagram: instagram.com/drferhanahmed

Visit the Growing A Dental Practice podcast page for more details and links to streaming platforms > patientboost.dental/podcast

This episode is brought to you by PatientBoost - The Business & Marketing Growth Consultancy for Dental Practices.

“We get it. Dealing with low value patients day in, day out is exhausting. That’s why we promise to help you earn an extra 10k per month in cosmetic treatments within 90 days.”

Book your free, no obligation triage call today to learn how we can help you earn more money, work less hours, and attract better patients.

Book your 15-minute call

In this episode, Mike is joined by Dr Simon Gallier - Managing Partner of Future Health Partnership. Future Health Partnership utilises an employee ownership/partnership model and currently has 4 practices located in the North of Wales, Chester, and just outside Bolton.

Simon qualified as a dentist in 1982, served in the Parachute Regiment, and previously owned a dental and whole body aesthetics clinic on Harley Street in London. He developed the concept of direct access in 2007 after working with Superdrug to put hygiene, whitening, and aesthetic clinics in their stores. Also in 2007 he took part in the Polar Challenge – a 320 mile race, on skis to the magnetic North Pole.

Simon recounts why he became a dentist and why he chose to serve in the military during his first few years as an associate. Dr Gallier talks about all of his adventures in the army and how he continued to pursue challenges even after he left. He explains how dentistry in the armed forces is very similar to private dentistry, and why his first year in the NHS was an eye opener that led to him quitting NHS dentistry after just 1 year.

Dr Gallier discusses his first foray into practice ownership and what he learnt during the first few years, and why he expanded beyond a single location before selling.

Simon then tells Mike all about his latest venture, Future Health Partnership - a completely new way to run a dental practice modelled on John Lewis. He believes private equity is ruining dentistry - venture capital firms prioritise profit over patient care. Dr Gallier and his partners think the only way to solve this problem is by giving dental practice staff a stake in the practice they work in to boost motivation and promote loyalty.

Finally, Simon shares his number one piece of advice for any associate dentists thinking about buying or starting a dental practice - his advice might surprise a few people!

If you have any questions about Future Health Partnership or the business of dentistry in general, Simon is more than happy to hear from you!

• Website: futurehealthpartnership.co.uk
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/simon-gallier-bds-3b41144
• Mobile: 07889725343

Visit the Growing A Dental Practice podcast page for more details and links to streaming platforms > patientboost.dental/podcast

This episode is brought to you by PatientBoost - The Business & Marketing Growth Consultancy for Dental Practices.

“We get it. Dealing with low value patients day in, day out is exhausting. That’s why we promise to help you earn an extra 10k per month in cosmetic treatments within 90 days.”

Book your free, no obligation triage call today to learn how we can help you earn more money, work less hours, and attract better patients.

Book your 15-minute call

In today’s episode, Mike is joined by Dr Karl Walker-Finch - Associate Dentist, Mentor, Lecturer, Blogger, and soon to be Author. This is a fantastic episode because at the time of recording, Karl was actually in the process of buying his first dental practice. Knowing we would be releasing this episode only after the sale was completed allowed Karl to be open and honest about his experience.

Karl explains how he first got into dentistry and how his passion for dental implants came about. Not only did he obtain a Masters in Dental Implantology, but he also helps and inspires the next generation of dentists interested in implants as a lecturer and mentor on the MSc in Dental Implantology at ICE in Manchester.

He describes how blogging during lockdown motivated him to write a book all about the challenges facing dentists and ways to overcome them.

On top of all that, Karl explains why he was buying a dental practice and why now was the right time. He discusses how his practice will be different by combining dentistry and counselling. Karl provides a detailed picture of the buying process from the perspective of the buyer and highlights the many challenges and delays.

Karl will be back on the podcast in several months to tell us all about his experience of getting the keys, stepping into the practice for the first time as the owner, and how he’s been putting his stamp on the business.

Finally, Karl shares his number one piece of advice for any associate thinking about buying or starting a dental practice.

If you have any questions about buying a practice or dental implants, or want to learn more about his book, then reach out to Karl.

• Website: walkerfinch.com
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/karl-walker-finch-b8343a158
• Instagram: instagram.com/drkarlsmiles
• Facebook: facebook.com/karl.walkerfinch.1

Visit the Growing A Dental Practice podcast page for more details and links to streaming platforms > patientboost.dental/podcast

This episode is brought to you by PatientBoost - The Business & Marketing Growth Consultancy for Dental Practices.

“We get it. Dealing with low value patients day in, day out is exhausting. That’s why we promise to help you earn an extra 10k per month in cosmetic treatments within 90 days.”

Book your free, no obligation triage call today to learn how we can help you earn more money, work less hours, and attract better patients.

Book your 15-minute call

In today’s episode, Mike is joined by Andy Acton - owner and director of the FTA group of companies which offers a full range of business services to the dental sector. This includes Frank Taylor & Associates, acquired by Andy in 2000, which is still the leading valuer and sales agent of dental practices in the UK.

Andy is a sought after public speaker covering topics including leadership, management, marketing, and the future value of dental practices. He also co-hosts the Dentology podcast with his business partner, Chris Strevens.

Andy explains how he got into dentistry and why he finds the industry so fascinating. He then outlines in detail the process of buying a dental practice. Andy discusses the advantages and disadvantages of buying an established practice vs a new squat practice.

We then dig into some of the 35+ factors that impact a practice’s value, including Andy explaining what goodwill actually is. He touches on the points associates should consider before buying a practice.

Finally, Andy shares his number one piece of advice for any associate thinking about buying a dental practice.

If you are thinking about buying a dental practice, then you need to reach out to Andy and the FTA team.

• Website: ft-associates.com
• Email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/andy-acton-a0836b22
• Instagram: instagram.com/andyacton_
• Phone: 0330 088 11 56

Visit the Growing A Dental Practice podcast page for more details and links to streaming platforms > patientboost.dental/podcast

This episode is brought to you by PatientBoost - The Business & Marketing Growth Consultancy for Dental Practices.

“We get it. Dealing with low value patients day in, day out is exhausting. That’s why we promise to help you earn an extra 10k per month in cosmetic treatments within 90 days.”

Book your free, no obligation triage call today to learn how we can help you earn more money, work less hours, and attract better patients.

Book your 15-minute call