Next Level Executive

In December of 2025, Park Dental Partners, a doctor-owned and debt funded group of close to 100 practices in Minneapolis, went public. They’re not going to be the last. If you’re leading an emerging group practice, competing with publicly traded DSOs will dramatically change the landscape in every aspect: M&A, recruiting, technology, etc. It is inevitable that several more PE-backed DSOs will go public before the end of 2027. If you want to know why…“push play.”
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CHAPTERS:
The success of PARK
Why they did it and what it means
Four reasons why a handful of PE-backed DSOs must go public
I’ve lived on both sides of private versus public
Your marching orders
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Other Episodes You’ll Love:
5 Effective Executive: Leading from the Front
56 Preparing for Growth & Sizing Up Risk
…
Got Questions? Send them to me here: [email protected]
Love this show? Leave a review or share it with your friends!
Want more advice on running a better business? See what I’m writing and what I’m reading.
...
Considering selling your business to a DSO? Download the “Top 10 Questions” Guide HERE.
...
Follow me for more insights: LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook | TheNextLevelExecutive.com
© 2025–2026 by Perrin DesPortes. All Rights Reserved.

A few months ago, I dropped an episode on “The Era of the Zombie DSO” where I shared my view on the 50 to 70 PE-backed DSOs that couldn’t get a recap done. Their incompetence is your opportunity, but it’s up to you to get a return on that.
If you’re looking to become a better leader of your own practice or group, a lot of that will begin and end with the people you bring into the organization. Tune in to hear how you should prepare ahead of time.
Want to know how it’s going to play out? Time to “push play”
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CHAPTERS:
Jim Collins’s concept of “Return on Luck”
Who – Not How
How a DSO can quickly create more EBITDA
A haul of talent entering the market
Don’t forget about Associates
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Other Episodes You’ll Love:
3 The Era of the Zombie DSOs
15 Effective Executive: Professional Inflection Points & Key Decisions to Make (part 1)
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Got Questions? Send them to me here: [email protected]
Love this show? Leave a review or share it with your friends!
Want more advice on running a better business? See what I’m writing and what I’m reading.
...
Considering selling your business to a DSO? Download the “Top 10 Questions” Guide HERE.
Follow me for more insights: LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook | TheNextLevelExecutive.com
© 2025–2026 by Perrin DesPortes. All Rights Reserved.

In a world still focused on “10X’ing your business” and “Scale for Sale,” there’s only one problem with all of that: this growth strategy is completely wrong. The reason that it’s only creating chaos for so many of your colleagues is very simple. It’s backwards.
If you want to learn the right way to build a group practice…then “push play.”
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CHAPTERS:
My frustration with our industry
A group practice or a group OF practices?
What your new growth strategy should be
Example of greatness number one: Dr. James
Example of greatness number two: Dr. Todd
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Other Episodes You’ll Love:
5 Effective Executive: Leading from the Front
56 Preparing for Growth & Sizing Up Risk
…
Want to talk about your own journey? Email me directly: [email protected]
Love this show? Leave a review or share it with your friends!
Want more advice on running a better business? See what I’m writing and what I’m reading.
...
Considering selling your business to a DSO? Download the “Top 10 Questions” Guide HERE.
...
Follow me for more insights: LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook | TheNextLevelExecutive.com
© 2025–2026 by Perrin DesPortes. All Rights Reserved.

I created a component of my Next Level Executive program called “Entrepreneurial Leadership” for a reason: because I truly believe that you and I can create a successful business that is congruent with the lifestyle we want to lead. In short, I believe our business can be a complement to our life – not compete with it.
Business ownership is a full-contact sport – even in a healthcare services environment. And it has to be built to win. Wanna know what winning sounds like? I’ll let two of my friends tell you…time to “push play”
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CHAPTERS:
Two Entrepreneurs who happen to own clinical services businesses
Overcoming the fear of making investments in your business
Impact and Fulfillment is the ultimate outcome as a business owner
Leading a nimble business in an ever-changing environment
Abundance and optimism with your hands firmly on the steering wheel
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Other Episodes You’ll Love:
36 Success vs Fulfillment
55 Ceilings of Complexity and Inflection Points
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Got Questions? Send them to me here: [email protected]
Book a Call to Discuss the Executive Program
Love this show? Leave a review or share it with your friends!
Want more advice on running a better business? See what I’m writing and what I’m reading.
...
Considering selling your business to a DSO? Download the “Top 10 Questions” Guide HERE.
...
Follow me for more insights: LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook | TheNextLevelExecutive.com
© 2025–2026 by Perrin DesPortes. All Rights Reserved.

Everyone in this audience is a successful clinician and business owner, but each of us has experienced a point of burnout from owning a dental practice.
So, if you didn’t already own your business, would you buy it? And if you had it to do all over again, would you become a dentist? Think very hard about your answer…
Then “push play”
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CHAPTERS:
Moore’s Law and the most successful “pivot” in Corporate America history
Is it time for you to pivot, too?
My MBA case study on your industry
My job performance “needs improvement”
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Other Episodes You’ll Love:
2 Frames of Reference and the Merits of the Model
21 Taking stock of where you are and what you want
…
Got Questions? Send them to me here: [email protected]
Book a Call to Discuss the Executive Program
Love this show? Leave a review or share it with your friends!
Want more advice on running a better business? See what I’m writing and what I’m reading.
...
Considering selling your business to a DSO? Download the “Top 10 Questions” Guide HERE.
...
Follow me for more insights: LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook | TheNextLevelExecutive.com
© 2025–2026 by Perrin DesPortes. All Rights Reserved.

If you’re going to build a group dental practice that isn’t dependent upon you or your clinical skills, then it had better be one that that executes at a high level. If execution equals performance, then why do so many dentists incorrectly think they need to be great at strategy?
It may be time we all had “a reality check” about what drives our business and where our focus needs to truly be.
Trust me when I tell you: “push play.”
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CHAPTERS:
Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance?
Is your vision and your strategy getting in the way of your tactics and your execution?
The fundamentals of execution
Creating your own “SMaC recipe”
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Other Episodes You’ll Love:
9 Is Yours an “Execution Business”?
60 Top "10-12" Mistakes People Make Building a Group Practice?! (#1)
62 Top "10-12" Mistakes People Make Building a Group Practice?! (#2)
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Got Questions? Send them to me here: [email protected]
Book a Call to Discuss the Executive Program
Love this show? Leave a review or share it with your friends!
Want more advice on running a better business? See what I’m writing and what I’m reading.
...
Considering selling your business to a DSO? Download the “Top 10 Questions” Guide HERE.
...
Follow me for more insights: LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook | TheNextLevelExecutive.com
© 2025–2026 by Perrin DesPortes. All Rights Reserved.

Everyone loves to talk about “scaling your group dental practice” and “growth strategy” for your practice. Sometimes the most obvious answer is right in front of your face, but most of us fail to question things that are obvious.
I have the same 12 months and 365 days in my year that you do in yours, but from a leadership standpoint, my year looks nothing like yours. I simply chose a different starting date.
If you’re looking for a more effective way to drive results through a fresher, more focused team, then “push play!”
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CHAPTERS:
Cyclicality: Calendar Years versus Performance Years
A specific example of a pedo-ortho group
Freshness and focus
A few key leadership points to shift your mindset
The lesson I learned from Patterson’s proof of success
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Other Episodes You’ll Love:
10 Mistakes people make immediately on their growth journey
30 The Choice We Make & the Freedom We Have
…
Got Questions? Send them to me here: [email protected]
Book a Call to Discuss the Executive Program
Love this show? Leave a review or share it with your friends!
Want more advice on running a better business? See what I’m writing and what I’m reading.
...
Considering selling your business to a DSO? Download the “Top 10 Questions” Guide HERE.
...
Follow me for more insights: LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook | TheNextLevelExecutive.com
© 2025–2026 by Perrin DesPortes. All Rights Reserved.

Why do so many successful dentists struggle to become even marginally effective CEOs? To be effective in a leadership role means you have to be able to create greater results through the work of your team, so is it “the team” that’s limiting your progress? Or are you just not being clear in communicating your expectations?
If you’re frustrated by a series of underwhelming results, then “push play.”
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CHAPTERS:
The Leadership Principle of “Variables and Variance”
My personal lesson in learning that principle
“What does success look like to you?”
“What are the key steps in the process or sequence that are most important?”
“What are some of the obstacles you think you’ll encounter along the way?”
“What other resources do you need now or think you might need along the way?”
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Other Episodes You’ll Love:
13 Leadership - “Why does it feel like I’m doing it wrong?”
31 Leadership during times of uncertainty
…
Got Questions? Send them to me here: [email protected]
Book a Call to Discuss the Executive Program
Love this show? Leave a review or share it with your friends!
Want more advice on running a better business? See what I’m writing and what I’m reading.
...
Considering selling your business to a DSO? Download the “Top 10 Questions” Guide HERE.
...
Follow me for more insights: LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook | TheNextLevelExecutive.com
© 2025–2026 by Perrin DesPortes. All Rights Reserved.

Many early-stage executives wonder whether they’re truly ready to be a leader. We talk about this “transition from Clinician to CEO” as if it were easy. It isn’t. And your mastery of clinical services no longer applies to the other 80% of the business. So how do you actually lead a group practice when you don’t know how to perform the work all of those other roles require? I had to overcome that same mindset and figure out how to create results when I couldn’t perform the craft. I’ll tell you what I did and what you should be focused on. If you’re having your own doubts, then “push play.”

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CHAPTERS:

Managing versus Leading

What I learned in Richmond – the hard way

Two Truths about Leadership

The critical mindset shift

5 areas to focus on that lead to KPI outcomes

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Other Episodes You’ll Love: 

Predicting Your Outcomes through Lead Measures

Leading from the Front

…

Got Questions? Send them to me here: [email protected]

Love this show? Leave a review or share it with your friends!

Want more advice on running a better business? See what I’m writing and what I’m reading.

...

Thinking about selling your business to a PE-backed DSO?  I have 10 Questions you should ask first.  Download the Guide HERE.

...

Follow me for more insights: LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook | TheNextLevelExecutive.com

© 2025–2026 by Perrin DesPortes. All Rights Reserved.

The late Peter Drucker has a timeless quote that you and I have probably referenced 1,000 times: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”
I’ve had enough unique experiences over 25 years to validate the truth in that statement.
It does, however, beg the question: “Is it possible to build a business with a strong culture that also produces successful financial results?”
You’re about to hear the answer…
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CHAPTERS:
5:00 A humble, humorous origin story
14:00 What Orthodontist in their right mind starts a pedo practice – and lives to tell the story?!
24:00 The dynamic around an evolving, homegrown leadership team
30:45 This isn’t for the faint of heart
45:00 Visionary, Integrator...and Entrepreneur
52:00 Fulfillment is the ultimate measure of results
…
Got Questions? Send them to me here: [email protected]
Love this show? Leave a review or share it with your friends!
Want more advice on running a better business? See what I’m writing and what I’m reading.
...
Thinking about selling your business to a PE-backed DSO? I have 10 Questions you should ask first. Download the Guide HERE.
...
Follow me for more insights: LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook | TheNextLevelExecutive.com
© 2025–2026 by Perrin DesPortes. All Rights Reserved.