Next Level Executive

By Perrin DesPortesEntrepreneurship Medicine Management

Next Level Executive episodes

June 18 This is the Moment You’ve Been Waiting for
One major difference that separates a great Clinician from a successful CEO is the ability to understand changing market dynamics while living through them. Timing can, in fact, be the make-or-break factor in your success.
In last week’s episode, I said that the “Gold Rush” of those selling their practices ended in 2019 and that we were now a new era of “Fool’s Gold.” If this is the era of Fool’s Gold for PE-backed DSOs, then it’s the new era of The Currency of Trust for each of you.
You don’t need to be in a hurry. All you need to be…is “right.” Let’s go!
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CHAPTERS:
1:00     Bill Gross’s number one reason why startups succeed
3:20     Your moment in time
5:30     Fool’s Gold being replaced by a Currency of Trust
8:45     Two changing mindsets for the better
10:50 Understanding time-frame versus time-ing
11:45 Call to Action & Future Commitment
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Other Episodes You’ll Love:
S1 E56 Preparing for Growth & Sizing Up Risk
S2 E22 Leadership in an Emerging Group Practice: Dr. Nate Tilman & Dr. Dan Hostrander
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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.
...
Want to know The Top 20 Mistakes People Make in Building a Group Practice? Download the Guide HERE.
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Follow me for more insights: LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook | TheNextLevelExecutive.com
© 2025–2026 by Perrin DesPortes. All Rights Reserved.
18 min
June 14 Welcome to the Era of The Zombie DSO
Many Founder dentists have based their growth strategy on “scale for a sale.” If you’re one of them, you’re not going to like this episode. Today’s world of Private Equity-backed DSOs has become a house of cards when it comes to recaps and “second bites of the apple.” For far too many, there is no hope of recap and there is no windfall return to shareholders. Welcome to the world of “the Zombie DSO.” Want to know the foundation that house of cards is built upon? Push play.

CHAPTERS:
:50 The Gold Rush then versus Fool’s Gold now
3:30 Entrance of the Zombie DSO
6:20 A quick review of the Private Equity model
15:10 A quick review of Valuation and Lending
19:30 The key variable that NO ONE is talking about
21:50 How did we get to here?
24:20 So, where does this all end? …

Other Episodes You’ll Love:
Selling Your Business? 10 Questions I Would Ask a PE-Backed DSO
Selling Your Business? 5 Questions You Should Answer First

...
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.
...
Want to know The Top 20 Mistakes People Make in Building a Group Practice? Download the Guide HERE.
...
Follow me for more insights: LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook | TheNextLevelExecutive.com
© 2025–2026 by Perrin DesPortes. All Rights Reserved.
30 min
June 04 Taking Your Biggest Career Risk - I'll Go First
S3 E2: Your Biggest Career Risk – I'll Go First
Everyone likes to talk about transitioning from Clinician to CEO, but nobody talks about what you actually have to do to make that a reality – let alone be effective in the new role.
To become an effective executive of the group or practice you lead means getting comfortable as an agent for change. And the first change that has to happen is in reinventing yourself. It's one of the biggest career risks you'll ever take.
If you're wondering what that looks like, feels like, and sounds like, then I'll show you as I do the same for my podcast. Push play and let's dive in.
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CHAPTERS:
1:30 Evolving from a clinician who does the craft to a CEO who leads the business
2:50 Seeing things the way they are, not the way you want them to be
5:30 What I would say to your team if I were you
8:35 Where I've been; where you are; and where we're going together
16:55 When the rate of change on the outside exceeds the rate of change on the inside, the end is near
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Other Episodes You'll Love:
Professional Inflection Points & Key Decisions to Make (part 1)
Personal Inflection Points & Key Decisions to Make (part 2)
…
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.
...
Want to know The Top 20 Mistakes People Make in Building a Group Practice? Download the Guide HERE.
...
Follow me for more insights: LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook | TheNextLevelExecutive.com
© 2025–2026 by Perrin DesPortes. All Rights Reserved.
22 min
June 02 Trailer
Next Level Executive is back — sharper, more focused, and built around the one conversation that almost no one in this space is willing to have with a practice owner who has already made it.
If you have built a practice that clears seven figures, runs well as long as you are in it, and leaves you wondering what comes next — this show was made for you. Leadership, ownership, and growth strategy for dentist entrepreneurs who are ready to stop being the most indispensable person in their own business.
New episodes drop weekly. The back catalog is waiting.
Subscribe now so you never miss an episode!
3 min
May 28 Creating a Business that Compliments Your Life: Dr. Ben Tolley & Dr. Geoff McIntosh
All of us should aspire to own businesses that allow for entrepreneurial freedom when it comes to time, money, relationships and purpose. Ever wonder what that really looks like? I'm joined by two friends from the Executive program who have done just that: Dr. Ben Tolley and Dr. Geoff McIntosh. You're going to love listening to this episode almost as much as I did recording it. Enjoy!
56 min
May 21 My Most Popular Episode!
As I'm about to relaunch the podcast, I figured I'd share the episode you've downloaded the most, which is...My Own Personal Journey?! Well, judging by the number of downloads, it actually is. I went back and re-listened to it, and there's actually a lot of good "teaching points" in it, so it's actually worth another listen - or a first listen, if you've never heard it! Here it is...again!
Quite a few of you have asked about different aspects of "my story," so I figured I would take an episode to tell it from a "what can you take away from the experience" perspective. I'd actually encourage each of you to do the same with your own journey. You might be surprised at what you can learn...from yourself! I hope you enjoy this episode.
Got questions? I've got answers! You can reach me directly at: [email protected]
You can find out more about me and the Next Level Executive program at: www.TheNextLevelExecutive.com
1 hr 2 min
May 19 Partner Spotlight: AccessDSO Solutions
As we roll through 2026, I will be sharing some interviews with a few curated company relationships. These are companies I know and trust, and people whose opinions I value. My intention is to share these collaborations with my audience of subscribers in members in hopes that they are equally beneficial to each of you.
My interview on today's spotlight is with Bob Foss and Ted Wegman, Co-Founders of AccessDSO Solutions. Bob and Ted are dental industry veterans who have created a tremendous service offering around office design concepts as well as equipment and technology products. If you're contemplating building a new office or renovating an existing practice, this episode is for you!
37 min
May 14 A Masterclass on Metrics
I've taken quite a few calls and had a lot of conversations recently that all seem to orient around metrics and benchmarks. Wondering if you're on the right track? Curious if your business is up to standard? Tune in for a handful of metrics you need to know!
Want to experience a "mini version" of the Next Level Executive program yourself? Join me in a 3-week sprint series. Details at: www.grouppractice.coach
Got questions? I've got answers! You can reach me directly at: [email protected]
You can find out more about me and the Next Level Executive program at: www.TheNextLevelExecutive.com
36 min
May 07 The Power of Quitting
To be effective, you have to improve your decision making skills. What happens when you get it wrong? Do you really understand the price you - and your team - are paying in terms of time, distraction and dollars? In today's show, I unpack three critical skills that every effective executive must learn and master: evaluating opportunity costs; avoiding the sunk cost fallacy; and recognizing further secondary costs. It took me years to learn the merits of all of these. Hopefully you'll be a faster study!
Want to experience a "mini version" of the Next Level Executive program yourself? Join me in a 3-week sprint series. Details at: www.grouppractice.coach
Got questions? I've got answers! You can reach me directly at: [email protected]
You can find out more about me and the Next Level Executive program at: www.TheNextLevelExecutive.com
34 min
April 30 Leadership in an Emerging Group Practice: Dr. Nate Tilman & Dr. Dan Hostrander
Being an Effective Executive of an emerging group practice is easy to talk about, but hard to accomplish. You're going to learn from two guys directly what it means. Dr. Nate Tilman and Dr. Dan Hostrander have each built incredible businesses. Both of them are in my Executive group, so I asked them to share some of their "lessons learned along the way" with you. Enjoy!
Want to experience a "mini version" of the Next Level Executive program yourself? Join me in a 3-week sprint series. Details at: www.grouppractice.coach
Got questions? I've got answers! You can reach me directly at: [email protected]
You can find out more about me and the Next Level Executive program at: www.TheNextLevelExecutive.com
1 hr 1 min