The Dental Truth Project

The Business Skills Every Dentist Needs (But Was Never Taught) (E.29)

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Dr. Rehan Shahid, multi-practice owner, dental coach, and COVID-era graduate, reveals an uncomfortable truth about modern dentistry: dental school teaches clinicians how to drill and fill — but not how to run a business. 

As a result, many highly skilled dentists unknowingly build practices that struggle financially because they lack leadership systems, data-driven decision making, and business fundamentals.


Key Revelations:

The Business Education Gap in Dentistry

  • Many Dental Owners first see their financial statements from their CPA and don’t know how to interpret profitability, overhead, or where money is leaking.
  • Dental school teaches clinical dentistry, not how to run a business. Yet successful practices depend on systems, leadership, financial management, and operational structure.
  • Most dentists graduate with almost zero training in reading financial statements, running KPIs, or understanding business operations, even though many will eventually own a practice.
  • Execution beats perfection in business. Many dentists fall into “analysis paralysis,” waiting for the perfect plan instead of taking action, learning from mistakes, and improving systems along the way.

    •  

    💡 The “Ask Ken” Question:

    “Is EBITDA manipulation just part of the game when selling a dental group?”

     

    Ken’s answer: Accuracy matters far more than appearance. Private equity firms will always run a quality-of-earnings review, and any attempt to manipulate EBITDA can destroy a deal immediately. Clean, transparent financial reporting is the only sustainable path when preparing a practice for a sale or partnership.



    Top 3 Episodes of The Dental Truth Project. Listen Now!

    • (E.27) Hiring Entitled Dental Grad Nobody Talks About: Dr. Anushka Gaglani & Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj, Areo Dental Group
    • (E.24) Why Your Associate's Professional Insurance Won't Save Your DSO: Herb Ford, Risk Strategies Dental Practice
    • (E.18) Why Half Your DSO Budget Is Disappearing Into Toxic Culture: Gabriel Hofmann, The Dental Efficiency Guy


      • Got a burning question about dental finance?
      Submit your question, and it could be featured in a future episode.
      Ask Ken Form: https://resources.accrudent.com/ask-ken-form-the-dental-truth-project 

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      The Dental Truth ProjectBy The Dental Truth Project