Ken Kaufman & Nathan Chitty dive deep into the first 4 episodes of Dental Truth Project - uncovering the game-changing insights from industry legends Brian Calao, AJ Peek, Eric Roman, and Gareth that every DSO leader needs to understand. The brutal truth about advisors flooding into dental for easy money, why the "highest bidder" might bankrupt your equity rollover, and the associate dentist management crisis that's quietly destroying DSO profitability from the inside out.

Legends Perspectives

💡 The "Ask Ken" Question: 

"Can a DSO avoid surprises with their tax bills?"

Nathaniel Baker, Overjet Key Account Executive, drops truth bombs about why DSOs and dental tech companies keep missing the mark: Most DSOs are "organized chaos" that don't have their act together (even the biggest ones), industry partners are pitching products without understanding what success actually means to each stakeholder, and the #1 reason pilots fail isn't the technology - it's that nobody agrees on what winning looks like.

Key Revelations:

The Alignment Problem in DSO Operations

💡 The "Ask Ken" Question:

"What's the single most important financial KPI for a DSO?"

Ken's answer: Free cash flow. Collections matter, but buyers, banks, and partners all anchor to your EBITDA and ability to generate cash. Look at cash from operations minus capex - if it's positive, you're generating cash. If it's negative, your business is consuming cash and you need to figure out why.

🎁 Free Resource:

Free Cash Flow Analysis

Discover how to evaluate DSO financial health and operational efficiency by identifying cash available for practice reinvestment, partner distributions, or debt reduction. This guide gives you the framework to assess whether your DSO generates enough cash to sustain growth, fund acquisitions, market challenges.

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE GUIDE NOW! https://resources.accrudent.com/accrudent-free-cash-flow-analysis-template

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

Alex Sharp, CEO of Shared Practices Group, exposes the hidden cause of dental burnout: You're stressed because you're trying to be everything to everyone. The dentists thriving right now? They've niched down, gone deep on one thing, and escaped the hamster wheel. The Amazon model of dentistry (crowns, fillings, root canals, sleep apnea, ortho aligners, implants - all in one day) is literally designed to burn you out. Here's why the narrow path is actually the profitable one.

Key Revelations:

Why Simplicity Actually Scales (And Complexity Kills You)

💡 The "Ask Ken" Question:

"How do I keep my lenders happy while growing my DSO?"

Ken's answer: Two words: No surprises. Treat your bank as a partner, not the enemy. Watch your covenants MONTHLY - they're more important than your financial statements. If you're close to tripping a covenant, collaborate early. Proactive communication builds banking relationships that actually support growth.

🎁 Free Resource:

Why Loan Covenant Maintenance Matters

Proactive covenant management = better loan terms, lower rates, and financial freedom to grow instead of firefighting with lenders.

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE GUIDE NOW! https://resources.accrudent.com/accrudent-loan-covenant-maintenance

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

Maria Melone, former KPMG auditor turned M&A advisor with 100+ dental transactions under her belt, exposes the valuation myths costing dentists millions: "Percentage of collections" isn't a valuation method - it's just a reference point.

Unqualified brokers are flooding the market with misleading valuations. And here's the kicker: the exact same practice sale can legitimately be framed as 28x, 15x, or 8x EBITDA depending on the calculation method - yet most dentists obsess over the multiple while completely ignoring the other side of the equation.

Key Revelations:

Sale Process Dentists Get Catastrophically Wrong

💡 The "Ask Ken" Question:

"What's the fastest way to know if my DSO is overstaffed?"

Ken's answer: Watch the 30% revenue threshold. Staff costs (assistants, front office - NOT doctors or hygienists) should stay under 30% of revenue, ideally closer to 25%. Cross that 30% line and you're bleeding efficiency. In today's market, 25% staffing cost means you've built a highly efficient operation that buyers will pay premium multiples for.

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

Howard Polansky, former practicing dentist turned financial strategist, exposes a controversial debt elimination system that has CPAs arguing and dentists gasping: One client freed up $190,000 in annual cash flow in a single hour without changing a thing about their practice. The secret? "Velocity banking" - strategically using lines of credit to reverse-engineer the tools banks use against you.

Key Revelations:

The Line of Credit Revolution

💡 The "Ask Ken" Question:

Ken's answer: Look at two key metrics. First, staff costs as a percentage of collections - if you're spending more than 28-30% of your revenue or collections on staffing, you likely have an issue. Second, check your production per clinical FTE. If that number is too low, you're probably overstaffed with assistants and possibly a hygienist. The math tells the story.

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

Josey Sewell, Former DSO COO and Clinical Leadership Expert, Reveals Dentistry's Uncomfortable Truth: Nobody Wants to Manage the Doctors.

Josey Sewell pulls back the curtain on the industry's most avoided conversation: Despite building org charts for hundreds of dental groups, she's never seen a hand immediately raise when it's time to fill the clinical director seat. The excuse? "Dentists don't need to be managed." The reality? Associates are starving for mentorship while groups burn through talent, and female dentists are being systematically bullied by teams—yet leadership turns a blind eye because they're too afraid to have the conversation.

Key Revelations:

The Clinical Leadership Vacuum

💡 The "Ask Ken" Question:

"What's the ONE report a dentist owner should demand monthly to keep it simple?"

Ken's answer: Forget all the complex reports—there's only one metric that truly matters: Are you generating cash or burning it? Look at your statement of cash flows, find "cash from operations," subtract your capex, and you'll know instantly if you're building wealth or hemorrhaging money. If you're on cash-basis accounting and can't access this, demand your team figure it out—because this number tells the truth when everything else is just noise.

Free Resource:

Free Cash Flow Analysis

Many business owners focus solely on profit margins, but cash flow tells the real story. A profitable company can still fail if it can't generate enough cash to sustain operations, pay debts, or fund growth initiatives.

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE GUIDE NOW! https://resources.accrudent.com/accrudent-free-cash-flow-analysis-template

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

Austin Hair, real estate strategist and former professional wakeboarder turned DSO site selection expert, destroys the biggest wealth myth in dentistry: "Renting is throwing money away." The reality? Premature real estate ownership is killing DSO growth, trapping practices in the "dark tunnel" of 3-8 locations, and costing operators millions in missed opportunities - all while DSOs sit in receivership because they prioritized being landlords over being dentists.

Key Revelations:

Ken's answer: Double down on accounts receivable NOW. Most practices are sitting on uncollected revenue - patients who'll pay if you just send a notification, claims you haven't submitted yet. Focus here first before you panic about the insurance delay. It's the fastest way to accelerate collections and weather the storm.

🎁 Free Resource:

Steve Craig, VP at Solmetex and former Johnson & Johnson Senior Leader, exposes uncomfortable truths about dentistry's people problem: Post-COVID, 60% of insured Americans don't even use their dental benefits, practice owners are hemorrhaging patients out the back door while obsessing over new patient numbers, and the industry's dirty secret about dental unit water lines is making teams & patients sick - yet 70% of practices ignore it completely.

Key Revelations:

The Hidden Health Crisis in Your Operatory

💡 The "Ask Ken" Question: 

"What's the #1 financial move to maximize practice valuation in 3-5 years?"

Ken's answer: Organize your financials like an athlete's highlight reel. Buyers won't dig through messy data looking for potential - they need to see your strengths immediately. Showcase the differentiators that make you stand out. If you can't capture their interest in the first look, they'll pass without a second glance.

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 

Accelerate Dental CEO, Mike Baird, drops a devastating warning: This generation of dentists is actively selling out their entire industry - and the private equity deals that seemed attractive just years ago are now trapping doctors in receivership nightmares while permanently stripping dentistry of professional ownership.⁣

⁣

Investment banker Gareth Petsch exposes the brutal reality crushing DSO owners: despite years of promises about dental being a "safe investment," the M&A market has completely collapsed - and the deals that worked in 2021 are now failing spectacularly in 2024, leaving owners trapped with businesses they can't exit.⁣

⁣