Many dentists are great producers—but still struggle to understand why their bank accounts don’t reflect that success. This week, David welcomes back Barb Stackhouse, a former dental hygienist turned Profit First coach, who helps practice owners finally bridge the gap between production and real profit. In this episode, Barb reveals how one report, 10 minutes a week, and a mindset shift can give dentists total financial control—without needing to become accountants.

If you like this episode, here are more episodes we think you’ll enjoy:

1. Ep #545 - Mike Michalowicz – Profitable Systems, Money Habits & Entrepreneurial Freedom
2. Ep #352 - Barbara Stackhouse – Eliminate Stress and Increase Time with a Profit First System for Freedom

Check out the show notes for more information!

P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are some other ways I can help fast track you to your Freedom goal (you’re closer than you think):

1. Schedule a Call with My Team:

If you’d like to replace your active practice income with passive investment income within 2-3 years, and you have at least 1M in available capital (can include residential/practice equity or practice sale), then schedule a call with my team. If it looks like there is a mutual fit, you’ll have the opportunity to attend one of our upcoming member events as a guest.

2. Get Your Dentist Retirement Survival Guide:

The winds of economic change are here, and now is the time to move to higher ground. This guide gives you the steps to protect your retirement, your family, and your peace of mind. Get the 25-point checklist here.

3. Get Your Free Retirement Scorecard:

Benchmark your retirement and wealth-building against hundreds of other practice professionals, and get personalized feedback on your biggest opportunities and leverage points. Click here to take the 3 minute assessment and get your scorecard.

Joining us today is bestselling author, Mike Michalowicz, to tell us about his upcoming, and most personal book yet, The Money Habit. Mike shares how past failures led him to rethink profitability,  and expounds on the “four-week vacation test” from Clockwork, and how most entrepreneurs mistakenly equate growth with success, and how to break through the marketing noise by doing the opposite of what everyone else is doing!

If you like this episode, here are more episodes we think you’ll enjoy:

1. Ep #535 - Mark Drager – Reinventing Business and Brand Strategy From Collapse to Clarity
2. Ep #519 - JM Ryerson – Leadership that Creates Growth, Profit and Results

Check out the show notes for more information!

P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are some other ways I can help fast track you to your Freedom goal (you’re closer than you think):

1. Schedule a Call with My Team:

If you’d like to replace your active practice income with passive investment income within 2-3 years, and you have at least 1M in available capital (can include residential/practice equity or practice sale), then schedule a call with my team. If it looks like there is a mutual fit, you’ll have the opportunity to attend one of our upcoming member events as a guest.

2. Get Your Dentist Retirement Survival Guide:

The winds of economic change are here, and now is the time to move to higher ground. This guide gives you the steps to protect your retirement, your family, and your peace of mind. Get the 25-point checklist here.

3. Get Your Free Retirement Scorecard:

Benchmark your retirement and wealth-building against hundreds of other practice professionals, and get personalized feedback on your biggest opportunities and leverage points. Click here to take the 3 minute assessment and get your scorecard.

What does it truly mean to lead in an era of rapid change and uncertainty? Today we're joined by Tony Rubleski, leadership strategist and author of Trailblazers, to explore real leadership and inspiring others to take action, especially when the world is filled with confusion and distractions. Tony shares that successful leaders must be willing to be misunderstood, even by those closest to them, and talks about what it means to be a true entrepreneurial trailblazer.

If you like this episode, here are more episodes we think you’ll enjoy:

1. Ep #540 - Dr. Jerry Gray: – Break Free From the Hamster Wheel By Redefining Leadership, Coaching and Legacy
2. Ep #535 - Mark Drager – Reinventing Business and Brand Strategy From Collapse to Clarity
3. Ep #519 - JM Ryerson – Leadership that Creates Growth, Profit and Results

Check out the show notes for more information!

P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are some other ways I can help fast track you to your Freedom goal (you’re closer than you think):

1. Schedule a Call with My Team:

If you’d like to replace your active practice income with passive investment income within 2-3 years, and you have at least 1M in available capital (can include residential/practice equity or practice sale), then schedule a call with my team. If it looks like there is a mutual fit, you’ll have the opportunity to attend one of our upcoming member events as a guest.

2. Get Your Dentist Retirement Survival Guide:

The winds of economic change are here, and now is the time to move to higher ground. This guide gives you the steps to protect your retirement, your family, and your peace of mind. Get the 25-point checklist here.

3. Get Your Free Retirement Scorecard:

Benchmark your retirement and wealth-building against hundreds of other practice professionals, and get personalized feedback on your biggest opportunities and leverage points. Click here to take the 3 minute assessment and get your scorecard.

Does your dental practice or business bring you joy? Dr. Robert "Cree" Hamilton is an orthodontist whose journey spans a small-town upbringing, a career in the Air Force, and a dental practice in Las Vegas. His story embodies the principles of intentional design and purpose-driven leadership. Cree shares his insights on bringing an associate into the dental practice, and the need for transparency and alignment of vision— including two powerful daily questions to clear the air and avoid hidden resentment. Give it a listen!

If you like this episode, here are more episodes we think you’ll enjoy:

1. Ep #539 - Dr. Matt VanderMolen: – Building People First: Creating a High-Performance Dental Practice and Business
2. Ep #538 - Jake Conway – Scaling Smart: Navigating Growth, Profitability, and Dental Exit Strategies

Check out the show notes for more information!

P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are some other ways I can help fast track you to your Freedom goal (you’re closer than you think):

1. Schedule a Call with My Team:

If you’d like to replace your active practice income with passive investment income within 2-3 years, and you have at least 1M in available capital (can include residential/practice equity or practice sale), then schedule a call with my team. If it looks like there is a mutual fit, you’ll have the opportunity to attend one of our upcoming member events as a guest.

2. Get Your Dentist Retirement Survival Guide:

The winds of economic change are here, and now is the time to move to higher ground. This guide gives you the steps to protect your retirement, your family, and your peace of mind. Get the 25-point checklist here.

3. Get Your Free Retirement Scorecard:

Benchmark your retirement and wealth-building against hundreds of other practice professionals, and get personalized feedback on your biggest opportunities and leverage points. Click here to take the 3 minute assessment and get your scorecard.

After 30 years running a solo dental practice with no breaks, no vacations, and no exit in sight, Dr. John and Joy Russo decided to do things differently. In this episode, they share how they transitioned from burnout and uncertainty to true time and financial freedom—without giving up clinical autonomy. Discover what they did differently that opened the door to passive income, alternative investing, and a lifestyle they once thought was out of reach. Their only regret? Not starting sooner.

If you like this episode, here are more episodes we think you’ll enjoy:

1. Ep #539 - Dr. Matt VanderMolen: – Building People First: Creating a High-Performance Dental Practice and Business
2. Ep #538 - Jake Conway – Scaling Smart: Navigating Growth, Profitability, and Dental Exit Strategies

Check out the show notes for more information!

P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are some other ways I can help fast track you to your Freedom goal (you’re closer than you think):

1. Schedule a Call with My Team:

If you’d like to replace your active practice income with passive investment income within 2-3 years, and you have at least 1M in available capital (can include residential/practice equity or practice sale), then schedule a call with my team. If it looks like there is a mutual fit, you’ll have the opportunity to attend one of our upcoming member events as a guest.

2. Get Your Dentist Retirement Survival Guide:

The winds of economic change are here, and now is the time to move to higher ground. This guide gives you the steps to protect your retirement, your family, and your peace of mind. Get the 25-point checklist here.

3. Get Your Free Retirement Scorecard:

Benchmark your retirement and wealth-building against hundreds of other practice professionals, and get personalized feedback on your biggest opportunities and leverage points. Click here to take the 3 minute assessment and get your scorecard.

Joining us today is Dr. Chris Phelps, dentist, entrepreneur, and CEO of the Cialdini Institute. We explore the evolution from clinical practice to scalable, self-managing businesses. Chris shares how his first entrepreneurial breakthrough came from simplifying dense dental school material into condensed study guides—eventually monetizing his problem-solving ability. Listen in to gain powerful takeaways on using behavioral psychology to drive team performance and patient commitment, the transformative power of Kolbe assessments for building high-functioning teams, and how marketing strategy must begin with clarity around the ideal avatar.

If you like this episode, here are more episodes we think you’ll enjoy:

1. Ep #539 - Dr. Matt VanderMolen: – Building People First: Creating a High-Performance Dental Practice and Business
2. Ep #538 - Jake Conway – Scaling Smart: Navigating Growth, Profitability, and Dental Exit Strategies

Check out the show notes for more information!

P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are some other ways I can help fast track you to your Freedom goal (you’re closer than you think):

1. Schedule a Call with My Team:

If you’d like to replace your active practice income with passive investment income within 2-3 years, and you have at least 1M in available capital (can include residential/practice equity or practice sale), then schedule a call with my team. If it looks like there is a mutual fit, you’ll have the opportunity to attend one of our upcoming member events as a guest.

2. Get Your Dentist Retirement Survival Guide:

The winds of economic change are here, and now is the time to move to higher ground. This guide gives you the steps to protect your retirement, your family, and your peace of mind. Get the 25-point checklist here.

3. Get Your Free Retirement Scorecard:

Benchmark your retirement and wealth-building against hundreds of other practice professionals, and get personalized feedback on your biggest opportunities and leverage points. Click here to take the 3 minute assessment and get your scorecard.

What happens when a successful endodontist redefines success—not by the size of his practice or his net worth, but by the depth of his relationships and the culture he creates? Today, Dr. Jerry (Gerald) Gray joins Dr. David Phelps to share his journey from burnout to transformation, and how coaching, family wake-up calls, and a renewed vision for leadership helped Jerry pivot from a transactional, high-performance mindset to a transformational purpose-driven life—one centered on values, trust, and impact.

If you like this episode, here are more episodes we think you’ll enjoy:

1. Ep #531 - Dr. Bill Jordan – Proactive Financial Planning and Embracing Life Transitions
2. Ep #530 - Brad Chandler – Why Business Owners Need to Unlock Self-Love and Break Limiting Beliefs
3. Ep #529 - Dr. Peter Dinh – Unlocking Peak Performance – A Dentist’s Guide to Health, Productivity, and the Entrepreneurial Mindset

The Free For Life Masterclass - The catalyst for exponential success: https://freedomfounders.com/catalyst

Check out the show notes for more information!

P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are some other ways I can help fast track you to your Freedom goal (you’re closer than you think):

1. Schedule a Call with My Team:

If you’d like to replace your active practice income with passive investment income within 2-3 years, and you have at least 1M in available capital (can include residential/practice equity or practice sale), then schedule a call with my team. If it looks like there is a mutual fit, you’ll have the opportunity to attend one of our upcoming member events as a guest.

2. Get Your Dentist Retirement Survival Guide:

The winds of economic change are here, and now is the time to move to higher ground. This guide gives you the steps to protect your retirement, your family, and your peace of mind. Get the 25-point checklist here.

3. Get Your Free Retirement Scorecard:

Benchmark your retirement and wealth-building against hundreds of other practice professionals, and get personalized feedback on your biggest opportunities and leverage points. Click here to take the 3 minute assessment and get your scorecard.

Want to know more about leadership, culture, and creating a business that thrives? Joining the show today is Dr. Matt VanderMolen. From starting his dental career in the Navy to building a top dental practice in Springfield, Illinois, Matt talks about why your team comes before the patient and the importance of defining a clear mission within your business. Dr. VanderMolen shares how his military background instilled a passion for structured advancement and people development, and how it inspired him to create a five-level system to empower his dental staff. Give it a listen!

If you like this episode, here are more episodes we think you’ll enjoy:

1. Ep #530 - Brad Chandler – Why Business Owners Need to Unlock Self-Love and Break Limiting Beliefs
2. Ep #529 - Dr. Peter Dinh – Unlocking Peak Performance – A Dentist’s Guide to Health, Productivity, and the Entrepreneurial Mindset
3. Ep #525 - Dr. Victoria Peterson – Investment Grade Practice – The Business Principles Every Dentist Needs to Succeed

The Free For Life Masterclass - The catalyst for exponential success: https://freedomfounders.com/catalyst

Check out the show notes for more information!

P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are some other ways I can help fast track you to your Freedom goal (you’re closer than you think):

1. Schedule a Call with My Team:

If you’d like to replace your active practice income with passive investment income within 2-3 years, and you have at least 1M in available capital (can include residential/practice equity or practice sale), then schedule a call with my team. If it looks like there is a mutual fit, you’ll have the opportunity to attend one of our upcoming member events as a guest.

2. Get Your Dentist Retirement Survival Guide:

The winds of economic change are here, and now is the time to move to higher ground. This guide gives you the steps to protect your retirement, your family, and your peace of mind. Get the 25-point checklist here.

3. Get Your Free Retirement Scorecard:

Benchmark your retirement and wealth-building against hundreds of other practice professionals, and get personalized feedback on your biggest opportunities and leverage points. Click here to take the 3 minute assessment and get your scorecard.

What do dentists need to increase profitability in their business and create time freedom? Jake Conway, founder of Custom Practice Analytics, is back for an in-depth conversation on future-proofing businesses in an era of uncertainty. We dig into the financial stressors facing dentists and entrepreneurs today and how knee-jerk decisions often compound the problem. Jake shares his battle-tested approach to key performance metrics, and also tackles one of the most misunderstood decisions practice owners face: whether to scale or sell. 

If you like this episode, here are more episodes we think you’ll enjoy:

1. Ep #526 - Brannon Moncrief – Dental Practice Transitions – DSO Trends, Seller Options and Best Practices
2. Ep #525 - Dr. Victoria Peterson – Investment Grade Practice – The Business Principles Every Dentist Needs to Succeed
3. Ep #522 - Dr. Mauricio Dardano – An Inside Look At a Dentistry Consolidator – The Success of MB2 Dental

Check out the show notes for more information!

P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are some other ways I can help fast track you to your Freedom goal (you’re closer than you think):

1. Schedule a Call with My Team:

If you’d like to replace your active practice income with passive investment income within 2-3 years, and you have at least 1M in available capital (can include residential/practice equity or practice sale), then schedule a call with my team. If it looks like there is a mutual fit, you’ll have the opportunity to attend one of our upcoming member events as a guest.

2. Get Your Dentist Retirement Survival Guide:

The winds of economic change are here, and now is the time to move to higher ground. This guide gives you the steps to protect your retirement, your family, and your peace of mind. Get the 25-point checklist here.

3. Get Your Free Retirement Scorecard:

Benchmark your retirement and wealth-building against hundreds of other practice professionals, and get personalized feedback on your biggest opportunities and leverage points. Click here to take the 3 minute assessment and get your scorecard.

Joining us today is Chris Litzler, Senior Managing Director at Marcus & Millichap, for an insider look at the current state of real estate capital markets. We dive into the world of refinancing and acquisition lending. With interest rates significantly higher than just a few years ago, most refinancing today is "involuntary." Listen in to hear Chris explain what passive investors should be looking for in real estate deals, the growing role of private credit funds, and more!

If you like this episode, here are more episodes we think you’ll enjoy:

1. Ep #534 - Russ Morgan – Becoming a Better Investor: What to Pay Attention to and What to Ignore
2. Ep #532 - David McAlvany – Recession and Reindustrialization: Investing Wisely in a Time of Transformation
3. Ep #527 - Marcus Crigler – Real Estate Investing and Profit Retention For 2025

Check out the show notes for more information!

P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are some other ways I can help fast track you to your Freedom goal (you’re closer than you think):

1. Schedule a Call with My Team:

If you’d like to replace your active practice income with passive investment income within 2-3 years, and you have at least 1M in available capital (can include residential/practice equity or practice sale), then schedule a call with my team. If it looks like there is a mutual fit, you’ll have the opportunity to attend one of our upcoming member events as a guest.

2. Get Your Dentist Retirement Survival Guide:

The winds of economic change are here, and now is the time to move to higher ground. This guide gives you the steps to protect your retirement, your family, and your peace of mind. Get the 25-point checklist here.

3. Get Your Free Retirement Scorecard:

Benchmark your retirement and wealth-building against hundreds of other practice professionals, and get personalized feedback on your biggest opportunities and leverage points. Click here to take the 3 minute assessment and get your scorecard.