The Dentalpreneur Podcast w/ Dr. Mark Costes

Ryan Gross, founder and CEO of CMO Share and former Disney data strategist, brings data-driven dental marketing expertise. He discusses aligning marketing with operations, diagnosing call-to-new-patient gaps, tracking ROI with Google Analytics, AI’s impact on SEO and content, and different strategies for startups versus acquisitions.

Alexis Galati, founder of Cerebral Tax Advisors and author focused on tax strategies for medical professionals. She discusses tax options for W-2 earners like short-term rentals and oil and gas, advanced planning for business owners including entity choice, S-corp wages, and retirement maneuvers like backdoor and mega backdoor Roths. Practical tactics for shifting personal costs into business are also covered.

Dr. Chris Green, co-founder of The Practice Launchpad and experienced practice owner, shares his ground-up build story and startup choices. He discusses picking locations, cutting construction and IT costs, using checklists and turnkey programs, and how mentorship compresses learning to avoid costly rookie errors. Practical tactics for new grads and seasoned docs considering a startup.

Chris Sands, co-founder of Profi2020, simplifies dental accounting and tax clarity. Brent Sonnier, co-founder and dental CPA, focuses on proactive tax planning and managerial accounting. They tackle why dentists fear switching CPAs, how onboarding reveals hidden practice chaos, vetting signs of a great CPA, aligning values and fit, entity basics, and why clean accounting must come first.

Dr. Brian Bhaskar, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon and founder of Cindy, is a third-generation dentist turned tech entrepreneur. He discusses why paper referrals slow dental care. The conversation covers his journey from athletics to residency, building a HIPAA-compliant digital referral platform, the features that streamline specialist-general dentist communication, and balancing surgery with growing a practice-focused startup.

Dr. Vishal Sharma, Director of Clinical Education and Operations at Spear and former DSO clinical lead, brings experience scaling practices and shaping dental training. He discusses hybrid learning models, AI in diagnostics and training, gaps for early-career dentists after the pandemic, hands-on plus virtual training methods, and tech-driven efficiency and accountability in modern dental education.

Joshua Scott, CEO of Studio 88 and longtime dental marketing leader, shares his experience scaling a creative, performance-driven agency. He talks about building years and infrastructure equity. They explore overlapping S-curve growth, avoiding shiny-object syndrome, balancing ambition with fulfillment, and prioritizing team longevity over pure growth.

Ryan Gross, founder of CMO Share and former experiential marketer at places like Walt Disney, applies human behavior and data to dental growth. He discusses branding basics, local visibility tricks, and practical collateral. He covers phone and scheduling KPIs, website conversion and AI-ready content, plus community outreach and operational metrics that boost marketing ROI.

Explore the surprising connections between dentistry and the NFL as a leading expert reveals the significance of leadership in practice success. Discover the 10-3-2-1 sleep strategy to boost your productivity and combat burnout. Uncover the importance of redundancy in practice design to maintain a fulfilling career. Dive into the realities of emotional exhaustion in dentistry and how achieving financial goals can sometimes lead to unfulfillment. Learn the four crucial quadrants for a balanced life and the foundational elements for elite dental practice health.

On today's episode, Dr. Mark Costes is joined by Bill Keith and Ben Kacos for an in-depth crash course on DSOs—what they are, how they've evolved, and why every dentist should understand their growing impact on the profession. This conversation dives into the history of dental consolidation, the rise of private equity in the industry, and what those infamous EBITDA multiples really mean for your practice valuation. The trio compares doctor-to-doctor transitions with DSO sales, laying out the pros, cons, and critical factors like tax strategy, risk mitigation, and personal goals. With real-world insights, valuation math, and clear advice on navigating offers, this is the foundational DSO knowledge every growth-minded dentist needs. Be sure to check out the full episode from the Dentalpreneur Podcast! EPISODE RESOURCES https://www.truedentalsuccess.com Dental Success Network Subscribe to The Dentalpreneur Podcast