Podcast Episode #538: Scaling Smart: Navigating Growth, Profitability, and Dental Exit Strategies – Jake Conway
Episode #538: Dentist Freedom Blueprint Podcast
Scaling Smart: Navigating Growth, Profitability, and Dental Exit Strategies – Jake Conway
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—rising overhead, staffing challenges, production declines—and how knee-jerk decisions often compound the problem.
Jake shares his battle-tested approach to financial analytics, beginning with vision clarity and key performance metrics. He also tackles one of the most misunderstood decisions practice owners face: whether to scale or sell. We challenge the assumption that “bigger is better,” and why many multi-practice owners regret expanding, and how to build a high-profit, low-stress model that preserves optionality. We discuss the shifting DSO landscape, dental exit strategies, and the myths of private equity buyouts. Whether you’re nearing an exit or just beginning your journey, this episode will reshape how you think about value, vision, and your most precious wealth metric: time.
Minute Markers:
01:42 – Intro to Jake Conway of Custom Practice Analytics.
04:08 – What dentists are concerned about in today’s world.
06:24 – The importance of being adaptable and not making knee-jerk decisions.
07:14 – Discerning what’s really happening in your office and how it affects profitability.
09:13 – How getting stuck in “producing more” mode can actually create discouragement.
13:25 – Getting off-course and defining what you really want as an entrepreneur.
15:04 – The evolution of a dental practice and defining what “growth” actually means.
18:10 – Regrets of doctors who have done multiple practices.
21:43 – The current atmosphere with DSOs and how/when dentists decide to exit their practice.
25:51 – Why many dentists find that they can’t make as much after the sale.
28:01 – How should a practice owner decide between scaling for their exit vs building for leverage?
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In this episode, we finish up the second part of my interview with Rob Swanson and his eight rules of investing. (If you haven’t listened to part 1, be sure to go back and give that a listen before jumping into this one.) Today, we pick up where we left off, covering rules four through eight and talking about everything from decision-making to cash flow and risk reduction.
Listen in as Rob shares his incredible insight and experience in real estate and investing to give us a few rules that help make our decisions and investments more solid. You will hear about the importance of looking at margins before buying and what boxes need to be checked when it comes to predicting a solid income stream. Rob also discusses how to define and mitigate the different risks involved so that you can come out on top.
Alastair MacDonald is a private advisor to established entrepreneurs, investors, and business owners, as well as a TEDx speaker who lectures on economic, social, and financial forecasts. Join me today to hear part two of our conversation at the Freedom Founders Mastermind, where we dive into the concept of certainty, how to hedge against a volatile economy, and why the abdication model is no longer one that works.
Listen in to learn the reasons why Alastair is not worried about consumer price inflation (and what he’s really worried about instead) and why the 401(k) is not always the investment that it is made out to be. You’ll learn why he is most concerned about the issue of division and polarity in the Western world, why your business is your best asset in a volatile economy, and how you can maintain its viability to weather the most intense economic storm.
1. 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. Go to www.FreedomFounders.com/Scorecard to take the 3 minute assessment and get your scorecard.
2. Attend A Workshop:
If you’re committed to Freedom, but still building a practice, paying down school debt, or growing investment capital, our hands-on Freedom Blueprint Workshops are your entrance ramp onto the fast track! Visit www.freedomfounders.com/workshop to claim your seat!
3. Apply To Visit The Mastermind:
If you’d like to join dozens of dentists, docs, and practice professionals on the fast track to Freedom (5-7 years max), visit www.freedomfounders.com/step-1 to apply for a seat.
4. Want to Work Directly with Me?
If you’d like to work directly with me and a small group of my closest investment colleagues, with direct access to the dealmakers and asset classes that I invest in, just send a message to my Executive Assistant (Lindsey@FreedomFounders.com), and put “Fast Access” in the subject line. Or, call (972) 203-6960 Ext 144 and leave a brief voicemail for Lindsey. Let her know you’re interested in the Fast Access program – we’ll set up a time with you to talk, find out about your goals, and see if there is a fit.