Practice Under Water: How an $8M Multi-Location Owner Gains Clarity and Reclaims Control - Part 1

Welcome back to the Shared Practices podcast for a high-stakes episode of Practice Underwater. Today, we sit down with "Bob," a high-achieving dentist navigating the complexities of an $8M mega-group. While his revenue has soared, his focus has shifted toward the bottom line, making this a masterclass in reclaiming margins without sacrificing growth. Bob’s journey is a classic success story of the associate to owner transition. After a decade as an associate, he dove into dental practice ownership in 2015. Everything changed when he found the Shared Practices | Your Dental Roadmap philosophy. By implementing dental growth strategies like "retain, open, fill," he scaled his new patient numbers from 25 to nearly 90 per month. Despite this expansion, Bob currently finds his Practice Under Water regarding profitability. With 17 operatories and a central leadership team, his EBITDA margin sits at 8%—a figure he hopes to double. Alongside Dr. George Hariri, Bob performs a "dental moneyball" diagnostic on his P&L, breaking down financial management for dentists—from lean 3% management costs to 36% staff compensation. It’s clear that while his dental practice management is solid, it requires fine-tuning. Bob has been in the "ugly duckling" phase for two years and now faces a critical turning point in entrepreneurship for dentists: continue with acquisitions in dentistry or pause to optimize? This episode is a must-watch for those interested in how to buy a dental practice, as it covers the dental practice acquisition checklist, dental practice valuation methods, and due diligence red flags. The episode also tackles the psychological "10-year grind." Bob shares lessons from a smaller acquisition that led him to re-evaluate his path toward sustainable dental practice growth. Whether you are starting out or managing a group, this dental ownership podcast offers essential dental business strategies. Bob’s willingness to share his Practice Under Water moments provides a roadmap for moving from a clinical bottleneck to a true CEO. Join us to analyze cost dilution, dental practice marketing strategies, and the discipline required to keep dental business ownership lean. Use this dental practice buyer guide to ensure your dental practice profitability remains high. From the dental startup podcast to the dental transition podcast, this is the ultimate dental roadmap for dental practice acquisition podcast listeners. Ask George your questions and get your Practice Under Water! Ready to take the next step in your dental practice journey? Visit to learn more about our Buyer Representation and Coaching services, designed to help dentists buy, grow, and optimize profitable practices. You can also use our Free Look to evaluate dental practice opportunities with real data before making a decision. For daily Dental Moneyball insights, strategy tips, and updates,

You can listen to Practice Under Water: How an $8M Multi-Location Owner Gains Clarity and Reclaims Control - Part 1 online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Practice Under Water: How an $8M Multi-Location Owner Gains Clarity and Reclaims Control - Part 1 is an episode from Shared Practices | Your Dental Roadmap to Practice Ownership | Custom Made for the New Dentist by Dr. George Hariri.

This episode is 34:39 long.

This episode was published on Feb 2, 2026.

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