Darab Business Advisors

Most independent dentists don’t sell to private equity.

They sell quietly to another independent dentist. That buyer (and their bank) care way more about SDE, loan coverage, and take-home cash flow than one perfect EBITDA multiple.

Behind the scenes, your valuation professional will mix and match methods—SDE, EBITDA, DCF, book value, market comps—and often average several for private deals.

Before you chase “the best multiple,” ask: who’s my most likely buyer, and what numbers do they really care about?

If you want to quietly pressure-test your numbers, DM me ‘VALUATION’ and I’ll share how I walk independent dentists through this.

Collections don’t pay your mortgage. What’s left after overhead does.

Most practice owners I talk to are working harder than ever — and scratching their heads at the end of the month, wondering where it all went.

The July issue of What’s Next breaks it down.

Link Below. 👇

A straight-talk one for the practice owners.

Every consultant will tell you your overhead "should" sit around 60%. So you check, you're at 62%, and you either panic or relax based on that one number.

Here's the thing — that number tells you almost nothing.

1. First, there's no standard for what "overhead" even includes. One office counts it against production, the next against collections. One includes the dentist's pay and the loan, the next leaves both out. So comparing your number to someone else's is like comparing two thermometers set to different scales. The only fair comparison is to yourself — your number this quarter against last, measured the same way every time.

2. Second, it's just a ratio — expenses divided by collections. Raise your fees, and it drops, even though you cut nothing. Have a slow collections month, and it jumps, even though you didn't spend more. The number can move without anything real changing.

And

3. Third, even an honest number is a lag indicator — a rear-view mirror. It tells you what already happened last year, not what to change, or how.

The real story is underneath: your team, your PPO plans, your supplies and lab, the software you've been auto-renewing for years. That's where the decisions actually live. The percentage is just the symptom.

So instead of "is my overhead too high," the better question is "what's my next move — and what will it free up?"

And if you've ever gone back and forth on whether to Stay, Scale, Slow Down, or Sell, my free What's Next Assessment is a good place to start.

DM me NEXT, and I'll send it your way — no pitch, just a clear read on where you stand.

Introducing What's Next — my new monthly newsletter for dental practice owners.
If you own a dental practice you have probably been told your only choices are to grow it or sell it.
But most owners I talk to are not living in that binary world. They are somewhere in between — working hard, doing well, and quietly wondering if there is a better version of what they have built.
What's Next is built for that conversation.
Every month I curate the most useful intelligence on cash flow, practice value, and the strategic decisions that determine whether you stay, scale, slow down, or sell — on your terms.
Four paths forward. Not two.
✅ Stay — optimize cash flow and make the practice worth owning.
📈 Scale — build enterprise value and grow beyond yourself.
⏱️ Slow Down — fewer days, more life, no exit required.
🤝 Sell — transition intentionally at maximum value on your terms.
The first issue is live right now. It covers five things that quietly shape what your practice is worth — and what to do about each one while you still have time and options.
Two ways to get started — both free:
👉 Take the What's Next Assessment to find out which path fits where you are right now.
👉 Subscribe to the newsletter for monthly dental intelligence delivered to your inbox.
Links in the comments.
The Cash Flow Surgeon™ | Coach and Advisor to Dental Practice Owners
Darab Business Advisors | darabadvisors.com

Most of us can rattle off our collections.

We don't know our Adjusted EBITDA margin (me included, for a long time).

That number doesn’t tell you “what your practice is worth.”
But it does show how much real profit your practice is throwing off once you strip out perks, one‑offs, and tax stuff.

When you compare your margin to “best in class” and run the math on your current collections, it’s a pretty good wake‑up call on how much value is still hiding in the practice you already own. You can call it your Profit Gap, or Hidden Value, too.

You don’t have to fix it by working more days or cranking up marketing.

You fix it by working ON your business, not IN your business.

If you want help ballparking your margin, message me, and I’ll point you in the right direction.



Mark LeBlanc Dentaltown Financial accounting & commerce

Most dental owners I meet are busy with numbers but not necessarily better off.

Dashboards, reports, and KPIs are everywhere…

🎯 If your numbers aren’t changing decisions, they’re just decoration.

My new article is for owners who feel “open but stuck.”

It’s about stripping reporting down to a few owned KPIs so your financial information finally serves one purpose:

🎯better decisions that grow cash flow and the value of your practice.

👇Link to Article Below 👇

🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/financial-intelligence-dental-owners-chip-away-noise-david-vbose

The more mature I become professionally, the more I appreciate that one of the best ways to impact dentistry is not just through clinical work or business success, but through education and mentorship.

At High Point University Workman School of Dental Medicine, our D2 learners have just completed their Oral Surgery Milestone and will soon begin their journey delivering surgical care to their patients. The WSDM provides the highest simulation experience through all aspects of care. The pics show the Frasaco extraction Typodont with CrNi teeth!

Watching students transition from simulation to real patient care is exciting because that is where confidence, judgment, and compassion begin to truly develop. The excitement is contagious!

Coaching and teaching are deeply connected. Both are about developing people, building confidence, and helping others perform at a higher level than they thought possible.

What better way to contribute to the profession than to have a positive influence on dental education and the future of patient care.

HPU Workman School of Dental Medicine

Most dentists obsess over one number: overhead %.

This article introduces a seldom‑used KPI—DSO (Days Sales Outstanding)—that shows how many days it actually takes to get paid for the dentistry you’ve already done. When you look at overhead % and DSO together, you can finally see whether you have a spending problem or a low/slow collections problem.

If your overhead looks “too high” but your bank account always feels tight, this Inside Scoop is for you.

Read the full article on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/meet-dso-cash-flow-kpi-youre-tracking-darab-dds-mba-cepa-sbsp-cpba-3a4ie

Most dentists still guess their practice value using “percent of collections.”

In 2026, that doesn’t match how buyers actually think. They’re looking at real cash flow, overhead, team risk, and how much of the whole show depends on you.

For solo owners, that often feels like:
– Good production, but never enough left over
– Constant chaos with staff, schedules, and overhead
– No clear plan (or funding) for the next chapter

I’m launching Dental Practice Inside Scoop to change that.

Fix Cash Flow. Calm the Chaos. Fund the Next Chapter.

I’ll be sharing short, practical posts to help solo practice owners get control of the money, calm things down, and create real exit options.

If there’s a topic you’d want covered first (cash flow, overhead, staff, DSOs, exit timing, etc.), reply here and I’ll prioritize it.

Most practice owners assume their valuation problem is a revenue problem. It isn't.

The gap between a practice that sells for 4x and one that gets 7x comes down to one thing — whether the business runs when the owner isn't in the chair. Overhead out of control, no associate depth, systems that live only in the owner's head — buyers find all of it, and they price it accordingly.

The market is still good. But buyers are getting pickier in 2026. Now is the time to close the gap before it costs you at the closing table.

Full breakdown in this month's SELL FOR TOP DOLLAR newsletter — link in the comments.