Building Your Team
Just like any successful sports franchise, in order to have a successful transition, acquisition or startup, you need to have the best players on your team. There’s no “I” in team (I hate that phrase) and there’s no “I” in a transition. You can’t do it all yourself and do it well.
The first team member you need to bring on board is someone who can help evaluate a practice. That can be an accountant, consultant, or broker that specializes in dental practices. Those last four words of that sentence are critical. Specializes in dental practices. They have to know what they are doing and how to analyze and value a dental practice. I once was representing a seller who had a practice collecting $800,000 with a net income of $300,000. The buyer’s consultant put together an offer of $280,000 when we had it valued at $550,000. The consultant ruined the deal. The seller was so upset with the buyers low-ball offer that the seller refused to even work with that buyer even with a higher offer.
The second team member is the attorney. Again, use an attorney specializing in dental practice transitions. It’s critically important. Do not use your cousin, friend, neighbor etc., who are divorce, bankruptcy or personal injury attorneys who took a contract class in law school. I’ve seen “friends” charge the dentist $25,000 for a review of a contract where a dental attorney would charge around $5,000.
You also need a dental CPA to help you with the numbers. They can help with the valuation, analyze the payroll and tax returns, help with the purchase price allocation and set up your legal entity.
Fourth is your banker. There are a number of banks that finance practice acquisitions and startups, and they all have their pros and cons. It’s important you work with someone you trust who will give you a fair deal. Sure, banker B may have a slightly better rate, or a cool toaster give away for new accounts, but go with someone you like and can build a relationship with. They’ll be there in the good times and the bad times to help you out.
If you need some names of good team members, let us know. We work with a lot of CPA, attorneys, consultants, bankers and brokers. We have a good feel for who will be looking out for your best interest and will do a good job for you. Give us a call and we’ll help you build your team for your practice acquisition or startup.
The first team member you need to bring on board is someone who can help evaluate a practice. That can be an accountant, consultant, or broker that specializes in dental practices. Those last four words of that sentence are critical. Specializes in dental practices. They have to know what they are doing and how to analyze and value a dental practice. I once was representing a seller who had a practice collecting $800,000 with a net income of $300,000. The buyer’s consultant put together an offer of $280,000 when we had it valued at $550,000. The consultant ruined the deal. The seller was so upset with the buyers low-ball offer that the seller refused to even work with that buyer even with a higher offer.
The second team member is the attorney. Again, use an attorney specializing in dental practice transitions. It’s critically important. Do not use your cousin, friend, neighbor etc., who are divorce, bankruptcy or personal injury attorneys who took a contract class in law school. I’ve seen “friends” charge the dentist $25,000 for a review of a contract where a dental attorney would charge around $5,000.
You also need a dental CPA to help you with the numbers. They can help with the valuation, analyze the payroll and tax returns, help with the purchase price allocation and set up your legal entity.
Fourth is your banker. There are a number of banks that finance practice acquisitions and startups, and they all have their pros and cons. It’s important you work with someone you trust who will give you a fair deal. Sure, banker B may have a slightly better rate, or a cool toaster give away for new accounts, but go with someone you like and can build a relationship with. They’ll be there in the good times and the bad times to help you out.
If you need some names of good team members, let us know. We work with a lot of CPA, attorneys, consultants, bankers and brokers. We have a good feel for who will be looking out for your best interest and will do a good job for you. Give us a call and we’ll help you build your team for your practice acquisition or startup.