#307 Risky Kiss — Dev Patel and Kailesh Solanki

This fly-on-the-wall conversation between Kailesh Solanki and Dev Patel, founder and CEO of Dental Beauty Partners (DBP), captures the remarkable 20-year journey of Kiss Dental, from a risky startup in a Flixton suburb to an eight-clinic powerhouse.

Kailesh Solanki reveals how he mortgaged himself to the eyeballs at just two years post-graduation, survived near-bankruptcy, weathered a catastrophic flood, and built one of the UK's most respected dental brands. 

The discussion explores his unique VT scheme that's producing the country's top-earning young dentists, the partner model that's breaking industry boundaries, and why keeping things "stupid and simple" might just be the secret sauce to sustainable growth.

In This Episode

01:15 - Starting Kiss Dental in 2005

02:15 - Taking the entrepreneurial leap after graduation

03:05 - Going fully private from day one

05:15 - Team as the key to longevity

06:30 - Most difficult periods in business

07:40 - Near bankruptcy from marketing spend

09:25 - Brother Prav's marketing transformation

11:40 - Vision for multiple practices and branding

14:15 - Growth expectations versus reality

20:05 - The VT scheme philosophy

21:25 - Partner model development

25:10 - Expansion plans

26:30 - Five-year aspirations for 15+ clinics

28:15 - VT scheme versus traditional associates

35:25 - Two-year VT program structure

41:55 - Biggest hurdle: the 2012 flood disaster

46:50 - COVID and the 2020 rebrand

50:25 - Technology, passion and innovation

53:45 - Advice for young dentists

About Kailesh Solanki and Dev Patel

Kailesh Solanki is the founder and CEO of Kiss Dental, which he established in 2005 at just 25 years old after completing his dental training. Having built the practice from a single Flixton clinic to eight locations across the North West, he's become recognised for his innovative VT training scheme and partner model. His approach combines high-end private dentistry with accessible suburban locations, creating one of the UK's most successful dental brands over the past two decades.

Dev Patel is the founder and CEO of Dental Beauty Partners (DBP), a UK-based dental group that has grown rapidly by acquiring and partnering with dental practices to scale their businesses through a people-focused investment approach. DBP operates a large network of dental practices across the UK and is known for its partnership-based corporate model.