DEO's Growth Secrets Podcast for Dental Organizations

In this episode, Ken Kaufman hosts Hollie Williams, CFO, Rodeo Dental and Orthodontics. Previously Hollie was CFO of Choice Cancer Care for over 10 years and held several CFO roles prior to that. She has been a CPA since 1994 and was an Audit Professional at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, LLC for 6 years. Ken and Hollie discuss "all things" DSO audits including what to expect when being audited, how to prepare, the transparency needed for banking audits, what challenges DSOs may face for a successful audit, and much more.

Emmet hosts Danielle McKinley, Director of Partner Relations, PCIHIPPA, a leader and compliance and patient data protection with a focus on preventing catastrophic losses caused by regulatory non-compliance, data breaches, and human error. Emmet and Danielle discuss the dangers and contingencies around planning for ransomware, data breaches, preparing for compliance and more. Danielle shares her expertise on how to handle the big compliance risks inherent in dentistry as well as steps to take to mitigate them.

In this episode, Ken Kaufman hosts Ben Hernandez, Founding Partner at Skytale Group, which specializes in high-level financial management and M&A Consulting, primarily in the dental and med spa spaces. They discuss "all things" PPP loans: Round 1 forgiveness; Round 2 funds utilization and forgiveness; and how unforgiven PPP loans can complicate your M&A strategies. Ben emphasizes that the forgiveness rate is tremendous right now if you apply correctly, and how banks can help guide you. Listen to Ken and Ben take a deep dive into all you need to know about PPP loans.

Ken Kaufman hosts Justin Miller, VP of Employee Benefits, USCI Insurance Services, to discuss the key issues and items DSO leaders should consider when setting up their employee benefit plans. They touch on strategies for making benefit plans competitive in the employee marketplace. Justin shares what benefits offer the biggest ROI for employee recruitment and retention. Together they address the complexities and rewards of all things benefits related to successfully scaling a DSO.

In this episode, Emmet hosts Tarek Aly, COO, CFO, and Co-Owner, OrthoDent Management LLC; and Co-Owner, Modern Smiles LLC. They assess the pros and cons for a smaller/ emerging dental group to partner with a larger dental group to scale. Tarek discusses what to evaluate when approaching this decision, breaking the process down into 4 parts: 1. strategic aspect to assess alignment; 2. the resulting change and evolution of leadership and team roles; 3. the finances, both business and ROI; and 4. the feeling/emotions behind the decision to partner. If you are considering partnering with a larger group, this is the episode for you!

In this episode, Ken Kaufman hosts Mike Montgomery, VP of Healthcare Middle Market Lending and Sponsor Finance, Live Oak Bank. They discuss raising debt financing including the dichotomy between debt and equity: when you're financing growth with debt, it means you get to keep your equity. Ken and Mike deliberate the limitations and restrictions of debt and when it's time for private equity. They discuss strategies to make your DSO look more favorable in the eyes of the bank so you have more opportunities for financing and much more.

In this episode, Ken hosts Mike Yates, CFO, Spring Dental. With his strong financial, operational, and technological background, Mike has an advanced and comprehensive understanding of the financial and operational aspects of group dentistry. Ken taps his knowledge about how to make the best use of available financial resources. They also discuss the lessons DSOs can learn from other areas of the healthcare industry.

Kevin Kaufman hosts Mike White, Healthcare Principal with CliftonLarsonAllen to discuss DSO financial/accounting trends, advice for emerging groups, and how much your dental organization should be paying for accounting. Plus they go deep into numbers and financials including how to optimize costs, P&Ls, budgeting, forecasting, the CFO role, and more. Take a listen for accounting and financial advice and strategies for your dental organization.

In this episode, Ken Kaufman hosts Mark Rudolph, CPA and Leader, and JJ Bettencourt Littrell, CPA, both of Elliott Davis, LLC. They discuss employee retention credits (ERCs) available to businesses and how to determine if you qualify. Mark and JJ detail what's available and how it can be used alongside these other government programs to maximize the COVID relief that's still available. Often dental organizations will qualify if their business was fully or partially suspended by government order. But there's a lot more to it. Take a listen to find out more plus hear their discussion about other important accounting and financial topics to DSOs.

In this episode, Emmet hosts John Sheldon, CMO, Smile Direct Club. Together, they consider the possibilities and power of marketing in the DSO industry, discussing best practices and innovative strategies in both the group dentistry industry and beyond. John also highlights Smile Direct Club's marketing strategy. Plus John and Emmet discuss the importance of creating "irrational brand love" and a transformational user experience; using testimonials; having a credible voice, both rational and emotional; why telling stories is imperative; "on-ramps" into products; messaging; and much, much more.