Whew – what a year! 2019 was a whirlwind of activity at TUSK and in the DSO economy. We saw a significant amount of change, growth, M&A activity and new entrants into the market that it is hard to keep track of. Before we dive into 2019, let’s reflect on how the year started by looking at how 2018 ended:

- We saw transformational growth of some of the enterprise level DSOs including Heartland and Pacific Dental both adding 100 practices or more and NADG growing the number of affiliated practices by 49% in just one years’ time.  New doctor-founded, debt-funded groups were popping up on our radar regularly.

- Attendance at almost all DSO conferences were up big – interest in the space was growing.

- We were getting a call from a new Private Equity Group interested in the DSO space a couple of times a month.

- At TUSK, we sold more practices than ever before, across all specialties at multiples well above our client’s (and frankly our expectations) and worked with well over 70 groups to help them START, GROW or SELL their practice or group.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 9, 2020

Kevin Cumbus

TUSK Partners

718-314-0980

Kevin@tusk-partners.com

TUSK Partners Releases New Podcast Series

New Content Format Promises to Increase Audience Reach

Charlotte, NC: Today TUSK Partners announced the release of a new Podcast series called “Group Dental Practice Fundamentals,” which addresses the entrepreneurial dentists who are looking to learn more detail about how to grow and exit their business. “Group Dental Practice Fundamentals” complements the company’s educational content-driven marketing strategy and is expected to make an impact in the areas of new audience outreach. The doctor-founded, debt-funded group practice segment is the fastest growing sector of the entire dental economy and the company has earned a reputation for their detail-oriented marketing philosophy.

I have been in the business of valuing and selling dental practices since 2007. Over that time a lot has changed. 

In 2007, I joined well-established dental practice valuation and transition company. We worked exclusively with dentists to help them establish a value for their business for the purposes of either a 100% sale or for a buy-in from the associate or future partner. Our valuation process was always the same. We would request a stack of documents, including tax returns, P&Ls, historical production and collections reports, and payer by source reports. In return our client would mail us 7-11 inches of paper to wade through. We would pour all of this data into a financial model and turn it into information. Next, we would work with the doctor to establish the net income from the business then perform 7 intricate valuations methodologies and weigh each one based on various qualitative aspects of the business. It was a thorough and rigorous process that took days to complete.

In our last two blog posts, we talked about having “the End in Mind," more specifically being financially-oriented as related to an exit strategy, delved into personal objectives - contrasting topics of lifestyle and income versus effort and wealth, and finally looked at the operational considerations around the structures of the business itself.

We saved arguably the best for last…

We spend a lot of time on the road each year and have the good fortune to be able to speak in front of many diverse audiences, so it’s really nice to have an opportunity “to be a student” from time to time.  One of those times is our annual trip to “Chiberia” in February for the McGuireWoods HealthCare Private Equity Conference. 

Hopefully you found Part One of this blog valuable.  In the event that you missed it, you can access it HERE.  Let’s get going on part two, which will focus on Concerns around Valuation. 

We spend a lot of time on the road each year and have the good fortune to be able to speak in front of many diverse audiences, so it’s really nice to have an opportunity “to be a student” from time to time.  One of those times is our annual trip to “Chiberia” in February for the McGuireWoods HealthCare Private Equity Conference. 

We always learn a ton at this conference and 2019 was no exception – so much that we’re having to break it into two separate blogs.  Let’s dig in on the first one that will shed some light on the Economic Outlook for 2019 as well as Considerations for Building an Exit Strategy…

In our last two blog posts, we talked about having “the End in Mind," more specifically being financially-oriented as related to an exit strategy, and then delved into personal objectives - contrasting topics of lifestyle and income versus effort and wealth. 

If those two blogs gave you some clarity around financial outcomes, time frames, and effort, then hopefully this one will be equally beneficial in the areas of “the WHAT” and “the WHY.”