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An owner phoned me in the spring, a fortnight after signing his letter of intent, wanting to talk about the lease. He owned the building. Nineteen years, no mortgage left on it. Nobody had raised the subject until the buyer’s attorney emailed a draft lease with the rent already typed in. He read me the…

The call comes from a Cincinnati number you do not recognize. The person on the other end is polite, specific, and has clearly looked at your practice. They know how many operatories you run. They mention the town over, where they already support two offices. Then they say the sentence that ends your evening. “We’d…

The number in his head was thirty percent. He had asked four colleagues and a study club, and thirty percent was the answer every time. So thirty percent was what he budgeted. The practice collected $2.4 million. New patients were waiting four weeks. He had stopped working Fridays because Friday was the only day his…

The email is three sentences long and unfailingly polite. Someone would like to introduce themselves. No pitch, no number, just a name and a calendar link. You do not answer it. You sit on it for eleven days, and then at some point on a Sunday you type the name into your phone while the…

The most expensive sentence I hear from dental owners is four words long. “They came to me.” It is usually said with some pride, and I understand that. Somebody studied the practice you spent twenty-five years building and decided they wanted it. That is a compliment. It is also the moment the price stops being…