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We empower dentists through education and training to help you leap into dental practice ownership and run your practice like a marathon. 

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Get Next Year's Dental Partnership & Growth Bootcamp Tickets Here

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Leap Into Practice: Dental Practice Partnership & Growth Bootcamp

When: Friday, October 20, 2023

Where: Army Navy Country Club in Arlington, Virginia

Time: 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

Join us for our second annual dental practice owner bootcamp brought to you by the collaborative efforts of The Gillis Firm (law) and Zar Dental Consulting (practice consulting) through our joint educational platform, Leap Into Practice ™.

Due to popular demand, we are opening up ticketing to dental practice implementers and supporters (ex: office managers and spouses).  Team ticket rates are available.  Lock in your early bird pricing as prices will increase starting February 1, 2023,  If you have trouble with the ticketing process, please contact

support@leapintodentalpractice.com.

Introducing  Our Keynote Presenter, Teresa Duncan with Odyssey Management!

 For a full line up, visit the ticketing link and check back continually for updates.

5 CE Credits pending.

Why Should You Take the Leap with Us?

In every dentist’s career, there will come a time when this question will arise: “Is practice ownership right for me?”

 

Many dentists who are considering building a practice or purchasing an existing practice quickly realize that the qualities you learned in dental school and in the clinical practice of dentistry are insufficient to help you run a practice. 

 

That's because dentists are taught dentistry.  Dentistry is an inherently risk-adverse, detail-focused specialty focused on precision to achieve a specific task.

 

Practice ownership, on the other hand, requires the ability to see global effects of your decisions, take calculated risks quickly, possess strong financial and business acumen and have the confidence to take a leap from the relative steadiness that an associateship position can provide. 

 

Becoming a practice owner means that you are now running a business.

Dentists who become practice owners quickly realize that they have to wear multiple hats by learning business and management skills.  A whole new world opens up when you consider things like entity formation, limiting liability, contracts, leases, profits, losses, revenue collection, fee schedules, patient management, tax ramifications, employee management and marketing.  Coupled with working behind the chair as an income generator, running a practice can be an overwhelming process! 

Practice ownership requires grit, the ability to learn business concepts quickly, and most importantly, the ability to connect innovation with a solid, actionable plan.  Most successful practice owners have learned the importance of innovation through service offerings and marketing in order to stay successful in a saturated market. 

Being a practice owner also requires that you understand people. 

Dentists who build thriving offices have learned how to effectively lead a team.  Concepts like leadership are necessary in an office with multiple different personalities.  Practice ownership also requires learning how to appease patients not just through the quality of your dentistry but also through your image, communications strategy, protocols, and marketing.

 

Our courses are not designed to push you into practice ownership or to sell you on professional services or products that you don't need.

 

Our courses are designed specifically for dentists who have decided that entrepreneurship is a path they’d like to seriously  pursue and know that they are missing key components (legal, financial, practice management and more) that will help them embark on this marathon. In our professional journeys supporting dentists, nearly every new practice owner expresses the same concerns: "I built it/I bought it. Now what?" 


We we work with subject matter experts who have proven track records in their respective fields of expertise.

 

Our courses are designed for you to learn, create, and innovate so that you can confidently leap into practice ownership and avoid the feeling of "now what" once you get the keys to your own practice.  Our strength comes from degreed, qualified experience from actual industry professionals.

Unlike a lot of courses that are targeted purely for start-ups, we focus heavily on acquisitions.

In the course of our respective work representing dentists in a legal and practice consultant capacity (please see below to meet Natasha and Malika), we have each privately addressed the same overarching questions and concerns by start-up and acquisitions clients.  While some of our courses will be specially tailored to start-up practices, we focus heavily on acquisitions.  

 

One of the biggest questions we address time and time again doesn't involve understanding the acquisition process but what it actually entails

What's the difference between the start-up experience and the acquisition experience?

 

Start-ups are created from scratch. Everything is new.  While the process can feel more intimidating, with a good location, strong team, solid blueprints and firm marketing strategy, start-ups can do really well. However, acquisitions are created using an existing practice model. This model will usually come with its own staff, patient-base, revenue, equipment and existing processes.  While this seems to be an easier way to achieve practice ownership, it can arguably be a more difficult path since you are inheriting someone else's work product-- both the good and the bad.  This can present its own set of unique challenges. 

 

Here is where we come in. We've all seen the same acquisition road maps: tour a practice, draft a letter of intent, work on contracts, work on lending, closing, etc. but what you haven't seen is a comprehensive course that integrates all of the acquisition processes with post-closing considerations to help you effectively take the reins of practice ownership from Day 1.  A lot of practice buyers get so inundated with the acquisition process itself that they lose sight of the proverbial forest for the trees.   Our goal is to help you understand the process, and most importantly, the overarching connections that you will need as you position your practice for success.   

Who Are We

Meet the Course Creators

Natasha Gillis, Esq.

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"The strongest quality I've seen in almost every successful business owner, especially dental practices, is movement.  They are constantly innovating, creating, improving and growing. There is never a dull moment."

Natasha Gillis is a healthcare attorney focusing heavily on dental practice start-ups and acquisitions. Natasha is most notable for her buyer-focused merger and acquisitions (M&A) work, serving as a strong educational resource and zealous advocate for her dental practice buyers, including partnership buy-ins and buy-outs.  For start-ups, Natasha frequently helps dentists navigate their commercial real estate needs including lease reviews and purchase agreements.  

Bar Admissions & Memberships:

  • Licensed Attorney with the Virginia & Maryland Bars

  • Member of the Virginia State Bar Health Law Section

  • Member of the American Health Lawyers Association

  • Affiliate Member of the Academy of General Dentistry

Natasha is the principal attorney and owner of The Gillis Firm, PLLC.   For more information about Natasha, please click here: 

Malika Azargoon

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"As an avid marathon runner and dental practice consultant for over 20 years, I can say that practice ownership is like running a marathon. You have to commit to the race (practice), stay determined and cross that finish line."

Malika Azargoon is a dental practice consultant focusing on training new dental entrepreneurs on how pilot  logistical operations to position their practices for growth.  Malika's passion is to help each of her start-up and existing acquisition clients take the reigns of practice ownership.  Malika and her team constantly challenge mature practices and multi-practice owners to work more efficiently by auditing key performance indicators to achieve maximum profitability. 

Professional Affiliations & Memberships:

  • Member of the Speaking Consulting Network 

  • Member of the Academy of Dental Management Consultants

  • Affiliate Member of the Academy of General Dentistry

Malika is the principal consultant and owner of Zar Dental Consulting, LLCFor more information about Malika, please click here:

How Are We Different?

Courses

Subject Matter Experts: We are degreed and credentialed in our own fields of expertise with proven track records. Unlike many other dental practice courses in the market, we are combining targeted-focus areas presented by actual, practicing professionals who help create and support dental practices on a daily basis. We are extremely selective in vetting our lecturers. 

Years of Experience:  As active dental support services professionals, we continue to bring years of experience into our course content.  We continue our education so that we can better educate you.  

Focus on Acquisitions: Our courses merge multiple focus areas together to present a comprehensive understanding of the acquisition process through several months after your closing date to maximize your future success.

Quality Information: Our courses will give you quality information in an easy-to-use and easy-to-learn model complete with videos and downloadable course content to help you achieve your goals of practice ownership. Some of our courses will also offer mastermind groups and on-going support.   
 
No Sales-Zone: Unlike many other courses, we will not charge you for a course that will try to sell you on more products and services.
 
 

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LEAP INTO PRACTICE
MENTORSHIP PROGRAM

Stay Tuned for January 2023 registration, adding a 9th clinical week.

The Leap Into Practice Mentorship Program is a hands-on, 8-week virtual program that seeks to connect practice owners (mentors) with aspiring practice owners (mentees) to ultimately help mentees determine if practice ownership is right for them and to embark on this goal with more confidence and preparation. The tangible “walk-away” will be a customized, self-developed business plan and up to 16 CE hours.  This program will provided through a series of videos and downloadable course materials as well as two (2) virtual meetings per week.  This program is currently offered through the Virginia Academy of General Dentistry.  

Happy Doctor

FIRST ANNUAL ACQUISITION & EXPANSION BOOTCAMP (closed Oct. 7, 2022)

Are you an existing practice owner thinking about adding an associate or expanding into multiple locations?  Join us for this advanced practice ownership bootcamp.  Space will be limited to this exclusive event that will feature keynote speakers, workshop leaders and breakout sessions led by notable experts covering a range of topics including:

  • Understanding real estate return on investment when determining whether to buy the underlying real estate for your practice;

  • Examining KPIs necessary for growth & expansion;

  • Leadership Training;

  • Key legal issues that every growing practice needs to know;

  • Employee retention strategies;

  • Strategic branding for your multiple practices; and more

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