ADS Delaware



Testimonial from a Satistfied Dentist
"Earl was very helpful, very knowledgeable, and fair minded in regard to the wishes and needs of both buyer and seller. I believe our transition was expedient and thorough and I hate to think what would have happened if we had not had him guiding us through this."
Jimmy McDonald, DDS
Articles of Interest
Featured Article
Appraisals are obviously needed for purposes of establishing practice value at the time of a sale. However, there are many other benefits to be gained by commissioning an appraisal in advance of a sale. Read what one dentist says about the many ways an appraisal benefitted him and his practice, even when he was not considering a sale.
May 2005
Several years ago I was contacted by a dentist who was desperate to sell his practice. Although he already had a nonexclusive listing with another broker, he also agreed to list his practice with me in an exclusive listing, which meant that I would receive a commission even if the other broker sold the practice. (I told you he was desperate.)
Published in Dental Economics
June 2016
If you're in the market to buy a practice, my best advice is to have a professionally prepared cash flow analysis for the practices you're considering.
Published in Dental Economics
May 2012
As we baby boomers work our way toward retirement, we need to consider how to best accomplish this final stage of our careers. Most of us have made some mistakes along the way, but we were able to repair most, if any, damage. However, in this last career step, we need to nail it the first time.
Published in Dental Economics
January 2011
I saw an advertisement in a state journal for the sale of a practice. The ad contained the capital letters "NO BROKERS", which was to me an irresistible invitation to reply.
Published in Practice Transitions
April 2010
I am often asked 'How do you appraise a dental practice' and 'What percent do you use to get the price?'. If the process were that simple, we wouldn't need experts in practice appraisals, just a calculator that can multiply two numbers.
Published in Dental Economics
April 2009
I remember sitting in class in dental school back when the earth was cooling, thinking, "If I ever get out of here, I'm never coming back." Well, eventually I did get out of there and realized afterwards the incredible knowledge and skills I had somehow acquired. I also realized how ill-prepared I was to face the many financial decisions that were not based on my extensive knowledge of enamel rods or biochemistry.
Published in Dental Entrepreneur
April 2009
I have been hearing from more and more dentists that things are slowing down in their practice as the economy continues to unravel. Dentists who were booked for four weeks in advance are now only booked for two weeks or less. Patients are seeking more "needs" based treatment than "wants" based treatment. Cosmetic dentistry is waning as more patients are presenting for the most basic treatment.
December 2008
Locum tenens has been around dentistry for many years, although not always known by its formal Latin name. Locum tenens literally means "hold the place down" and that is what we are doing when a dentist fills in for another dentist who is on vacation, disabled, given "time out" by the dental board, or who has died. Our physician brethren have used this concept for many years, as their practice needs are more acute than in dentistry and keeping a practice open is more critical.
Published in Doctor of Dentistry
December 2008
Recently I structured an Equity Development Plan, our safer alternative to partnerships, for a practice owner and an associate dentist. I assumed that they were happy and doing well until I received a call from the owner that the associate was making too much money and that the owner was losing money. Apparently, while still less than six months into the relationship, the associate was producing $50,000 per month and increasing.
December 2008
The emergence of women in dentistry has been a slow but steady phenomenon that has challenged many of us to examine our preconceptions and stereotypes of how women practice. Besides the many effects women are having on the clinical side of the profession, women are also impacting the management and transitioning of dental practices.
Published in Dental Economics
January 2008
As I consider the topic of the value of a dental practice appraisal, I think of all of the instances in my twenty four year's experience of why people have had their practices appraised and what good it has actually done for them.
Published in Doctor of Dentistry
December 2006
I don't know how many times I have heard a dentist tell me how he plans on cutting back and slowing down and he gets closer to retirement. On one occasion in which I had listed a practice for sale, the seller told me of his plans to cut his schedule back by one day per week to work on his golf game. I had never thoroughly analyzed the effect of a cutback before but decided to take a very close look at what the exact effects of such a cut back would be.
Published in Dental Economics
October 2006
The best business dealings are when you deal with someone whose word and handshake are all you need ... and then you put it in writing!
Published in Dental Economics
March 2006
My former article discussed the pitfalls of partnerships and buy-ins which include loss of control, loss of marketability, and loss of value. These are consequences of converting a real tangible practice into intangible undivided interests.
Published in Dental Economics
January 2005
One of the most popular practice transition strategies is the buy-in. The interests may be any size - 10%, 49%, 50 % or more. Sometimes it involves selling progressive interests and other times it involves selling a remaining interest by a retiring shareholder.
Published in Dental Economics
January 2004
In the past year, our firm encountered three dentists who experienced the same event - death.
Published in Dental Economics
September 2003
The importance of value to the buyer of a dental practice is emphasized, since value is the buyer's actual take-home income. This article explains how to recognize and measure value in practices.
Published in Dental Economics
March 1999
All to frequently buyers zero in on price as the primary practice purchase issue, while ignoring the issue of value. However, buyers stand to benefit much more by receiving high value than by paying a low price, since the primary practice value actually is the net income the buyer takes home from the purchased practice.
Published in Dental Economics
November 1998