How ongoing relationships with buyers help us pursue a strong price and the right successor.

The dentist who eventually buys your practice may already be talking with us. That relationship may have begun with an inquiry about a listing, a spark resulting from our buyer education efforts, or a conversation at a practice ownership event. Over time, those conversations help us understand what a prospective buyer is looking for and if there would be good alignment with you and with your practice.

Ohio Dental Practice Ownership Forum

On October 24, 2026, Practice Endeavors hosted the Ohio Dental Practice Ownership Forum in Dublin, with Dr. Eric Chatterley leading discussions for associate dentists considering ownership. For a practice owner thinking about an eventual sale, events like this provide a useful opportunity for us to become acquainted with potential successors before your practice becomes available for purchase.

Drawing on his experience building a successful practice, Dr. Chatterley explained that burnout prompted him to change how he led, delegated and structured the practice. Those changes allowed him to thrive in dentistry and experience greater freedom in five areas: time, money, relationships, energy and purpose.

Relationships That Begin Before a Listing

In 2015, our company started the annual Parade of Practices in Columbus. We took associate dentists and D3/D4 OSU dental students by bus to tour practices and gain knowledge from speaking with practice owners of practices that we had helped years before.

Our recent Ownership Forum continued that commitment to connecting with future owners. As one attendee shared, “The Forum changed how I think about practice ownership and gave me more confidence to pursue it.”

Our ongoing conversations with associate dentists, active buyers, and various referral sources create opportunities to connect with buyers and understand what they are looking for. A buyer’s preferred location, family considerations, clinical skills, production, and ownership timeline all influence whether a particular practice is a good match.

Understanding What a Good Match Requires

A buyer’s interest in your practice is a starting point. We also need to understand how that dentist practices and leads. Which procedures does a buyer confidently perform? What procedures would a buyer refer out? How would a buyer approach treatment recommendations, staff development, and changes to your established systems?

Those questions matter to an owner who has spent decades building a team and earning patients’ trust. A buyer whose clinical interests complement the practice’s services may see an opportunity that other buyers overlook. Some buyers value having an experienced staff in place more than others.

Dr. Chatterley advised buyers not to rush into changes after a transition. He recommended spending the first six months listening, learning the practice and understanding why its systems and team have been successful.

When participants created a daunting list of an owner's responsibilities, Dr. Chatterley emphasized delegating appropriate tasks and empowering capable team members. Sharing responsibility strengthens the practice and helps prevent the owner from carrying everything alone.

Connecting Buyer Knowledge with Seller Goals

Financial readiness belongs in the same conversation. What purchase range is realistic? Has the buyer spoken with a dental acquisition lender? What additional preparation may be needed? Attending the Ownership Forum alone does not establish that a dentist is qualified or ready to purchase. Financial capacity and suitability for a particular practice require further evaluation.

For our seller clients, the benefit of these relationships is a greater opportunity to identify and compare suitable buyers. Understanding buyer priorities can help us explain your practice’s strengths to dentists most likely to appreciate them. It also helps us recognize differences that deserve discussion before either party invests heavily in a transaction.

Your priorities and preferences guide that process. What priority ranking would you give to a successor most likely to retain your team, pay the highest price, preserve your legacy , or serve your community? Discussing those priorities early helps us ask better questions of prospective buyers and explain the tradeoffs among price, terms, and the future you want for the practice.

Our role remains representing you, the seller, and you alone, not dual representation. We’ll pursue strong price and terms while helping you evaluate compatibility with the staff, practice culture, and clinical approach. An established network supports that work; the right outcome still depends on the practice, the available buyers, and careful preparation.

Start with a Conversation About Your Successor

If you’re considering an ownership change with your practice in the next few years, let’s discuss the buyer you would want to take your place. A private conversation this fall can help clarify your timing, priorities, and next steps, so you enter 2027 with a clearer direction.

Contact Bob or James to Discuss Your Practice Transition

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Your Practice Buyer May Already Be in Our Network