Dear Reader,

Every January, I hear dentists talk about their goals for the new year: bigger cases, higher production, more new patients, better technology. And those are good things. They matter. But there’s one goal most dentists miss, even though it’s the one that will determine whether your practice actually grows in a meaningful, sustainable, transferable way.

It’s this: Make the team the engine, not the doctor.

Because the best practices, the ones that scale, the ones that create freedom, the ones that command premium valuations, aren’t the ones where the doctor is at the center of every decision, every process, and every solution. They’re the ones where the doctor leads, but the team runs the show.

And if you want 2026 to be the year your practice becomes truly valuable, this is where you start.

Let me explain why.

When a practice depends on the doctor for everything, that practice becomes fragile. It might look successful. It might look busy. It might even look impressive from the outside. But underneath, it’s shaky, because all it takes is one unexpected event, one missed week, one transition, one piece of burnout, and the entire machine slows down or stalls.

Buyers see that instantly. They know a doctor-led practice is unstable. They know your personal involvement is the glue holding everything together. And they know that glue disappears the day you hand over the keys.

But a team-driven practice? That’s a different world entirely.

A team-driven practice shows a buyer something powerful: this business can run without the owner micromanaging every moment.

And practices that run without the owner are the ones that sell for more. They’re the ones buyers compete for. They’re the ones with leverage. Because the buyer’s greatest fear, operational collapse, is already eliminated.

I’ll tell you a story. A dentist I worked with last year told me, “Stan, I feel like I’m the only one who really understands how the practice works.” And he said it with pride, as if that made him essential, irreplaceable, important.

But what it actually made him was trapped.

He was diagnosing every case. Presenting every major treatment plan. Handling every financial question. Smoothing over every patient concern. Leading every team meeting. Approving every schedule change. Solving every hiccup in the workflow.

He wasn’t running a practice. He was being pulled around by one. And because he was at the center of everything, the practice could never grow beyond him. His team never took ownership because they never had to. Every path led back to him. And when we talked about valuation, he was stunned to learn that his high production didn’t translate into high value. It translated into high dependency.

Now compare that to another practice I met the same month. Very different story. The doctor wasn’t the hero; she was the architect. The team handled almost everything. They presented treatment. They followed up. They controlled the schedule. They communicated with patients. They managed financial conversations. They ran morning huddles. They knew the systems inside and out, and they used them every single day.

The doctor worked hard, but she didn’t carry the weight alone. Her team carried it with her.

And when we took that practice to market?
The offers were strong. Buyers could see the stability, the structure, the scalability. They saw a business, not a doctor, who was keeping things afloat through sheer effort.

That’s the difference team-driven growth makes. It removes the ceiling. It reduces your stress. It increases your value. And it gives you options, real options, for your future.

Now, I’m not saying this shift happens overnight. You don’t snap your fingers in January, and suddenly the team takes over. But every step in that direction makes your practice stronger. Every process you delegate. Every script you teach. Every system you document. Every responsibility you let your team own, not just help with, but truly own, takes pressure off you and deposits value into your Future Bank.

Team-driven practices are predictable. Predictability builds confidence. And confidence is what buyers pay for.

January is the perfect month to step back and ask yourself a simple question: If I stepped out of the practice for two weeks, what would keep running, and what would come to a halt?

Whatever halts is where your opportunity lies.

Empowering your team isn’t just about giving them tasks. It’s about giving them ownership. Trust. Responsibility. A defined role in the growth of the practice. Because when the team carries the load, everything becomes easier. Patients feel the consistency. Systems become reliable. Case acceptance rises. Stress goes down. And your practice becomes more than your personal effort.

It becomes something valuable.

Team-driven practices aren’t just successful, they’re sellable. They’re durable. They’re scalable. And they create the kind of future every dentist hopes for, but only a few actually build.

This year, make it your goal to become the leader, not the entire operating system.

Your team can elevate your practice, multiply your impact, and increase your valuation.

But only if you let them.

To your success,

Your Team at Everything DSO