Your Exit Timeline Starts Now if You Want Maximum Value

Your Exit Timeline Starts Now if You Want Maximum Value

An exit in 2028 means decisions you make in 2025 directly impact your sale price. Wait until 2027 to think about it and you've already left $200K on the table.

Buyers evaluate three things: cash flow consistency, patient retention, and team stability. If you haven't documented your systems by 2027, you can't prove it. If your hygiene team turns over quarterly, buyers see high replacement risk. If your patient base churns, they see declining revenue.

The sequence: 2025, optimize your financials and stop making excuses. Get three years of clean tax returns. Document your procedures. 2026, build team depth so the practice doesn't depend on you clinically. 2027, bring in a business broker for pre-sale analysis. 2028, market the practice.

Most dentists do it backwards. They call a broker in 2027 and discover they're worth 15% less than they thought. By then it's too late.

Action: Schedule a lunch with a practice broker now. Not to sell. To understand what they value. Ask what three things increase sale price most. Surprise: it's usually not what you think.

Sources: Dental Practice Valuation Association, broker interview data, exit transaction analysis