The Dental CEO Podcast

Dental CEO Podcast #66 - Your Website Is No Longer Your Biggest Marketing Asset 01.06.2026 43мин

In this episode of The Dental CEO Podcast, Scott Leune is joined by Bill Donato, Founder of DentalMarketing.com, to break down why your website is no longer the biggest driver of new patient calls. As patient search habits change, Google My Business, local search visibility, reviews, hyperlocal content, and real-time search queries are becoming more important than ever. Scott and Bill explain what dental practice owners need to understand about the new rules of dental SEO and how practices can improve visibility, compete locally, and generate more new patient opportunities.

Dental CEO Podcast #65 - The Instagram Post Heard Round the World...of Dentistry 25.05.2026 22мин

A single Instagram post from Dr. Scott Leune sparked major conversation across the dental world, raising a question many dentists are thinking but few are saying out loud: is becoming a dentist still financially worth it? In this episode of The Dental CEO Podcast, Scott breaks down the post, the backlash, and the numbers behind the debate, including income, debt, delayed earning years, and why business ownership may matter more than ever.

Dental CEO Podcast #64 - The Future of Dentistry 18.05.2026 31мин

In this episode of The Dental CEO Podcast, Dr. Scott Leune breaks down how dentistry is moving toward a new practice model built around automation, simplified staffing, patient hosts, presentation stations, and more efficient systems. He explains why traditional front office roles may become less necessary, how clinical team members could take on a more complete patient experience role, and how owners may be able to reduce chaos, improve consistency, and manage the practice with fewer bottlenecks. Scott also discusses how a personal assistant can help protect the owner’s time, support implementation, and create more flexibility in both business and life. This episode challenges dental practice owners to rethink staffing, facility design, patient flow, leadership, and what it may take to build a practice that is easier to run, easier to manage, and more profitable.

Dental CEO Podcast #63 - PPO Fees Are Killing Private Dentistry 11.05.2026 43мин

PPO plans are putting intense financial pressure on private dental practices through low reimbursements, high write-offs, stagnant fees, and rising operating costs. In this episode of The Dental CEO Podcast, Scott Leune sits down with Natalie Soda of PPO Profits to expose how shared networks and hidden fee schedules can force dentists to produce more while collecting less. They also discuss how practices can fight back by renegotiating fees, untangling insurance contracts, and strengthening revenue cycle management.

Dental CEO Podcast #62 - What It’s Like Building a Startup Right Out of Dental School 04.05.2026 48мин

What does it actually look like to go straight from dental school into building your own practice? In this episode, Scott Leune sits down with Dr. Emily Magee just five weeks into opening her startup to walk through her journey from associate to owner. She shares how she made the decision to start early, secured financing, built out her office, and what the first few weeks of ownership really feel like. From hiring and training a team to managing patient flow and stepping into a leadership role, this is a real-time look at the pressure, uncertainty, and early wins that come with building a practice from scratch.

Dental CEO Podcast #61 - How to Make Your "Old" Dental Office Look Modern Without Breaking the Bank 27.04.2026 49мин

In this episode of The Dental CEO Podcast, Scott Leune sits down with Kathryn Gaysinski, founder of DeStyle Design, to break down what it really takes to design a modern dental practice. From material selection and layout to balancing cost, function, and aesthetics, they explore how smart design decisions directly impact patient experience and long-term profitability. If you are planning a startup or renovation, this episode will give you a clear understanding of how to build a space that is both beautiful and highly functional.

Dental CEO Podcast #60 - How Dr. Kye Williams Built a Fee for Service Powerhouse 20.04.2026 48мин

In this episode of The Dental CEO Podcast, Dr. Scott Leune sits down with Dr. Kye Williams, founder of Dental House, to break down how he built a fee for service startup from scratch to over $3 million in annual collections in under three years. Kye shares the real drivers behind his success, from relentless marketing and phone conversion systems to delivering an elite patient experience and building a high-performance team. This conversation challenges conventional thinking around insurance, startups, and growth, offering a practical blueprint for dentists who want to take control of their careers and build a truly profitable practice.

Dental CEO Podcast #59 - Stop Doing Dentistry for Free 13.04.2026 38мин

Redo dentistry is one of the most overlooked, and expensive problems in private practice. In this episode, Scott breaks down the uncomfortable reality most dentists face: when treatment fails, we absorb the cost, strain the patient relationship, and create unnecessary tension within the team, yet none of it is clearly tracked or accounted for. From failed implants and broken crowns to patients moving away or associates re-diagnosing work, "redos" quietly erode profitability and control. This conversation unpacks why most dentists already have a “warranty” system and why it doesn’t work while offering a more structured way to handle complications, set expectations upfront, and reduce conflict when things go wrong. If you’ve ever redone work for free or felt stuck navigating those awkward moments with patients, this episode will fundamentally change how you think about managing failure in your practice.

Dental CEO Podcast #58 - How One Procedure Changed Dr. Justin Warcup's Life 06.04.2026 46мин

What if the key to working less and making more as a dentist isn’t opening more practices but focusing on the right procedure? In this episode, Dr. Justin Warcup shares how scaling too quickly nearly hurt his business, how he eliminated $300,000 in annual waste, and how focusing on one high value treatment increased cases from one per month to more than 13 a month while reducing his clinical hours. Learn why more practices do not always mean more profit, how leadership and accountability systems create sustainable growth, and how dentists can build real wealth without sacrificing family, health, or freedom.

Dental CEO Podcast #57 - The Age-Old Question: What Are Banks Thinking? 30.03.2026 44мин

In this episode of the Dental CEO Podcast, Dr. Scott Leune sits down with Tom Angeloni, National Sales Director at Bank of America, to discuss the current state of dental lending. They break down startup loan amounts, what banks evaluate when approving funding, and why quality acquisition opportunities are becoming harder to find. The conversation also explores how production history, cash flow, and debt ratios influence a dentist’s ability to open their first, second, or even multiple practices.

Dental CEO Podcast #56 - "Dentist" Math: Why Your Numbers Aren't Adding Up 23.03.2026 31мин

Dentists talk about overhead, EBITDA, and take-home pay all the time—but most aren’t actually calculating them the same way. In this episode of The Dental CEO Podcast, Scott Leune breaks down what these numbers really mean, how to calculate them correctly, and the benchmarks healthy practices should aim for. He explains the difference between true overhead and discretionary spending, how EBITDA should be calculated after doctor compensation, and why many dentists with 60–65% overhead are unknowingly losing hundreds of thousands in potential income each year.

Dental CEO Podcast #55 - How to Grow a Dental Practice in 90 Days 16.03.2026 23мин

What would happen if you treated your practice like you just bought it? In this episode of The Dental CEO Podcast, Scott Leune breaks down a practical 90-day strategy to rapidly grow collections and profitability. He explains the key drivers of new patient flow, diagnosis, case acceptance, fees, and expenses and the specific actions that can quickly move the needle, from improving marketing and phone systems to implementing AI diagnostics, simplifying treatment plans, optimizing insurance fees, and tightening major expense categories like supplies, labs, and staffing.

Dental CEO Podcast #54 - Why Buying an Existing Practice is No Longer the Safest Option 09.03.2026 32мин

Is buying a dental practice really the safer move, or has the equation changed? In this episode of The Dental CEO Podcast, Dr. Scott Leune revisits the buy versus startup debate and explains why his thinking has shifted in today’s market. He defines what a modern well executed startup actually looks like, including lower build costs, smart lease negotiations, optimized footprints, advanced cloud based systems, AI integration, ideal equipment selection, and a fully designed patient experience. He then contrasts that with the realities of acquisitions, from compromised locations and outdated systems to cultural resistance, upgrade costs, and limited long term growth ceilings. While acquisitions may provide short term financial stability, startups today often offer greater control, higher ceilings, and stronger long term returns when properly funded. If you are deciding between buying and building, this episode provides a clear strategic framework for making the right move.

Dental CEO Podcast #53 - Startups, Acquisitions, or Mergers: What's the Smartest Way to Scale 02.03.2026 28мин

Should your next move be a startup, an acquisition, or even a merger? In this episode of The Dental CEO Podcast, Dr. Scott Leune explains why repeating the same growth strategy over and over can stall momentum and how a blended approach creates smarter expansion, easier funding, healthier cash flow, and stronger long term equity. He breaks down how bank underwriting changes after your first location, why stacking too many startups can strain your organization, how acquisitions can deliver immediate profit improvement, and how mergers and larger group structures increase overall valuation through EBITDA multiple expansion. If your goal is to build real net worth and not just add locations, this episode outlines a practical strategic framework for sustainable multi location growth.

Dental CEO Podcast #52 - The Decisions That Make or Break a Dental Startup 23.02.2026 34мин

Most dental startups struggle not because of location or marketing, but because the weeks leading up to opening are rushed, unstructured, and poorly planned. In this episode of The Dental CEO Podcast, Scott Leune breaks down exactly how to open a startup practice cleanly and confidently by focusing on hiring the right team, training with intention, building systems before day one, and choreographing the patient experience from the first phone call to payment. This conversation outlines the operational decisions that separate organized, profitable startups from those that open stressed, reactive, and behind from the start.

Dental CEO Podcast #51 - The End of Legacy Dental IT 16.02.2026 44мин

Legacy dental IT systems were built for a different era—and continuing to rely on them is becoming more expensive, more disruptive, and more limiting every year. In this episode of The Dental CEO Podcast, Scott Leune breaks down why server-based setups, patchwork software integrations, and outdated infrastructure are no longer sustainable in modern dentistry. The conversation explores how cloud-based platforms, integrated imaging, automation, and AI-ready systems are reshaping clinical workflows, reducing IT costs, and improving both patient and staff experience. From startups and new builds to existing practices and multi-location groups, this episode explains when it is time to modernize, what a clean and future-ready IT stack looks like, and why waiting only increases cost and complexity.

Dental CEO Podcast #50 - Dentistry’s Imaging Infrastructure Is Broken 09.02.2026 46мин

Dental imaging was never designed for today’s reality of AI, multi-location practices, cloud workflows, virtual teams, and data-driven decision-making—and it’s starting to show. In this episode of The Dental CEO Podcast, Scott Leune sits down with Dustin Johnson, Co-Founder and CTO of SOTA Cloud, to explain why server-based, siloed imaging systems are quietly costing practices time, money, and growth, while limiting access to the very data modern dentistry depends on. They unpack how cloud-based imaging transforms referrals, case acceptance, data security, staff accountability, and scalability, why startups must get this right from day one, and why established practices that delay this shift are already falling behind in both business performance and patient care.

Dental CEO Podcast #49 - How Bad Design Is Driving Up Dental Startup Costs 02.02.2026 59мин

Rising construction costs have made dental office design one of the biggest financial risk factors in a startup. In this episode of The Dental CEO Podcast, Scott Leune sits down with Chris Raba, owner of Lean Dental Design, to explain how poor space planning, bloated layouts, and inefficient design decisions quietly drive up construction costs and leave dentists over budget before they ever open. They break down why usable square footage matters more than total size, how small design choices can create massive cost swings, and why detailed planning and value engineering are now essential in today’s construction climate. If you’re planning a startup, relocation, or expansion, this episode shows how smarter design can protect your budget and your long-term success

Dental CEO Podcast #48 - Avoiding Legal Landmines in Dentistry: Leases, Partnerships, and Costly Mistakes 26.01.2026 56мин

Eric Masson, Partner at Eskow Law Group, joins Scott Leune on The Dental CEO Podcast to break down the legal strategies dentists need when starting, buying, or growing a practice. Drawing from years of experience in healthcare transactions, Eric explains why lease agreements are often landlord-friendly, why legal counsel should be involved before signing a Letter of Intent, and how to properly structure associate agreements, non-competes, and partnerships to avoid costly disputes. He also shares insights on deal fatigue, partner buy-outs, and DSO structures for asset protection, estate planning, and easier access to capital—providing essential legal knowledge every dental practice owner should understand.

Dental CEO Podcast #47 - People Problems, Lawsuits, & Liability 19.01.2026 51мин

Most lawsuits in dentistry don’t start with patients—they start with employees. This episode breaks down how common HR missteps like unclear policies, poor documentation, and bad advice turn everyday staff issues into legal problems. A direct conversation on what actually puts dental practices at risk and how to avoid it.