New owner. New mindset. Zero panic. In this candid conversation, Derek sits down with a brand new owner to unpack how a 20-year-old’s discovery of FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) shaped his entire path through dental school, associateship, and a swift, strategic leap into ownership.
He shares how he maximized clinical reps in school (hello molar endo and wisdom teeth), evaluated practices with a clear freedom-first lens, and landed a rare small-town, low-competition office outside Dallas. You’ll hear the exact factors he prioritized (fixed costs, saturation, collections), why he chose coaching with TLP to compress his timeline, and how he handled week one with a “change nothing, learn everything” approach—using curiosity and “strong opinions, weakly held” to identify true root problems (documentation, over-spending on supplies, collections discipline) without rattling the team or patients.
Whether you’re a student, associate, or on the brink of ownership, this episode is a blueprint for moving fast and smart.
What you’ll learn:
How a FIRE mindset clarifies clinical, career, and ownership decisions
The simple filter used to evaluate practices (competition, fixed costs, collections)
Why saying “no” a lot makes it easy to pounce on the right deal
A calm, high-trust playbook for your first weeks as an owner (“change nothing, ask why”)
Where passive leadership hides in the numbers (supplies %, lab %, collections rate) and how to spot it
Highlights:
Discovering FIRE and choosing dentistry with the end in mind
Maximizing clinical exposure in school (be in clinic 8–5; study after)
From associate to owner: doing the math, then committing
Due diligence in saturated markets and why small-town sites can win big
Week-one leadership: reassure the team, observe, document, then prioritize
Back-office fixes that move the needle: documentation, insurance, discounts, CareCredit/process cleanup
Reach out to at: raheel14haider@gmail.com
Reach out to Derek at: derek@thelifestylepractice.com
Connect with us: • Learn more about 1-on-1 coaching • Get access to TLP Academy • Suscribe to The Lifestyle Practice Podcast • Email Derek at derek@thelifestylepractice.com • Email Matt at matt@thelifestylepractice.com • Email Steve at steve@thelifestylepractice.com
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