MyStory: Dr. Donnie’s First 6 Months in Ownership
Release Date: 04/16/2026
Bulletproof Summit: "The Best One Yet"
Bulletproof Dental Practice
Fresh off a sold-out Bulletproof Summit at The Phoenician in Scottsdale, Dr. Peter Boulden, Dr. Craig Spodak, and Ian de Jongh sit down to relive three days that left everyone running on fumes and full of purpose. In this episode: the world's first all-dental AI summit, Brian Harris delivering a main stage talk so inspiring Peter considered getting back in the chair, and the unplanned moment Dr. Richard Low was pulled on stage for a raw fireside chat that left the room in tears. The guys break down why a room split 50/50 between doctors and teams creates massive leverage, why every sponsor at...
info_outline
If You're the Smartest in the Room, Leave
Bulletproof Dental Practice
The fastest way to stall your growth is to be the most accomplished person in your circle. Peter and Craig are living the opposite this summer. Craig is recording from Aspen and Peter just got back from Baker's Bay, both dropped into rooms where they quickly realized they are a smallest fish in the pond, which is exactly where they want to be. Recorded the week of the sold-out Bulletproof Summit, the conversation starts with a question: why does dentistry attack its own? Post about expanding from ten to twenty operatories in a dental Facebook group and the comments call it a factory and a chop...
info_outline
Leaving the Chair Without Quitting
Bulletproof Dental Practice
Dr. Todd Christensen calls in from Minnesota with 20 operatories across two locations, a big remodel behind him, and a question he can't shake: at 45, how does he transition out of clinical dentistry and into the executive role without the guilt? His patients don't make it easy. When he tries to hand them to an associate, they tell him they would rather wait months for him than see anyone else. Peter and Craig push back on the question before they answer it. Todd says he wants out of the chair, but he also says he won't miss fillings, and those are two very different problems. Maybe he doesn't...
info_outline
Hotline Calls: When Is the Right Time to Sell?
Bulletproof Dental Practice
"I'd only sell for a stupid multiple. Thirteen, fifteen X." A five-practice owner from Dallas calls the hotline with the question every group owner is quietly asking: when do I sell, and what's the highest multiple anyone has actually gotten? What follows is one of the most candid breakdowns of the DSO economy you'll hear anywhere. Zombie DSOs, zero interest rate policy, bridge loans at 18 percent, dilution that sellers never see coming, and why a headline multiple is not the same as a check. Peter and Craig make the case for a different scoreboard entirely: do the honest math, optimize for...
info_outline![You Don't Have to Do This Alone [Special Episode] show art](https://assets.libsyn.com/content/204434150?height=50&width=50)
You Don't Have to Do This Alone [Special Episode]
Bulletproof Dental Practice
This episode is different. We asked members of our mastermind community to send in voice notes answering one question: what has this actually meant to you? Then Peter and Craig hit record and heard every message for the first time, reacting live. What came back was honest, unscripted, and at moments hard to get through. We share it because practice ownership does not have to be the lonely, white-knuckled grind so many of us were taught to accept. The burnout, the strained marriages, the lives lost to this profession, none of that is the price of admission. With the right room around you, the...
info_outline
Cialdini's 7 Principles, Ranked for Dentists
Bulletproof Dental Practice
A year training under Dr. Robert Cialdini, the godfather of influence, changed Dr. Chris Phelps' entire business. In this episode, he shares why it can change yours too! After building four fee-for-service practices, Chris hit a wall every dentist knows. Patients weren't saying yes. Team members weren't following through. Associates weren't using the skills he'd paid to teach them. The problem wasn't clinical skill. It was human behavior, and once he understood how people actually make decisions, everything shifted. In this episode, Chris joins Peter and Ian to break down Cialdini's seven...
info_outline
Hotline Call: The Hygienist Shortage Is Real
Bulletproof Dental Practice
One caller. One problem almost every dentist is dealing with. Jesse is a new practice owner in a rural market. One hygienist is out on maternity leave, another is burning out from assisted hygiene, and after calling schools, searching job boards, and exhausting his options, he's asking the question every owner eventually asks: "What do I do now?" Peter and Craig explain why this isn't just bad luck. The hygiene shortage is real, but waiting for the perfect candidate isn't a strategy. They unpack why hygiene is becoming one of the strongest careers in healthcare, why most hiring ads blend into...
info_outline
Let AI Do the Front Desk Job Nobody Wants
Bulletproof Dental Practice
Why are humans still doing work that computers can do better? In this episode, Ian sits down with Dr. Peter Boulden and Dr. Craig Spodak to tackle what that question really means for dentistry, AI adoption, and the rapidly changing role of the front desk. The three explore how artificial intelligence is already transforming administrative work, patient communication, scheduling, documentation, and workflow management, and why the biggest mistake a dentist can make is assuming this technology won't reach their practice. Peter makes the case that even dentists who opt out will still feel the...
info_outline
The 39% DSO Tipping Point?
Bulletproof Dental Practice
In this episode, we unpack the consolidation of private practices and the growing influence of Dental Support Organizations. While many independent dentists view consolidation as a threat, Peter and Craig argue it may actually create one of the greatest opportunities the profession has ever seen. They explore the economic forces driving DSO growth, including insurance arbitrage, private equity investment, rising operating costs, and changing ownership models. But beyond the numbers, the conversation focuses on something much more important: what independent dentists can offer that large...
info_outline
Why Your Team Ignores You (And It's Not Their Fault)
Bulletproof Dental Practice
You've said it out loud more than once. My team knows exactly what we're trying to build. Then a few weeks go by and you realize they don't. Not because they're lazy or checked out, but because the vision lives in your head and never quite made it into theirs. So you do what feels logical. Tighten the systems. Add accountability. Call another meeting. And still the team nods, complies, and quietly does the bare minimum. In this episode, Peter and Craig name the real problem. It isn't a discipline problem. It's a leadership gap. You've been managing your team when what they're waiting for is to...
info_outlineDr. Donnie bought his dental practice just 6 months ago, and he's already facing the challenges every new owner hits. In this raw and honest "MyStory" episode, Craig and Peter sit down with Dr. Donnie to unpack the real problems he's navigating as a first-time practice owner: arbitrary revenue goals with no math to back them up, two part-time associates who aren't pulling their weight, a rocky practice management software switch mid-transition, a team that says everything's fine but clearly isn't, and a leadership style that's more people-pleasing than people-leading.
The guys break it all down, from reverse-engineering his $3M dream with actual operatory data, to why his bonus system could quietly be killing his margins, to the hard truth about what it means to lead vs. manage a team you inherited.
Case Study:
Dr. Donnie Wiggins
Single Practice Owner
Based in New Jersey (commuting from Brooklyn, NY)
Purchased Practice: September 2025
Experience: 6 months into ownership
DESCRIPTION
The Bulletproof Dental Podcast Episode 432
HOSTS: Dr. Peter Boulden, Dr. Craig Spodak & Ian de Jongh
GUEST: Dr.Donnie Wiggins
“MyStory” is a new Bulletproof series where real dentists share their real story: what’s working, what’s not, and the questions they can’t get answered anywhere else. Each episode is a one-hour Master Class. Peter, Craig and Ian give practical advice, just like they do inside our Mastermind Program and at the Bulletproof Summit.
The point is simple: you’ll hear your own challenges in someone else’s story, and leave with clear steps you can use right away to shift your mindset, strengthen your practice, and avoid the mistakes that make growth harder than it needs to be.
Contact Us
Want to be on MyStory? Email MyStory@bulletproofdentalpractice.com. If your story is selected, you’ll join Peter, Craig ans Ian on the podcast.
We also launched the Bulletproof Hotline. Call anytime and leave a message to share your story, ask a question, tell a joke, or leave a note for Peter, Craig and Ian. We’ll listen and respond with real-world feedback. Hotline: (561) 933-5575
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Dr. Donnie's Background
01:15 Dr. Donnie’s Path to Practice Ownership
02:22 Why Dr. Donnie Chose Practice Ownership
04:14 Current Challenges in Practice Management
05:00 Vision for the Next Three Years
06:07 Financial Goals and Profit Margins
08:20 Building Out the Practice and Capacity
09:08 Analyzing Practice Performance and Capacity
10:14 Forecasting Future Production and Growth
13:28 Staffing, Culture, and Buy-In
15:10 Understanding Practice Revenue and Data
18:00 Staffing Strategies and Efficiency
22:50 Leadership and Influence in Practice
30:09 Overcoming Staff and Culture Challenges
36:20 Financial Metrics and Bonus Systems
40:43 Patience and Long-Term Growth Mindset
42:52 Self-Leadership and Continuous Learning
44:55 Effective Communication and Influence
45:36 Embracing Change and Problem Solving
46:29 Encouragement and Final Advice
REFERENCES