The Secrets to Scaling an 8-Chair Practice

·32 min·3 clips

Wendy Peng explains how three basic tweaks to their recall system quickly filled their associate's empty schedule.

Dr. Wendy Peng and Dr. Gilbert Coe, owners of Dana Street Dental in Ballarat, join host Jesse Green to share their journey scaling from a three-chair to an eight-chair practice. They began their practice after years working locally, initially relying on a small existing patient base. A false sense of confidence led them to hire their first associate too early, revealing a lack of patients and poor recall systems. Joining the Practice Max community and implementing structured recalls and reactivation programs quickly filled the associate's schedule. Defining an ideal patient avatar helped them make marketing and practice decisions more intentional. Expanding from three to six chairs during COVID allowed construction without disrupting patient care, but the team struggled with inadequate systems and leadership. They split roles, with Gilbert mentoring new dentists and Wendy managing the rest of the team, while both reduced their clinical hours. A formal leadership team, including a practice coordinator and front desk coordinator, now shields them from daily operational issues. Their training systems for dental assistants involve shadowing, a dedicated trainer, and daily huddles for support. Dentist mentoring includes a four-week shadowing period and structured fortnightly meetings for feedback and skill development. Growing from six to eight chairs felt smoother due to established organizational structures and the emergence of other senior dentists. They actively nurture team culture through regular conversations, celebrating wins, and addressing behaviors that detract from the workplace. Clear position descriptions, KPIs, and regular performance check-ins maintain role clarity as the practice grows. The practice now affords them more time, which they value for family involvement, a key motivation for building the business. The episode maintains a conversational and educational tone, focusing on practical business lessons and personal reflections. Practice owners in the growth phase, especially those navigating team expansion and systemization, will find this episode highly relevant. Listeners seeking highly technical clinical content or solo practitioner perspectives might find less direct application.

As heard by us

A practical look at how delegation turns growth into a system instead of a scramble.

Jesse Green talks with Drs. Wendy Peng and Gilbert Coe about Dana Street Dental's move from three chairs to six, then eight, and the point where growth stops being a personal hustle and starts needing a clearer operating system.

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When your practice keeps dragging you back into the weeds.

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