Start a practice w your friend?

Started by iheartz
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iheartz

Full Member
10+ Year Member
15+ Year Member
Just wondering....what are your thoughts on opening a practice with a friend?
 
Chances are you will loose your friend. Just open it alone and hire your friend or vice versa.
 
it's just like a business if u guys are successful u'll stay friends. if things go bad, there'll be tensions...

most dental offices are successful tho, so i think the hardest part is splitting the costs/earnings.
 
yea i think itd just complicate things but then again, itd be pretty cool to be partners w your buddy. Idk if id like working for my friend tho. and i agree w the complications that arise from splitting the $. i wonder if there are any dents here that are in this situation
 
Tried this for a year with a "friend"....it was the worst decision I've ever made. Lot's of people tried to talk me out of it, but I had to see for myself. Turns out, I think we wanted different things, even though that is not what was discussed. On the bright side, I got to know and meet a lot of dentists I wouldn't have met and I learned a lot about private practice [which was great]. You just have to get in the right practice and I've learned from my colleagues, it sometimes takes a couple to get the right fit. It is easier to do this when you are younger and don't have a lot to lose by trying out a practice for a short while to see if it is the "right one" for you. The person who described it as a marriage was right! You don't have to think exactly the same about everything, but you do have to be able to communicate well and respect each other's goals and philosophy. I also think you have to have a similar sense of ethics and financial approach. You may like your friend more in the long term if you are in different practices and you can "compare notes"....perhaps then, when you have experience, you can best plan how you might practice together. There are two dentists in my town who were in the same class and went into practice together at the same time and they have done well....I don't know of any other practice with that same scenario. They are different from each other, but the main thing that I think has let it work for them is mutual respect.

Best of luck to you!
 
Wouldn't do it if you can get the loan(s) yourself.

Just open it yourself and pay them generously and treat them well.

Trust me.
 
MONKEYBOY said:
Wouldn't do it if you can get the loan(s) yourself.

Just open it yourself and pay them generously and treat them well.

Trust me.
Click to expand...

The OP should trust your less than two months of dental "experience"?

That being said, it is never a great idea to mix business with pleasure.
 
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