​​​​Dr. Jim Arnold is the Founder and CEO of Luxury Dental Retreats, a company that blends high-end travel with immersive dental education to help growth-minded dentists elevate their practices and lives. A former multi-practice owner, Dr. Arnold built a dental group known for exceptional patient care and achieved a 31% EBITDA before transitioning into mentorship and strategic advising. Through Luxury Dental Retreats, he hosts exclusive, small-group events in luxurious destinations, offering dentists the opportunity to refine leadership skills, boost profitability, and achieve work-life balance.

 

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

• [02:38] Dr. Jim Arnold recalls making only $39k in his first year and buying out a mom-and-pop dental practice
• [05:21] How burnout forced Dr. Arnold to rethink dentistry
• [09:26] The value of small-group mentorship and hands-on clinical education in professional growth
• [10:09] Lessons from scaling a DSO to 79 practices and participating in over 60 transitions
• [13:13] Building dentist-owned groups with shared values and flexible exit strategies
• [18:20] The inspiration behind launching Luxury Dental Retreat
• [30:54] The importance of mentorship, community, and vulnerability to fight dentist isolation and burnout

In this episode…

Burnout, disillusionment, and overwhelming stress are more common than most dentists care to admit. While financial success might be within reach, emotional and professional fulfillment often lag behind. What if redefining success in dentistry could unlock both personal well-being and long-term business growth?

According to Dr. Jim Arnold, a seasoned dental entrepreneur and educator, success is found not just in numbers, but in alignment — between your values, your practice, and your lifestyle. He highlights how mentorship and immersive continuing education can reignite purpose while guiding smoother practice transitions. After exiting his own thriving practices and advising on over 60 deals, Dr. Arnold discovered that the deepest transformation came from building intentional communities, supporting dentist-owned groups, and creating space for honest conversations about mental health, legacy, and leadership.

In this episode of The Marketing 32 Show, host Brett Allen sits down with Dr. Jim Arnold, Founder and CEO of Luxury Dental Retreats, to discuss redefining success in dentistry through mentorship, CE retreats, and thoughtful transitions. He shares how burnout sparked a career reinvention, what makes small-group education so powerful, and why dentist-led groups are the future. Dr. Arnold also gives advice on navigating practice exits and protecting mental health.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Brett Allen on LinkedIn
• Marketing 32
• Dr. Jim Arnold: LinkedIn | Email | Contact no.: (219) 241-4698
• Luxury Dental Retreats
• “Emotional Wellness Is the Key to Dental Practice Growth With Dr. Laura Schwindt & Dr. Karen Tindall” on The Marketing 32 Show
• “Creative Strategies for a Profitable Dental Practice Exit With Elijah Desmond” on The Marketing 32 Show
• “Leveraging Mentorship and Strategic Planning in Dental Practice Growth With Dr. Walter Kostrzewski” on The Marketing 32 Show
• David Hornbrook on LinkedIn

Quotable Moments

• “You don’t come out of school as a leader, as a communicator, or as a business owner.”
• “I was blown away by how many mistakes we could make and still be really successful.”
• “It’s just about having real conversations and not a cookie-cutter approach.”
• “I always caution doctors to be careful and make sure you get the right partner too, because it’s every bit as important.”
• “I think one of the most important things to do is to seek out mentors.”

Action Steps

1. Prioritize mentorship and small-group learning: Building close relationships with experienced professionals accelerates growth and prevents isolation.
2. Design a transition plan with the end in mind: Mapping out your exit strategy early ensures smoother handoffs and legacy preservation.
3. Reduce patient volume to increase impact: Focusing on fewer, high-value cases improves clinical outcomes and enhances professional fulfillment.
4. Seek alignment with like-minded partners: Shared values in practice ownership lead to more sustainable growth and long-term satisfaction.
5. Invest in immersive CE experiences: High-access, distraction-free environments deepen learning, build strong networks, and generate high ROI.

Sponsor for this episode…

This episode is brought to you by Marketing 32, the only dental marketing agency with the Practice Impact Formula™ for predictable growth without financial risk.

With a focus on new patient generation, addressing missed opportunities, and expert scheduling, Marketing 32 has helped over 170 practices in the US, Canada, and Australia. Grow in 30 days, or you don’t pay — it’s that simple.

To learn more, visit marketing32.com and schedule a 15-minute discovery call. If you’re a visionary practice ready for impact, Marketing 32 is ready to help you grow!

Episode Transcript:

Intro: 00:13

You are listening to The Marketing 32 Show with your host, Brett Allen.

Brett Allen: 00:18

Hi Brett Allen here, host ofThe Marketing 32 Show, where I connect with leading dentists, dental influencers and industry experts to bring you guys the latest and greatest on how to help your dental practice grow and thrive. This episode, as always, is brought to you by our team here at Marketing 32. We are the only dental marketing company that I know of that has a performance guarantee of growth in 30 days or you don’t pay. And really, it’s that simple. If we’re not providing value to your practice and helping you grow, then we don’t get paid.

We’re really about becoming integrated and becoming a partner to your practice and demonstrating that value. To learn more about us, head over to marketing32.com. Set up a call and we’ll see if it would be a great fit together. Quick shout out to Dr. Laura Schwindt and Dr. Karen Tindall. Just had an awesome episode recording with them.

We talked all about mindset, personal development and how that influences and can impact how you show up in your practice and how your team shows up. They work directly with you guys to help in that regard. So go check that interview out today. I’m super excited to have a new friend, Dr. Jim Arnold. We got connected through Elijah Desmond and Dr. Walter.

I always, I always yeah coach K there you go.

Dr. Jim Arnold: 01:36

That’s the easiest way.

Brett Allen: 01:38

Dr. Arnold is a dental entrepreneur, speaker, and founder of Foundation Dental Services, where he partners with dentists to create lucrative practice transitions and long term success through luxury dental retreats and high level education experiences. He connects growth minded professionals with elite training and exclusive networking opportunities with a track record of building, scaling and optimising digital businesses. Jim brings powerful insights on leadership, profitability and creating a career by design. I’m super excited to have you on today, Dr. Arnold, thanks for joining us.

Dr. Jim Arnold: 02:11

Great to be here. Thanks. Thanks for having me, Brett I appreciate it.

Brett Allen: 02:13

Yeah, yeah. Excited about this conversation. I’m really eager to learn more about your career and what you did in dentistry prior to selling your practice. And then now what you’re doing. So maybe let’s start there.

Let’s dig into your background. How you got into dentistry. What was it like being a dental practice owner? What are some cool wins that you had? Tell us all about that.

Dr. Jim Arnold: 02:38

Yeah, it sounds great. You know, I got out of dental school in 96, and I joined common practice back in my hometown area. I really had no clear vision for my career coming out of school. I just wanted to be able to pay off my student loans.

But, you know, I got into a practice with a, you know, kind of an older dentist who was really nice and patients loved him. But like I said, it was very much a mom and pop practice. And legitimately, I made $39,000 my first year as a dentist in 1996, which is crazy because it’s not like it was 1969. It was 1996.

Brett Allen: 03:16

Like, is this what ou went to dental school for?

Dr. Jim Arnold: 03:17

Oh, man, it so was not. But, you know, I guess that was the going rate at the time, I don’t know, but I did that for three years and, you know, bumped just a little bit. But that fourth year I bought the practice from him. And the great thing about that was I’d had three years to get to know the patients really well, and I got to know the practice really well and, you know, spent a lot of time kind of learning how to run a practice because you don’t come out of school with that skill set. You don’t come out of school as a leader, as a communicator, or as a business owner.

So I spent the year before we bought the practice, like really working hard and coming up with a very strategic plan, very comprehensive and all the things that we needed to change and all the things that we needed to update so that we’d hit the ground running. And so, you know what happened that fourth year? We hit the ground running and made probably every mistake you could possibly make because we try to change so much like overnight practically. And, you know, it was a lot. I mean, from a financial standpoint, we did double the practice.

We doubled the practice. My income went up exponentially, made more money than I ever thought possible. And for about two years it was incredible. Brett, I, I was blown away by how many mistakes we could make and still be really successful. And I was really encouraged by that, because every mistake led us to better decisions and kind of slower growth so that things ran more smoothly.

Brett Allen: 04:43

I like that. Yeah. Personal development program you can write it exposes.

Dr. Jim Arnold: 04:52

Absolutely.

Brett Allen: 04:53

Exposes all the ways you can be better. So. Yeah. Tell us about. Yeah.

So so you did clinical dentistry had super tremendous success with that. I see you’ve got tons of awards and things on your website that you could brag about. Guys, this Dr. Arnold knows his stuff. And so how did you transition from clinician business owner to now what you’re doing and and exiting, you know, helping with transitions, helping with luxury dental retreats all of that for sure.

Dr. Jim Arnold: 05:21

You know, we’ll back up just a little bit back to those first two years. And we were just crushing it and again, making more money than we ever thought possible. And neither my wife and I nor I came from money or anything like that. And so it was like a whole new life. But you know what, Brett?

I was so busy, I got completely overwhelmed and burnt out. I mean, the money, it didn’t even matter. It didn’t even matter because I wasn’t happy and I couldn’t even imagine five more years, let alone like 20 more years as a clinical dentist. It was one of those things where something had to change or I was going to change professions. And so I did.

We were very intentional for about three years, went and got 300 hours of CE a year on average. We were all over the country dragging my team everywhere, doing all this clinical stuff, so I felt like I was really good before I started marketing my services. We did all this practice management stuff, communication, leadership and oh my gosh, so we’re overwhelmed in a totally different way. But it was a way that showed us a path towards sort of a brighter future, a brighter future. Now we cut our income in half for a couple of years.

But Brett, by the time we sort of got through that stage, we were right back to where we were from a numbers standpoint. We were seeing one third as many patients and the overwhelm was gone because I was doing the things that I was really passionate about. All of a sudden I’m changing lives, you know, with new smiles and full mouth rehabs and that sort of thing. And, and my team was fired up and motivated. And during that time, you know, we upgraded our team.

We got the team, all the training they needed and so, you know, we came out of that. I mean it was not easy at all. But we came out of that like really ahead of the game at a point where the practice was really thriving. We were seeing the kinds of patients we wanted to see. Our marketing was attracting them in, and they weren’t coming in for a coupon.

They weren’t coming in because they thought we were the cheapest in town, by the way. They knew that we were probably the most expensive in town, but when they got in, we still, you know, we delivered. We over delivered on the promise that they, you know, saw in our marketing or on the website. And we are so relationship based that honest to God people never left us or if they did because they were on a PPO plan that we weren’t a part of or whatever, generally speaking, they would come back to us because they found that it just was a different experience going somewhere else.

Brett Allen: 07:39

Yeah, I love that you hit on that. You. It’s like the phoenix rises from the ashes, right? You hit this burn out, and you and you and you had to go back to the drawing board and figure out, okay, how are we going to be intentional about this and prioritize and build the practice that we’re excited about versus just being drained about.

Dr. Jim Arnold: 07:59

Oh man, Brett, that was so important. And also during that same time after I’d done all this, see, all of a sudden all these groups started asking me to come and teach with them. Oh, you know, I was like, oh, wow, this is exciting. Like these people I look up to and think of as rock stars, icons in the industry, they want me to join their team. That’s amazing.

And so, like, I think 2004 to 2009, I got to teach with David Hornbrook’s group. You know, I was a clinical mentor, and I think we were teaching hands-on courses in like 13 cities around the country. And you know what, Brett? I learned so much more through mentorship than I did even as a student, you know, because I got to go into the clinic every weekend and help for docs, prep big cases. And through that experience, I got so much more adept at everything you know, from the hand skills to the patient communication to communicating with other doctors and teams.

And it was really a transformative experience for me, Brett, and led to a lot of other cool opportunities in the industry that I hold near and dear to my heart.

Brett Allen: 09:04

Yeah, and I bet that was more fulfilling for you too. You seem like a more of a natural teacher and someone who wants to share and influence. For sure. So yeah, rather than being behind the chair and being, you know, in somebody’s mouth, you’d rather be involved with C or, you know, bringing other people along and improving.

Dr. Jim Arnold: 09:26

No doubt. I was on a couple of boards and helped to organize like big conferences for a couple of groups and do some really fun things for larger groups and a lot of things for smaller groups. And I was part of masterminds that were like ten docs or less. And so I had a lot of really diverse experience, you know, as both a student and then as a mentor or advisory board member.

So yeah, all of that sort of parlays then into what I’ve been doing over the past couple of years.

Brett Allen: 09:53

Yeah. So let’s segue into that. I want the rest of our time to be more about that piece. So how did you get into transitions and now luxury dental retreats? Talk about what it is you’re doing with both of those things and how you are helping Dennis with that.

Dr. Jim Arnold: 10:09

So ten years ago, I had three practices and they were all thriving, all doing really well. I had three rock star teams, you know, I got great people, gave them the tools they needed to be successful. And they made life really easy for myself because they did all the heavy lifting and were really good at what they did. But ten years ago, I had been approached by a few DSOs over the years, and ten years ago a group came to me and they made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. You know, it was one of those things where, my God, I’m 45 years old and I could never imagine that kind of money in any other sort of way.

And I really, I did take five months to vet them, did all my due diligence and finally determined that hey, look what I’ve built is too big for a dentist to buy. And so at some point, I’m going to have to sell to one of these bigger entities, or that’s how I felt at the time. Yeah. And so if I’m going to do it, it’s going to be a matter of what’s the best deal and who is the best partner. Right.

And I determined it was them. And you know what, Brett? They took really good care of me. I was the first Dr. into their DSO, and I helped them grow it to about 79 practices. I got to see a lot of different transitions in that process and got to facilitate some of that over the next several years, I helped them build three more Dsos, you know, where I was providing some of the doctors who came in at the very foundation, or I held some Dr.’s hands through the process or, you know, I kind of both sides of the table.

I got to see a lot and I saw things that worked. I saw things that didn’t work. And so I’ve had an opportunity to probably be involved in about 60 deals on some level. I’m not saying I was an architect, but at some level I was behind the scenes and got to participate. And so through that process, I learned a lot of things.

And so now I’m super excited to be able to share that kind of on a bigger level with more dentists.

Brett Allen: 11:59

Yeah. So are you. So you’re getting more into that space of helping with exits and finding the right buyers.

Dr. Jim Arnold: 12:07

Yeah. Yeah for sure.

Dr. Jim Arnold: 12:08

And so I’ve done that because I have relationships with some, some good buyers. I have relationships with some really good brokers. And so it’s kind of like whatever a doctor needs, I’m kind of there to help facilitate that process, whatever it looks like. But then I’m also partnering with doctors. You know, I’m building a dentist owned group of my own right now, which I’m partnering with just really good docs who have really nice practices and, you know, have a shared vision.

You know, one where I’m not going to come in and change everything. It’s like, if you already have a great practice, let’s not screw it up. Like, let’s just keep doing that. And then if we have ideas and conversations that lead to growth or lead to, you know, even better success, then that’s a great thing, you know? And based on what I’ve done over the years, there’s always some room for growth.

And that’s a really fun thing to be a part of for sure.

Brett Allen: 12:58

Yeah. Can we talk a little bit more about this new thing you’re doing with, like, partnering up with docs? What? Tell us more about that. And who are you looking to partner up with?

Are you looking for more docs to do this and grow this with? Tell us more about that.

Dr. Jim Arnold: 13:13

You know, right now I’m in conversations with probably 7 or 8 practices and I would guess we’ll close on probably five five of them. Because it’s just a really good vibe. And you know, we’ve got shared values — a shared vision. They’re ready to transition. You know they want kind of top dollar for their practice.

Which of course I’m going to give because I’m a dentist I know how much practices are worth. I’m not a PE firm. Who’s going to grind them down to the last $50,000, you know, and then lose the deal or lose the relationship through that process. And I’ve seen that happen not with my guys necessarily a couple of times maybe, but across the board. It’s just I don’t know, I think when they are responsive to like their investors, they try to get the very best deal for every single practice, which look, I get it.

But from my point of view, I’m not like aggregating to sell in 3 to 5 years. I’m aggregating to have a great group that we play with long term. Yeah, it’s like, why? Why sell something? At least in my opinion now, something that’s profitable, something that’s satisfying, something that’s creating great value for teams and for patients.

And so when you’re properly aligned like that, you’re going to continue to invest in the practice. You’re going to invest time and resources and finances to continue to grow it, as opposed to trying to like snip a couple percent off the overhead, so you increase EBITDA. Yeah. I’ve always been a believer in increasing the top line. That’s the best way to to increase profitability, not just shave a percentage off the bottom and create situations where the team is pissed off because you’re not replacing a chair that needs to be replaced, or you’re not going to that seminar that you want to go to, or you’re not adding that bit of technology that will make you more efficient. Make patient care better.

Like, I want to do things the way I did in my practices in terms of continuing to grow and, you know, make it a great experience for everybody.

Brett Allen: 15:08

Yeah. That’s awesome. Are you so you’re you’re actively pursuing more doctors to partner up with and bring into this group model, right.

Dr. Jim Arnold: 15:19

Fortunately I’ve got a whole infrastructure of support. You know, we’ve got support from operational standpoint, from a legal standpoint and accounting. You name it, we’ve got a robust team ready to support the practices in all of those areas. So you know, doctors can be as involved as they want to be. You know when I sold Brett, I was still fairly involved because I really loved the stuff.

Like it wasn’t something that I hated. You know, I still wanted to be involved in marketing. I still wanted to be involved in some of the air, like, not all of it, but, you know, and my guys, my P guys, they took good care of me. And, you know, we had a great relationship. And I got to kind of keep doing the things I was doing with a caveat.

The stuff I didn’t want to do, they kind of offloaded for me. Yeah. But but, you know, I’m kind of the same way in that stuff that’s working. Let’s keep doing stuff that a doctor really likes to do. Well, let’s keep doing it.

Yeah, but if there’s stuff that they don’t like to do, well, you know, having a great team in place that’s been there, done that is exactly what we need to keep moving forward and keep people from being burnt out. Yeah. And by the way, creating the right transition because the other thing with P they’re always going to say we need you 3 to 5 years. 3 to 5 years, usually five. I’m like, you know what.

Like I don’t want to keep people longer than they want to be there. You know, I like to get a year or two for sure, but I’m not. It’s not like they’re an indentured servant, you know? We want to, like, begin with the end in mind. If a doc’s like, man, I’d really like to be done in two years. Like, okay, well, let’s reverse engineer that. Let’s figure out what we need to do to make sure that the practice is enhanced.

The patients are in good hands. The team is well taken care of. You know, in most docs, they want to see a smooth transition. They don’t want to see their life’s work kind of, you know, blow up in flames because there isn’t a Dr. to come in and take over. And so, you know, it’s just about having real conversations and not a cookie cutter approach saying, you have to do this, that or whatever.

Brett Allen: 17:13

Yeah. That’s awesome. So yeah, if a doc wants to learn more about that specific way of working with you or getting your advice somehow or consulting, where can they go for that piece? Is that Foundation Dental Services? Is that what that is?

Dr. Jim Arnold: 17:28

I’m actually putting together a robust website with a lot of information and a lot of different resources, because we’re doing a variety of different projects. That having been said at this point, they can reach straight out to me. My cell number is (219) 241-4698. Best to text so we can set up time for a call. Or they can email me.

drarnold@smilesbyarnold.com. So they come straight to me. We’ll figure out what makes sense to them.

Brett Allen: 17:57

We’ll put that in the show notes for sure. Let’s let’s kind of segue more into the fun. Like these luxury dental retreats. This is exciting. It’s new for you.

It’s and it’s epic. It sounds like you’re wanting to create the ultimate in dental continuing education. What? You know, epic places with epic consultants or epic training, right?

Dr. Jim Arnold: 18:20

Definitely. And, you know, thanks for bringing that up because it’s really a passion project. And I think it’s something that’s been in the works for like 20, 25 years, maybe not as a clear vision in there. But I mentioned, you know. Yeah, exactly.

After doing thousands of hours of C and it all has a different value. You know, you have great things, things that aren’t so good, and then you have things that are just phenomenally transformative. And for me, the transformative things were always small group events, you know, whether it was a workshop or a mastermind or just a small group lecture. That’s where I always felt like I built the deepest relationships. It’s where I got to roll up my sleeves and really ask all the hard questions.

And and by the way, anytime I had access to the speakers, like after hours, that’s when I really learned and grew, you know, because that’s when, like, people get real, you know, if you’re in front of a group of 100 people or a thousand people, number one is a speaker. You’re maybe not quite as open as you would be about some of the stuff. And as, let’s be honest, as a student in a group of 200, 300, you’re not going to have the opportunity to ask all the questions you want to ask. But when I was in a group of like 8 to 10 or maybe 15 at the most, oh my gosh, I could ask questions in real time. I could refer to my specific situation and get really valuable, actionable intelligence.

You know, stuff that I could take back on Monday and really use now if I got to meet with them for dinner afterwards and that sort of thing. Well, damn, that was really golden. Because, you know, then we’re building real relationships. Yeah. So so parlay that into like kind of what we’re doing now.

And so from an educational standpoint, I’ve got a faculty of nine, nine rock stars, by the way. People who I know really well, who are niche experts in a variety of different things in the dental world, kind of something for everybody to some degree. And by the way, I’m probably going to expand to about 20 faculty members because there are about 50 people who want to join. I’m like, I can’t take everybody, but I definitely want to add some more, some more things, some more great content. But, you know, think about this, Brett.

We did one about a month ago and, you know, 72 hours where our attendees had 72 hours of direct access to my speaker and me where I mean no holds barred. You know, we’re talking about everything.

Brett Allen: 20:38

You know, the curtain. Yeah.

Dr. Jim Arnold: 20:40

That’s right. Exactly. And with that kind of access, I mean, really, the sky is the limit because we’ve kind of been there, done that. We’ve been very successful, kind of done a lot of things well and let’s be honest, made some mistakes. And so when you can have those real conversations in a small group, I mean, how valuable is that?

What kind of ROI do you get when you’re talking to somebody about fast tracking success by avoiding these pitfalls, but taking advantage of these, you know, shortcuts, you know, these things that make you really successful. And you know what? We’re going to Dubai this summer and that is a whole different level of things. So I’m man, I’m fired up about all of it. It’s just really fun.

Brett Allen: 21:19

That’s really cool. I love that you’re doing this type of approach. And anybody out there that’s interested in, you know, checking off the sea box, but yet also really getting more out of sea than just the credit, right? It’s like let’s you. Who was it?

It’s Tony Robbins talked about, you know, condensing a decade of experience into a day. Right. When you can when you can be around people and rub shoulders with them and pull back the curtain. Then you then you leverage their experience, not just their expertise, but their experience, like what they got into the, you know, the grit and the dirt and the ugly that really transforms and is educational, you know. Sure.

If you go to a conference and you listen to a speaker for an hour or two hours, three hours, and you can check that c box and you learn something great, but there’s something totally different about really getting to understand an individual and taking that in. And then not to mention the network building. Right. It’s like you are now.

Dr. Jim Arnold: 22:22

Oh my God.

Brett Allen: 22:22

You’re connected with this person in a different way than just a speaker on a stage, right?

Dr. Jim Arnold: 22:29

Well, and, you know, Tony Robbins also says proximity is power. Yeah. You know, and, you know, you want to be in the right room with the right people at the right time. And I’ve focused my whole career on that being very intentional about finding the right mentors. And that always meant finding people doing the things that I wanted to do.

And there was a time in my career back in like 2002 to 2008, I had a list of 17 mentors. I’m not even joking. I’m a little crazy in that regard, but I had specific things I wanted to learn from each one of them, because I knew that they were so good at all of those things. And so, you know, combine that with luxury travel, because, you know, I’ve been doing luxury travel with my family for 25 years. Like, we like things to be a certain way.

I mean, who doesn’t want to be treated like a VIP? Who doesn’t want to be in, like, total comfort with fine dining and, you know, chef prepared meals and it is.

Brett Allen: 23:20

And when you do that, it’s way better than the Airbnb like or the you know the Comfort Inn. It’s when you are doing epic luxury, it’s like, wow, this is its man.

Dr. Jim Arnold: 23:34

Yeah. It’s just different. And you know, when you’re in a situation where, you know, you really want to learn and grow, it’s nice to do it without a lot of distractions. The one we just did in Puerto Vallarta recently, we rented a 22,000 square foot mansion and talk about upper scale. I mean, it was a luxury to the nines.

And we had two chefs who catered to us three meals a day. And just like everything we wanted was right there at our fingertips. And, you know, this thing in Dubai, we’re actually going to do a luxury resort, five star resort where, you know, every meal is, you know, first class accommodations are first class. All the activities we’re going to do are going to be, you know, epic, you know, once in a lifetime kind of thing. And, you know, those are like you said, those are the kind of experiences that I want to create for dentists so that they get as much out of it personally and professionally as possible, because return on investment isn’t just in dollars.

But although, I mean, I’m not going to guarantee this or your money back, but I can’t imagine a Dr. coming in and taking it seriously, building the relationships with not just the speakers, but also with one another, not going home and getting 1010 times return on investment 100 times return on investment. There’s also the emotional relationship ROI and you know what to do to build relationships with people who have done all these things. There’s so much value in that moving forward, because then you’ve got those people as a resource. I still have all those people as a resource 25 years later, and a lot of them are now on my faculty.

Brett Allen: 25:11

Yeah, this is so cool. I’m excited. I want to come to one of these.

Dr. Jim Arnold: 25:16

Hell yeah. Let’s go. So.

Brett Allen: 25:19

So where do we tell people if they want to do this? And they’re like, wow, this is something I want to transform my Si experience into something like this. Where did luxurydentalretreats.com? That’s your website, right?

Dr. Jim Arnold: 25:31

It is. And right now we’re really focused on Dubai. That’s the next one coming up in August. So /Dubai will take you straight to the Dubai page of the website. Perfect.

And you know, by the time people are following that, my new website might be up and running. But. But we shall see if they want to, you know, reach straight out to me. They can use that same cell phone number or email address, and I’m happy to answer any questions. Set up a Zoom and just see if it’s the right fit for them.

Brett Allen: 25:57

Yeah, we’ll put it in the show notes. So if you need more info head over to our website and you can get that website URL. You can get Dr. Arnold cell. Reach out to him directly. This is exciting.

I’m excited for what you’re doing, not only just in these luxury dental retreats, but the way you’re kind of changing the DSO model and kind of that model of group practices. And that’s exciting, I think.

Dr. Jim Arnold: 26:22

Yeah, I think it’s important and I, I do think, Brett, that it’s going to be a little bit of a movement. I mean, obviously Dsos are going to be around forever. Sure. A lot of PE firms do it really well. Some of the big dogs who’ve been out there doing things for a long time, I mean, they’re really on it and they’ve got all the resources in place and doctors can do really well with that.

So I’m not badmouthing the industry or private equity necessarily. It was more like there have been yeah. No, I didn’t think you were implying that. But I think sometimes people kind of get that vibe from me because I talk about some of the things that have gone wrong or that I have seen that have gone wrong. And look, man, since the pandemic, there have been some DSOs that went belly up.

I mean, like when that had never happened before. All of a sudden you got doctors losing millions of dollars when their equity goes up in flames. And that’s a big deal. I mean, that’s life changing and a profession where mental health is already shaky. Sure.

We’re the number one in terms of substance abuse, divorce and suicide. And it’s been that way since I graduated or since I started school 33 years ago.

Brett Allen: 27:28

It’s tragic. Wow.

Dr. Jim Arnold: 27:30

Yes. Wow. And it might be top 2 or 3 now, but it’s been in the top one, two, three.

Brett Allen: 27:35

I’ve heard that before. Yeah.

Dr. Jim Arnold: 27:37

Yeah. And look, add to that like crushing student loan debt and then towards the end of your career, add. Hey. Sorry, dude, you just lost $15 million. You just lost $2 million or whatever.

You know, like, your entire future changes at whatever age. Well, guess what? That’s not good for anybody’s mental health. And that’s a real issue. And that’s why I do think there’s going to be a movement towards more dentist owned groups than there ever has been before, because again, it’s that alignment piece.

And let’s be honest, I would rather have dentists make 80% of the profit as opposed to private equity make 80%. And then the dentists get the crumbs, they get that 20%. And I ain’t even saying it’s a bad deal. I’m just saying if there’s a better deal to be had with partners that you’re more properly aligned with. Why wouldn’t you go that route?

I mean, for me, it’s a no brainer. I wish it had been an opportunity or an option when I was selling ten years ago.

Brett Allen: 28:30

Yeah, I love it. I was just in an event last month in DC Alliance of Independent Dentists. Oh yeah, they were harping on a lot of the problems with PE and DSO. Yeah. And there’s don’t get me wrong, like you said, there are DSOs that are phenomenal and are doing it the right way and providing.

For sure. Right. But there are a lot that are predatory and harmful and are just after profit. Right. And so.

Well, and the way I’ve even they were talking about a lot of these deals that sometimes get offered and pitched to dentists and how they’re you have to be really careful on the fine print and really careful on. Okay. What does it mean if you’re going to do a buyout that spans five years and there’s these different clause in there and, and clawbacks and things like that. Yeah. You got to be really careful.

Dr. Jim Arnold: 29:27

And you know, I think that a lot of times dentists, they just go for the biggest number and like I get it. You want to maximize your value for your life’s work. But I always caution doctors to be careful and make sure you get the right partner too, because it’s every bit as important, especially if you’re going to spend 3 to 5 years tied to them. Yeah, and it’s a high trust situation. I mean, I know docs who are freaking miserable with the groups that they signed on with.

They’re miserable and wish they had gone another route. And so now I think it’s nice to have options where you not only get a better deal and better terms and better kind of legacy fulfillment and maintenance, but you also just get a better partner who’s more, more aligned with you. And there are more of these opportunities now than I think there ever have been. So I’m just happy to be on that wave right now and enjoying those kinds of relationships.

Brett Allen: 30:17

That’s great. That’s great — I love it. Yeah. If you need help with any of this, reach out to Dr. Arnold and connect. Well, this has been fun. We’re about out of time. I always ask everybody if there’s one nugget, you know, if you could share over your all your experience and time and sea and dentistry transitions, all of this, there’s one epiphany you could share that would would help a doc or their team have that ripple effect that really has a big impact. Yeah, that golden nugget. What’s that one thing that you’ve really that made a big difference for you or or you know what can you share.

Dr. Jim Arnold: 30:54

Well hey, we touched briefly on kind of mental health and how challenging dentistry is. It’s a high stress career. I mean, it’s an amazing industry, great career, but it’s also high-stress. And I think unfortunately, a lot of doctors feel isolated. They feel like they’re on an island by themselves.

And the only ones like experiencing these, these challenges and, and and sometimes our pride gets in the way too. It’s like, hey, man, I don’t want to. I don’t want to admit any of this stuff. You know, doctors are infamous for going to conferences and, you know, maybe fudging on their numbers or, you know, like wanting to present a certain, you know, kind of demeanor or front because they don’t want to show that vulnerability. And especially men, you know, men, I mean, we’re just kind of conditioned not to be vulnerable.

But I would suggest that anybody who’s feeling that way, even if you’re not feeling that way, I think one of the most important things to do is to seek out mentors. I mean, like, really good ones, the ones that you think are legit. They’ve got the experience. They’re doing things that you want to do. They can either, again help you fast track success, which I think is really important, rather than you doing it all by trial and error and making a million mistakes, kind of like I did initially.

But then also just being being part of community. You know, being a part of something bigger than yourself, where you’ve got a support network of people who understand what you’re going through. And I think that if we’re going to kind of fix this mental health crisis that dentistry’s been in for decades, I think that that community piece is, is super important. So find mentorship, find a community, be vulnerable, and, you know, seek out help when you need it.

Brett Allen: 32:34

Yeah, I love that. Well, this has been so great. Thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge. Excited for what you’re doing. You guys check out Dr. Arnold in the show notes.

All the things we talked about. And if you need help with your dental marketing or your growth minded and you and you, you’re trying to crack that nut of how to get from, you know, seven figures to multi seven figures or one practice to two. Like let’s talk our team at Marketing 32 can definitely help you with that. But until next time onThe Marketing 32 Show. Thank you everybody for tuning in.

And thank you Dr. Arnold.

Dr. Jim Arnold: 33:05

Thank you Brett, I enjoyed it.