Prav Solanki: So when people message me and say, hey, what vitamins are you taking? What supplements are you taking? What’s [00:00:05] the diet that you’re following? You look like you’re making progress. This is not a one size fits all right? I [00:00:10] do my blood markers every three months. I get a comprehensive panel of my urea’s [00:00:15] electrolytes using these, you know, hormone panels, full lipid profile, [00:00:20] including lipoproteins and stuff like that. And I adjust the supplementation, [00:00:25] my diet and everything according to that. I make some changes. Three [00:00:30] months later, I retest and see what the impact is and then adjust things. What [00:00:35] works for me will not work for you.

[VOICE]: This [00:00:40] is Dental Leaders. The [00:00:45] podcast where you get to go one on one with emerging leaders in [00:00:50] dentistry. Your hosts [00:00:55] Payman Langroudi and Prav Solanki.

Prav Solanki: Ladies and gentlemen, Welcome [00:01:00] to my solo 2026 podcast [00:01:05] episode. Usually I record this around Christmas time early [00:01:10] New Year, so right at the beginning of January and just put together [00:01:15] my thoughts on what the last 12 months went like, what the next 12 months looks [00:01:20] like, and, um, just some general thoughts and feelings around conversations [00:01:25] that I’ve been having with clients and customers. I guess Christmas was a busy [00:01:30] time for me. We’d been travelling away on holiday just beforehand, and [00:01:35] then a lot of family time. Had a family member who was, um, hit [00:01:40] with ill health. Um, unfortunately. So during that time, it was it was [00:01:45] quite intense. And what I’ll say there was, there was a lot of back and forth. I don’t need [00:01:50] to really go into the details, but other than, you know, what you can take away from this is, [00:01:55] um, you think everything’s okay in life, right? You think that. [00:02:00] And look, it wasn’t my health or someone so immediate, [00:02:05] but it was a family member close to us. And, um, I think [00:02:10] you end up in a situation where you think life’s swimming along, no financial issues, [00:02:15] no health issues, and then all of a sudden, from A to B, things [00:02:20] can flip overnight for all of you. Um, and [00:02:25] my wife always says this to me. She always says, look, life’s really good at the moment. [00:02:30] And all that makes me think is that there’s something else around the corner [00:02:35] that’s not so good.

Prav Solanki: Because really, really good doesn’t last forever. And she’s [00:02:40] always said this to me and we say, why? Why are you such a pessimist? And her view on [00:02:45] this is not to think of the good times as negative, but but her view is [00:02:50] make the most of the good times because bad times are [00:02:55] around the corner, no matter how, how, how bad that is. Whether it’s, you know, if you count [00:03:00] bad times from, I don’t know, 50 to 100 and it’s 51, it’s still no [00:03:05] better than it is today, but it could be 99. Um, and so her view [00:03:10] has always been, look, whilst we are experiencing the good times, let’s make hay while the sun [00:03:15] shining. Right. Let’s, let’s really capitalise on those good times and be present and [00:03:20] absorb that. And I’ve been the guy who hasn’t really sat back [00:03:25] and appreciated that, but she has made me think about that deeply anyway. The good news is [00:03:30] that particular family member is bouncing back now and all is good. But [00:03:35] but my point is, over Christmas, it wasn’t necessarily the best Christmas that we’ve [00:03:40] had, but we still managed to spend a lot of family time together. Um, but I [00:03:45] didn’t get that. What I would call that Christmas window, that solo [00:03:50] time where I sit back and I reflect on the last 12 months and [00:03:55] what the next 12 months is looking like, and do a little bit of deep reflection and planning.

Prav Solanki: Just [00:04:00] haven’t had time to stop and do that and then slap bang straight into the new year. Um, [00:04:05] I think it’s just been as full steam ahead, [00:04:10] um, as possible. Um, but I have been thinking [00:04:15] about, well, what does 2026 look like for me and the business. [00:04:20] Um, and so I’m just going to talk through what I’ve been thinking [00:04:25] about and what my plan is for the next 12 months, some [00:04:30] of which some of you will resonate, some of which some of you will just not. And [00:04:35] there may be elements, um, that may be relevant for you, but for me, 2026 [00:04:40] is about prioritising health. And what I mean by that [00:04:45] is in terms of time and non-negotiables, very, very easy when you’re running a business, [00:04:50] when you have a family, when you’ve got duties in and around outside of [00:04:55] that, to sort of say to yourself, oh, I’ll just grab some junk food, I’ll eat some crap [00:05:00] or, um, I’ll skip this gym session. I won’t really, [00:05:05] um, train today. I’ll train tomorrow, or I’ll miss my cardio session [00:05:10] because I’ve already done my weight session this week and and it won’t really matter. [00:05:15] I think the mindset that I’ve approached this year in, and this was kicking in towards [00:05:20] the end of last year as well, is that I’m going to prioritise health above and beyond [00:05:25] everything else. And what I mean by that is above and beyond family, above and beyond my commitments [00:05:30] to my children, taking them to their classes, appointments, things like that and [00:05:35] above and beyond work.

Prav Solanki: Um, I think there’s a couple of reasons [00:05:40] for me looking at that. I think as I get older, I’m more cognisant of my [00:05:45] it’s quite sad to say this, quite, quite cognisant of my mortality, but I’m also [00:05:50] quite cognisant of how I feel within [00:05:55] myself as a person right? When I’m in good health, [00:06:00] when I’m cardiovascularly fit, when I’m strong. And it’s all relative, right? But [00:06:05] I’m talking about for myself. I feel bloody great. I feel great at work, I feel great around [00:06:10] my kids, etc., etc., right? And when I’m not in the peak of my [00:06:15] health, everything else is just that little bit less [00:06:20] powerful in my life. And so the decision I made this [00:06:25] time around is I put together a strength program [00:06:30] and a cardio program for myself, and with the help of one of my really close friends, a guy [00:06:35] called Danny Watson, who’s been on this podcast before. Ex-military guy. He’s [00:06:40] a dentist, ex CrossFit level one coach used to be my PT. So [00:06:45] Danny sat me down and we went through what my training program would look like [00:06:50] for this year. So I’ve put myself together a strength program and a [00:06:55] cardio program and then some mobility stuff. All of that is factored [00:07:00] in my diary.

Prav Solanki: Like a meeting or like an appointment with a client. So it’s non-negotiable. [00:07:05] But there have been events that have tried to take me away from that. Even [00:07:10] the so far this year, you know, 26th of January, um, there have been 2 or 3 training [00:07:15] sessions I could have made an excuse for. I could have said, you know what? I get this client [00:07:20] meeting in or I will, um, I’ll take my little one to [00:07:25] gymnastics because my wife can’t or whatever. Right. But this has been a complete non-negotiable [00:07:30] for me, and so far, so good health food wise. Eating really, really well. There’s [00:07:35] no such thing as the perfect diet. And it’s different things for different people, right? I’m going to be pushing out some more [00:07:40] health content, but I think what’s key here is you only need to [00:07:45] jump on Instagram or social media, or do a quick Google search and listen to some of [00:07:50] these experts. And it’ll be the carnivore diet, the keto diet, the the [00:07:55] low carb diet, the whatever, right? There’s so many different [00:08:00] variations of what is the perfect way to eat, what [00:08:05] I know is the perfect way to eat for me. And I’ve designed my [00:08:10] program around, first of all, my beliefs. So, um, and my way of living. Right? [00:08:15] So I’m vegetarian, not because I’m massively into animal rights or anything like that. [00:08:20] That that doesn’t drive me. It was a decision.

Prav Solanki: I grew up as a vegetarian. I started eating meat when [00:08:25] I was at university. Daughter came home from school one day and said, I want to be vegetarian and thought, [00:08:30] Crikey, here we go. I wonder why that is. So then I thought it was [00:08:35] a fad and me and my wife sat down and we were. We were like, you know, you get, you get the nutrition, you [00:08:40] get the protein from the meat, so on and so forth. And so we asked her, why do you want to be vegetarian? [00:08:45] And she said, do you know what, dad? Whenever I look at my plate and I see what’s on it, [00:08:50] I think very deeply about what that used to be in the life it used to have, and it deeply upsets [00:08:55] me. And we couldn’t argue with that. So we supported her. And, you know, a [00:09:00] decade or so later, probably even longer now. And when we supported her, the entire [00:09:05] family became vegetarian. Right. But with that comes its challenges, right. Getting good quality proteins in [00:09:10] getting the volume of protein that you need to maintain a certain level of muscle mass or [00:09:15] grow. And so I need to design my diet in and around that. [00:09:20] So it’s a protein heavy diet, fairly low carb I would say on the whole [00:09:25] I am in ketogenesis most of the time. Um, because that works for [00:09:30] me. But that’s not the right diet for everyone else.

Prav Solanki: So when people message me and say, hey, what vitamins [00:09:35] are you taking? What supplements are you taking? What’s the diet that you’re following? You look like you’re making progress. [00:09:40] This is not a one size fits all right? I do my blood markers. Every three months, [00:09:45] I get a comprehensive panel of my urea electrolytes using these, you know, hormone [00:09:50] panels, full lipid profile, including lipoproteins and stuff [00:09:55] like that. And I they adjust the supplementation, my diet and everything according [00:10:00] to that. I make some changes. Three months later I retest and see what [00:10:05] the impact is and then adjust things. What works for me will not work for you. And [00:10:10] so when people ask me for advice on social media, what are you taking here? What are you doing here? What’s [00:10:15] your training split like? What’s that? Um, doesn’t make sense because [00:10:20] this is right for me. At my age, with my genetics and with the way [00:10:25] my body responds to things. And it doesn’t mean you can pick that formula [00:10:30] up and do the same for you. And I think the same applies in business as [00:10:35] it does with health. And I think interestingly, you know, 18 [00:10:40] months ago I sold my baby, I sold my business the fresh to [00:10:45] a Giglio. And it was a really, really difficult decision for me to make. But it came at [00:10:50] the right time in my life. The financial benefits of that were right [00:10:55] for me at the right time.

Prav Solanki: And it’s not the first time I’ve sold a business. I have exited businesses [00:11:00] a couple of times, and the way I have thought about this and the [00:11:05] impact on our financial life, my workload, um, [00:11:10] all of the above really has been different at each stage of my [00:11:15] life and the way I’ve thought about things, and I’ll touch on that in a second. I always [00:11:20] used to say to people that I am unemployable, never had a real job. [00:11:25] I’ve never been employed, but it was very clear to me that the majority of the space [00:11:30] where I spend my time, which is in my agency, the fresh, is [00:11:35] where I was going to be in the future. But as an employee, after that transaction [00:11:40] went through approximately 18 months ago, Andy Sloan became [00:11:45] my new boss. I was an employee day, one day before the transaction. [00:11:50] I was the boss. I owned the show. I ran the place. Day two. It was no longer [00:11:55] me. I was no longer in charge and had to report to somebody and reach out [00:12:00] for decisions, even if it was just making tiny financial decisions. It just didn’t feel right anymore. It wasn’t [00:12:05] my business, right? Interestingly, it’s been great being an employee. It’s [00:12:10] been great having the pressure come off me. And yes, it’s been [00:12:15] great that I’ve had a substantial financial transaction that has put [00:12:20] me in a position where the way I think about things and think [00:12:25] about money and think about the future of my family has changed massively. [00:12:30]

Prav Solanki: But that concept of now letting go, I’m still in the business. I [00:12:35] have no ambitions and no desire to do anything else. You know, I [00:12:40] advise so many business owners, practices, people in and outside [00:12:45] of dentistry about sort of M&A activity, exiting, etc., etc. [00:12:50] and it’s time to think psychologically about it, right? When you sell your business, do you want to walk away forever and hand [00:12:55] the keys over. Step into the sunset and disappear. [00:13:00] What do you want to carry on running that business? Is that what motivates you? Or [00:13:05] have you got motivation to go again? Yeah. Fire up that engine. Get [00:13:10] your entrepreneurial spirit going and go again. At this moment in time, I’ve [00:13:15] got zero desire of starting anything new. It’s not because I’ve run out of energy. [00:13:20] It’s just at this stage in my life, I think I’m in a consolidation phase [00:13:25] where I actually want to consolidate and cash in whatever [00:13:30] time, whatever the luxury of time that exit process has brought me to [00:13:35] spend on my health and spend with my family under [00:13:40] the protection and stability of the business that I am currently involved [00:13:45] in. So that is where my head is at now. It doesn’t mean I’ll be there in six, [00:13:50] ten, 12 years time, but currently for the for the medium term, at least [00:13:55] for the next 4 or 5 years.

Prav Solanki: That’s where my headspace is at at the moment. Children are still young, [00:14:00] and rather than throwing myself into something new with the luxury of time that [00:14:05] I have now and the people that I’ve got around me to support me, I can say [00:14:10] I feel really privileged to be able to do what I want with my time. And at the moment, I think throwing [00:14:15] myself into work and a new business or a new venture or something like that isn’t something I’m interested [00:14:20] in. I’m interested in growing and building with my [00:14:25] current support team around me and whatever time I have left, which is a lot more than I used to have when [00:14:30] I was the sole business owner. I’m spending it with my kids and my wife, and that [00:14:35] for me is a massive, massive luxury. Um, having [00:14:40] sold the business, um, as well as having a new boss, Andy Sloan, I’ll say one thing about [00:14:45] him. He’s been the best boss I’ve ever had. And we joke about this because he’s. And [00:14:50] he’ll turn round to me and go, Prav. But I’m the only boss you’ve ever had. But you know what he’s done. He’s [00:14:55] left me alone. He supported me whenever I’ve needed it. And [00:15:00] he’s been there to challenge me when I thought I was right. And I probably wasn’t. [00:15:05] Or when I thought I was right and I was. But still there to challenge me.

Prav Solanki: And [00:15:10] the great thing about being involved with a business like a Giglio is I am surrounded [00:15:15] by a lot of people who are a lot smarter than me. And [00:15:20] that in itself is incredibly rewarding. I find it just inspiring [00:15:25] to be able to reach out to our CEO on WhatsApp, Ben Betts, and just [00:15:30] get some advice from him, or ask him to challenge me. Same with [00:15:35] Andy, same with, um, you know, other people within the business, whether it’s our [00:15:40] CTO or CFO and all these people in the C-suite who’ve been there, done it so many times. [00:15:45] I’m just hungry for knowledge, information and growth, personal growth. And [00:15:50] I feel like I’m surrounded by people in an environment that’s just really, really [00:15:55] healthy for my own growth. Part and parcel of my growth over the next. I think [00:16:00] 12 months is going to be a lot more of the stuff that I really, really [00:16:05] enjoy doing. So I love public speaking, I love educating, [00:16:10] and I love teaching and agility have supported me in that in terms of [00:16:15] helping me hire new people that have stepped into, let’s say, partially my [00:16:20] shoes. Right. Taking over some roles and responsibilities. Some of my existing team have stepped up. Just [00:16:25] made a new hire, a guy called Matt Ramsey who’s got massive agency experience, um, [00:16:30] has taken things to a new level. He just started after Christmas and I can see the changes [00:16:35] he’s making already, um, to the business, which has allowed me to sort [00:16:40] of step into a slightly different role within the business.

Prav Solanki: And that’s been great. [00:16:45] But once again, something I asked for and the Giglio fully supported me on this. I [00:16:50] think it’s really exciting at the moment that I’m part of a business that has got this [00:16:55] one ecosystem to support Dental businesses from, you know, [00:17:00] their HR team, management, compliance, marketing and [00:17:05] now also with the recent acquisition of PPD dental plans as well. [00:17:10] Crm systems are melting that whole ecosystem together. Um, just seeing how [00:17:15] the CTO team are embracing AI, melting these systems together [00:17:20] to create one ecosystem to support dental practices, education as well. It’s [00:17:25] great being part of that, great being on the inside. And I’m learning lots. [00:17:30] But going back to the public speaking piece, quite a lot of that this year. Um, [00:17:35] I’m being more picky about which speaking gigs I [00:17:40] accept. Um, and that’s primarily, I think, because I want [00:17:45] to accept those sort of talks or gigs where I’m at, where I’m actually putting out a lot more value, [00:17:50] or where I’m being challenged by what type of content to produce. [00:17:55] What type of delivery that the people who are hiring me want. And what [00:18:00] outcomes they want. Um, so I’ve got I’ve got some really, really, really great opportunities [00:18:05] coming up that are going to challenge me. And for me, I think that’s really important. [00:18:10]

Prav Solanki: This year I’ve also over the last sort of 3 or 4 months, [00:18:15] there’s something I’ve always done is and I’ve touched upon this earlier, is advising [00:18:20] a lot of clients on their end game or the exit process, [00:18:25] I think partially because I’ve been through it a few times. Dental practices a business I had beforehand [00:18:30] and now more recently, the agency. But actually also I [00:18:35] have seen numerous practices go through that process. I’ve helped numerous practices through [00:18:40] the due diligence process and advised them on that. I’ve got about four clients who are [00:18:45] going through a process right now, and I anticipate probably within the next 90 [00:18:50] days, they will have sold their business for various reasons. A lot [00:18:55] of a lot of practices are being approached now. There’s a new corporate on the market. I’ll touch base on that in a second, [00:19:00] but it’s now the right time to sell your dental practice. The [00:19:05] answer to that question is it depends. I get asked this a lot. Is it the right time? [00:19:10] Should I wait a couple of years until the multiples stabilise or go up? Should I [00:19:15] crank my Ebit up a little bit more, my net adjusted profit so that I can get more [00:19:20] out of the the other end? Um, and my answer to this question [00:19:25] is always the same. And it will always be the same. And the answer is it depends [00:19:30] and it depends on your circumstances.

Prav Solanki: So yes, [00:19:35] the market is definitely not as buoyant or as exciting [00:19:40] as it was when I sold my practice in the post-Covid boom, for example, [00:19:45] right, where there were multiple offers coming in, multiples were an all time [00:19:50] high. Um, there were various transactions going on in the marketplace, and it [00:19:55] really, really was a seller’s market. There’s not not as many corporates mopping up practices [00:20:00] at the moment. They’re being a little bit more selective. There’s different partnership models coming out. Multiples [00:20:05] are nowhere near what they used to be. So is now a good time to sell? Well, if [00:20:10] your overall goal and your overall aim is to maximise [00:20:15] your exit valuation over your lifetime and you have time on your side, the answer is [00:20:20] no. It’s not the best time to sell. But if your personal circumstances are such that [00:20:25] you’re getting towards the end of your career, you’ve had enough. You can’t [00:20:30] be. You know you’re stressed about the ongoing day to day management. You want to [00:20:35] step back. You want to realise some cash out of the business and hand over [00:20:40] the reins for some of it. You’ve just had enough. And it’s got to the point where that money equation [00:20:45] is not important enough, right? Different people have different circumstances. [00:20:50] So for the for the handful of practices that I’m advising at the moment, and helping them through that, [00:20:55] through this process now is definitely the perfect time for them to sell, [00:21:00] because what they’re doing is they’re buying themselves time, right.

Prav Solanki: And one [00:21:05] of the things I will tell you is this that time is probably one of the biggest luxuries [00:21:10] that you can have the older you get. Certainly I’ve realised, um, just [00:21:15] runs away from you. And the biggest lesson to me is actually from my children when [00:21:20] I think about this. But if selling your practice right now buys [00:21:25] you the time, buys you the freedom right now so that you’ve got freedom [00:21:30] of headspace. So you’ve got freedom of being able to do what you want, go where you want, wherever [00:21:35] you want, not having to deal with the finances on a Saturday or a Sunday, or [00:21:40] deal with calls because you’ve now got a HR department and step away for those things [00:21:45] and crystallise some of those gains at a lower tax rate [00:21:50] than you would if you were pulling that money out personally. Then go for [00:21:55] it. And there’s various bits of advice. I mean, if you’re thinking of selling your practice and your limited [00:22:00] company structure, I’m sure you know your accountants can advise you. There is a way in which you can look at [00:22:05] what you’re going to do with your money over the next 12 months to crystallise the net [00:22:10] gain in the most tax efficient way. Um, and those are the sort of conversations I’m having [00:22:15] with some practitioners at the moment. Interestingly, um, [00:22:20] a relatively new player on the market.

Prav Solanki: Um, and [00:22:25] by the way, I’ve got no affiliation or I’ve not even spoken to them to any great length, but [00:22:30] they’ve come on the market with a new model. Um, so they’re called de novo partners, [00:22:35] and it’s a really interesting model. So they come along and they say, look, calculate [00:22:40] your Ebit and we’ll give you a guaranteed multiple and we’ll give [00:22:45] you 70% upfront. Now over the next X number of years let’s call it five years. [00:22:50] You need to guarantee that Ebit. So this is a model. Here’s [00:22:55] a guarantee the net adjusted profit over the next five years. And what we mean by that is personally [00:23:00] guarantee it. So if the Ebit goes down pound for pound you’ve got to pay it back. [00:23:05] And that can be either paid back out of your associate agreement, or it can be paid back [00:23:10] out of your money that you’ve received or whatever. Right. But [00:23:15] what the model does is it offers the opportunity to crystallise, let’s say, 70% [00:23:20] at a reasonably high up. Well, it’s [00:23:25] not a great multiple, but but a reasonable multiple in current market conditions. But [00:23:30] then you’re locked in for, let’s say, five years, right. If you don’t hit those targets, you’re paying it back. [00:23:35] There’s no other model like it at the moment, right. So, you know, [00:23:40] is this the right thing for everyone? Absolutely not. There are certain clients I would say [00:23:45] don’t sign it.

Prav Solanki: And the reason for that is those particular clients want to sell and [00:23:50] walk away. That business model is not for those people, but if you’re in [00:23:55] it for the next 4 or 5 years and you’re confident you can either continue to grow or maintain your business, [00:24:00] it is definitely the right deal for you. And so when [00:24:05] thinking about is it the right time to sell? I think you’ve got to think about is it the right business [00:24:10] model for you moving forward. Imagine you end up in a partnership like this and [00:24:15] you have to guarantee an Ebit and all hell breaks loose and, [00:24:20] you know, performance drops. You lose the, you know, the wind in your sails or whatever. [00:24:25] Right? As that performance drops, you’re having to pay back out of your own pocket [00:24:30] over the next five years. And it’s personally guaranteed. Not a great situation to be [00:24:35] in if your heart is not in it. So it’s a really complex situation [00:24:40] when you’re selling your practice and your business, and a lot to think about. [00:24:45] To be honest, I honestly wish I’d have had this advice 15 [00:24:50] years ago. I wish somebody had sat down with me and explained this whole process. [00:24:55] And that brings me to my next point. 12 months ago, myself and [00:25:00] Dev Patel started a course start scale exit. I’d given up [00:25:05] coaching. Um, so as I’d exited from my business, I was doing a lot [00:25:10] of 1 to 1 business coaching.

Prav Solanki: Right? But very, very time intensive and heavy. And [00:25:15] that’s something I’ve stopped doing now. I don’t do any 1 to 1 business coaching, but I really love [00:25:20] putting out value and knowledge into the ecosystem where I can help others practice owners. [00:25:25] So sat over dinner one day with Dev Patel just over 12 [00:25:30] months ago and he said, look, why don’t we launch a leadership course helping [00:25:35] people, either new practice owners or wannabe [00:25:40] practice owners, or those that are the end of the game and they want to exit and want [00:25:45] to go through that process. Um, and we put together a 12 month curriculum. [00:25:50] The turn up to, I don’t know, ten, 11 days of education and we [00:25:55] split it between us. We get some speakers in and we put together a really, really comprehensive program, and we provide [00:26:00] some in the middle of that, some coaching and some advice. And, and it [00:26:05] was a great way for me to carry on delivering coaching to a certain extent, but [00:26:10] without the intense time sink of 1 to 1 [00:26:15] coaching, which is both both time in terms of personal time and emotionally very, very, [00:26:20] um, heavy. And so we put together this, this course which, which, [00:26:25] you know, starts with vision and strategic planning, emotional intelligence, communication, sales, [00:26:30] marketing, patient growth, leadership and impact, financial mastery from [00:26:35] understanding how to read a balance sheet, understanding what your accountants telling you.

Prav Solanki: Calculating [00:26:40] your Ebit, Ebit, calculating your exit valuation, growth, scaling, future planning. [00:26:45] Operational efficiency. Legal compliance. Building a high performance [00:26:50] team. Patient centred care. Days covering all of those different aspects. And [00:26:55] we started our first cohort and the feedback has been phenomenal. [00:27:00] It’s been great. And although I’m incredibly biased, I’m not ashamed [00:27:05] or embarrassed to pitch and talk on here that I feel is the best piece [00:27:10] of education that either a current practice owner could get [00:27:15] who is looking to either grow from where they are or planning an exit, [00:27:20] or wannabe a new practice owner. It’s incredibly valuable because you [00:27:25] you’ll be, first of all, surrounded by the network who are at different stages of that which you learn so [00:27:30] much from, but also get the insight from, you know, someone like dev who [00:27:35] has been there, done it and made it. I mean, his growth has been phenomenal in such [00:27:40] a short space of time. Um, from zero to I don’t know where he’s at now, 60 practices [00:27:45] or something like that, but but there’s so much I learned from him. If I need some advice, [00:27:50] even if it’s for a client or for myself, pick up the phone and speak to them. He’s my, um, he’s my go to guy [00:27:55] when it comes to business. So, um, start scale Exitcode UK if [00:28:00] it’s something you’re interested in or anything that I’ve said resonates with you, just just click [00:28:05] on that site and have a poke through.

Prav Solanki: I think our next cohort starts around the end of March, 10 [00:28:10] to 12 delegates, um, real sort of mastermind level coaching [00:28:15] with dedicated sessions on different aspects of practice growth. It really [00:28:20] is a powerful program that certainly our delegates have got amazing, [00:28:25] um, feedback out of some of them currently. Now, who will I think shortly [00:28:30] be going through an exit process? There’s some new to be practice owners on that course [00:28:35] who are who are stepping into that, um, in the next six months and are doing that armed with the information [00:28:40] I wish I had years ago. So, yeah. Um, that’s um, [00:28:45] start scale exit. And that’s my that’s my little sales pitch to you guys. If it’s right [00:28:50] for you. Um, just jump on the website, um, and inquire if it’s [00:28:55] not. That’s fine. And then I think the final thing I just want [00:29:00] to touch base on is what’s changed for me as a [00:29:05] consequence of exiting. Right. I think there’s a few things that have changed. Um, and I don’t [00:29:10] think it gets talked about enough. And one of them is my relationship with money. And [00:29:15] I’ve sat back and I’ve thought about what that has been over the last, I [00:29:20] don’t know, 18, 19 years of being in business. Right. Initially it [00:29:25] was a survival game. Right. Trying to make ends meet, being my own boss and [00:29:30] learning leadership, making mistakes, being incredibly immature.

Prav Solanki: Got to a point [00:29:35] where I became slightly more successful than when I started. So then it became [00:29:40] about the things. So my relationship with money revolved around where do I live? [00:29:45] What do I drive, what do I wear on my wrist? How do I show the world that I [00:29:50] have been successful? How do I push this out into the ecosystem so that [00:29:55] when people see what clothes he wears, what what he wears, you know, what jewellery he’s got, what car [00:30:00] he drives? That’s a measure and impact of success, right? And part [00:30:05] and parcel of that is, you know, you want to have nice things. And this is no disrespect to anyone [00:30:10] who has, you know, got these nice things and gets different feelings and things out of them. [00:30:15] And for me at the time, you know, these things made me feel good. It was it was a way of rewarding myself or treating [00:30:20] myself and whatnot. Right. That’s changed massively, I would say over the last ten [00:30:25] years. Right. I think I’ve, I’ve sort of things [00:30:30] have changed. The more wealth I have accumulated, I [00:30:35] think the, the richer I have become in [00:30:40] the way I think about wealth, in that the things no [00:30:45] longer matter to me. Right? I don’t wear a watch anymore. It doesn’t matter to me. [00:30:50] And the clothes I wear are the things don’t matter [00:30:55] to me at all. I give zero cahoots about [00:31:00] what people think about me, or how they measure me based [00:31:05] on financial or business success or materialistic things.

Prav Solanki: And [00:31:10] I care more about my time with my children, my time with my wife, my [00:31:15] relationship and time with my friends. That is the [00:31:20] most important thing to me now, and also my health paramount [00:31:25] above and beyond anything else at this moment in time. That’s how I feel. Um, and [00:31:30] so my relationship with money has actually changed around, actually, what it’s done [00:31:35] is it’s given me a cushion to be able to have the freedom of time, freedom of choice, [00:31:40] freedom of the unexpected, knowing that if something happens [00:31:45] tomorrow, whether it’s a financial event or an unexpected event, and I need [00:31:50] to call upon resources to be able to fish myself out of that situation. I feel confident [00:31:55] that I can, and I think that’s where my relationship with [00:32:00] money has changed. And I think it’s important for all of you out there, just sometimes [00:32:05] just sit back and reflect. Where are you on that journey and how do you and by the way, my [00:32:10] views and the way I feel about it is not the right or wrong way, but it is [00:32:15] the right way for me and my belief system. Um, but I’m going to leave you with [00:32:20] a couple of thoughts, and it’s about this concept of time [00:32:25] that I’ve been thinking about. Right? Is that this freedom of time or buying time or working [00:32:30] really hard and having that luxury of time now, which I am in at the moment, [00:32:35] and sometimes I’m in an environment where my children really [00:32:40] piss me off.

Prav Solanki: They do my head in, they’re screaming, the feral, the absolutely crazy, [00:32:45] right? And there’s two things that get me over that. And one of them is, is [00:32:50] actually sitting back, closing your eyes and saying, I get to do this. [00:32:55] Not I have to I get to make lunch or dinner for my children. [00:33:00] I get to take him to school. I have the privilege of being [00:33:05] able to do this because one day that’ll disappear. I get to hold my daughter’s hands, [00:33:10] right? I get to have my daughter climbing all over me and pulling my [00:33:15] eyebrows, because one day she won’t want to and one day I’ll want her to. And [00:33:20] I heard this somewhere and just. I think if you’ve got [00:33:25] kids, just think about this. When your kids are doing your tits in, when [00:33:30] they’re winding you up. And I want you to close your eyes. [00:33:35] This is not. This is not my wisdom. By the way, I heard this somewhere else. But you close your eyes and [00:33:40] imagine you’re 80 years old. And you could have one [00:33:45] day or one moment back in your life. And it was that moment [00:33:50] in time where you are right now, where your kids are absolutely doing your head in. You [00:33:55] would give anything to relive that moment and so [00:34:00] embrace it.

[VOICE]: This is Dental [00:34:05] Leaders, the podcast where you get to go one on one with emerging leaders [00:34:10] in dentistry. Your hosts [00:34:15] Payman Langroudi and Prav Solanki.

Prav Solanki: Thanks for listening, [00:34:20] guys. If you got this far, you must have listened to the whole thing. And just a huge thank you [00:34:25] both from me and pay for actually sticking through and listening to what we had to say and what our [00:34:30] guest has had to say, because I’m assuming you got some value out of it.

Payman Langroudi: If you did get some value out [00:34:35] of it, think about subscribing. And if you would share this with a friend who [00:34:40] you think might get some value out of it too. Thank you so so so much for listening. Thanks.

Prav Solanki: And don’t forget [00:34:45] our six star rating.