How to Build an 8-Location Practice Group with Dr. Eli Friedman

In this episode of Dental Mentors, host Matt Ornstein sits down with Dr. Eli Friedman, a South Florida clinician and entrepreneur who scaled his specialty-driven dental group from a single practice to an 8-location platform with its own in-house laboratory and centralized back-office infrastructure. Dr. Friedman breaks down his transition from a prosthodontist working chairside to a non-practicing owner-operator, highlighting the strategic shifts required to build equity-driven practices rather than relying solely on clinical production. He details his acquisition philosophy, the importance of stabilizing practices before expanding, and why focusing on true EBITDA margins—targeting a 20% benchmark—is essential for long-term health and valuation. Key Takeaways: ✅ From Chairside to Business Owner: How Dr. Friedman realized that single-handed clinical production caps growth, leading him to transition into full-time practice management and platform scaling. ✅ The "Acquire, Stabilize, Scale" Playbook: Why practice owners should never "scale in chaos," and why every location must hit target KPIs and stability before opening or buying the next site. ✅ Specialty-Driven Group Structure: How combining prosthodontics, periodontics, oral surgery, and an in-house laboratory creates a high-margin, referral-resilient specialty platform. ✅ EBITDA Benchmarks & Financial Truth: Why revenue is a vanity metric, and why maintaining a 20% EBITDA margin protects practices against market downturns. ✅ Transitioning Off the Chair: How to calculate associate drop-off, analyze practice cash flows, and time your step away from clinical dentistry without destroying bottom-line profitability. ✅ Alignment in Practice Growth: The common pitfalls of buying practices with short doctor transitions (e.g., 90-day exits) and why long-term partnership models build lasting enterprise value. Whether you are a solo practitioner looking to acquire your second location, a specialist aiming to build a surgical group, or an established operator refining your corporate infrastructure, this conversation offers actionable blueprints for sustainable dental growth. Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or watch the full episode on YouTube! 👉 Dr. Eli Friedman on LinkedIn:  / eli-friedman-23449946   👉 Matt Ornstein on LinkedIn:   / matt-ornstein-8363a756   👉 Eric Morin on Linkedin:   / ericjmorin   👉 Neil Zemba on Linkedin:   / zemba