The Profitability Stages™
Increase profitability at every stage of growth
Increase profitability at every stage of growth
The Profitability Stages™ is The DEO's trademarked growth maturity mode. It gives every dental entrepreneur a clear picture of where they are, what is holding them back, and exactly what the next stage looks like.
Why practice owners choose The DEO
50%
Higher profit margins
2x
Increased free time
5x
Return on your investment
But more importantly my net profits has gone from some months being in the red to now consistently being 15 to 20% more. And I have gone from working four days a week painfully to working three and a half days a week with an associate and more time off.
I’ve gone from practicing four to five days a week to not practicing at all for the past year. The biggest win has been the connections; having peers I can text anytime who understand the same challenges. That support helped us grow, realize we’re not alone, and build the confidence to keep expanding.
We are now at seven locations and $16 million. Every single one of these events I pull so many great things away from — I cannot put a tangible number on how much of that growth is attributed to DEO but certainly a chunk of it very much is.
What are The Profitability Stages™?
The growth map that every dental entrepreneur has always needed
The growth map that every dental entrepreneur has always needed
Most dental entrepreneurs grow by feel, moving from one stage to the next without a clear framework for understanding where they are or what the path forward actually looks like. The Profitability Stages™ changes that. It is The DEO's trademarked five stage maturity model developed from the inside of a $150M DSO and validated across 2,000+ coached practices, giving every dental entrepreneur a precise, stage specific language for their growth journey and a clear picture of what it takes to move from one stage to the next. Every DEO coaching engagement is oriented around The Profitability Stages™, because you cannot chart a course forward until you know exactly where you stand.
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Five stages from startup to financial freedom
Five stages from startup to financial freedom
The Profitability Stages™ maps the full arc of dental entrepreneurship, from the foundational work of building a profitable practice to the ultimate goal of an organization that runs without the owner's constant involvement. Each stage has distinct characteristics, distinct coaching focuses, and distinct proof points from DEO members who have moved through it.
Every new practice or new specialty starts here. At this stage the organization is typically losing money and the primary goal is to get to breakeven as quickly as possible. Launching Profits is not a bad place to be — but too many launching activities at once and the organization can start moving backwards. The work is focus, financial clarity, and getting the fundamentals in place fast.
With the foundation in place, the focus shifts to maximizing what you already have. The goal at this stage is to reach 20% practice level profitability using The DEO's proven benchmarks — improving margins, tightening overhead, and building the team performance that makes every location run at its best. The wins here compound quickly when the right levers are pulled in the right sequence.
This is where the real leverage begins — not by adding locations but by duplicating the revenue producing activities that drive more profit within the ones you already have. Bringing on associates, building a hygiene team, leading a clinical team, and creating a consistent standard of care across every provider. The owner steps into a clinical leadership role rather than a solo production role — and revenue grows without the organization having to expand its footprint.
Let's take what you have built and expand it across more locations with intention and discipline. This is not about starting something new — it is about doing what you do best across a larger footprint. The biggest risk at this stage is the Launching Profits trap — opening practices that do not fit your core systems and pulling the organization backward just as momentum is building.
The ultimate stage — the organization runs without the owner's constant involvement, representing true executive level freedom. This does not mean you have retired from the business. It means you have retired from everything you never wanted to be doing in the first place. The systems are strong, the leadership team runs the business day to day, and the focus shifts to legacy, capital structure, and what comes next. Passive Profits is the proof that you have made the full transition from entrepreneur to executive — and that everything The DEO has been building toward has taken hold.
The Profitability Stages™
DEO coaches guide you through each stage
DEO coaches guide you through each stage
Every DEO coaching engagement is oriented around The Profitability Stages™, giving every member a precise understanding of where they are and a clear, stage specific roadmap for what comes next. Your coach uses the framework to prioritize the highest impact work at your exact stage and track your progress as you move forward.
Constraint Theory
Every engagement begins with a precise stage diagnosis.
Tracking and Accountability
Progress is tracked as real, measurable stage movement.
Financial Clarity
Each stage maps directly to a Growth Ladder segment and coaching program.
Real practice owners. Real results.
DEO members don't just feel better about their businesses — they build fundamentally different ones. Here's what that looks like in practice.
Frequently asked questions
The Profitability Stages™ is The DEO's trademarked five stage growth maturity model that maps where a dental organization sits on its growth journey. The five stages are Launching Profits, Optimizing Profits, Duplicating Profits, Scaling Profits, and Passive Profits — each representing a distinct level of operational and financial sophistication with its own characteristics, coaching focuses, and proof points from The DEO members who have moved through it. The framework was developed from the inside of a $150M DSO and validated across 2,000+ coached practices representing $3.7 billion in annual revenue.
Your Profitability Stage is determined by a combination of revenue range, operational maturity, and leadership infrastructure — not just a single number. A Builder at the Launching Profits stage is doing everything themselves with no formal financial system. A High Producer at the Optimizing Profits stage has proven revenue but is personally producing most of it. An Entrepreneur Growth member at the Duplicating Profits stage is adding associates and replicating systems at their location. The clearest way to identify your stage is through a Growth Accelerator Call. A DEO coach will assess your organization across all the relevant dimensions and give you a precise stage diagnosis in 30 minutes.
The DEO's core goal is 50% more profit and 50% less work within 24 months, which typically represents meaningful movement through at least one Profitability Stage. The actual timeline depends on the member's starting point, the specific constraints at their current stage, and the intensity of execution within the coaching relationship. Some members move through a stage in under a year. Others spend longer at a stage where the work is particularly complex, such as the transition from Duplicating Profits to Scaling Profits, where building a true multi location management infrastructure takes real time to do right. The goal is never to rush through a stage but to leave it with the foundation fully in place for everything that follows.
"Seven years ago we had three practices and visions of what we wanted to do but no roadmap and no tools. Today we are at 18 locations and we intend to continue to grow. The DEO broke our business down and helped us rebuild it in a much more effective and efficient way."
"When I joined I think we were doing around $11 million. We do about $20 million now. It was tough to navigate — every day felt like new territory. DEO helped me figure out how to grow strategically without running myself into the ground."
"Before joining DEO I was in the chair five days a week every week. Today I am 95% out of the chair. I have learned that I am far more efficient working on my business than in my business."
"The best thing we learned from DEO is that this is a business for people. Once we started tuning into our doctors, hygienists, front desk, and office managers the business took a different shape. Once you understand the fundamentals lie with the people — the numbers take care of themselves."
"Prior to joining DEO we had one office. We now have four locations — and in that original office we demolished it and built a new one double the size. A lot of it was we just did not know how to do certain things. DEO showed us there was a better way."
"When we started with DEO we had three to four locations. Since then we have grown to eight and we are about to open two more to hit 10. Me and my partner both do not practice full time anymore. DEO helped us understand the strategy behind the growth and gave us the confidence that we could actually do it."
"Talking to groups that are larger gives me a reference for what the future can hold and what the end result can be for us. It gives us motivation to keep going — and helps me see the positive in every situation."
"When we started we had four locations. Now we have 12. I take a month off every year — this last year went to Portugal and Iceland. When I joined DEO in 2018 I was practicing five days a week, had a two hour commute, and two kids under five. It was pretty stressful."
"We did about $6.5 million together last year and we should hit close to $8 million this year. When you start to scale you do not know what you do not know — and DEO stepped in and gave me clear direction and prioritization to say this is what we should be working on now and this is what is coming next."
"We went from $3M to $5M in revenue, and when I look back at all the decisions we've made building our company, The DEO has easily been the most impactful."
"My biggest frustration was I wanted to grow but I did not know how to do it without undermining the special way I take care of patients. I did not want to ruin something that was really good. DEO helped me figure out how to grow in a way that kept our mission going in the right direction."
"I spent nine years thinking the best way to be successful was to be the best clinician I could be. I ignored the business totally. DEO gave me the financial clarity I never had — and this year we are on track to go from $1.6 million to over $2 million."
"Before DEO we were at one location with 11 team members and heavily insurance dependent. We now have three locations, solid team members at all positions, and are moving more and more away from insurance dependence. We are stronger, leaner, and faster than we have ever been."
"Seven years ago we had three practices and visions of what we wanted to do but no roadmap and no tools. Today we are at 18 locations and we intend to continue to grow. The DEO broke our business down and helped us rebuild it in a much more effective and efficient way."
"When I joined I think we were doing around $11 million. We do about $20 million now. It was tough to navigate — every day felt like new territory. DEO helped me figure out how to grow strategically without running myself into the ground."
"Before joining DEO I was in the chair five days a week every week. Today I am 95% out of the chair. I have learned that I am far more efficient working on my business than in my business."
"The best thing we learned from DEO is that this is a business for people. Once we started tuning into our doctors, hygienists, front desk, and office managers the business took a different shape. Once you understand the fundamentals lie with the people — the numbers take care of themselves."
"Prior to joining DEO we had one office. We now have four locations — and in that original office we demolished it and built a new one double the size. A lot of it was we just did not know how to do certain things. DEO showed us there was a better way."
"When we started with DEO we had three to four locations. Since then we have grown to eight and we are about to open two more to hit 10. Me and my partner both do not practice full time anymore. DEO helped us understand the strategy behind the growth and gave us the confidence that we could actually do it."
"Talking to groups that are larger gives me a reference for what the future can hold and what the end result can be for us. It gives us motivation to keep going — and helps me see the positive in every situation."
"When we started we had four locations. Now we have 12. I take a month off every year — this last year went to Portugal and Iceland. When I joined DEO in 2018 I was practicing five days a week, had a two hour commute, and two kids under five. It was pretty stressful."
"We did about $6.5 million together last year and we should hit close to $8 million this year. When you start to scale you do not know what you do not know — and DEO stepped in and gave me clear direction and prioritization to say this is what we should be working on now and this is what is coming next."
"We went from $3M to $5M in revenue, and when I look back at all the decisions we've made building our company, The DEO has easily been the most impactful."
"My biggest frustration was I wanted to grow but I did not know how to do it without undermining the special way I take care of patients. I did not want to ruin something that was really good. DEO helped me figure out how to grow in a way that kept our mission going in the right direction."
"I spent nine years thinking the best way to be successful was to be the best clinician I could be. I ignored the business totally. DEO gave me the financial clarity I never had — and this year we are on track to go from $1.6 million to over $2 million."
"Before DEO we were at one location with 11 team members and heavily insurance dependent. We now have three locations, solid team members at all positions, and are moving more and more away from insurance dependence. We are stronger, leaner, and faster than we have ever been."