ASSOCIATE BUY-INS · SELLER REPRESENTATION
Your associate knows your patients, your team, and the practice you’ve built. When they’re ready for ownership, we help you evaluate the opportunity and negotiate a transition that supports your goals.
Confidential guidance for practice owners in Nevada and Utah.
A FAMILIAR CONVERSATION
Start with what you want the next chapter to look like. We’ll help you work through the value, the terms, and the path from associate to owner.
Bergquist Group represents the selling practice owner.
You may already know who you want to sell to. You still need to agree on what they’re buying, how the price is determined, and how ownership will work afterward. We can represent you in a sale to your existing associate, without launching a public search for a buyer.
OPTIONS FOR YOUR NEXT CHAPTER
A buy-in means selling a portion of your practice. It may lead to a long-term partnership or an eventual full sale. The right path depends on your goals and the practice’s ability to support the arrangement.
01
An associate purchases a portion of the practice while you remain an owner. The plan needs to address income, management responsibilities, and how decisions will be made together.
02
An initial buy-in can be part of a longer path toward a full buyout. Establish the timing, future valuation approach, and expectations for each stage before the first sale.
03
If your associate is ready to purchase the whole practice, we can represent you through the sale and help coordinate your transition out of ownership.
HOW WE HELP
A good working relationship is valuable. Clear business terms help both dentists understand what they’re agreeing to as that relationship changes.
Our client is the selling practice owner. We advocate for your interests and keep the process moving. Your attorney prepares the legal agreements, your CPA advises on tax treatment, and your associate can work with their own independent advisors.
How much ownership do you want to sell? How long do you want to keep practicing? We help define your desired schedule, decision-making role, and transition timeline.
We evaluate practice performance, profitability, provider compensation, and what is included in the transaction. A partial interest needs to be considered in light of the rights and obligations that come with it.
We advocate for your price, payment terms, ownership share, and transition expectations, while helping identify the business terms your attorney and CPA need to address.
We help organize due diligence and coordinate with your attorney, CPA, and the associate’s lender as applicable. We also help identify lease or real estate issues that could affect the transition.
BEFORE YOU AGREE ON A PERCENTAGE
Use these as a starting point for your conversation. A clear plan today can help prevent misunderstandings after ownership changes.
Define the ownership interest or assets being transferred and how cash, receivables, debt, and equipment will be treated.
If another ownership transfer is planned, establish when and how its price will be determined.
Separate compensation for clinical work from ownership distributions. Model what the arrangement means for each dentist’s income.
Discuss staffing, schedules, major spending, and other management decisions. Ownership percentage alone does not answer every question.
Address an early departure, disagreement, disability, or retirement with your attorney, including a process for any future buyout.
Review any landlord consent requirements and decide whether real estate is included in the transaction or handled separately.
GETTING STARTED
Your goals and timeline are enough for an initial conversation. When it’s time to evaluate the transaction, useful records may include:
Explore our practice valuation services and partnership planning services.
Yes. We can help you evaluate the proposed business terms, identify open questions, and coordinate the next steps. An early conversation is especially useful before a price or timeline becomes a firm commitment.
No single ownership percentage fits every transition. The share being sold should be considered alongside valuation, decision-making rights, income expectations, financing, and your long-term plans.
No. Some owners want to continue practicing with a partner; others want to reduce their schedule or plan an eventual exit. We start with your goals and evaluate whether a buy-in could support them.
You can begin planning before a transaction is ready to close. We can help outline milestones, timing, and the questions that need to be resolved before either party commits.
Your attorney prepares the legal documents and advises on legal requirements. We focus on the valuation, negotiations, and business terms, working alongside your attorney and CPA.
Further reading from the American Dental Association: Practice valuation and phased transitions · Planning for partnership ownership
LET’S TALK ABOUT YOUR NEXT CHAPTER
Whether you’re considering a minority buy-in, a gradual transition, or a full sale to your associate, start with a confidential conversation about what works for you.
Jared A. Bergquist, CCIM
(702) 521-9953 · jared@bergquistgroup.com
