AI, Valuations & Exit-Readiness: How Andy Acton Is Shaping the Future of Dental Practice Growth
September 9, 2025
What actually moves a dental practice’s value, shiny tech or people who deliver? In this episode of The TechDental Podcast, Dr. Randeep Singh Gill speaks with Andy Acton, Director at Frank Taylor & Associates and co-host of 200+ Dentology episodes, about the fundamentals buyers care about, how AI should “release” your team rather than replace it, and why the 3–5 year window is the sweet spot to become exit-ready. Andy also shares why failure isn’t weakness but a prerequisite for success, drawing on stories from leading dentists who built resilience by learning from what didn’t go right. From tackling owner fatigue and loneliness to building infrastructure for multi-site growth, Andy lays out a practical roadmap for independent practices to thrive in the decade ahead.
Buying, selling, and scaling a dental practice is no longer just about clinical skill but about leadership, systems, and knowing how to prepare for the future.
In this episode of The TechDental Podcast, host Dr. Randeep Singh Gill speaks with Andy Acton, Director at Frank Taylor & Associates and co-host of the Dentology podcast, about what truly drives practice value and how owners can stay competitive in a fast-changing market. Andy reframes failure as a necessary step on the path to success, highlighting how even top clinicians credit their early missteps with shaping the resilience and business acumen they rely on today. They further discuss valuations, exit-readiness, and scaling. Andy explains why practice valuations are still multiples of underlying profit, how AI can increase efficiency without losing the human touch, and why using tech to release teams rather than replace them is the smarter strategy.
What You’ll Learn:
In this episode of The TechDental Podcast, host Dr. Randeep Singh Gill speaks with Andy Acton, Director at Frank Taylor & Associates and co-host of the Dentology podcast, about what truly drives practice value and how owners can stay competitive in a fast-changing market. Andy reframes failure as a necessary step on the path to success, highlighting how even top clinicians credit their early missteps with shaping the resilience and business acumen they rely on today. They further discuss valuations, exit-readiness, and scaling. Andy explains why practice valuations are still multiples of underlying profit, how AI can increase efficiency without losing the human touch, and why using tech to release teams rather than replace them is the smarter strategy.
What You’ll Learn:
- Why practice value is tied to profit multiples and how AI can increase efficiency without losing patient trust
- How to prepare your practice for sale in the 3–5 year window by reducing reliance on the principal
- The five drivers of owner fatigue and how to address them before they erode growth
- How to use AI as a people-release system, so they can spend more time with patients instead of automating human interaction
- How to build infrastructure early to avoid the “inverted pyramid” trap when scaling multiple sites
- Why independent practices are entering a renaissance period and how to position for it
About the Guest:
Andy Acton is Director of Frank Taylor & Associates, where he has spent over 28 years helping dentists buy, sell, and grow their practices. Since 2000, he has led one of the UK’s most trusted advisory firms for dental practice valuations and sales, guiding countless owners through smooth transitions and growth strategies. Andy is also the founder of The Principals Club, a peer community dedicated to supporting practice owners with shared knowledge, leadership insights, and business tools. Beyond his work at FTA, Andy co-founded FTA Media to produce leading-edge marketing content for dental practices, and he mentors entrepreneurs through Virgin StartUp. Until recently, he co-hosted over 200 episodes of the Dentology podcast, covering the non-clinical realities of ownership, finance, marketing, valuations, mindset, and leadership. Whether advising on exit-readiness, scaling strategies, or technology adoption, Andy brings decades of hard-earned expertise to help practice owners thrive in an industry that is rapidly evolving.
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