There’s one question buyers rarely ask out loud, but it’s the one that makes or breaks their decision to buy your practice:

“Will this place collapse the second the seller walks out?”

It’s not about your numbers. It’s not about your décor. It’s not about your reputation. It’s about control. Because if your practice only runs when you are standing in the middle of it,  making every decision, solving every problem, soothing every patient, buyers see it for what it is: A business built on one person. And once that person leaves, the whole thing can unravel in days.

Buyers Don’t Want to Be You.

They Want to Lead Without Becoming You.

Buyers don’t want to buy a job. They want to buy a business. They want to walk in, lead confidently, and scale. Not inherit a practice that demands they become a clone of you just to survive. And they can smell “owner dependence” instantly.

They see it when:

• Every key patient insists on seeing you
• Every staff decision runs through your office
• Every clinical case hinges on your personal technique or style
• Nothing is documented because “everyone just knows how we do it”
• Your name, face, and personality are the brand

To a buyer, that’s not stability. That’s fragility.

The Buyer’s Worst-Case Scenario

They’ve seen it before. A seller leaves. The new doctor steps in optimistic, well-trained, ready to grow.

And then it hits:

The staff resists every change. Patients vanish because “it’s just not the same.” Systems crumble because they were never real, just habits held together by the seller’s willpower. Production plummets. Morale tanks. And the buyer finds themselves drowning in debt, trying to be someone they can never be.

That fear is real, and it silently drives down offers every single day.

What Buyers Actually Want to See

Buyers don’t expect your practice to run perfectly. They just need proof it can run without you.

They want to see:

• Documented systems for every core function
• A strong leadership team or office manager already running day-to-day ops
• Patients who trust the practice, not just the doctor
• A culture built on teamwork, not hero-worship
• A brand identity that survives ownership changes

Show them that, and they see a turnkey machine they can walk into and lead with confidence.
Show them dependence on you, and they see a trap.

Owner Dependence Is the Silent Value Killer

Even if your numbers are great, even if your margins are solid, even if your reputation is gold, if buyers believe the business lives or dies with you, they will discount it heavily.

Because they know they’re not just buying your practice. They’re buying the risk of replacing you. And that risk makes them nervous enough to walk.

Make Your Practice Transferable

Buyers don’t want to be your clone. They want to be your successor. Build a practice that thrives on systems, team strength, and brand equity, not your personal heroics. Because when buyers believe they can step in and lead from Day One, they’ll pay more, move faster, and fight to close the deal. But if they fear they have to become you just to keep it alive, they’ll walk away. And they won’t come back.

To your unstoppable success,
Your Team at Everything DSO