A 3-Part Webinar Series
Part 1: Friday, July 10, 2026
Part 2: Friday, August 21, 2026
Part 3: Friday, September 18, 2026
Why You Should Attend This Webinar Series
Most startup dentists are great clinicians, but nobody taught them how to run a business. This three-part series is built on decades of combined experience and 200+ startup practices between two of the industry’s most trusted voices in dental marketing and operations. Whether you’re still in the planning phase, about to open, or in your first year trying to gain traction, this series gives you the exact roadmap to build it right, fill your schedule, and grow with confidence.
In This Series, You Will Learn:
- Why marketing and operations are two sides of the same coin, and what breaks when they’re not aligned
- The 3 constants every startup dentist will face and how to master each one:
- Insurance Navigation
- Team Building and Management
- Marketing that attracts patients and can be measured
- How to build a patient waitlist before your doors even open
- The KPIs that actually matter in year one and how to use them to make smarter decisions
- Why retention matters just as much as new patient growth and the numbers that reveal the truth
- How to calculate your cost to acquire a new patient and know exactly what your marketing should be doing
- Real stories from real startup practices around the country what worked, what didn’t, and what you can steal
Who Should Attend?
- Associates considering opening their own practice in the next 1–3 years
- Dentists actively planning or in the process of launching a startup
- Startup owners in their first 1–2 years who want more clarity, traction, and predictable growth
- Existing practice owners who want to level up their practice
Your practice is not one-size-fits-all. Neither is this series. Whether you’re opening in 6 months or 5 years, this is the foundation you need.
What’s Covered in Each Session
Systems, Brand & Pre-Launch Strategy • Friday, July 10th
- How to define your vision and turn it into a marketing message that attracts the right patients
- The 3 pillars that determine whether your startup thrives or struggles: insurance, team, and marketing
- The operational systems you need in place before the first patient walks in
- Pre-launch marketing strategies to build buzz and a patient waitlist 3–6 months before opening
- What a strong team culture looks like and why it’s one of your most powerful marketing tools
- The KPIs you should start tracking from day one
Marketing That Drives Consistent Patient Flow • Friday, August 21st
- The marketing timeline every startup should follow: Awareness → Trust → Authority
- Which channels to prioritize, Google Ads for fast results, SEO for long-term growth, social for nurture
- How to create omnipresence in your local market without burning your budget
- The difference between marketing patients and referral patients and how to generate both
- Conversion metrics you need to know: cost per new patient, show rate, conversion rate
- Community marketing, pedo-ortho referral relationships, and referral tracking
Scaling with Smart Marketing & the Right Numbers • Friday, September 18th
- The key financial metrics every growing practice owner needs to know: CAC, production per patient, lifetime value
- How to calculate ROI on your marketing and know when to scale up or pull back
- Why a practice full of new patients isn’t always a healthy practice and the retention metrics that reveal the truth
- Internal marketing strategies: case acceptance, recare, and patient experience as growth levers
- How to build a referral flywheel using social proof and patient relationships
- What scaling actually looks like including budgeting, retargeting, hiring, and scheduling decisions backed by data
Meet Your Hosts
Shane Simmons
Shane has helped hundreds of startup dental practices go from empty chairs to full schedules. As the founder of Crimson Media Group and host of The Dental Practice Launch Podcast, he specializes in building marketing systems that generate new patients before the doors open and keep the schedule full long after. He’s seen what works across practices of every type and size, and brings that experience directly into this series.
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Michelle Affanato
Michelle has personally guided more than 200 dental startups through the chaos of opening and the growing pains of year one. She helps practice owners build operational systems that scale, from team culture and insurance navigation to patient retention and practice performance. She’s the person startup dentists call when they want to do it right from the beginning.
Ready to Build, Fill, and Scale Your Dream Practice?
Register once and get access to all three live sessions — plus the full slide deck from each webinar afterward. Bring your questions. We’ll be doing a live Q&A at the end of every session.