For Dr Neil Wilson, principal of Central England Specialist Referral Centre, owning a dental practice was never the original ambition. However, practice co-ownership was the only solution that enabled him to practise dentistry on his own terms. When his business partner retired, Neil found himself navigating the demands of ownership alone for over a decade, searching for a sustainable alternative that would allow him to refocus on what mattered most. Neil shares the impact this time had on him:
“Running the business was never my favourite aspect of dentistry. I felt constant pressure to make sure sufficient funds were available to pay bills and staff, checking the bank account every day. The time and brainpower spent working on the business would have been better spent with patients or on furthering my specialist training by travelling around the world. I felt I had lost touch with everything I was so passionate about.
“I realised how unique my situation had been previously and knew it would be impossible to find a new business partner. Many friends had also shared their journeys of selling to traditional corporates – I don’t know a single person who was happy with their decision. I was concerned a corporate buyer would only care about the bottom line, putting finances above patients. I felt that investment in the facilities, fair pay for the team, and staff retention were also at risk.”
After sharing these concerns with his dental broker, Neil was introduced to an organisation taking a very different approach to practice ownership in the UK: DeNovo Dental Partners.
“I didn’t have any preconceived assumptions about DeNovo when I met with them. I spoke to Mark Aichroth in the first instance, who was open and transparent from the start. I was interested to learn that I would become a Partner, that I would still be free to make decisions about my practice, but that I would have less financial responsibility and access to any support I needed to grow.
“Mark was enthusiastic about what they were trying to achieve with DeNovo, and how they were creating a fresh model. The whole DeNovo team was very engaging and they spoke about the same ideals – not retirement, but the next chapter in my career and the next phase of life for the practice.”
DeNovo offers a shared ownership model built on autonomy, collaboration, and long-term value creation. Partners retain full clinical and business control of their practices, while benefiting from multiple wealth generation opportunities and centralised support in terms of HR, finance, procurement, marketing and more.
Neil was particularly drawn to the alignment between the model and his personal ambitions:
“It was exciting to discover that there were no deferred payments involved, and that I would continue to benefit financially as the practice and the DeNovo parent company grew,” Neil continues. “I also appreciated that there would be no targets; this was a complete game-changer for me as there was no pressure to do more than I was doing. They didn’t worry that I had built the practice around my own clinical passions, but were open to helping me focus on what I wanted to, which was fabulous. Ultimately, it was the control I would keep over the practice, the opportunity to be part of a team, how nice the DeNovo team were, and how much my staff liked them that motivated my decision to proceed.”
Since transitioning into the DeNovo family, Neil reports almost no change within the practice for staff at all. He says:
“I wasn’t expecting to have as much freedom as I do post-sale – I thought I’d missed something in the small print! However, the promises turned into reality and I have been able to continue making my own decisions. Even larger investments like redesigning the website have been met with positivity, which is refreshing.
“I also didn’t fully appreciate the level of support that would be available. The DeNovo team is there whenever needed, on my terms, helping me with the website and a digital marketing strategy. In addition, the people have continued to be as nice as the day I first met them.
“They have taken a huge weight off my shoulders. I’m back to doing dentistry, and booking courses that I want to attend around the globe. I’m working how I always wanted to work. So far, it’s been a real win-win, which is fantastic.”
Reflecting on his journey, Neil offers a word of advice to colleagues who may be in a similar position:
“DeNovo offers a model that can be engaged with long before retirement – it provides a different type of exit from business ownership for those who want to continue practising dentistry. More than that, it gives you an extra lease of life and can make the last several years of your working life so much better. I feel very comfortable with my decision to join DeNovo and would have no hesitation in recommending others consider it also.”
Media Contact:
DeNovo Dental Partners
Kristen Pope
Chief Integration, Partnership & Communications Officer
Kristen.Pope@DeNovo.Partners
https://www.denovo.partners/
