For some time now, I have been asking myself a simple question: how do we make sure that what we have built at Extreme Business becomes stronger, deeper and more valuable over the next decade, not just the next two years? Today, I am delighted to answer that question by officially announcing the merger of Extreme Business  and The Campbell Academy . This is an important moment, not only for me and for Colin Campbell, but for the wider independent private dental sector in the

That's me with Tom Coates, in the offices of Buxton Coates, Solicitors, yesterday - signing some of the most important documents in my professional life. A transaction that will determine my direction of travel for at least the next 10 years, and beyond. An opportunity to make a positive difference to the lives of not just hundreds, but thousands, of people in dentistry. I'll be telling you more about that next week. For now, I'm in London this morning, about to facilitate a

Running a business often feels like an acrobat spinning plates. Most stressed and struggling entrepreneurs believe the key to success is controlling every detail, micromanaging every task, and never letting go of the reins. But here’s a bold claim: my success comes from being the opposite — a proud lack of control freak. Instead of clutching the wheel tightly, I’ve learned to delegate, trust my team, and focus on what I do best. This approach has not only saved my sanity but

The next chapter in private dentistry will belong to practices that are clear, fair and trusted. The CMA’s final report on veterinary services should be read by every independent dental practice owner in the UK, because it is almost certainly a preview of the regulator’s thinking in private dentistry. In the vets market, the CMA concluded that competition was not working as well as it could, estimated customer detriment at around £1 billion over five years, and focused its re

If you want to keep good people, pay alone is not enough A modern dental employer can no longer rely on one lever alone to keep their team happy. For years, many practice owners believed that if they paid fairly, treated people decently and kept the doors open, that would be enough. In some cases, it was. But the landscape has changed. The UK employment market is tighter, the cost of living has reshaped expectations, and younger team members think differently about work, loya

After a week of strategy meetings, quarterly reviews and coaching conversations with dental business owners, I’m left with one clear conclusion: Dentistry is still full of opportunity, but it is no longer a forgiving business. The practices doing well are not necessarily the biggest, the flashiest or the most heavily marketed. They are the ones with clarity. Clear numbers. Clear systems. Clear patient communication. Clear leadership. And the practices that are struggling are

Loved practices are chosen every day. Unloved ones are quietly ignored. Which one are you building? Most of us have a wardrobe. And in that wardrobe, there are “loved” items and “unloved” ones. The loved items are easy to spot. They’re worn often. They fit well. They make you feel confident. You reach for them without thinking. The unloved items sit quietly at the back. Still “good”, still usable, but somehow never chosen. Wrong fit. Wrong feel. Forgotten. Dental practices ar

In this episode of the Two Reds podcast, Chris Barrow is joined by Dr Paul Abrahams of Smile More Dental Care in London for a thoughtful and wide-ranging conversation about career longevity, practice ownership, innovation and exit strategy. With Ashley Latter away in Australia, Chris and Paul take the opportunity to explore Paul’s remarkable journey from an uncertain start in the early 1980s, through qualification at Guy’s in 1989, to building and eventually selling a highly

Behind every dental practice there is an owner or manager juggling people, patients, numbers and their own sanity. Quite a lot, as it turns out. Every week I receive progress trackers from Principals and practice managers around the UK and beyond. They are usually written late in the evening or early on a Sunday morning, when the week has finally slowed down enough for reflection. They tell me about the wins first. A successful implant case. A study evening that went well. A

Urgent Care vs Preventive Care: The NHS Dental Dilemma A perspective from the front line of NHS dental practice management from Fiona Teasdale, Practice Manager at Myton Park Dental Centre, Thornaby-on-Tees When the first information about the latest NHS dental contract reform was released, many of us experienced an immediate “oh!” moment . Alongside the announcement came a flood of practical questions: How will this work in day-to-day practice? What changes are required to o