Passing on a Practice

Passing on a Practice

by Bill High

What do you do with a dental practice? 

 

Sell it? Or pass it on to your kids? Not exactly. To pass on a dental practice means your kids, or at least one of them, has to enter the dental field. I’m not sure if you’ve checked, but becoming a dentist is not on the top of the list of every kid. 

 

But Alexis Carlson is taking a different path.  She was a music major, but now she’s transitioning to dental hygiene school, while her fiancé prepares for dental school. This couple wants to continue her father’s legacy, by planning to continue to build up her father’s practice, Mountain Vista Dental.  

 

Alexis’ reason? Her father’s instruction and time.  

 

Through spending summers, long hours, and even part time jobs at her father’s business, she saw her father, Dr. Carlson, prioritize his patients’ wellbeing and best interests. Prioritizing time for others went beyond Dr. Carlson’s patients. Alexis remembers that despite her father’s demanding career, he still made time for family.  Every single night, he was fully present for family dinners. She fondly recalls the time spent around the table sharing parts of their day, joking together, and praying together.  Those were the best moments.  

 

From her father’s example she learned to put others before herself.  She eventually saw dentistry to serve others. And her interest in the family business grew.  

 

Because of Dr. Carlson’s intentional investment into the life of his daughter, both Alexis’ fiancé and she are preparing themselves to eventually step into her father’s role once their schooling is complete. For Alexis, seeing her father balance both his family and his work was the motivating factor behind her decision to eventually inherit her father’s practice.  

 

Intentional investment over time—family before business, others before self—made all the difference to Alexis. 

 

So, what do you do with a dental practice?  While Alexis was never forced to choose, she was given opportunity which gave birth to her own vision of how she could serve the world. 

 

Dr. Carlson and Alexis serve as a great reminder of how we can make intentional investment in our children that yields a long-lasting legacy. 

 

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash.

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Published August 22, 2022

Topics: Family Business

Family BusinessFamily LegacyFamily StoriesLessons with BillMulti-Generational

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