The Orthopreneurs Podcast with Dr. Glenn Krieger

What if I told you your practice doesn’t need more chairs, more days, or more team members—it needs you to find the bottleneck that’s quietly killing your capacity?

In this episode of Five Minute Friday, I’m talking about something most orthodontists don’t spend nearly enough time thinking about: throughput and capacity. After a recent Orthopreneurs RD Blueprint webinar, I wanted to share a key concept that can completely change the way you look at growth in your practice.

Too many orthodontists assume they need to hire another assistant, add another day, bring in an associate, or change the schedule when the real issue is much simpler: there’s a bottleneck somewhere in the system. Whether it’s scheduling, new patient flow, TC capacity, remote monitoring, or clinical chair time, your job as the leader is to identify the constraint, solve it, and then move to the next one.

💬Quotes

“Never, ever, ever deal with another aspect of that system until the bottleneck itself has been solved.”
 — Dr. Glenn Krieger

“You have a maximum production number you can hit with the resources you currently have, and we know for a fact you are nowhere near that number.”
— Dr. Glenn Krieger

🎯 Key Takeaways

Intro (00:00)
The Blueprint series and why business-school concepts matter in orthodontics (00:26)
What throughput and capacity mean for your practice growth (01:15)
Why bottlenecks must be solved before adding more resources (01:40)
The scheduling mistake that makes practices think they’re at capacity (02:04)
Why hiring another assistant or adding another day may not solve the real problem (02:28)
New patient flow, TC capacity, and hidden constraints (03:25)
Remote monitoring as a capacity unlock (04:18)
Why most practices are nowhere near their true production potential (05:29)
How measuring patient flow can reveal major inefficiencies (06:18)
Find the bottleneck, fix it, then move to the next one (07:18)

🟦 Additional Resources

If this podcast has helped you think differently about your practice, your systems, or your leadership, do me a favor: text two or three orthodontist friends right now and tell them to check out The Orthopreneurs Podcast.
That’s how this community grows—and it’s what allows me to keep bringing you conversations that help you build a better practice and a better life.

- Airway Meeting: https://web.orthopreneurs.com/arizonasleepandairway2026

- For more information, visit: https://orthopreneurs.com/

- Join our FREE Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/

Zach spent over a decade in the corporate world at American Airlines before helping build a multi-location healthcare company from the ground up. Along the way, he discovered that many growing businesses don’t need another employee—they need access to the kind of executive-level expertise that helps organizations scale, solve problems, and avoid costly mistakes.

Whether it’s finance, operations, marketing, HR, or strategy, Zach explains how fractional C-suite leaders can provide the guidance and experience most practices can't afford to hire full-time.

If you've ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure how to get your practice to the next level, this conversation will help you identify the blind spots that may be holding you back—and show you a practical way to overcome them.

💬Quotes

“I was the CEO, but I was really the chief everything officer. I was the CFO and the CMO and the janitor and the receptionist—I was wearing too many hats.”
 — Zach Nathan

“Businesses reach a point where they need expertise they can’t afford full-time. That’s exactly where fractional leadership creates value.”
 — Zach Nathan

🎯 Key Takeaways

Intro (00:00)
Why most orthodontists have business blind spots they don’t realize exist (00:51)
Zach’s journey from American Airlines executive to healthcare entrepreneur (02:49)
What a fractional CFO is—and how it transformed his business (04:06)
Why growing businesses need expertise before they can afford full-time executives (06:27)
The costly mistake of hiring the wrong leadership role too early (08:50)
How fractional leaders help business owners make better strategic decisions (10:53)
What a fractional COO can do for an overwhelmed practice owner (18:16)
When it makes sense to bring in a fractional CMO (22:16)
Why marketing strategy is different from marketing execution (24:10)
The role of fractional HR leadership and hiring better people (30:16)
How Sweet Leap matches businesses with vetted executive talent (13:18)
What orthodontists should expect to invest in fractional leadership (16:44)

🟦 Additional Resources

If you’re feeling stretched too thin, struggling with growth decisions, or simply wondering what’s possible with the right leadership support, Zach offers a complimentary Fractional Fit Meeting to help determine whether fractional leadership is right for your practice.

🌐 Website: https://www.suiteleap.com
🔗 LinkedIn: Zach Nathan

Whether you need help with operations, finance, marketing, HR, or overall business strategy, Sweet Leap can connect you with experienced executive talent without the cost of a full-time hire.

- Airway Meeting: https://web.orthopreneurs.com/arizonasleepandairway2026

- For more information, visit: https://orthopreneurs.com/

- Join our FREE Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/

What if I told you the CEO your practice “needs” might actually be the most expensive mistake you’re about to make?

In this Five Minute Friday, I’m challenging orthodontists to think carefully before hiring a CEO, COO, or high-level executive for their practice. Too many doctors hit $2–3 million in production, feel stretched, and assume the next move is bringing in a $250K–$300K leader. But in most cases, you’re not ready for that—and you probably don’t know how to hire that person yet.

Instead, I break down why a fractional C-suite executive may be the smarter move. Whether you’re dealing with capacity issues, technology decisions, growth opportunities, or confusion about whether to expand into satellites, this episode will help you think like a business owner—not just an orthodontist. You’ll walk away with a clearer sense of when to ask for executive-level help, what kind of help you actually need, and why growing your main practice may be far better than chasing expansion too soon.

💬Quotes

“Think long and hard when you think you’ve reached an inflection point in your practice where you want to bring a CEO in. Chances are you’re not ready for it.”
— Dr. Glenn Krieger

“If you’re doing $2 million or $3 million a year, you should not be thinking about bringing somebody into your practice to pay them $200,000 or $300,000 a year.”
— Dr. Glenn Krieger

🎯 Key Takeaways

Intro (00:00)
Why most practices aren’t ready for a full-time CEO (00:07)
What fractional C-suite executives actually do (00:44)
Why orthodontists often make poor business decisions around technology (01:22)
Dental Monitoring as an example of C-suite thinking vs. orthodontist thinking (01:48)
When a CEO-level hire starts to make sense financially (03:18)
Why $2–3 million practices should avoid $250K executive hires (04:00)
Why growing your main practice may beat opening satellites (05:27)
How a fractional C-suite advisor can help you see blind spots (07:34)

🟦 Additional Resources

I’ve seen firsthand how the wrong executive hire can create more stress, more overhead, and less clarity—not more growth.

Before you bring in a CEO, COO, or high-level executive, think carefully about where your practice really is and what kind of help you actually need. If you’re at an inflection point and want help thinking through fractional C-suite support, DM me. I have no financial interest in the company I mentioned, but I’m happy to make a connection or help you think through the decision.

- Airway Meeting: https://web.orthopreneurs.com/arizonasleepandairway2026

- For more information, visit: https://orthopreneurs.com/

- Join our FREE Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/

What if I told you the secret to building a thriving orthodontic practice isn't just clinical excellence—it's creating a culture where your team wants to build their future with you?

I've met a lot of orthodontists over the years, but few embody positivity, leadership, continuous learning, and team development quite like Dr. Alyssa Carter. In this episode, we dive into what it's like to build a successful orthodontic practice in a small Texas town, why investing in your people matters more than ever, and how creating opportunities for growth can transform both your team and your practice.

Alyssa shares her journey from growing up in rural Texas to becoming one of the most respected clinicians and lifelong learners in our profession. We discuss leadership, efficiency, delegation, remote monitoring, aligner systems, CE, team retention, and why today's team members need more than just a job—they need a vision for their future. If you're looking to improve your culture, elevate your systems, and become a better leader, this episode is packed with practical insights you can implement immediately.

💬Quotes

"I want someone that wants to make this practice their career, and do anything that they think they can do for the practice—we'll make it happen. But that's their dream."
 — Dr. Alyssa Carter

"If you walk around trying to live life by the 2% of people who will hurt you, you'll never be happy. Focus on the 98% of things that can go right."
 — Dr. Alyssa Carter

🎯 Key Takeaways

Intro (00:00)
Growing up in a small Texas town and returning home to practice (02:05)
The unique advantages—and challenges—of practicing where you were raised (04:40)
Why continuous education is one of the greatest investments you can make (11:06)
How CE keeps you humble, motivated, and constantly improving (12:51)
The power of positivity and focusing on the 98% that goes right (16:12)
Leadership lessons: looking in the mirror before blaming others (16:51)
Building a culture where team members see orthodontics as a career (30:34)
Creating efficient systems that reduce stress and improve outcomes (32:47)
How remote monitoring and AI are transforming orthodontic workflows (33:25)
Using technology to uncover hidden inefficiencies in treatment (34:15)
Why delegation is critical for scaling your practice (21:04, 40:51)
Alyssa's role in orthodontic product development and innovation (38:05)
Introducing ODO (On Demand Orthodontist) and the future of treatment planning support (39:46)
The importance of mentorship, relationships, and giving back to the profession (44:18)

🟦 Additional Resources

ODO (On Demand Orthodontist)
🌐 https://ondemandorthodontist.com

A platform designed to help orthodontists streamline treatment planning, remote monitoring workflows, and reduce screen time through expert-supported systems.

Connect with Dr. Alyssa Carter
📱 Reach out through Facebook or connect with her at industry meetings and events throughout the year.

If you're feeling overwhelmed by staffing challenges, struggling to build a culture that retains great people, or looking for ways to make your practice more efficient, this episode is a must-listen.

Take one idea from Alyssa's playbook this week:
✔ Invest in your team's growth.
 ✔ Audit one inefficient system in your practice.
 ✔ Commit to learning something new that makes you a better leader.

Small improvements compound—and as Alyssa demonstrates, the most successful practices are built by leaders who never stop growing.

- Airway Meeting: https://web.orthopreneurs.com/arizonasleepandairway2026
- For more information, visit: https://orthopreneurs.com/
- Join our FREE Facebook group here:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/

What if I told you disagreeing with another orthodontist doesn’t mean you have to dislike them?

In this Five Minute Friday, I’m talking about something that shows up way too often in our profession: disagreement turning into division. Whether it’s OSOs, airway, clinical philosophy, politics, or anything else, too many people assume that if we don’t see things the same way, we can’t respect each other — and I think that’s a huge mistake.

I’m not pro-OSO, anti-OSO, pro-airway, or anti-airway. I’m pro-education. My goal has always been to help orthodontists get the right information, talk to the right people, and make decisions that fit their practice, their patients, and their lives. In this episode, I share why opinions should never define someone’s character, why education beats absolutism, and why we all need more good people in our lives — even when we disagree.

💬Quotes

“I am not pro-airway. I’m pro proper diagnosis and helping people get through things.”
— Dr. Glenn Krieger

“If someone’s a good person, let it all go by the wayside. Be friends. Get to know them.”
— Dr. Glenn Krieger

🎯 Key Takeaways

Intro: Why disagreement matters (00:00)
Why Dr. Krieger doesn’t dislike people for having different opinions (00:48)
The difference between being pro-education and being pro- or anti-anything (02:21)
Why orthodontists need to make informed decisions, not emotional ones (02:48)
Airway, CBCTs, and the importance of proper diagnosis (03:23)
Why personal attacks are different from professional disagreement (05:10)
The danger of defining people by their opinions (06:01)
Why good people are worth keeping in your life (06:49)

🟦 Additional Resources

If you want to talk about OSOs, airway, practice decisions, or anything else in orthodontics — even if you disagree with me — reach out. DM me on Facebook and just say hi. I love these conversations, and I’m always happy to help where I can.

And if you’re interested in joining us at an upcoming Orthopreneurs event, check out the waitlist for 4M in October or the airway meeting in Arizona this December.

- Airway Meeting: https://web.orthopreneurs.com/arizonasleepandairway2026

- For more information, visit: https://orthopreneurs.com/

- Join our FREE Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/