The Orthopreneurs Podcast with Dr. Glenn Krieger

Most orthodontists think they need a better system, better marketing, or better scripting.
What they actually need is clarity.

In this episode, I sit down with someone I deeply respect — Dr. Lou Chmura — and we go far beyond brackets, aligners, and production numbers. Lou has decades of clinical experience, but what makes him different is his deliberate, principle-driven thinking about life and practice. We talk about why so many orthodontists are more stressed than ever… despite practicing in one of the greatest professions in the world.

If you’ve ever found yourself chasing growth, comparing yourself to others, or wondering why success doesn’t feel as fulfilling as you expected — this conversation will hit home.

Quotes

“The practice is just a vehicle. If you don’t know what kind of life you want, you’ll build the wrong vehicle.”
 — Dr. Lou Chmura

“If you can figure out your one thing — the thing that really matters to you — everything else organizes around it.”
 — Dr. Lou Chmura

Key Takeaways

Why orthodontists are asking the wrong questions about success
Your school pedigree doesn’t matter — what you did yesterday does (02:05)
Revenue vs. take-home: Why production numbers can be misleading (04:30)
Why defining your life comes before defining your practice (12:00)
The danger of chasing someone else’s version of success (20:00)
The STEAR framework: How your thoughts create stress (42:00)
Why social comparison is sabotaging modern orthodontists (49:00)
Finding your “one thing” — and building everything around it (52:00)

Additional Resources

I’ve seen firsthand how easy it is for orthodontists to drift — to chase growth, add locations, increase production — without ever stopping to ask, “Is this actually the life I want?”

If you’re feeling pressure, burnout, or just a sense that something’s off… don’t fix your systems yet.
Fix your clarity.

Reach out to Lou at [email protected] or visit eggheadortho.com and start the conversation. Even one hour of honest reflection can change the trajectory of your career.

You worked too hard to get here to build the wrong life.

Register for the Make More Money Meeting: https://ortho4m.com/home

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

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

In this Five Minute Friday, I break down one of the most misunderstood conversations in orthodontics: real return on investment and equity value in private equity-backed organizations.

After hosting bankers, CPAs, venture capital leaders, real estate experts, and private equity professionals at Vanguard, I walked away with one very clear realization: far too many orthodontists are being modeled at 6–8% annual returns — and that thinking alone can completely distort whether selling, affiliating, or holding makes financial sense.

This episode is not about convincing you to join an OSO or DSO. It’s about education. It’s about understanding equity, multiples, long-term capital gains, private equity performance benchmarks, and — most importantly — transparency. If someone refers you to a broker, a CPA, or an investment opportunity, you need to know what questions to ask. Because if you don’t understand how money truly compounds, you’re making decisions in the dark.

Quotes

“If my financial planner told me to plan on 8% per year for the rest of my life, I would fire them.”
 — Dr. Glenn Krieger

“Always ask questions of people and find out — are there any relationships that you should be aware of?”
 — Dr. Glenn Krieger

Key Takeaways

Intro (00:00)
Rethinking “Acceptable” Returns (01:20)
How Wealthy Investors Think (02:05)
Understanding Private Equity Multiples (05:10)
Capital Gains vs. Practice Income (08:30)
Transparency & Conflicts of Interest (10:40)

Additional Resources

If you’re even remotely considering selling, affiliating, recapitalizing, or exploring private equity — do not make a decision without understanding the math.

🟦 If you want to have an honest, no-pressure conversation about your situation, DM me directly. I’ve had hundreds of these conversations, and sometimes the right answer is “wait.” Sometimes it’s “grow more.” Sometimes it’s “move now.” But it should always be informed.
And if this episode opened your eyes, share it with another orthodontist who deserves to understand how their money can truly work for them.

Register for the Make More Money Meeting: https://ortho4m.com/home

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

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

Most orthodontists are worried about OSOs, GP competition, or clear aligner companies.

But what if the real disruption is AI, automation, staffing shortages, and the fact that our traditional practice model may not survive the next 10–15 years unchanged?

In this episode, I sit down with my longtime friend and St. Louis orthodontist Dr. Jackie Demko — a third-generation orthodontist, EOS implementer, AI early adopter, and longevity enthusiast. Jackie brings a rare mix of loyalty, operational discipline, and future-focused thinking. We talk about building culture that actually works, why core values aren’t fluff, how AI can completely reshape the orthodontic practice model, and what we should be doing right now to stay ahead.

This is not a doom-and-gloom episode. It’s a wake-up call — and a roadmap. If you care about protecting your practice, building something sustainable, and staying energized for the long haul, you’ll walk away with both practical ideas and a broader perspective.

Quotes

“If big corporations are running on core values and systems, why wouldn’t we? Why would we think we’re smarter than that?”
 — Dr. Jackie Demko

“Anything that’s repeatable in your practice should be automated. If you’re still doing it manually, you’re already behind.”
 — Dr. Jackie Demko

Key Takeaways
Intro (00:00)
Three-generation orthodontics & the $100K practice mindset (02:05)
Why core values aren’t optional (06:32)
Culture as your operational blueprint (07:30)
AI in the orthodontic practice — right now (16:05)
The Holy Grail: the fully automated ortho practice (18:17)
The real existential threat to orthodontics (25:30)
Why every orthodontist needs an exit strategy (28:20)
Longevity & performance optimization (30:52)

Additional Resources

What if I told you your biggest opportunity right now isn’t increasing production — it’s increasing clarity?

If you haven’t defined your core values… if you aren’t experimenting with AI… if you don’t have a future-proof strategy for staffing and automation… you’re not behind — but you are exposed.

Start small:
Define your 3–5 core values.
Explore EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System).
Experiment with AI in your new patient workflow.
Think seriously about automation before staffing becomes your bottleneck.

And if this episode resonated, share it with a colleague who’s thinking about the future — not just next month’s collections.

Register for the Make More Money Meeting: https://ortho4m.com/home 

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

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

In this episode of Five Minute Friday, I’m challenging you to look in the mirror and ask a hard question: Are you truly investing in your professional growth — or are you coasting? After hosting Ortho Vanguard and launching the Make More Money (R4M) meeting, I noticed something powerful: the most successful orthodontists are the ones who keep showing up. They travel. They join groups. They seek mentorship. They shorten the learning curve instead of waiting 15 years to “figure it out.”

I share some tough love in this episode — about CE requirements, about prioritizing growth, and about the uncomfortable reality that many of us are putting more intentional time into parenting than into leadership, management, and marriage. This isn’t about guilt. It’s about awareness. If you want elite results, you have to do what the elite are doing. Growth doesn’t happen by accident — it happens by exposure, implementation, and relentless commitment.

Quotes

“If your practice isn’t where you want it to be, you have to look in the mirror and ask yourself what’s more important — growing your practice or being home at 5:15 for soccer practice.”
 — Dr. Glenn Krieger

“If you want to get to a place where nobody’s been, you’ve got to do what nobody else is doing.”
 — Dr. Glenn Krieger

Key Takeaways

Intro (00:00)
Why the same successful doctors keep showing up (00:30)
The CE wake-up call (04:09)
Balancing practice, parenting, and marriage (05:00)
The spouse support conversation (06:20)

Additional Resources

I’ve seen firsthand how consistent exposure to high-level rooms changes practices — and lives. The doctors attending Vanguard and R4M aren’t the ones struggling most. They’re the ones already doing well — and refusing to slow down.

If you’re serious about shortening your learning curve, scaling your practice, and living with intentional balance, join us at the Make More Money (R4M) Meeting in Nashville.

And here’s your homework: book at least one out-of-town CE event for next year. Put it on the calendar. Then have the conversation with your spouse. Elite results require elite commitment.

Register for the Make More Money Meeting: https://ortho4m.com/home 

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

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

Most orthodontists think the only path to freedom is scale. Bigger practice. More chairs. More locations. More production.

Dr. Luis Gutierrez proves that’s simply not true.

Luis isn’t running a $20M operation. He doesn’t work five days a week. He doesn’t grind 60-hour weeks. Instead, he planted intentional seeds early — paid off nearly $800,000 in student debt aggressively, invested relentlessly in CE, chose a smaller community, kept overhead disciplined, and built systems that support the life he wanted.

And now? He’s harvesting.

In this episode, Luis shares how he went from dental school in Peru to rebuilding his career in the U.S., opening a startup in a small New Mexico town, and creating a lifestyle most orthodontists only talk about. This isn’t about hype. It’s about planning. It’s about discipline. And it’s about designing your practice around your life — not the other way around.

If you’re early in your career… overwhelmed by debt… or wondering whether private practice is still worth it — this episode will reset your mindset.

Quotes

“Failure to plan is planning to fail.”
 — Dr. Luis Gutierrez

“It’s so much fun to harvest what you planted years ago.”
 — Dr. Luis Gutierrez

Key Takeaways
Why lifestyle design — not production numbers — is the real goal.
Moving to a small town and “owning it” (13:04)
Paying off $800,000 in student loans aggressively (10:43)
Why living like a resident for a few years changes everything (10:43)
Working only three clinical days per week (18:20)
Taking 14 vacations in one year — with intention (18:29)
Investing in 10 CE courses per year for 10 straight years (25:10)
Building systems to eliminate blind spots (26:54)
Why private practice is still absolutely viable (24:17)
The planting vs. harvesting mindset (30:10)

Additional Resources

If you’re feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure how to build the life you actually want — start by asking yourself:

What seeds am I planting right now?
Am I investing in myself?
Am I designing my practice… or just reacting to it?

If this episode resonated with you, share it with another orthodontist who needs to hear it.

And if you want help building your plan — reach out. You don’t have to figure it out alone.

Register for the Make More Money Meeting: https://ortho4m.com/home

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

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