Ash welcomes Antoinette Bone, an estate planning attorney and founder of the Law Office of Antoinette Bone, PLLC. Antoinette shares her experience from a background in the Air Force JAG Corps to working with business owners and dentists on estate and trust planning. She breaks down the importance of having a comprehensive plan for dental practice owners, discussing why a trust is often more beneficial than just a will, especially for those looking to protect their practice, family, and legacy.

The conversation covers the basics of different types of trusts, how business structure ties into estate planning, and pitfalls like failing to have the right documents or mixing personal and business assets. Antoinette highlights the need for operating agreements, proper disability planning, and naming the right people to manage both personal and business affairs. She emphasizes that estate planning is an ongoing process, especially as life and business circumstances change. Additional resources for learning more about her work and estate planning are mentioned at the end of the episode.

To find out more or connect with Antoinette, visit: https://abonelaw.com/

Key Topics Discussed:

• Antoinette Bone’s career background and military service
• Why dental practice owners need estate and trust planning
• Types of trusts: revocable living trusts, irrevocable trusts, asset protection trusts
• Integrating your business structure with your estate plan
• Common red flags and mistakes in estate planning
• The role and importance of operating agreements
• Risks of using online legal templates versus working with professionals
• Disability and incapacity planning for practice owners
• Key estate planning documents required in Texas
• Handling blended families and unique family dynamics in estate planning
• Resources for further education on estate and trust planning

Ash welcomes Jennifer Christensen, co-founder and CMO of Beacon Media and Marketing, to discuss the role of artificial intelligence in modern marketing for dental professionals. Jennifer shares her journey as an early adopter of AI, highlighting how new technologies have reshaped client search behaviors and what this rapid shift means for dental practices that want to maintain and grow their online presence. She explains how practices can benefit from AI-powered insights, especially by personalizing content, building credibility, and targeting AI-driven search overviews.

Jennifer discusses practical strategies dental offices can use to become more visible in AI searches, such as focusing on author-driven, expert content and being transparent with information like pricing and service details. She also explores the changing landscape of consumer trust and how dental practices need to adapt to remain relevant, noting that small businesses now have a unique window of opportunity to compete with larger competitors. The episode wraps up with a conversation about AI's broader role in operational efficiency and the importance of businesses understanding and implementing these tools sooner rather than later.

To find out more and connect with Jennifer, visit: https://www.beaconmm.com/

Key Topics Discussed:

• Jennifer’s introduction and experience as an early adopter of AI

• The evolution from information age marketing to the age of intelligence

• How AI impacts SEO, search habits, and website visibility

• Importance of author-driven, expert, and personalized content

• Strategies to get dental practices featured in AI overviews

• The significance of transparency in pricing and service details

• Increasing consumer trust through detailed, credible information

• Using AI for operational efficiencies in practice management

• Adapting to changing consumer behavior and search trends

• The window of opportunity for small businesses in AI-driven marketing

In this episode, Ash welcomes David Herman, founder of Web Marketing for Dentists, who draws on over 20 years of dental marketing experience to explain how specialized marketing helps dental practices achieve real returns on investment. David discusses the unique challenges of dental marketing and how his agency uses data-driven strategies, including tracking PMS data and return on investment, to provide transparency and results for clients.

David shares examples of quick and significant marketing turnarounds, noting that dentists can expect to see a return on their investment in as little as 30 days. He emphasizes the importance of individualized marketing plans—understanding the dentist’s preferred procedures and leveraging patient reviews and targeted content for better SEO. The conversation also covers actionable tips for startups with limited budgets, such as optimizing websites for speed, building out procedure-specific content, and prioritizing Google reviews. David concludes with strategies for balancing pay-per-click and long-term SEO, ensuring dental practices can continue to grow despite rising digital marketing costs.

Key Topics Discussed:

• Why dental-specific marketing expertise matters
• The challenge of educating dental consumers
• Ensuring HIPAA compliance in marketing efforts
• Using PMS data to track ROI accurately
• How quickly can dental practices expect results from digital marketing
• The agency’s unique 30-day contract and trial offer
• The importance of individualized marketing by dental procedure
• Value of video and audio for patient connection
• What dental procedures are easiest and most profitable to market
• Website optimization tips for startups
• Strategies for getting more Google reviews
• Differences between pay-per-click advertising and SEO
• Long-term digital marketing considerations for dental practices