Unsolicited offers can be flattering. They can also be dangerous.

When DSOs approach an owner directly, the offer reflects what the buyer believes they can acquire it for, often before the owner has pressure-tested EBITDA, normalized add-backs, or positioned the growth story in a way the broader buyer universe will reward.

That’s exactly where Dr. F started.

Dr. F had received multiple unsolicited offers directly from DSOs and wanted clarity: Were these offers strong? Were they “market”? And most importantly, was now the right time to sell?

So TUSK did what we always do first: we anchored the decision to facts.

The Situation: DSOs were eager to acquire, but the timing wasn’t optimal

Dr. F wasn’t dealing with a broken business or a declining trend. The opposite. There were identifiable growth drivers already in motion—close enough that we could reasonably forecast material improvement if the business was given a short runway to mature. After running a complimentary valuation, our recommendation surprised the client:

Don’t go to market yet. Wait 90 days.

In those 90 Days, we worked alongside Dr. F to:

• Identify what was suppressing EBITDA today (even if revenue was strong)
• Implement operational and financial cleanups that would show up quickly in the numbers
• Package a sharper, more defensible “growth + durability” narrative for buyers
• Create a timeline where the improved performance would be visible in trailing financials

We helped Dr. F navigate through the noise of all the unsolicited offers he had received and refocus on what was happening inside his business. This is where Dr. F had to trust TUSK to know that holding onto the business and continuing to grow with our recommendations would benefit him in the long-term when it was the right time to go to market.

Sometimes the highest-value decision is when to sell and what to fix before buyers price your practice.

TUSK’s Approach: A 90-Day Value Plan

Over the next 90 days, Dr. F executed that plan.

When we re-ran the numbers after the business had time to mature, we documented a 36% increase in valuation driven by the EBITDA improvements and the cleaner story the financials now supported.

What changed in 90 days:

• EBITDA was strengthened by addressing specific, fixable operational and financial items resulting in a 36% increase in valuation
• The practice’s performance became easier for buyers to underwrite with confidence
• The growth story moved from “potential” to “proven in the numbers”

Going To Market: Competitive Tension Changed Everything

Once the improved performance was visible, we launched the TUSK Marketed Sales Process. This is where the owner’s leverage shifts. Instead of negotiating against unsolicited offers, Dr. F had multiple groups competing and most importantly, he knew what his dental practice was worth.

The process produced five offers.

And importantly, the process didn’t just “capture” the 36% increase we had already created—it continued to reward growth as buyers competed and the EBITDA story strengthened further during the process.

By the end, the client’s valuation increased 78% compared to the initial unsolicited offers.

Market process results:

• 36% valuation increase documented after the 90-day optimization period
• 5 offers generated through the TUSK Marketed Sales Process
• 78% valuation increase achieved vs. the initial unsolicited offers, as competitive tension and continued EBITDA momentum drove pricing

Takeaway: Sometimes The Best “Yes” Starts With A Strategic “Not Yet”

Dr. F sold his dental practice with confidence and clarity. He understood the value of a process, an advisor with industry experience, and the dangers of selling unrepresented.

If you’re receiving unsolicited DSO offers, the right move is to get a second opinion and a true un-biased valuation.