About Opkie
Independent practices hold the one thing corporate dental cannot buy.
A patient relationship built on continuity and the known presence of a specific doctor. DSOs have paid a premium to acquire exactly that because they could not build it.
What we believe
The advantage is structural, not sentimental.
Independent practices are not being outcompeted on quality. They are being outcompeted on marketing efficiency by organizations that have centralized it. The clinical advantage still belongs to the owner-operator who knows their patients by name.
What they lack is not capability. It is a way to make their difference visible to the people who would choose them if they knew.
The marketing industry has responded with volume tactics: more leads, more ads, more spend. But reaching more of the wrong people faster is not a solution. It is the problem in different clothes.
We exist because we think the independent practice model is worth preserving, and because we think the standard approach to marketing it is part of what is eroding it.
Who we are
A family business helping family practices.
Opkie was founded by brothers Ryan and Jeffrey in January 2020. Before that, we spent five years establishing and operating 17 healthcare clinics across 14 states. We learned firsthand how difficult it is to get healthcare marketing right.
When we started working with local service businesses, one pattern emerged: our first dental client became our best result. The second dental client, the same. Our combination of healthcare operations experience and local business positioning expertise turned out to be suited for one specific audience.
So we took our own advice. We tell dentists to focus on the patients they serve best rather than trying to serve everyone. We did the same: we made the decision to work only with dental practices.
The team
When you work with Opkie, you work with a person.
Ryan
Co-Founder
Strategy and positioning. Owns the diagnostic work that determines what the practice actually needs.
Jeffrey
Co-Founder
Technology and implementation. Builds what the strategy calls for.
Troy
Business Development
40 years of healthcare and business experience. The strategic perspective behind what we build.
Ellie
Client Success
Reactivation and review systems. Makes sure the work produces what it should.
Emily
Creative Direction
Visual identity and content. Creates what patients see when they find you.
Sarah
Operations
Implementation coordination. Makes sure what we promise becomes reality.
How the work gets done
AI makes the depth of work possible. A person makes the decisions.
Every practice has a named human who owns the account. They make the diagnostic calls, they review the work, they decide what ships.
We use AI to do more than a traditional agency could do at this price: deeper research, faster execution, more content, more thorough optimization. The alternative would be a larger team, higher fees, and slower turnaround.
What AI does not do is talk to you. It does not make strategic decisions. It does not decide what your practice should be known for. That requires judgment, and judgment requires a person who knows your market.
This is a delivery methodology, not a selling point. We mention it because hiding it would be a lie by omission, and you would find out anyway.
Market exclusivity
We can only work with one practice per market.
Positioning is zero-sum. When your authority improves, your competitors' relative position declines. We cannot build competitive differentiation for you and then build it for the practice down the street.
This is not a scarcity tactic. It is arithmetic. If we work with you, we do not work with your direct competitors in the same service area. Full stop.
What we hold to
Four principles that govern the work.
Relentless Ownership
We own the outcomes. Your success is our success. No excuses, no finger-pointing.
Radical Clarity
No hidden fees. No long contracts. No corporate speak. Just straight talk.
Results Over Effort
We do not bill by the hour. We deliver by the result. Your growth is how we measure success.
Momentum Matters
Speed wins. We launch fast, optimize faster. While competitors plan, we execute.
The conversation starts with your numbers.
We look at your production, your lead history, and what those leads have been worth. If we can help, we will tell you how. If we cannot, we will tell you that too.
Start the conversation