Why We Focus on Private Practice Dentists
Your practice faces unique challenges that require specialized expertise—not generic marketing tactics
Private practice dentists face a unique positioning challenge. You've spent 8+ years mastering the science of dentistry, but the business side—especially marketing—feels unprofessional, like admitting your clinical skills aren't enough.
Here's the reality: Your clinical skills ARE exceptional. But the market doesn't see it because of a positioning problem, not a skill problem.
The Four Differences That Make Dentists Unique
1. Marketing Cross-section
Dental practices sit at the intersection of healthcare and local business—a unique position that requires specialized positioning strategy.
Healthcare marketing is governed by YMYL (Your Money Your Life) standards. Local business marketing is about proximity and convenience. Most agencies specialize in one or the other, not both.
We learned this the hard way running 17 healthcare clinics across 14 states. Our superior technology and clinical outcomes weren't enough—we needed positioning strategy that worked within healthcare constraints and local business realities.
2. The Dental Divide
The market is pushing dentists toward two extremes:
- Acquire maximum volume (compete with DSOs on their terms)
- Specialize and niche down (orthodontics, implants, cosmetics only)
But there's a third option: Authority positioning for high-value general practice patients.
The stats are sobering:
- DSOs control 16% of the market now, projected to hit 39% by 2026
- $9 billion in acquisitions in 2024 alone
- Top 10 DSOs control 7,350 offices
- Corporate players have centralized marketing teams, enterprise technology, and millions in budgets
Most marketing agencies respond with volume tactics: "$99 new patient specials" and Facebook ads. But high-value patients ($15K+ lifetime value) aren't on Facebook responding to discount offers. They're researching, comparing, and choosing based on authority and trust.
3. Insurance Stranglehold
You're "price-takers" in your own business:
- Practice does $500K in production but writes off $200K = actually making $300K
- 35% of dentists seeing DECLINING reimbursements year over year
- Patient acquisition costs $150-$300 per patient
- Insurance only reimburses 60% of acquisition cost
- Need 20-50 new patients monthly just to maintain current patient load
This is the reverse of a healthy business model. TAPS addresses this by helping you attract fee-for-service and high-value insurance patients who accept treatment.
4. Technology Gap and Patient Sophistication
A plumber or landscaper can have a mediocre website and still succeed. Dentists can't.
Healthcare = YMYL standards (higher bar than other businesses). Google and AI judge healthcare sites more strictly.
The gap is widening:
- 77% of patients want online booking. Only 26% of practices offer it = 51-point gap
- May 14, 2024: Google AI Overviews launched
- Zero-click searches jumped from 56% to 69%
- 93% of dental practices fail to appear in AI recommendations
- LLM traffic will surpass traditional search by 2027 (two years from now)
Independent practices are becoming invisible precisely when patients are researching most.
The Opportunity
This is why we focus exclusively on dentists.
Independent practices have advantages DSOs can't replicate:
- Community integration and local trust
- Hyper-local precision (targeting the 90 out of every 10,000 people searching for high-value case work in your specific area)
- Family practice continuity (not corporate churn)
- Authority that compounds over time (not ad spend that stops when payment stops)
You deserve partners who understand your world. We only speak dentistry—no dilution, no divided attention.
Our Story
A Family Business Built on Healthcare Experience
Opkie was founded by brothers Ryan and Jeffrey in January 2020, but our expertise in healthcare and digital positioning goes back further.
Healthcare Roots: Before Opkie, we spent 5 years establishing and operating 17 clinics across 14 states. We learned firsthand how difficult it is to get healthcare marketing right—there are so many different kinds of marketing, and healthcare is a unique beast combining local business dynamics with medical credibility requirements.
The Evolution to Dental Focus
When we sold the company, our passion became clear: help small local businesses with marketing tailored to their specific constraints and goals.
We started working with local service businesses across various industries, testing and refining our positioning methodology. We validated that our systems work, but one pattern emerged clearly: our first dental client became our #1 success story. The second dental client? Same result.
That's when we realized something: our unique combination of healthcare operations experience and local business positioning expertise was perfectly suited for one specific audience—private practice dentists.
Following Our Own Advice
We teach dentists to focus exclusively on their ideal patients rather than trying to serve everyone. So we took our own advice: we made the strategic decision to work only with dental practices.
Why Market Exclusivity Matters
We can't serve competing practices in the same market. Positioning is zero-sum—as your authority improves, your competitors' positioning declines.
Unlike commodity marketing agencies that use the same playbook for everyone in a market, we build competitive differentiation. That means we can only work with one practice per area.
Our Team
Opkie has grown from two brothers with laptops to a dedicated family team including Troy (our dad), Ellie, Emily, Sarah, and Jovin—each bringing unique expertise to help your practice thrive.
We know the stress of trying to grow a business because we've lived it. That's why we built TAPS—to eliminate the guesswork, stop the money waste, and deliver results.
Meet the Opkie Family
Ryan
Co-Founder & Strategy
Authority positioning strategist. Turns patient mix challenges into market dominance. Obsessed with 2× ROI guarantees, not vanity metrics.
Jeffrey
Co-Founder & Technology
YMYL compliance expert. Builds dental authority systems that pass Google's strictest standards. Speed, conversion, and healthcare credibility.
Troy
Business Development
40+ years of healthcare and business experience. Helps dentists see practice growth opportunities competitors miss. The strategic wisdom behind TAPS.
Ellie
Client Success
Makes sure every dental practice hits their 2× ROI guarantee. Patient reactivation and review acceleration specialist. Your success is her mission.
Emily
Creative Direction
Healthcare design specialist. Creates dental practice authority that attracts high-value patients. Trust-building visuals that convert.
Sarah
Operations
90-day implementation coordinator. Makes sure TAPS builds stay on schedule and promises become reality. The execution engine.
We're a family business helping family practices. When you work with Opkie, you're not getting a rotating cast of account managers—you're getting a dedicated team invested in your long-term success.
Our Journey to Building Opkie
From running Facebook ads to revolutionizing how local businesses dominate online. Here's how we learned what really works.
2020
2020
Jeff and Ryan Launch EMRJ Digital
Two brothers with a vision started EMRJ Digital in January 2020, running Facebook and Google Ads for local businesses across the Wasatch Front. As the world shut down, we helped businesses pivot online and survive the pandemic.
Key Learning: We discovered that most businesses weren't ready for paid traffic - their websites couldn't convert the visitors we sent them. This sparked our obsession with conversion optimization.
2022
2022
Small Business To Go is Born
Troy joined the team, bringing 40+ years of business wisdom. EMRJ Digital evolved into Small Business To Go, adding CRM and systems implementation to our services. We weren't just driving traffic anymore - we were building complete revenue systems.
The team expanded with Emily joining to lead content creation and graphic design. We launched several content marketing blogs, learning what really drives organic traffic and engagement.
Breakthrough: We realized businesses needed more than marketing - they needed systems. This led us to develop our first integrated solutions combining websites, CRM, and automation.
2023
2023
University of Utah MBC Program
Jeff joined the Masters of Business Creation program at the University of Utah, working to grow and market Small Business To Go's Business Operating System. This academic rigor combined with real-world application refined our methodologies.
Ellie joined the team to handle our growing administrative needs, allowing us to focus on what we do best - helping businesses grow. Our client base expanded as word spread about our no-nonsense approach to revenue growth.
Validation: Academic research confirmed what we'd learned in the trenches - most businesses fail online not from lack of traffic, but from poor conversion and follow-up systems.
2024
2024
Graduation and Expansion
Jeff graduated with honors from the MBC program. Ryan and Jeff implemented their CRM as the primary learning tool for program founders, proving our systems work across industries.
Sarah joined to help Jeff with website development, bringing fresh perspectives on user experience and conversion optimization. Our team was complete, each member bringing unique strengths to serve our clients better.
Recognition: Our integrated approach gained recognition in the startup community. We weren't just another agency - we were revenue partners.
2025
2025
The Birth of Opkie
AI tools and SEO changes started devastating businesses' online presence. Rankings tanked. Conversions plummeted. Existing websites became liabilities instead of assets. We saw businesses we'd helped build lose 40-60% of their traffic overnight.
Small Business To Go rebranded to Opkie, shifting focus to help businesses not just survive but thrive in this new landscape. We developed the Aktiv Revenue Optimization System - a complete solution for the AI age.
Our Promise: In a world where online rules change daily, you need a partner who adapts faster than the algorithms. That's why Opkie exists - to be your unfair advantage in the digital arms race.
Today's Mission:
Help 1,000 local service businesses dominate their markets with systems that work today and adapt for tomorrow.
Our Values Drive Everything
Relentless Ownership
We own the outcomes. Your success is our success. No excuses, no finger-pointing, just results.
Radical Clarity
No corporate speak. No hidden fees. No long contracts. Just straight talk and transparent pricing.
Results Over Effort
We don't 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.
Our TAPS Track Record
5+
Years in Healthcare
90
Days to Build TAPS
2×
ROI Guaranteed
1:1
Market Exclusivity
Ready to Build Your Authority System?
Let's discuss if TAPS is right for your practice. Book a free 30-minute strategy call—no pressure, just clarity.