For Dr. Babek “Ben” Yousefi, experiencing career success early sparked a big vision: Growing a patient-centered, scalable dental group model focused on pediatric dentistry and orthodontics.
Dr. Yousefi, an orthodontist by training, began his career at an elite dental school in Iran before joining a general dentistry program at the University of Southern California, then completing an orthodontic residency at the University of Buffalo. After working in a large dental corporation on the West Coast, he gained invaluable exposure to large-scale operations, managing clinical efficiency and training for a department with 130 orthodontists and over 4,500 team members.
Achieving Organized Growth and Success
As Dr. Yousefi experienced growth within his own dental practice, he quickly realized he was suited for group practice leaders. Between 2013 and 2020, he grew to five practices and three partnerships.
The complexities of scaling a multilocation practice demanded more than clinical expertise.
Dr. Yousefi found himself wearing multiple hats: clinician, manager, recruiter, and executive. Despite passion and ambition, the practice reached a certain tipping point where its growth was beginning to outpace its operations.
“We get excited about growth, but at the same time, this growth needs to be very systematic and organized”
– Dr. Yousefi
Expanding with Polaris’ Support
To help build that systemic approach for further growth, Dr. Yousefi began working with Polaris Healthcare Partners Founder and CEO Diwakar Sinha in 2016. Initially drawn to Diwakar’s unique blend of financial acumen and deep dental industry knowledge, Dr. Yousefi has since leveraged the wide array of Polaris services and expertise based on the group practice’s needs. To date, that support has taken the form of:
- Executive education and counsel to take advantage of economies of scale.
- Fractional COO support to build bandwidth
- Transitions and training for in-house expertise.
Most recently, Dr. Yousefi worked with Mark Flock of Polaris to develop an equity program that aligned the group practice’s growing executive leadership with the future goals of the organization. This collaborative work helped support the successful hire of a leader that will help Dr. Youselfi achieve his long-term vision.
Dr. Yousefi sees the long-term relationship as integral to his success of not only the past work, but its more recent equity program.
“Having a trusted advisor who gives you knowledge, encourages you, and stays committed to your journey is critical.”
– Dr. Yousefi
Outcomes
As a result of the close alliance with Polaris, Dr. Yousefi has been able to realize his vision of a scalable, successful group practice focused on superior patient care. With time, Dr. Yousefi has also realized:
- Team expansion: Transitioned from fractional to full-time executives to support structured and strategic gr
- Practice growth: Grew to eight practices, with 10 additional de novo builds planned for Southern
- Vision for scale: Dr. Yousefi’s practice is on track to have 40 offices and the potential for $100 million in revenue within five years.
- Organizational alignment: Implemented systems for executive alignment, associate partnerships, and future-facing strategies like credit facility development and merger and acquisition readiness.
With a clear roadmap to expand within the pediatric and orthodontic specialties, Dr. Yousefi continues to prioritize deliberate, systems-driven growth. Polaris remains a close partner in that journey not just supporting the present, but also helping to design the future, with Dr. Yousefi noting that Polaris’ trusted guidance has been impactful to his growth to date. He shares a lesson for any growing group practice:
“You need extra wings. Polaris was that for us.”
– Dr. Yousefi
