Maria Melone: Dental Advisory on the Buy & Sell Sides

In this episode of The Close, Maria Melone discusses the challenges facing healthcare M&A, particularly in dental and med spa sectors. She explains how many advisors focus solely on headline multiples while ignoring crucial deal structure elements like cash-at-close ratios, equity terms, and buyer-seller fit. Maria shares a compelling example of how the same transaction could be valued at 28x, 15x, or 8.5x depending on EBITDA calculations. The conversation covers the shift toward lower cash-at-close deals, the importance of rollover equity, and why sophisticated financial expertise is essential for successful healthcare transactions in today's market. Explore the full episode page to watch a video or read a transcript of the full interview: https://caberhill.com/podcast/maria-melone-dental-and-medspa-m-and-a-advisory-on-the-buy-sell-sides

Chapters

• 0:00 Intro and Background in Dental M&A
• 1:18 The Crowded Dental Brokerage Field and Value of Advisor Expertise
• 7:41 Understanding Multiples: A Real Deal Example
• 10:27 Why Med Spas Are the Next Hot Sector
• 13:45 Challenges Facing Private Equity-Backed DSOs and MSOs
• 24:11 Current Projects and Team Expansion
• 25:49 Advice for Business Owners: Don't Get Fixated on Numbers
• 28:52 Contact Info and Closing