Is There Ever a "Right Time"? Building a Booked-Out Dental Startup While Raising 3 Kids Under 5
About this episode
Scott Leune discusses the challenges and decisions of starting a dental practice while raising a young family with Dr. Stamatis Kouniaris and his wife Katarina.
Episode 77: Is there ever really a "right time" to start a practice? In this episode of the Dental CEO Podcast, Scott sits down with Dr. Stamatis Kouniaris and his wife Katarina, a practicing attorney, to talk about one of the boldest timing decisions a young family can make: launching a dental startup in Canada while raising three kids under five, including a newborn just one month old. Just a month after opening Ilios Dentaire, Stamatis and Katarina are already booked out three to four weeks, adding a hygienist, and hiring a second assistant, all while juggling final construction details, working capital, and the everyday chaos of a young family. They open up about why they chose a startup over an acquisition, how financing and insurance structures shaped their decisions, what it's really like when one spouse is a dentist and the other is navigating life alongside the build, and why they believe waiting for the "right time" often means waiting forever. Whether you're weighing a startup against an acquisition, wondering how kids factor into the timeline, or just want an honest look at the first month of practice ownership, this conversation is a real, unfiltered look at building…
People in this episode
Host: Scott Leune
Guests: Dr. Stamatis Kouniaris, Katarina
Topics covered
- startup vs. acquisition decisions
- financing and lending strategy
- insurance and fee structures
- balancing parenthood with practice ownership
- coaching during a startup build
Keywords
- dental startup
- practice ownership
- family
- financing
- insurance
- parenthood
- coaching
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Ilios Dentaire
Places: Canada
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