Head of Sales, Zoe Close, catches up with leading Dental Business Consultant, Mike Hesketh, to find out how he helps businesses flourish.
Zoe: When I meet clients, they often ask where they should go for help. Or even, whether they need any help. What kind of help can they get? Is there a pinch time when people should reach out for assistance, or should it be when you are starting the business? Or is it better to wait until you’ve been established for a little while? What’s your advice on that?
Mike: I specialise in working one-on-one with established practices that have been trading for at least one or two years and have a solid turnover. However, for those just starting out, I recommend two excellent sources of support. First, there’s the Entrepreneurs Club by Ashley Latter, a small group of 10 to 12 practice owners. I’ve been involved with Ashley for five years, and we’ve helped over 50 practices achieve significant growth. The second is the Extreme Business 100 Club with Chris Barrow, which offers tremendous support, camaraderie, and knowledge sharing. I’ll be speaking at some of Chris’s events in 2025. These two resources are fantastic for those at the beginning of their journey.
Once a practice is more established, we find tailored support becomes essential and that’s when we step in. We work with practices turning over between £1 million and £8 million, aiming to boost growth and market share. I share our inside success story and four core pillars for growth to practice owners ready to take the next steps on their practice growth journey. With 20 years’ clinical dental experience, two multi-million-pound practices and 100+ consulting clients advised, the principles we teach are successful because they have been honed through real life practice.
People can find more information on my website, Hesketh Healthcare, where I offer complimentary consultations for those interested in learning more and working with me. I’m also available for conversations on LinkedIn.
Zoe: I know what a difference you can make, but do you see the difference you’ve made to your clients? What sort of feedback are you getting?
Mike: We have worked with some fantastic dental professionals, helping to transform their practices. We’ve seen remarkable results, averaging turnover growth of around £300,000 per year. Our goal is to help dentists reduce their clinical work, focusing on what they love—whether that’s implants, Invisalign™, or general dentistry and having time for business development. This approach increases their job satisfaction and allows them to reclaim their time.
Beyond turnover growth, we often find significant savings and benefits for our clients. For example, I once identified a half a million-pound saving in a membership scheme for a large practice with just a one-hour review. By analysing fee guides, behaviours, and assumptions, we can implement dramatic changes. Our case studies and testimonials consistently show that practices enjoy their businesses much more once they have bespoke support and a dedicated team. We equip clients with the tools they need to manage without us and go forth with a roadmap for success. No matter how hard stressful times may get as a practice owner, everything is “figureoutable”. Take good advice and run with it. Here are a couple of lovely reviews that I recently received re: feedback.
★★★★★
If you want to improve your leadership with your team, speak to Mike! If you want to grow your business, speak to Mike! If you want to get your life back, speak to Mike! If you want to increase your turnover and reduce your workload, speak to Mike! If you feel you’re not maximising the potential of your business, speak to Mike! If you want to grow as a person and become the best version of yourself, speak to Mike! With the greatest of thanks, thank you Mike for your transformation of ourselves and our business. 5 Star Coach!
Stuart and Amy Barnes Directors of The Lytham Dental Clinic
★★★★★
Working with Mike has been life changing for us. We’ve transformed our traditional practice into something we feel is special and has set up the future of our family business long into the future. With Mike’s leadership experience in the military, the fact he owns practices himself and has exited successfully in past, we can’t be happier with the service.
Ajeesh Ahamed Silver Oak Dentistry
Zoe: Sometimes the prospect of change can be quite daunting for a practice, even though they may know they’ve got to do it. Do you find that there’s a resistance to change or do you find through the leadership you provide you can get that change to land more easily?
Mike: There is often a resistance to change, but that’s fine. We changed Exeter Dental from a small paper led old practice to a 7-chair award winning, city centre, associate led practice open 7 days a week. Now I am underway with a new renovation and expansion project with Dartmoor Dental, it’s a completely different beast all together. There is always a change process, but there are ways to manage this. It’s my job to support the owners through that change process and make sure that it’s not too daunting.
The key is to pace things and also to keep score with the cashflow forecast, which doesn’t happen in a lot of practices. Once owners get that, they start to let go of the worry a bit and I end up with a calm practice owner who’s methodically working through things. Then all of a sudden, the business gets a momentum that grows really quickly but the way we do things makes it much more manageable.
Zoe: After all, that’s what we want, isn’t it? Calm, happy, productive, and profitable businesses. Thank you very much.
About Mike
Mike Hesketh is CEO and Consultant at Hesketh Healthcare. He is also owner of Dartmoor Dental Practice.
Born in Wales, trained in Leeds, and ‘made in the Royal Navy,’ Mike is a leading dental consultant and practice owner with a profound passion for leadership. His journey through diverse and challenging environments, including earning the Royal Marines’ coveted commando green beret and serving on the front lines in Afghanistan as a dentist and casualty medic, has instilled in him a deep understanding of effective teamwork under pressure.
Mike’s formal leadership training is extensive, with credentials from the UK Defence Academy, Britannia Royal Naval College, Exeter University Business School (MBA), and Henley Business School (Professional Certificate in Executive Coaching). This robust foundation, coupled with access to innovative business and coaching theories, has equipped Mike with the insights necessary to drive small healthcare businesses toward success. He is a sought-after guest lecturer at universities, dental mastermind groups, and dental conferences.
With 15 years of experience in public and private dentistry, including a Maxillofacial SHO year and memberships of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and London, Mike is aware of what good clinicals skills look like.
His business acumen is equally impressive. After acquiring The Exeter Dental Centre Ltd in 2012 for £280,000 and selling it for £3.2 million five years later, Mike now channels his expertise into his latest venture, Dartmoor Dental in Tavistock and Hesketh Healthcare where the focus is on business leadership and growth, empowering other practice owners to thrive.
Since 2014, Mike has provided one-on-one consultancy to practice owners, drawing on 20 years of clinical experience, two multimillion-pound practices, and advising over 100 clients. The principles he teaches are grounded in real-life practice, ensuring their effectiveness and relevance.
A personal highlight for Mike was a family gap year out, traveling the world with his wife and two young children, Poppy and Hugo, following the sale of The Exeter Dental Centre. Upon returning, Mike completed a self-build project of their family home on the Exe Estuary, Devon, with his wife and business partner, Lara.
