875: Freedom Starts Here: Work Less and Gain More – Dr. Barrett Straub

Are you feeling trapped at work? Do you wish you had more time outside of your practice? In this episode of Practical Solutions Day, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, to give you the treatment plan for regaining the freedom you deserve. Your practice should serve your life — not the other way around! To learn the steps of intentional planning for a better practice and better life, listen to Episode 875 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Dr. Straub:

• Send Kirk an email: kirk@actdental.com 
• Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com 
• Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
• Send Gina an email for your Golden Ticket: gina@actdental.com 

More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:

• Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
• Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
• Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
• Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
• Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
• See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
• Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
• Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218

Episode Resources:

• Watch the video version of Episode 875: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
• Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 25, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-25-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205497959849

Main Takeaways:

• Success isn't just about revenue. It’s about how many days you work.
• Define your ideal work schedule. How many days do you want to work?
• Delegate and elevate your team members. They are capable — train them.
• Optimize your schedule by minimizing cancellations and increasing efficiency.
• Maximize PPD and PPV so you need fewer clinical days and fewer patient visits.
• If you're currently at 220 days, that's okay! Work on reducing it down to 210 days.

Snippets:

0:00 Introduction.

1:55 ACT’s TTT, BPA, Pro Coaching, and BPA app.

5:46 Why this is an important topic.

7:54 Working harder and working smarter, explained.

13:50 Define your ideal work schedule.

16:55 Maximize APV.

20:35 Start delegating more.

22:31 Why it’s important to know your numbers.

24:30 You don't need 3,000 patients.

26:02 Maximize PPD and PPV.

37:31 Optimize schedule capacity.

44:56 Strategically pre-appoint patients.

47:02 Minimize cancellations.

49:30 Final takeaways.

Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:

Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.

A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.

Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.