What If Success Isn’t the End Goal? A Conversation with Dr. David Phelps
What if the goal isn’t retirement but freedom?
That’s one of the themes in a recent conversation between My Dental Agency’s Jackie Cullen and Dr. David Phelps—former dentist, real estate investor, and founder of Freedom Founders, a private community for dentists who want more control over their time, money, and future.
The full conversation is available here:
Jackie first connected with Dr. Phelps in Nashville and was immediately struck by both his story and his clarity around what really drives dentists to seek financial change. In this video, the two discuss how mindset, intention, and community shape the kind of freedom many doctors are ultimately looking for.
“Begin With the End in Mind”
Dr. Phelps challenges the idea that dentists should completely hand off their financial future to outside professionals. While he believes advisors have a role to play, he encourages practice owners not to “abdicate” responsibility for their long-term financial goals.
That mindset, he argues, keeps many doctors grinding longer than they want to—without a clear destination. “Begin with the end in mind,” he says. “What do you really want in your life? What’s important to you?”
More Than Just a Financial Model
Many dentists put off long-term planning because they haven’t been shown options beyond the traditional 401(k). “There’s more to it than just putting it on Wall Street and hoping it hits the mark when you need it,” Dr. Phelps says.
For him, real freedom is about having more choices. “If I know how my money can work for me—to provide what I want for my family, for our lifestyle, to give back to other people, to have the practice that I always wanted. Now I’ve got a full-scale model, but it takes some intentionality.”
Building a Close-Knit Tribe
One thing that sets Freedom Founders apart is how personal it feels. It’s not about scale or volume. It’s about community.
“I can’t create a custom outcome if I don’t know who the people are,” Dr. Phelps says. “Then I’m just giving templates—cookie-cutter models that may or may not work.”
The group is curated intentionally, and prospective members go through several conversations before joining. It’s designed to be a space where doctors—and often their spouses—can speak honestly about what’s working, what isn’t, and what they want to change. “All progress begins by telling the truth,” he says.
It’s Not About Knowing Everything
Jackie raised a familiar concern: many dentists don’t feel equipped to make complex investment decisions on their own. Dr. Phelps gets that—and doesn’t expect them to become experts.
“I don’t want to be a hands-on investor like I was early in life,” he says. “I need to find people I trust and be in a room where these things are being discussed openly—without someone pitching the deal of the day.”
That openness is key to the Freedom Founders model. “It’s a done-with-you program,” he adds. “That’s how you learn.”
Is It the Right Fit?
Freedom Founders is built for practice owners who are financially stable and ready to think beyond their day-to-day operations. “When your model is working well, your debt and spending are under control, and you have at least a million dollars of capital to deploy,” Dr. Phelps says, “that’s usually the right time.”
But if you’re not quite there, that’s okay, too. “We’re happy to have a discussion with anybody,” he adds. “Even when it’s not the right time, we can point people toward the right next step.”
Ready to Learn More?
If this conversation resonates with where you are—or where you want to be—Freedom Founders can help you take the next step. You don’t need to have everything figured out. You just need to be curious.
Schedule a 10-minute consult with the Freedom Founders team: FreedomFounders.com/Discover
