Jodie Loveday is an accountant with over 38 years of experience. She now works with Hesketh Consultancy, where her eye for detail has helped uncover significant accounting errors in 100% of new dental clients. These errors can often cost practices tens of thousands of pounds and lead to poor business decisions.

In this stimulating interview, Ashley and Chris speak to Jodie about three common mistakes she frequently discovers when taking on new dental clients.

The three key areas discussed are:

1. Income recognition
Jodie explains how income is posted to the accounts and why recording income in the wrong month can distort profits, affect decision-making and potentially lead to unnecessary tax payments.

2. Cost allocations
Costs are often posted directly from bank statements without invoices being properly checked. Jodie shares an example where a purchase was incorrectly allocated, meaning the client missed out on a 130% super allowance claim.

3. Directors' loan accounts
Strict rules apply to limited companies, and overdrawn directors' loan accounts can trigger unnecessary 37.5% tax bills, often with very short notice. Jodie shares another real-world example of how this can happen.

Jodie may be humble, but her no-nonsense approach will inspire you to examine how you run your own practice, review your numbers more closely and make sure your accounts are truly working for you.

In this episode of the Two Reds podcast, Chris Barrow and Ashley Latter park the polished version of business life and talk about the real world instead. Ashley joins the conversation after a brutal few days, with serious water damage at his training centre, a lost weekend of clearing up, and another demanding week of travel and delivery ahead. It is an honest reminder that leadership often means carrying on when you are tired, frustrated and running on reserve.

Ashley shares his main lesson from Australia. The clinicians who use digital scanners most consistently tend to do the most Invisalign and higher value treatment. The technology is not the issue, the discipline of using it well is. He also notes that, although regulation is tighter there, the core commercial challenges remain familiar: discussing fees, overcoming objections and creating a patient experience that goes beyond price.

One of the strongest moments in the episode comes from a coaching story about referral to the hygienist. The message is simple, if you would recommend something to your own family with conviction, then say it that way to your patients. Belief matters.

Chris then turns to treatment plan presentation, arguing that too many practices still produce documents that are either confusing, uninspiring or purely defensive. His view is that AI now offers a real opportunity to create treatment plans that are clearer, more engaging and still fully compliant.

A thoughtful episode on resilience, communication, technology and the gap between busyness and effectiveness.

In this episode of the Two Reds podcast, Chris Barrow is joined by Dr Paul Abrahams of Smile More Dental Care in London for a thoughtful and wide-ranging conversation about career longevity, practice ownership, innovation and exit strategy.

With Ashley Latter away in Australia, Chris and Paul take the opportunity to explore Paul's remarkable journey from an uncertain start in the early 1980s, through qualification at Guy's in 1989, to building and eventually selling a highly respected two-surgery private practice in St John's Wood.

Paul reflects on the early influence of retail training at Marks & Spencer, the importance of mentors, and the role played by his long-standing principal and friend in shaping both his career and his outlook. There is a strong message here for younger dentists about the value of guidance, patience and backing yourself when opportunities appear.

The conversation then moves into ownership. Paul shares the story of acquiring what was, in effect, a doer-upper squat in one of London's most affluent postcodes, and how he built that business steadily over more than two decades. Rather than chasing scale for its own sake, he chose to create what Chris describes as a successful lifestyle business, rooted in community, family patients and long-term trust.

There is also a fascinating discussion about innovation. Paul explains why he has always been drawn to new ideas, from cosmetic dentistry in the early days to digital scanning and chairside technology more recently. His view is simple, the only constant is change, and practices that stay curious tend to stay relevant.

Finally, Chris and Paul discuss the decision to sell into Dentex, the importance of timing, and the emotional reality of letting go. Paul offers a particularly valuable insight for anyone considering a sale, if you are not ready to give up control, you may not yet be ready to sell.

This is a warm, honest and intelligent conversation with one of dentistry's genuinely good people. For young owners, established principals and anyone thinking about what comes next, there is much to take away.