The Day Zero Manual: Building for 2026

The Day Zero Manual: Building for 2026

Hi friends!

As the first week of 2026 kicks off, I’m taking a moment to look back before we leap forward. It has been a beautifully chaotic season—from celebrating Dr. Toni Torres’ daughter’s 5th birthday to hosting eight Australians in my house (my husband’s family from down under!).

Before we dive into the grit of the new year, we have some incredible news to share. Thanks to this amazing community, The Making Of was named Course Karma’s 2025 Educational Facebook Group of the Year for Business Management! 🏆

This award belongs to you. A group is only as strong as the people sitting at the table, and your vulnerability and "real talk" make this the best corner of the dental world. If you’ve been looking for a "table" of builders to sit with this year, you’ve found it.

"So You Think You Want to Build a Startup?"

If you are sitting there today thinking, "2026 is the year I finally go out on my own," then this week’s episode is your mandatory manual. We often talk about the "pretty" parts of a startup—the branding and the grand opening—but we rarely talk about the moment before the moment.

This is for the person asking: "I have the dream, but what are the actual, tactical first steps?"

Dr. Toni Torres joins me to break down the "Day Zero" checklist. These are the moves you have to make before you can even think about signing a lease or picking out paint colors.

In this episode, we deep-dive into the "First Steps" Checklist:

• The Approval Before the Search: Why you need to know exactly how much a bank will give you before you even look at a single piece of real estate. You can’t shop for a million-dollar location with a $700k loan.

• The Rep Connection: How a trusted equipment rep (like Toni’s Patterson rep) is often your first gateway to a lender.

• The Art of the Interview: How Toni interviewed four different banks and used a competing 14-year offer to negotiate her preferred lender's monthly payments in half.

• The Insurance Quadrant: A breakdown of the four types of insurance (Builders, Business, Disability, and Life) that lenders require before you move a single brick.

• Runway Reality: The truth about "lag time" in insurance payments and why you need a cash cushion to survive the first 90 days.

This is the stuff they don't teach you in dental school, and it’s the foundation for everything that comes next.

Listen to the "Day Zero" Deep Dive Here on

APPLE PODCASTS OR SPOTIFY

We Want to Hear From You!

We genuinely want to help this community grow in 2026. What hurdles are you currently facing that we can help you navigate? Whether it's loan terms, lease negotiations, or team building—hit reply and let us know.

Happy New Year—let's get after it!

With gratitude,

Ashley, Brian, & Collin The Making Of Team

Connect with us! @ashleyjovesdds / @themaking.of / www.themakingofpodcast.com / @girlcollin

Dr. Toni Torres - @the.joyful.dentist / @bloomdental.co

P.S. Don’t forget to leave a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts—it helps other dentists find us and fuels this mission we believe in so deeply.