I'm currently weighing a significant career decision. I've been working in a corporate dental office for about 5 years, earning $35/hr, which translates to roughly $80k annually with benefits like health insurance, retirement matching, and PTO. While my job is stable and stress-free, I'm eager to transition into a management role, which I feel ready for, given my accounting background and the operational tasks I've already been handling. Recently, I've been approached by a solo dentist who owns two practices. She wants me to overhaul her operations, patient acquisition strategies, billing, and software systems to make her business more appealing for sale. The role would involve managing a team of around 10, and I'm considering asking for a $110k salary, all cash, without benefits. The practices generate about $1.4M in revenue but only have a 5% net margin, which is concerning. If I can improve the operations, the owner could potentially earn much more after a sale, but the risk is that my salary would only be sustainable if the business improves. I'm worried about a few things: first, the possibility of working myself out of a job after the sale; second, whether the owner can afford to pay me if the margins don't improve; and third, the trade-off between the security of my current job and the potential upside of this new role. To mitigate risk, I'm considering starting part-time with her, dedicating one day a week to see if I can make a real impact without fully committing right away. However, I'm unsure if one day a week would be sufficient for the scope of work needed. I have several questions for anyone with experience in similar situations: Have you been hired to turn around a business before a sale, and what was your experience afterward? Is starting part-time a wise approach? What should I insist on getting in writing, especially regarding performance incentives and job security? Would you leave a stable job with good benefits for this opportunity?