Built for the future
Dr Sanil Kalyan, Dentist
Photography by Helen Orr
When Darwin dentist Dr Sanil Kalyan first imagined what his dream dental practice might look like, the picture in his mind was vivid. He envisioned a spacious, modern environment with cutting-edge technology that offered first-class patient care, as well as a workplace that his team would look forward to coming to. Most importantly, Dr Kalyan saw his new premises as a place to call home for the next 25 years. After moving to Darwin in 2020 and then buying his first business, Smith Street Dental, in the city’s downtown area, in early 2024, Dr Kalyan decided to take the next step and purchase actual premises to create his own dream practice.
That big leap forward, however, was more complex than anything Dr Kalyan had undertaken before, and he was
unsure of the best way to approach it. “I had always wanted to buy my own premises as that is an important way of securing the roots of the business for the future,” Dr Kalyan says. “It was time to look beyond the old premises as the infrastructure was so old and there always seemed to be something that needed fixing. I had to start over to create what I had in mind.” Dr Kalyan’s path to ownership began long before landing at Smith Street Dental. Fijian-born Dr Kalyan moved to Brisbane to study dentistry at the University of Queensland, where he graduated in 2013. He then worked in Queensland and Western Australia, before moving to the Northern Territory to purchase Darwin’s oldest private family dental practice.
Having previously dealt with finance specialist Stuart Robb on other business matters, including his purchase of the practice, Dr Kalyan again turned to Stuart for the next stage of his business journey. “With Stuart, it’s all about trust and the fact he knows me, understands the dynamics of the dental business and also how I work,” Dr Kalyan says. “If it wasn’t for Stuart, I wouldn’t have known where to start and also all Avant Finance could do for me throughout the process.”
A helping hand
He soon found a building that presented an intriguing opportunity as a dental practice—an old art gallery that offered ample space across two floors and high visibility in a busy city centre location. In April, the purchase process began. But as Dr Kalyan discovered over the ensuing months, taking his big leap forward came with obstacles. Buying a commercial property and preparing it for a major medical fitout required negotiations, due diligence, a new business structure, council approvals, a range of valuations and a thorough understanding of lenders’ requirements.
"Stuart was on hand from the outset, helping me source the right professional advice with the right people to make it happen,” Dr Kalyan says. “At the start, he made sure all my accounting documents were sorted so we had everything ready when it was required. Getting all that in place early on saved so much time later, as we could deliver what was needed the moment it was requested. That made a huge difference—it was like we had all our ducks in a row.”
One of the first challenges Dr Kalyan faced was figuring out how to structure the purchase—not just of the property but also funding the multi-million-dollar fitout that would follow. “Stuart helped me with structuring accordingly — which entity owns the premises, and which entity owns the fitout so that it’s a more tax-effective system overall, and yet still fits in with all the necessary compliance,” he says. And when things were most uncertain and caused the most anxiety, Dr Kalyan says Stuart kept him updated on each stage of progress and mapped out what needed to happen next.The finish line is in sight. In August 2024, the purchase was completed and Dr Kalyan at last owned the premises. But as the existing tenants had months to run on their lease, he had to wait until January 2025 before taking full possession.
Once he had the keys to the empty space at the beginning of 2025, it was full steam ahead as work got underway on creating his all-new practice. Dr Kalyan was soon managing both a team of builders and his dental team at the Smith Street practice, which remained in operation at the old premises. As his new premises took shape, Dr Kalyan found he needed a new level of guidance to ensure every step of the fitout made business sense. “Again, it was all about compliance with the finances, and Stuart was all over that,” he says.
Then came the time-consuming valuation stage. Complicating the process was that commercial valuers in Darwin were particularly busy at that time, delaying the process even longer. “There were a few occasions I wondered if this was all worth doing because the financiers were being thorough and asking for more information,” he says. “Stuart was always very upfront and tells it like it is but was also reassuring about the options available. When I would get anxious, he would say, ‘We can do this but have to put some work into getting it done correctly.’ He kept it on track and would remind me when we were another step closer to the finish line.”
One year after purchasing the premises, Smith Street Dental opened its doors on 18 August 2025. The all-new practice comprises two levels: new staff meeting and training rooms are upstairs, and fully equipped treatment areas with state-of-the-art equipment are on the ground level. The team includes six dentists, a hygienist and 25 support staff. A key element of the new premises is a leased tenancy on the second floor, designed to establish an additional income stream for the business, and support growth in the decades ahead. “Everything in the modern fitout is new and we have transformed the whole place. It’s everything I wanted it to be,” Dr Kalyan says proudly.
At the opening, Stuart travelled all the way from Adelaide—where he lives and works—to take part in the celebrations. “I told him, ‘If you’re not coming, I’ll be very annoyed, and he was there!” Dr Kalyan recalls with a laugh. “He had to be because he made so much of this possible. When Stuart says something can be done, I know it will happen.
Overall, our journey together felt like a complete experience.” In the months since, Dr Kalyan says business has been strong and notes the new building has energised his team, and the feedback from patients has been universally positive. “I feel like this is the best we can offer and that makes me proud to know I created this. I think our new premises compare very well to any of the high-level dental practices in any of the big cities interstate. One of the things I am enjoying most is seeing the way our team is enjoying the premises so much and want to be here—as I do as well. It’s such a great practice now, and every day I just want to get in and get started.”
I’ve known Sanil for 5 years and previously helped him with things like business equipment and car purchases, but this purchase of his own practice premises as well as an extensive new fitout was a big step. Seeing it all come together and how happy Sanil is, that’s the fulfilling part of the job. It was more than worth it.
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