Leadership

Negotiating the purchase or sale of a veterinary practice requires a firm understanding of all the documents.

The number of mergers and acquisitions occurring in the veterinary industry is unquestionably at an all-time high. Corporate chains and aggregators own as much as 15 percent of general companion animal practices, according to estimates, and the percentage is even higher for specialty practices. This means an increasing number of veterinarians are entering the deal […]

The experience of presence is a doorway into both personal growth and professional development.

We love the veterinary profession. It attracts some of the most passionate, caring and down-to-earth people — people with servant hearts who will give you the shirt off their back and who don’t suffer from superinflated egos. You can’t get much better than that. If you’re reading this, we’re talking about you! It’s also true […]

Veterinary nurses can help clients address age-related issues in an older pet and make appropriate health care decisions.

I have yet to meet a veterinary professional who doesn’t love meeting puppies and kittens for the first time. It’s a joyous occasion for the team and pet owner and the beginning of what hopefully will be a lifelong relationship. Developing these relationships early on is essential. Regardless of whether the patient comes to us […]

Preventing embezzlement, or at least lowering the risk, starts with the practice owner and entails strict adherence to policies and procedures.

The latest statistics indicate that 1 in 10 veterinary hospitals loses at least $10,000 to embezzlement in a given year. Have you taken precautions so you don’t become a victim, too? Whenever I or one of my firm’s consultants assist a veterinary hospital, we perform a minor audit of the practice’s end-of-day procedures to look […]

Don’t be caught unprepared and out of compliance when an inspector shows up. Your employees’ health and safety are at stake.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was established in 1970 under the U.S. Department of Labor to ensure that Americans have safe and healthy work environments. The agency’s rules and regulations apply to veterinary hospitals and all other businesses. Regardless of whether an OSHA standard exists, each workplace is responsible for ensuring that safeguards […]

Noncompete agreements protect the practice when a veterinarian leaves, but they are not always enforceable, so choosing an alternative measure could be a smart move.

Nearly every industry uses employee noncompete agreements, and veterinary practices are no exception. Whether you’re a veterinarian or an administrative professional who has been presented with a noncompete agreement as a condition of employment, or a practice owner considering how to protect your business, you need to know the types of agreements in play, the […]

Marking down prices on veterinary services is the bane of our profession, so consider an alternative approach.

I don’t understand why the veterinary profession discounts its services. To my way of thinking, a business that discounts services is basically saying that customers are being overcharged the rest of the time, so now the services are being charged appropriately. When was the last time you got a discount from your physician, dentist, surgeon […]

Meditation can help reduce anxiety, enhance creativity and improve relationships. Getting there might require only 10 minutes a day.

For the record, all the articles published with this column are lessons in what the authors recognize they need to learn and embody. This month’s topic is certainly no exception. In recent years, meditation has expanded into the secular mainstream, even among business leaders seeking to find ways for themselves and their teams to be […]

Client relationships can fracture if you and your staff don’t address complaints properly.

I will not go so far to say that I enjoy handling client complaints, but the assignment is something I have developed a knack for over my years in management. The less time I spend in the practice, however, the more I realize this is a skill the entire support staff should possess at some […]

No one wants to work for an overbearing, ungracious boss. At the same time, a toxic co-worker can turn a great employee into an ex-employee.

Years of schooling. Years of practice. Years of hiring and firing. Yet, many hospital owners and managers haven’t learned a minute’s worth of staff management skills. Meanwhile, statistics show that 1 in 5 of your employees is actively looking for new employment behind your back. You might, consciously or not, tell yourself that it’s nothing […]