Professionalism on social mediaFebruary 22, 2019Whether you actively use social media to market your skills or casually (as the majority of us do), every time you post on a site, you are leaving a lifelong impression. As such, what is your online outreach saying about you and your career?
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What veterinarians can learn from the Sears bankruptcyFebruary 20, 2019Sears, one of America's longest standing household names, recently raised the white flag and filed for bankruptcy. Started by Robert Sears in 1886, the company bearing his name clearly struggled in the past few years. The reasons are important and somewhat universal lessons to be applied. So how can veterinarians avoid mistakes that brought a 133-year-old iconic business to its knees? Adapt or die Sears was a pioneer in catalog sales, but slow to change with the times. More recently, it struggled to compete with Walmart and other big box stores. Similarly, veterinary practices face competition from multiple "players," including low-cost vaccine businesses (e.g. farm stores, feed stores, human pharmacies, pet stores), spay and neuter clinics, and even local family practices. This has profoundly affected the profitability of practices that relied heavily on "yearly shots," instead of focusing on the importance of (bi)yearly physical exams. Sadly, this philosophy made vaccines look like commodities, which means clients are likely to gravitate to the cheaper provider. Another factor that has historically affected revenue is the development of three-year vaccines. Again, those of us who didn't stress the value and importance of a (bi)annual exam are now facing clients who feel they …
Southern Veterinary Partners creates new award to help students with debtJanuary 18, 2019A new award has been set up to help students deal with debt and create employment opportunities for the future.
Leveling the playing field with cooperatives, GPOsDecember 27, 2018It is during the maturation phase of businesses that group purchasing organizations (GPOs) and cooperatives show up, offering small fish the buying power of a big fish—in this case, the consolidated corporate veterinary practices and pet supply retailers.
Are you leading or following your practice?December 11, 2018You rush from one intense exam to the next, going home exhausted at the end of the day. This firefighter approach to running your practice may have you following, rather than leading your business. As you begin a new year, reclaim the leadership role of your practice and take actions that move your business forward.
Trupanion hits half million pet milestoneOctober 24, 2018Pet insurance provider, Trupanion, has insured its 500,000th pet.
The dedicated referralist's handbookSeptember 24, 2018Want to know the secret to a win-win-win relationship among you, your clients, and your local ER or specialist? It should come as a surprise to no one that clear, unambiguous communication, mutual respect, and a principled approach to achieving what’s best for each individual patient is the key to healthy relationships between referrings (most of you), ERs and specialists (fewer of you), and our clients. Because it’s what’s best for our patients, after all.
Pet doc publishes more tales of owning a veterinary practiceSeptember 13, 2018P.J. Miller, DVM, has authored a new book, Designer Dogs, Awkward Hugs & a Pigeon: Veterinary Tales, Again, a humorous behind-the scenes novel describing his personal experiences owning a veterinary practice. As a follow-up to his first book, Cute Poodles, Sweet Old Ladies & Hugs, his new volume includes the same characters and relationships loved by fans. It provides an insider's view into life as an animal doctor and gives a deeper glimpse into the emotional human-animal bond. Miller has been practicing veterinary medicine in Central Florida for more than 20 years. Designer Dogs, Awkward Hugs & a Pigeon: Veterinary Tales, Again is published by thirty8street Publishing and is available at Amazon.
Top 12 toughest decisions surgeons makeSeptember 12, 2018Cynics believe that surgeons want to “cut” everything and everybody. However, did you know a surgeon’s inner monologue is a frequent struggle with hesitations and questions? Here are 12 questions surgeons sometimes ponder, either before stepping into the OR or in the middle of surgery.*
The tricky dynamics of running a family veterinary businessJuly 26, 2018I've always been struck by the number of families in the veterinary profession: practices that include parents, uncles or aunts, siblings, or cousins in their management or ownership structure. Maybe this isn't surprising; children are nearly twice as likely to follow in their parent's footsteps as to choose another occupation, and this steps up to nearly 20 times as likely when you compare daughters of doctors (see the General Society Survey). This generational commitment is a source of strength for the profession and reflects the mission-driven perspectives that nourish and sustain us. In the current environment, however, practice valuations and corporate inroads can present new problems for that intergenerational transfer of practice control. I've had the opportunity in the past few years to talk to a number of parents whose children are practice associates. It's been interesting to see how the size of the check that a corporate consolidator is willing to write has affected the conventional family dynamic. Deserving a piece of practice ownership due to your status as a son or daughter or through sweat equity can start to look like a gift too large to comfortably make as a parent. This feeling can …
