Small intentions are like keeping the pilot light on. Through your hard work, the fire burns continuously. I was recently on a call with the owner of a de novo veterinary practice, celebrating her first anniversary. Our monthly calls were usually cheery and full of excitement. We counted new clients and new patients month after month. Gradually, however, our conversations went from “How do I get more clients?” and “How do I train my team better and consistently?” to something completely different.
“Man, we are so busy, and I am so tired,” she said. It wasn’t the first time I had heard those words from a new practice owner. A larger fire had erupted, and she was caught in it. You eat dinner late, you come home after your kids are asleep, and you’re a full-time firefighter. You are constantly reacting, never recharging. Instead of running your business, you feel like the business is running you.
Owning a business is exhilarating, but it can consume you if you don’t maintain healthy habits. The very thing you built to create freedom and purpose in your life can lead to exhaustion, strained relationships and burnout.
Here’s the good news: It doesn’t have to be that way. By establishing a handful of work-life balance and business habits, you can regain control, conserve your energy and lead with clarity.
Achieving Work-Life Balance
Protecting the owner behind the business is crucial. Here’s how.
1. Define and Stick to Your Work Hours
Owning a business is often a blurry line between work hours and time spent working. The first is when you’re physically present in the business. The other is when you’re thinking about, planning or worrying about it. The latter can happen anywhere.
Set boundaries by deciding when you’re “on” and when you’re not. If you bring work home, do it intentionally and with a stop time. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself living in a perpetual state of partial work. I have been there, constantly distracted at family dinners, stressed while on vacation and resentful of the business I once loved.
2. Make Sleep Nonnegotiable
Sleep isn’t a luxury; it’s fuel. If you find yourself catching up on sleep over the weekend, you’re not operating at 100% during the week. Sleep experts advise establishing a healthy bedtime ritual. Consider dimming the lights, turning off your digital screens, and using music or smart lights as cues to help you wind down. The reward is that you will show up for work sharper.
3. Schedule Self-Time
Recharging looks different for everyone. For some, it’s meditation, gardening, playing pickleball, reading or sitting quietly with a cup of coffee. Whatever it looks like to you, put it on your calendar as seriously as you would a staff meeting. A burned-out owner cannot lead a thriving business.
4. Protect Family and Friends Time
Block time for your kids’ soccer games, date nights or that special weekend away. If it’s on your calendar, you’re less likely to tackle “just one more email.”
5. Take Actual Vacations
Compared to their employees, U.S. business owners tend to take minimal paid time off. A 2024 survey found that nearly 1 in 4 owners had taken zero vacation days in the past year. The happiest owners took 10 PTO days. And if you are checking work emails during your vacation, stop! The survey revealed that 6 out of 7 vacationing owners who check their email feel burned out after their return. Vacations are a fabulous leadership tool. By stepping away, you allow your team to step up, and you reset mentally. The last thing you should do when you’re lying on the beach is field calls about printer ink or vaccine orders. Lead by example. Your team will respect the boundaries you model.
Setting Good Business Habits
Healthy owners build healthy businesses. Here is how to strengthen your operations, financial stability and leadership.
1. Know Where You Stand Financially
Keep accurate financial records. From the moment you spend your first dollar on legal fees, supplies or anything business-related, track everything. Good data is the foundation for good decisions, and it’s one of the first functions worth outsourcing. Make sure to separate your personal and business expenses. Open separate bank and credit card accounts under the business name. Commingling personal and business finances makes seeing where the money goes impossible, and it can create legal and tax nightmares.
2. Schedule Monthly Financial Reviews
Think of financial reports like laboratory results. The numbers mean little without interpretation. Review your profit and loss, cash flow, and balance sheet reports with your accountant or adviser. Ask questions until you understand what’s working correctly and what isn’t. Review the data against your budget. (If you don’t have a budget, create one now!) A budget serves as your GPS for making informed spending and hiring decisions.
3. Protect Your CEO Time
Block time weekly for strategic work, such as planning, analyzing and leading. Get out of the reacting stage. Say “no” or “not now” to distractions that don’t serve your top priorities. To do all this, you need standard operating procedures. SOPs are your business’s playbook. Write them, share them and review them regularly as your systems and tools evolve. SOPs free up your mental bandwidth, making delegation a seamless process. Delegation means more free time for you.
4. Stay Connected With Your Team and Clients
A healthy business culture doesn’t happen by accident. Hold regular meetings — always have an agenda — engage in stay interviews with employees and celebrate wins. The more connected your team members feel, the lower the turnover rate. Track client trends and feedback monthly. Are you attracting the pet owners you want? Quick feedback loops involving surveys or follow-ups help refine your practice’s services and convert satisfied clients into raving fans.
5. Stay Curious
The veterinary industry is constantly changing because of new technology, shifting demographics and evolving client expectations. Always keep learning, and encourage your team to do the same. Attend conferences, webinars and workshops. Consider adding an extra day at the beginning or end of a conference to recharge yourself, explore local attractions or sleep in.
Your business will not crumble when you devote more time to yourself. Your employees will not fail. Instead, they will grow as they become more independent.
Healthy habits are about intention, not perfection. Leading well begins with leading yourself well. The business you dreamed of is possible. It all starts with taking one small step today. Your future self and your business will thank you.
TAKE A BREATH
The AVMA Trust 2022 Trend Report uncovered that veterinarians tend to take only one to two weeks of vacation a year. Furthermore, the findings found that their job satisfaction directly correlated to the amount of paid time off they took. Less PTO meant less job satisfaction.