Ever since I was young, I wanted to become a veterinarian and open my own practice. My dream became more pronounced after I met David, who is now my husband and also a veterinarian. The idea of practice ownership arose numerous times during the early part of our careers. We struggled with a nerve-wracking decision: Do we secure low-risk associate positions at nearby veterinary hospitals, or do we start a practice? The latter option seemed appealing, but knowing that we might lose our work-life balance and have to run a business without any experience was daunting.
After assessing all our options, we made the leap and opened El Paseo Animal Hospital in Palm Desert, California, in October 2023.
Although our clinic signaled the culmination of a lifelong, shared dream, it wasn’t without its hurdles. Throughout the process, we learned three valuable lessons we wish we had known when we started our journey.
1. Find the Right Arrangement
Several nonnegotiables were top of mind when we decided to launch a clinic. Naturally, we wanted to shape the culture, put our imprint on the clinic and have autonomy when making medical decisions. If we were going to do the work to open a practice, it had to truly feel like ours.
Second, work-life balance was very important. We had seen and heard firsthand from contemporaries how owning a clinic can be an all-encompassing endeavor. We knew ownership would be a huge part of our lives, but we didn’t want it to be our entire lives.
After weighing the options, we decided that a co-ownership arrangement would offer the best of both worlds. It would allow us to run a clinic how we wanted while enabling us to rely on a business partner’s expertise and assistance in driving the clinic’s success. Finding a partner also made opening a clinic financially feasible. Otherwise, doing it ourselves might have taken us years.
We vetted several potential corporate partners before finding the right fit. The one we chose was steadfast in its philosophy of keeping veterinary medicine in the hands of veterinary professionals. Additionally, it brought operational support and expertise in managing back-office functions, including human resources, recruiting, marketing and financial assistance.
This being our first clinic, we leaned on our partner to develop business plans, negotiate equipment prices, purchase startup inventory and design a brand that reflected our culture.
2. Understand the Keys to Success
Having the right business partner is one of many variables veterinarians must consider when choosing that path. Every day brings seemingly countless decisions — from designing a floor plan and selecting an architect to applying for permits and figuring out how to get your name out as the new veterinary hospital in town.
Several critical factors contributed to the early success of El Paseo Animal Hospital.
- Location: Selecting the ideal spot is paramount. After visiting multiple sites, David and I chose a prime location with high visibility and significant foot traffic to ensure new pet owners looking for a veterinarian could easily find us. Additionally, it was essential to be in a pet-friendly community, which helps ensure a steady flow of clients. We also sought a place close to other pet-friendly businesses — think pet food stores and grooming and boarding facilities. They have consistently referred clients to us. Beyond that, even the best location in the world won’t work if you don’t have the basics, like ample parking and the ability to display signs and window decals to attract clients.
- Marketing: Marketing our practice was crucial. As business world novices, we faced a multitude of tasks we had not anticipated: developing our logo and brand, creating Google My Business and Yelp profiles and verifying them, managing various social media platforms, designing a new website, and even sending mailers to the local community. We worked with our corporate partner’s marketing team to craft a comprehensive strategy covering before and after our grand opening. We collaborated with local press and community groups to spread the word about our clinic, leveraged digital marketing tools to bolster our online presence, and, most significantly, introduced an online booking platform. This simple feature allowed our prospective clients to schedule appointments even before our doors officially opened. To our amazement, we found ourselves fully booked with more than 100 appointments before we cut the ribbon.
- Standards of care: We developed clear standards of care and ensured fair pricing before we took our first client. We focused on quality medicine and transparency, which helped foster trust and loyalty among our clients from Day One. As a team, we collaborated and articulated guidelines and protocols to ensure consistent and high-quality medical treatment of every patient. This approach helped enhance our reputation and built trust with clients.
3. Nail the Culture
From the beginning, we knew that creating a great culture was paramount. Not only did we want to feel great about coming to work every day, but we also wanted our clients and staff to feel at home from the moment they walked through the doors.
Prioritizing a friendly, welcoming culture from the outset allowed us to hire people aligned with our vision, mission and goals. This included a phenomenal practice manager, Christina, who ensured smooth operations and a positive client and patient experience. Among all our staff, we encouraged transparent communication, open dialogue and clear expectations to help everyone feel valued, respected and empowered to contribute their best work.
As a team, we committed to delivering an outstanding client experience and listening to and learning from feedback. Within six months of opening our practice, our Google rating was 4.9 stars, with over 120 reviews, which serves as a testament to our clients’ satisfaction and experience.
To veterinarians dreaming of opening a practice, I encourage you not to give up. While the journey might seem daunting, it is achievable with the right vision and approach. My most important suggestions are to be deliberate in what you want from your practice, do your homework, and identify the support and resources you need.
Some businesses take years to break even, but thanks to our wonderful staff, the welcoming Palm Desert community and our people-first culture, we have built a successful and profitable business within mere months. What could be better than that?
ROOM FOR GROWTH
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, about 39% of companion animal practices use an online appointment scheduling system.