{"id":24220,"date":"2023-08-01T00:00:10","date_gmt":"2023-08-01T00:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/todaysveterinarybusiness.com\/?p=24220"},"modified":"2023-07-19T22:46:40","modified_gmt":"2023-07-19T22:46:40","slug":"veterinary-hospital-start-0823","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/navc.sitepreview.app\/todaysveterinarybusiness.com\/veterinary-hospital-start-0823\/","title":{"rendered":"My Inner-City Start"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most veterinary schools now offer DVM students some type of business or management course, at least as an elective. A basic tenet taught to them is that planning a new veterinary hospital is all about \u201clocation, location, location.\u201d In a perfect world, wannabe hospital owners pick the ideal spot. Unfortunately, what starts out as a model place can evolve into a less-than-optimal outcome because of circumstances beyond the owner\u2019s control.<\/p>\n

In the real world, those dreaming of the perfect location might soon realize that grasping the Holy Grail isn\u2019t always possible. When an entrepreneur searches for a place to build or purchase a hospital, variables can alter the final decision, such as financing, prior relationships, earlier commitments, family constraints and covenants. You can\u2019t test-drive a location or hospital.<\/p>\n

That was the case with Noah\u2019s Ark. After I finished my UC Davis residency, my friend and I decided to start a hospital rather than work for someone else. We loved Southern California and wanted to be in a coastal community. We looked for practices from San Diego to Santa Barbara.<\/p>\n

Over the months, we called, wrote letters and visited dozens of veterinary hospitals. Some were too small, some too far inland, some too expensive, some outdated and some in bad parts of town. When you\u2019re in the market for a used item, you don\u2019t have the latitude to be too choosy. It seemed that every hospital we evaluated had at least one major flaw. One place had them all.<\/p>\n

Early in our search, we came across this classified advertisement in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association: \u201cSmall Animal and Exotic Veterinary Practice. Excellent coastal location; just blocks from the beach. Great clients. Well equipped. Owner ready to retire!\u201d<\/p>\n

The ad had our names written all over it. I flew down from Northern California as soon as I got a weekend off. Sadly, the visit wasn\u2019t worth the price of the plane ticket. So, my business partner and I kept looking.<\/p>\n

After several unsuccessful months of searching, we decided to re-evaluate that exotic practice in the heart of Los Angeles. Unsurprisingly, the price had dropped, but so had the condition of the hospital. Meanwhile, local crime rates rose.<\/p>\n

Everybody knows that the best restaurants are sometimes in a city\u2019s worst parts. We figured we could make the same come true with this practice. In the fall of 1998, Noah\u2019s Ark Veterinary Hospital was born.<\/p>\n

In veterinary school, students are taught from \u201cThe Book of the Perfect World.\u201d Watching an episode of MTV\u2019s \u201cThe Real World\u201d would be a better choice.<\/p>\n

What follows are four topics generally not covered in the typical veterinary school curriculum.<\/p>\n

1. Image<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Our practice, Noah\u2019s Ark Veterinary Hospital, was in leased space on the ground floor of an 80-year-old, two-story building. It was at the corner of a busy four-lane that bisected the city, essentially the battle line between the \u201cgood\u201d and \u201cbad\u201d sides of the track. Gangs fought for turf along the corridor, and the storefronts were adorned with graffiti making bold statements about who ruled which territories.<\/p>\n

In most veterinary hospitals, the morning technicians\u2019 first duties are to turn on all the lights, feed and water the boarded pets and patients, and prepare for the opening. At Noah\u2019s Ark, the kennel staff\u2019s first task was to grab a five-gallon bucket of paint and a roller, then go outside and cover the graffiti so arriving clients wouldn\u2019t be visually assaulted by gang tags.<\/p>\n

Our police department contact recommended buying anti-graffiti paint, which is supposedly easy to clean. However, it\u2019s expensive and doesn\u2019t prevent graffiti artists from plying their trade.<\/p>\n

According to the experts, the best way to prevent graffiti is to paint religious murals on the sides of buildings. An unwritten rule among taggers, we were told, is not to desecrate religious artwork. We tried the magic paint. The only thing the police were right about was the high price \u2014 over $100 a gallon. It didn\u2019t work.<\/p>\n

2. Parking, Clients and Staff<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Like many metropolitan businesses, Noah\u2019s Ark lacked off-street parking, which forced clients to find a place for their car and hope it was there when they returned. Compounding that worrisome fact of life was having to walk from the safety of their automobile to and from our hospital, especially after dark.<\/p>\n

We offered a valet service, but few clients took us up on it, not wanting an unknown kid driving their car or parking the vehicle in an unsafe location. We also offered to escort clients to their cars, especially during streetlight hours or if they needed help carrying supplies or handling a feisty pet.<\/p>\n

Although providing an escort sounded like good client service, it also meant we temporarily lost a staffer. Inevitably, the task occurred most often during the busiest hours \u2014 near closing time, which is when clients heading home from work would pick up their pets. The service meant that a veterinary assistant<\/a>\u2019s sole job was to help clients to and from their cars.<\/p>\n

Likewise, at the end of the workday, anyone in the clinic with safety concerns could be escorted to their cars since the staff had to park even farther away (on side streets) to leave nearby spots for clients.<\/p>\n

Of course, the escorts had to walk back alone, or the driver had to drop off the employee at the hospital.<\/p>\n

3. Security<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The well-being of the practice team and hospital was always paramount. A police detective was one of our A-plus clients. We became friends, and he frequently performed security checks on Noah\u2019s Ark and its policies.<\/p>\n

One of the main things he pointed out was that a \u201chospital\u201d to many people meant a place of drugs and money. As such, our building was an easy target for anyone looking for a quick score, potentially putting employees at risk. For instance, an invader could easily follow an escort inside after dark.<\/p>\n

The detective suggested installing a decoy safe containing fake drugs in a readily accessible spot, preferably near the front of the hospital. Such a ruse can get drug seekers in and out quickly. At Noah\u2019s Ark, we trained front office employees to remain calm, assure the intruder that drugs were nearby, and take the person to a broom closet or another place near the entrance. Inside would be a decoy safe. The employee then opens the safe using a simple combination and hands over old drug bottles filled with colored water.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, we never had an external robbery when my partner and I owned the hospital. Preparation is always best when it\u2019s not needed. Unfortunately, that\u2019s not the case with inside jobs.<\/p>\n

Over the years, books, money and equipment went missing during work hours or when the hospital was closed. In almost every case, we couldn\u2019t identify the perpetrator because we lacked proof.<\/p>\n

My ownership<\/a> of Noah\u2019s Ark taught me a few things:<\/p>\n