An Entrepreneurial Mindset

Today’s independent veterinary practice owners discuss the ‘why’ behind their passions, and what the future holds for like-minded owners.

For Christie Cornelius, DVM, it’s being able to express her creativity vocationally.

Steve Manyak, DVM, enjoys the autonomy and ability to try new technologies in his business.

For Arnie Goldman, the connections with clients and ability to learn new things have fueled a career four decades long.

Independent veterinary practices are important to both pet owners and the future of veterinary medicine for many different reasons. Independent veterinary practices often have a smaller, more intimate feel, allowing for closer relationships between pet owners and the veterinary team. Independent practices are usually deeply integrated into their local communities. They may participate in or sponsor community events, offer educational programs, or support local animal welfare initiatives. They also offer clinicians and staff autonomy in decision-making in clinical practice decisions and a balance between personal and professional schedules.

Vet-Advantage asked several independent owners what they enjoy most about their jobs, what are their biggest challenges, and how they see independent ownership evolving in the years to come.

The Choice Is Yours

Dr. Steve Manyak values his ability to try out new technologies and services in the independent veterinary practice setting.

Steve Manyak, DVM, is not a fan of having to ask for permission. If he wants to try something out in his veterinary clinic, as an independent practice owner, he can. And he does, quite frequently.

For instance, several years ago Dr. Manyak was intrigued with the idea of moving from traditional phone calls to text messaging. He was one of the first clinics to partner with a company called Weave to transform his communication platform.

As it turned out, text messaging “completely flipped a switch” for his business, California-based Pine Animal Hospital. Now it’s their main form of communication. When people call and they’re not able to get through, they get a text message confirming a call back time or other options of how to get in touch with someone at the clinic. “It just completely transformed our practice, whereas not a lot of other people were doing this at the time,” he said.

There were no series of meetings, no six-month timeline from beginning to end to discuss whether to try the platform out. Dr. Manyak simply huddled up with his office manager and head receptionist, heard what they thought of the idea, and then made the call to Weave to set up a trial.

Opportunities abound

Freedom and flexibility are two things that Dr. Manyak would not trade as a business owner. “It has allowed me to bring out my personality,” he said. “When you are in a large corporate setting, I don’t think you really have the opportunity or the freedom to do what feels right to you. You are part of a larger organization, and you have to play by someone else’s playbook. To be a good corporate veterinarian, you have to dampen down certain parts of your personality and what feels right to you on practicing medicine.”

Being an independent business owner brings out the best in one’s personality – and, Dr. Manyak admits, sometimes the worst. “But good or bad, it gives you the opportunity to be you, to do things your way and to run things that way. That’s the biggest opportunity independence provides. You’re not held back from your vision, your dreams or your way of doing things.”

That said, Dr. Manyak sees the benefit of networking and sharing best practices with fellow independent practitioners. He was the seventh veterinarian to join The Veterinary Cooperative and is currently the board chair. TVC provides purchasing power for its members through vendor partnerships. TVC helps to level the playing field and compete with corporate practices through rebates and discounts for products and services.

“The beauty of TVC is because it’s all independent practices, you get a diverse range of opinions,” Dr. Manyak said. “As a business owner, you can get stuck looking at things the same way and being in a mold that you’ve created. But, after a while – and I recognize this – you get tunnel vision. So that diversity of new products, new ways of doing things, being part of a group like TVC really opens you to opportunities that you possibly would not see or envision as an independent practice owner.”

In the near future, Dr. Manyak is looking to enhance his operations further through more new technology integration. There are certain communication platforms he and his team are considering, like a client app and a new communication platform that utilizes AI. “There are many opportunities like that coming around,” he said. “We were one of the first utilizers of AI for radiology, and that just keeps improving. We have a lot of new opportunities with in-house lab testing that we’re doing that will improve our efficiency and ability to diagnose and treat rapidly.”

The next generation

Dr. Manyak is hoping younger veterinarians will see the value that independent veterinary practice ownership can bring themselves and their clients. He is betting on clients wanting a more personal touch to the care provided for their pets rather than an impersonal feel often associated with big retail experiences on the human side like Target and Walmart. Today’s and tomorrow’s pet owners want to see familiar faces who will take the time to truly get to know them and their dog or cat. That familiarity is easier to provide in an independent setting, Dr. Manyak said.

“The younger generations – Millennials and Gen Z – are getting it,” he said. “It’s not all about just what’s going to make the most amount of money today. What’s really going to help our society is the concept of, ‘What is the right thing to do?’ I believe the younger generations do look at it through that lens. So, I am hopeful, especially for younger vets, that this is starting to become a movement where they want to be practice owners. They want to be independent. They want to be part of independent practices.”

The Freedom to Create

“You are exactly what I needed at the time I needed you.”

That is the highest compliment Christie Cornelius, DVM, can receive from the families of pets as a veterinary palliative care provider.

“That’s why we spend so much time preparing ourselves and going to school,” she said, “and to be able to show up at that moment for a family like that – it’s very empowering.”

While working as an emergency clinician, Dr. Cornelius came into frequent contact with pet owners who were not ready for the news that their pet was terminally ill or injured and would soon pass away. There was a gap in care between that diagnosis and the eventual humane euthanasia.

“Because there’s a lack of transparency and communication for those pet owners that are bringing the animals in, oftentimes, they don’t even know what had been happening with their animal,” she said. “This is news you’re breaking to them, that their animal is in a terminal state.”

For those families, Dr. Cornelius wished that she’d had someone to refer them to who could provide hospice services and euthanasia at home so the family could say their goodbyes in a more peaceful, loving setting. So, in 2010 she ventured out into the mobile care space to provide palliative care. “I naturally gravitated towards it,” she said.

There weren’t a lot of practitioners in the space at the time – Dr. Cornelius was only able to identify about 45 or so. Without available resources, building the practice required trial and error. Dr. Cornelius had to think creatively and proactively about how to handle the scenarios she would be in. “It required a lot of changes from what traditional practices would offer.” For instance, she researched the best combination of sedatives to use that would result in the smoothest transition into euthanasia. She did more research on the psychology of grief and how to present as a professional in an emergency situation so the families she worked with felt comforted. She added water-based cremation and other services.

All while her practice and team grew. By the time she sold her business to Blue Pearl Veterinary Specialists in 2021, she had close to 25 team members, including several veterinarians and LVTs who were certified in hospice and palliate care. “I was able to build out two businesses in one and figure out how they would work together in order to create an A to Z, one stop shop. We were able to start caring for a pet when they began to age and needed a little bit of extra help, and the family was interested in keeping the pet comfortable. That’s when they would enter our realm. We could keep them comfortable with some palliative care. We could quarterback their care and make referrals for families to orthopedic surgeons or oncologists, because their care could become complex with their conditions and medications.” Then, when the pet got into the terminal stages of a chronic disease, Dr. Cornelius and her team would have tough discussions about quality of life. “We were talking about pain scales, stepping into the pet owner’s environment and almost becoming a part of the family towards the end of the pet’s life.”

Following the sale of her practice to Blue Pearl, Dr. Cornelius stayed on for a year as medical director. She then decided to go back to school and learn more about leadership development.

“I wanted more business acumen,” she said. “I wanted to be able to manage teams well and in a larger setting. Veterinarians don’t really get that in vet school. So, I decided to leave the industry, went back and got my MBA.”

But she was getting a little restless with the lack of clinical work. So, she eventually started another small hospice and in-home euthanasia practice in an area outside of her non-compete that was still close enough for her to commute to college and finish her master’s degree. Today, she works as a clinician in palliative care and a consultant for other veterinarians to help them hone their business and leadership skills.

Dr. Cornelius credits being an independent veterinarian with helping to make both of those facets of her career work in tandem. “I have to express my creativity in my work,” she said. “I can only do that fully as an independent entrepreneur. It allows me the freedom to express my ideas and thoughts in a manner that I feel connects to other families, practitioners and team members. You can’t get that freedom anywhere else.”

As an independent business owner, Dr. Cornelius also has the freedom to build out her schedule the way she sees fit. “If I want to see appointments, I can see appointments. I can create my own schedule, have my own availability. As a result, I have better well-being and self-care. The freedom to be able to control my day-to-day activities is important to me.”

Tomorrow’s entrepreneurs

Despite the benefits of ownership, independent practitioners often battle with isolation and a feeling of disconnection with other colleagues. To combat this, Dr. Cornelius joined the IVPA several years ago, and now serves on the board. “IVPA creates a sense of belonging and community, while also allowing us to express ourselves as independents,” she said.

IVPA board members are working to build the association into a source of influence in policy making, whether it’s through AVMA or other industry stakeholders. “We really don’t have a single voice as independents,” she said. “We want to build a network that will create some face time with large organizations.”

Post-pandemic and beyond, entrepreneurship presents veterinarians with an appealing career path, a place where they can tailor their work environment, to their wants and needs. Through this environment they can build strong relationships with clients and the community. Practitioners who might not fit well into a formal organizational structure may find that with independent ownership or employment with an independent practice, what’s old is new again.

“There are more resources out there now for creators, innovators and those that want to go the entrepreneurial route,” she said. “We believe in entrepreneurship and creativity, and that those things will sustain us moving forward.”

Worth the Wait

A lifelong desire to learn and broaden his skill set has paid big dividends for Dr. Goldman and the clients he serves.

A few years ago, Arnold Goldman, DVM, had a decision to make. He saw the opportunities his colleagues were getting to sell their practices for sky-high multiples. Some of those veterinarians retired, while others opted to remain in the workforce and draw a paycheck from the organization that had bought their practice.

Did Dr. Goldman want to go that route? He mulled it over. Located in a semi-rural area, his one- to two-doctor practice wasn’t big enough to gain a large offer from the consolidators. Still, the opportunity was there. Should he sell and retire, or continue?

Ultimately, Dr. Goldman chose to remain in practice as an independent owner. In fact, he took on an associate, and even some new clients with unique needs. One of those clients happened to be a fairly large guide dog foundation. “I’ve really been enjoying working with them,” he said. “It’s funny, I went from typically seeing eight obnoxious German Shepherds, individually owned and poorly trained, to something like 250 of the nicest, most well-trained dogs you’ll ever see.”

It’s been more work, but also great fun and a rewarding challenge, he said. Dr. Goldman has had to brush up on several topics, particularly reproductive medicine. He’s joined new associations to learn more and meet fellow practitioners.

Indeed, practicing veterinary medicine has gotten a lot more fun in recent years. “I wish I was 20 years younger so I could do this for 20 more years,” he said.

Three generations of clients

Dr. Goldman opened Canton Animal Hospital in Canton, Connecticut in 1995. Thirty years later, he is starting to see the third generation of pet owners from the families of his original clients. “I’ve already been seeing the adult children of clients,” he said, “and just now I’ve started to see a couple of their grandchildren.”

He believes that familiarity and connection between client and veterinarian is what many of today’s pet owners crave, and what makes independent veterinary practices a sweet spot in the marketplace. These are pet owners who prefer knowing which clinician they’ll see when they show up to a veterinary practice rather than having someone different each time. “What people really want with a veterinarian is a relationship of trust,” he said. “They’re not always looking for discounts and special treatment – sometimes they are, and we understand human nature that way – but ultimately, for their beloved pets, they want somebody that they can trust and have a regular, ongoing relationship with for as long as possible.”

Canton Animal Hospital succeeds in part because relationship building is easier to do in a practice that’s individually owned, Dr. Goldman believes. “I live and work in the same community,” he said. “People know that I’m invested here. They know where I live, and my reputation is at stake.”

Dr. Goldman said the Veterinary-Client-Patient-Relationship is at the forefront of his thinking each time he enters the exam room, “because I want to serve this client so that they come back for 15 years,” he said. “And if I was just an employee and considering a move in a year or two, I might not think the same way. This client-centered thinking becomes evident to people. They see that you’re looking to build a relationship rather than just have it be transactional.”

Investing in oneself

Independent veterinary ownership is not a fit for everyone, Dr. Goldman acknowledged. But for veterinarians who crave creativity, individuality, and a setting for lifelong learning, he believes independent practices are great incubators for young veterinarians to grow in their knowledge and skill set.

In the independent practice setting, younger veterinarians are more likely to get one-on-one mentorship and experience in mild to moderately complicated surgeries, he said. They have the space to hone their skills and gain more confidence in their abilities. “It’s a watch one, do one, teach one kind of model.”

Sometimes that will mean younger veterinarians forgo a larger, immediate paycheck in return for investing in one’s continuing education. When Dr. Goldman graduated from veterinary school in 1986, instead of going into private practice right away, he applied for and was accepted into a rotating internship program. He chose to pursue that because he would get five years’ experience in one year. During the 13 months he was in the internship, he took a much lower salary – tens of thousands of dollars less – in exchange for the experience.

“I gave up that money in return for gaining five years’ experience in that short amount of time,” he said. “I had goals for myself as to what surgeries I wanted to either do or participate in, and the cases I would hope to see. You could argue it was a fifth year of veterinary school, but that took me right out into the practice world, very confident and able to do just about anything that any general practitioner could reasonably expect to do, short of becoming a specialist.”

Today, younger veterinary school graduates are oftentimes steered into consultations or exam room work, such as administering vaccines, deworming, cleaning ears, etc. While important to the health of each pet, doing hundreds of those minor procedures throughout the course of a year’s worth of work may become monotonous. Younger graduates may find limited opportunities in those roles to stretch and learn beyond the basic skills they practiced in veterinary school. “I wonder if being bored and not challenged or not encouraged to stretch and learn is part of the reason that some of these young graduates, whatever their financial circumstances are, choose to get out,” Dr. Goldman said.

In an independent practice, relationships between the associate and the owner are such that an associate can ask for individual mentorship and opportunities to grow as a professional without anyone else having to be in the relationship. It’s just the veterinarian and his or her employer. “The associate can go to the owner and say ‘Look, I feel I’m not getting enough surgical time,” Dr. Goldman said. “’I want to grow. I want to be an asset to this practice. Will you help me? Can you spend an hour with me in surgery once a week?’ That’s easier to do at a smaller practice.”

Industry connections

While Dr. Goldman’s roots are firmly in practicing veterinary medicine locally in Canton, he has made it a point to be involved at the industry level as a voice for independents. In 2023, Dr. Goldman completed a six-year term as AVMA treasurer and was selected to represent the AVMA to the World Small Animal Veterinary Association, meeting in Suzhou, China in 2024. Dr. Goldman has served terms on the boards and as president of the Hartford County VMA, Connecticut VMA and New England VMA.

He is founder of the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Foundation (CVMF) and created its Connecticut State Animal Response Team (CTSART) program, its Companions-in-Crisis domestic violence mitigation program, and continues to serve on the CVMF board. He has served on disaster preparedness working groups for federal, regional and state governments and was founding president of the National Alliance of State Animal & Agricultural Emergency Programs. In 2005 the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Association named Dr. Goldman, Connecticut Veterinarian of the Year, and in 2017, honored him again with their Distinguished Service Award.

In 2024, Dr. Goldman was elected as the second president of the Independent Veterinary Practitioners Association (IVPA), following its founder and outgoing president, Dr. Bonnie Bragdon in that role. IVPA represents owners and associates of independent practices, and anybody that sympathizes with the association’s point of view on entrepreneurship.

“IVPA is dedicated to the promotion of independent practice and – perhaps more broadly – recultivating a culture of entrepreneurship among the young veterinarians,” said Dr. Goldman. “We are aiming to cultivate future buyers for practices and build a culture of entrepreneurship, the understanding of personal and professional freedom and growth that goes along with independent ownership.”

Playing the long game

Yes, veterinary practice ownership comes with a lot of responsibility, and some younger veterinarians may shy away from that for a variety of reasons. The tradeoff, Dr. Goldman believes, is a lot more freedom. Not just professionally, but in one’s personal life too. “If I decide that next weekend I want to go to a meeting or just take off, I can. I don’t have to count up my days.”

As an independent owner, Dr. Goldman can run the practice the way he sees fit. He can substitute drugs or products, for instance. He can try out new technology. “I can make all kinds of decisions and do whatever work I feel competent to do,” he said. “If I want to expand the services I provide, I can make it my business to learn that work, and I don’t have to ask anybody’s permission.”

For veterinarians who choose the independent route, they must be willing to embrace the long-term commitment involved and delayed gratification. It’s the difference between renting and owning a house, Dr. Goldman said. “You know you won’t get the big payday in the first three years working for or owning a veterinary practice, but 8 to 10 years out, not only do you have control, but you also have an asset that you can one day sell.”

In the future, Dr. Goldman wonders if there will be a swing back to the model of individual, entrepreneurial ownership with the next generation of veterinary graduates who see the opportunity for more control of their professional and personal life.

“We may see a turn into that. It wouldn’t surprise me if 10 to 15 years from now, some of the national practices sell off member practices, because maybe they’re not as profitable in certain settings, and an independent person with real skin in the game could potentially turn that around,” he said. “For the right price, they might be willing to do it. That wouldn’t surprise me, although ‘it’s very hard to make predictions, especially about the future,’ as Yogi Berra said.”

The Tipping Point

One former independent veterinary hospital owner shares why he decided to sell his business.

Looking back at the time he owned several veterinary hospitals, Jeff Latimer, DVM, enjoyed being an entrepreneur as much as he enjoyed being a veterinarian. “Entrepreneurs want to get involved in the nitty gritty operational details,” he said. “They want the opportunity to be as successful as they can be – or not – based on nothing else other than their own ideas and work ethic. When you’re an entrepreneur, veterinary medicine is a great place to be, because you can generate income in different areas. Everything you do is a little bit different.”

However, there was a point where the daily focus began to be on human resources as opposed to veterinary care and efficiencies. As Dr. Latimer’s business grew, so did his staff, infrastructure and the human resource challenges that came with running an organization. “That’s typically when owners start to get tired, and start to wonder, ‘Am I really enjoying this?’”

Latimer wasn’t. He was 50 instead of 40, and it was difficult for him to envision jumping into the next big thing, because that would tie him to the practice until he was 60 or 70. The entrepreneurial part of his business certainly kept him engaged and kept the weariness and day-to-day grind at bay. But the thought of repeating the previous 10 years didn’t seem as appealing as venturing out into a consultative role and gaining more freedom. So, in 2019, he decided it was time to sell.

He didn’t leave the industry behind, however. Today he works as a facilitator for the Veterinary Management Group, an organization he joined as a member in 2007, mentoring independent veterinary practice owners who are going through many of the same challenges he did. He also works one-on-one with a small town practitioner through MentorVet’s program.

“Dr. Addie Reinhard, MentorVet’s founder and CEO, has actually been able to measure through research that when vets get more mentoring, their success in the profession increases,” Dr. Latimer said. “They are happier in their day-to-day job, their longevity in their profession increases and their stress levels decrease. Mentoring these young vets – even if it’s a conversation after hours away from the practice – can go a long way to alleviating some of their stress.”

Risk adverse ownership

Along with burnout, many independent practitioners today are battling the fear that comes with the risk of owning a business. “There aren’t many owners who are comfortable with risk to the point of having the mindset that it’ll all work out in the end,” Dr. Latimer said. “Many veterinarians today are frightened that if one card falls out of the deck, there is going to be a crisis. They wonder if they’re at that point, or what they would do if that happens.”

Photo credits:

istockphoto.com/Valerii Apetroaiei

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istockphoto.com/diego_cervo

istockphoto.com/Kateryna Kukota

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