Burned-Out Vet Reclaims Family Time, Focuses on the Future
A successful mixed-animal practice owner found herself at a pivotal moment in her thriving rural clinic. The practice faced mounting challenges: associates seeking competitive compensation while the clinic strived to maintain affordable care for their diverse clientele.
The Vision
This owner envisioned building long-term success and growth without compromising her principles of providing affordable services to the local community. Her goal was to separate large and small animal services, build a dedicated large animal facility, and remodel the existing small animal clinic. However, she worried about losing two associate veterinarians over compensation. She felt overwhelmed by competing demands and financial considerations. Balancing these challenges with a family needs only intensified the pressure.
The Discovery
Our coaching partnership revealed that while the practice maintained steady revenue, a financial review was in order to understand profitability. The owner's dedication to affordable care created tension with business necessities. Her expertise in medicine hadn't prepared her for the intricacies of managing staff compensation and business metrics.
The Journey
Over three months of coaching, we focused on two main goals: keeping the veterinary team stable and preparing for growth. Our first priority was keeping the valuable doctors who were thinking about leaving. We reviewed industry trends and had honest conversations with the doctors about their intentions and career goals. This led to creating competitive pay packages that convinced these key team members to stay. Keeping these doctors was crucial - it maintained quality patient care while giving us time to plan for the future.
We also had an opportunity to hire a promising new doctor with large animal experience. In a tough hiring market, we put together an attractive offer that won over this candidate, who showed real potential as a future leader.
Next, we went through the practice's finances carefully, making smart price adjustments that improved profits while keeping care affordable. When the practice switched to new management software, we took the opportunity to track farm animal and pet services separately, showing us which areas were most profitable. A new inventory management protocol was put into place to reduce expenses.
We focused on developing the office manager grow into a true practice manager. We spelled out new job expectations and created a competitive pay structure in line with industry standards. These changes allowed the practice owner to delegate more responsibilities and tasks, freeing up time for work only she could do.
The Results
Within three months, the practice achieved meaningful improvements in both culture and financial performance.
Measurable achievements included:
Increased profitability from 7.2% to 12.8%
Successful retained two key doctors through transparent discussions
Hired a promising new associate veterinarian with leadership potential
Promoted the office manager to practice manager role
Improved inventory and pricing management systems
Implemented new practice management software
Most importantly, the owner gained confidence in running her business while maintaining her values. She developed clear strategies for future growth, including plans for facility expansion and service development.
This transformation illustrates how strategic coaching can help practice owners balance urgent business challenges with long-term vision. Through structured support and guidance, coaching helped transform potential staff losses into opportunities for positive change, while building systems that support both growth and stability.
