Pulse - May 2022 - 18

TOOLS FOR SUCCESS
How to Start Your Own House Call
Practice, Even If You Know Nothing
About Running a Business
Part 2 of a 3 part series on House Call & Mobile Vet Practices
As a result, some of these companies prioritize rapid growth/scalEve
Harrison, VMD, CVA
I
f the idea of starting a house call practice has been
calling to you, but you simply don't know where to
start...this article is for you. Truly, this work is SO
needed in our profession and there are many meaningful
ways to start a house call or mobile practice. There is
so much support for you out there as well. What I really
want you to know is that you can DO this!! And you
can do it on your OWN terms.
So, I'd like to first address a common question folks ask before
they dive into house call practice: Should I start my own practice,
or should I work for a corporate house call practice looking to
recruit me?
While there is no right or wrong answer, and this decision is
uniquely yours to make, please take the following observations
into consideration. The house call space is a " hot market " at the
time of writing this article. It's a great time to open your own
house call practice.
I personally LOVE owning my own business, having my own
brand, having a great income without any cap on what I can earn,
and having complete control over which clients I retain. Above all,
what has been most valuable to me is that I have 100% full freedom
over my schedule. If I want to take a day off, or close up shop
early for the day, I can do that whenever I want... all WITHOUT
asking permission from ANYONE.
I can also see as many or as few patients per day as I want each
day. Personally, it is rare that I need to see more than 3-4 house
calls per day, and so I can really focus on each of my patients
exactly how I want to. It's truly luxurious!
Not everyone feels that way about entrepreneurship, and that's
ok. If your life just can't hold one more thing (like starting a business),
I absolutely get that.
One other thing to consider is that there are a number of new corporate
house call practices starting up now too, many of which are
backed by venture capital. These big companies are trying to capitalize
on that hot market as well by becoming middlemen and putting
millions of dollars into their marketing campaigns in an attempt to
" disrupt " our industry (yes, that is the exact business language these
start-ups like to use). Businesses like this will aggressively try to recruit
practitioners in order to grow as quickly as possible. Many of these
companies are very aware of vets who are vulnerable because they are
burnt out working in brick & mortar clinics and want to start house
call practices of their own... but are scared... or don't know how.
The thing is, many of these start-up practices are not owned or
controlled by a veterinarian who " gets it. "
18
ing of their businesses over the quality of their product, or even the
wellbeing of their staff, clients, and patients. Another observation is
that many of these types of practices use extensive non-compete
clauses in their contracts (even though they are not enforceable in
many states, including California). That being said, if it feels right for
you to explore working for one of these companies, I encourage
you to do that as every veterinarian's path is different & unique. And
if you already are working for a corporate house call company, you
have my full respect too. We're all mobile vet colleagues just trying
to do our best for animals and our families.
But please know that you do NOT NEED to give up on your
dream by working for a corporate practice that plans to profit off
your hard work, or leverage your fear, just because you don't know
the ropes of running a sustainable & profitable business yourself...
yet. Those companies would like you to think that you can't do it
on your own... but it's not true.
It is very normal (and wise, in my opinion) to be a bit intimidated
(or cautious) about starting a business, let alone your very
own house call practice. While not every veterinarian wants to be
a business owner (and that's OK!), what so many of us don't realize,
is that the skills to have your own practice (plus an awesome
unique brand of your own) are highly teachable... and VERY
gratifying once you master them. If you want to have your own
house call practice, but you don't know anything about business,
please know that you absolutely CAN still do this on your own,
and there is so much support for you out there as well.
As a mentor, I've coached many veterinarians through starting
house call practices of their own. So many so, that I decided it was
time to share a brief list to help you begin, so that you don't fall
prey to the same traps I fell into when I started out (stories for
another time!). I created this checklist to help as you start walking
on your path.
1. Develop Your Business Skills - A common mistake vets
make when starting their own practice is spending too much
money on supplies and services, and way too little investing
in proper training on how to start and grow their business.
In order to have a profitable practice that is sustainable
over the long term, you'll need to invest in learning how to
build and grow your practice, as well as develop skills that
set your practice apart. My personal rule of thumb is if you
don't have basic knowledge of how to grow a business sustainably
or have the client base to support lots of equipment,
don't purchase it(yet). And as I mentioned before, all of this
stuff is within your grasp. I promise. If you can spay a dog, or
MAY 2022
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Pulse - May 2022

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