Running a veterinary clinic is a big responsibility. It involves managing staff, providing patient care, and establishing processes that support long-term growth. As with any business, veterinary business development requires a focus on structures and strategies that will improve the company over time. However, veterinary clinics require close attention to grow successfully. Here we explore the specifics of veterinary business development to give you a better understanding of this important, ongoing process. 

Veterinary business development requires a change in perspective. By uncovering and addressing past concerns, present and future solutions can come into focus. This solution-based point of view has the potential to shift a clinic’s financial model significantly. 

Clinics with little direction are stressful places to work and manage. They’re often mixed practices with inconsistent levels of care that take few, if any, new appointments. However, precise adjustments to internal structures can create lasting, exponential change. Within a few short years, clinics that focus on business development can specialize their practice, achieve hospital status, and allow executives to delegate daily duties. 

Creating the right internal structures can make a world of difference in any clinic. For instance, employees should only be responsible for a select few operational aspects at any one time. Their expectations must be made clear, whether they work in a marketing, financial, or clinical capacity. This will encourage different departments to collaborate and support each other while increasing productivity within each team. When team roles are clear, clinic owners can then create efficient systems for delegating clinical responsibilities. This allows them to maximize the amount of time they spend on high-order decision-making like management, professional partnerships, and financial planning. 

Effective veterinary business development requires consistent reevaluation of finances. This demands a close inspection of key performance indicators (KPIs) that assess profitability, client and patient care, team harmony, and marketing strategies. These data points serve to uncover opportunities for improvement by providing insights into an organization’s health. For example, minor changes to pricing, invoicing, and reporting processes can make a major impact over time. Executives can then reinvest unlocked capital into the clinic’s control, feedback, and communication systems. Continuous improvement should always be a priority, whether it’s supported by weekly process meetings, ongoing education, or professional business coaching.