Business Tools & Support

Resources to save time, money and help you to run your veterinary business better.

Update! 2024 Vet Industry Trends and Challenges Follow Up

Discover how veterinary practices are tackling the challenges presented in the eBook listed below.

“In an ever-evolving veterinary landscape, adapting to industry challenges is key. Learn from the experiences of 13 veterinary professionals who are leading the way in 2024.”

Click HERE to read the blog post: 2024 Vet Industry Trends and Challenges Follow Up

Free eBook: 2024 Veterinary Industry Trends: looking ahead and how to create a forward-thinking practice (Covetrus)

Insights based on 240+ responses from veterinary professionals + 10 quotes from thought leaders.

The Covetrus trends eBook is back and contains valuable industry insights and practical solutions. It was curated based on input from 240+ veterinary professionals, including nurses, practice managers, owners, and veterinarians across Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

Included in this eBook:

• The top industry challenges facing veterinary professionals
• Practical solutions to help overcome these challenges
• The top frustrations and trend focus areas
• Direct quotes from industry thought leaders
• Tips on how implementing technology (such as AI) can boost your clinic
• Key areas of investment for practices

Click HERE to download the eBook

Free eBook: Launching Your First Veterinary Practice (Covetrus)

A Comprehensive Guide For Start-Ups

“This guide will equip you with the essential knowledge, insights, and strategies you need to navigate the sometimes complex process of starting up a new veterinary clinic.”

The guide contains:

• The essentials including: business planning & strategy; Funding & Financials; Budgeting: Managing cash flow; Picking the right distributors & suppliers
• The vision and strategy including: Unique marketing ideas; Relationships & repeat customers
• The technology: Equipment & tech requirements; Practice Management Systems; Change management, support & training

Click HERE to download the eBook

Free eBook: All you need to know about Practice Management Systems (Covetrus)

A guide on choosing your PMS

If your current PMS is just not cutting it and you’re already short-staffed, then it’s probably time to look for a new system that’s efficient and takes care of the entire ecosystem within your practice. And it should be seamless.

Unfortunately, deciding you need a new system is the easy part – looking for a new PMS is an entirely different matter. There are so many systems, offering so many options that it’s a challenge to even know where to start. This free eBook thanks to Business Member, Covetrus is a great place to start.

This guide contains:

• A back-to-basics overview so you can get a better understanding of the role of a PMS and what it should do for you
• Checklists on the PMS features you should look out for and questions you should ask.
• The importance of the “inter-operability” factor – shows what “good” looks like and the connected-practice ethos.
• A glance at Ascend, Covetrus’ cloud-based PMS and six key assets.

Click HERE to download the eBook

Buying and  Selling a Veterinary Practice

Thinking of buying or selling a veterinary practice? Here is some essential information from the Vetanswers Blog:

Navigating the Transition: A Comprehensive Guide to Preparing Your Veterinary Practice for Sale

Are you considering selling your veterinary practice now or in the future? This guide provides you with an excellent checklist to ensure you’re well-prepared for the sale.

Click HERE to read

Should I stay or should I go? (From my veterinary practice)

A robust post-sale working arrangement can make all the difference when you decide to sell your veterinary practice.

Click HERE to read

Think You Can’t Afford to Buy Your Own Veterinary Practice? Think Again.

With some veterinary practices selling for record amounts, the recent real estate boom, and the rise in the cost of building a practice from scratch due to material prices and the costs of the trades, there is a perception that it’s tough for young vet to own their own practice.

Although all these factors exist, there are still opportunities for practice ownership that are highly affordable, profitable, and get you on the road to wealth creation.

Click HERE to read

Thinking of selling your veterinary practice? 3 Top tips for presenting it in the Best Possible Light

You may think that your business’s financial performance is the only thing that matters to prospective buyers, and while there’s no denying that it is vitally important, there are several other important drivers that motivate buyers.

Click HERE to read

Why sprucing up your online presence can help sell your veterinary practice

Whether you’re considering selling now or in the future, it’s never too early to spruce up your veterinary practice’s online presence.

Click HERE to read more

10 Essential Reasons to Choose an Experienced Law Firm when Selling Your Veterinary Practice

Your clients trust you with their animals due to your specialised knowledge, so it’s essential to take the same approach to choosing a lawyer when selling or buying a veterinary practice.

Click HERE to read more.

Cyber Security

How secure is your business from common cyber security threats?

“For a small business, even a minor cyber security incident can have devastating impacts. In the 2021-2022 financial year, the average cost per cybercrime reported to the ACSC rose to over $39,000 for small businesses.”

The Australian Government Australian Cyber Security Centre monitors cyber threats across the globe 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so they can alert Australians early on what to do.

They also provide advice and information about how to protect yourself and your business online on their website https://www.cyber.gov.au/smallbusiness

Free Resources to help keep your business Cyber Safe…

2. Small Business Cyber Security Guide

Click here to read the updated Guide 

3. ACSC’s Exercise in a Box. Be business ready for a cyber incident

Test your business’s emergency plan with the ACSC’s Exercise in a Box.

Exercise in a Box guides users through cyber security exercises and includes everything you need to plan, set up and deliver the exercises to your organisation. It also includes a post-activity report function that allows you to capture any findings you make during the exercise and use these findings to make meaningful changes to your cyber security posture.

Click HERE to access the Exercise in a Box

Business Planning

Having a business plan for your veterinary practice helps you to prioritise what’s important to manage and grow your business effectively. It also gives you control over your practice by giving you direction and defining your objectives. If you’re already in practice, it helps you to step back and look at what’s working and what you can improve on.

Resources to help you out

Australian Government Business website: Develop your Business Plan Tutorial

If you want to start, grow or manage your business effectively, you’ll need a business plan. Learn how to develop a business plan with a business plan template to suit your planning needs. Click HERE to visit

Business Victoria website: Write a business plan

A written business plan is essential to help you start and grow your business. Click HERE to visit

Vision & Mission Statement for Your Business

A mission statement provides clarity behind the what, who and why of your veterinary business. It establishes a basis for everyone in your practice to make decisions and encourages unity amongst your team and your clients.

Your mission statement is about where you are today and your vision statement focuses on tomorrow and where you aspire your business to go.

Resources to help you out 

Your Mission Should You Choose to Accept It (dvm360) 

With a little thought, you can define your mission, seal a bond with clients, and give team members something to strive for.

This is a great introduction to the process of writing a Mission Statement and the steps you need to consider to put together something that will really make a difference to your business. Click HERE to read

How to Write Your Mission Statement (Entrepreneur)

Follow these steps to help you design your own practice Mission Statement. Click HERE to read

Downloadable Resource: Creating Your Practice Mission Statement – Worksheet (word doc)

Download a one-page worksheet based on the content from the article above to help make the process easier.  It lists all the questions you need to answer to help create a mission statement that is uniquely yours.

Organisational Chart

As a small business owner, you may assume that you don’t need an organisational chart as everyone in your team knows what they have to do.  To a certain degree, this may be true – at the moment – but as we all know things change.

Why bother with an organisational chart?

An organisational chart clearly outlines who is responsible for what; who is responsible to whom; and the lines of communication and the chain of command.

To find out more and how to design an organisational chart for your veterinary business, read the Vetanswers blog post:

Designing the Perfect Organisational Chart for Your Business. Click HERE to read

Codes of Conduct & More…

If you want to encourage a great team environment then writing and discussing your own ‘Code of Conduct’ is a great place to start.

Resources to help you out

Websites to visit:

Workplace discrimination and harassment policy template (Australian Human Rights Commission) Click HERE to visit

Bullying in the workplace (Fair Work Ombudsman) Click HERE to visit

Downloadable Resource: Example Code of Conduct

Download this sample Code of Conduct and discuss it with your team.

Business Apps

Content coming soon!

If you use a Business App that you absolutely love – tell us about it so we can share it with the Vetanswers Community.