Business Focus
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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…
1. Cyber security tips for business
1.1 Watch the Cyber Tips for Business video is designed to help small and medium businesses understand and respond to common cyber security threats.
1.2 Complete the Cyber Security Checklist for Small Business
Click HERE to download the pdf checklist
1.3 Small businesses are recommended to implement Maturity Level One of the Essential Eight
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.
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:
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.
Standards of Veterinary Practice:
Tasmania
Standards of Veterinary Practice Tasmania (Biosecurity Tasmania) Click HERE to visit
Veterinary Board of Tasmania Click HERE to visit
Victoria
New South Wales
Veterinary Practice Regulation 2013 (NSW Department of Primary Industries) Click HERE to visit
Queensland
Veterinary Surgeons Board of Queensland Click HERE to visit
South Australia
Veterinary Surgeons Board of South Australia Click HERE to visit
Western Australia
Veterinary Surgeons Regulations (Western Australian Consolidated Regulations) Click HERE to visit
Veterinary Practice Board Western Australia Click HERE to visit
Northern Territory
Code of Conduct for Veterinarians – Northern Territory Business.gov.au Click HERE to visit
Veterinary Board of the Northern Territory Click HERE to visit
Australian Capital Territory
Veterinary Practitioners Board ACT Click HERE to visit