Should I Open A Second Vet Hospital Location? Take A Beat To Think

Practice number two will be your hardest challenge to date.

The first one is relatively easy because the team is small, and you are a constant presence in it.

The second location will change both of those factors.

New location. New sub-culture. More people. New people.

You are not one of them if you stay in your first vet hospital. You are less of them if you decide to split yourself in two. Or you leave your firstborn to fend for itself if you decide to take the start-up challenge again.

New people need more of you, not less. Dilution is the solution to pollution in the clinical realm.

In the leadership realm, it’s the problem, not the fix.

Getting money is easy, and getting outside support is easy. Hiring for a shiny new place is (relatively) easy. Making it work… that’s another thing entirely.

Generating cash flow is hard when you are not the main driver of the standard of care. Holding a new culture to support the mission is hard when you rely on others to be as bought in and committed as you were. (Hint – they never will be because they are not the owner – which is both perfectly logical and perfectly reasonable.)

You will work longer and harder to set your new fire and fan the flames. It will take more resources than you imagine. And it will likely wobble in ways your first practice did not. You are a rare and precious metal. Your input must change to meet the new demands of the situation. What got you to success in location one is not what will get you success in location two.  

Here are some helpful things for you to consider before you leap:

• Why do you want to open number two? Is it required to accomplish your life plan? Knowing this will help with your commitment to keep going when the wobbles show up.

• Does it fit as part of your business vision/strategy? Knowing this will help you decide when and what kind of next investment you will make. Do you buy another practice or set up from scratch? Different skills are required for each.

• Are you systems-ready? Do you have a practice operating system? Not one that’s in your head, but one that’s documented, demonstrated, and teachable to others. Without this, you are going to open the door to clinical chaos and move slowly.

• Are you culture-ready? Have you figured out how to perform a cultural transplant? Without this, you are going to risk cultural chaos and huge stress.

• Do you have the right people (skills and values) to execute? 

• Are you ready to up your leadership game?
  

If you don’t have clear answers to these questions, my advice is to hold off until you do. Location two is not for the faint of heart. It’s not the same, not even close.

Be prepared, figure out the answers, get your critical thinking brain on before you leap, and your wobbles will be smaller. You’ll be faster to overcome challenges. And when you do, number three (should you want to go there) will be a party.

If you need any help, my stages of practice growth leadership content might be of interest.

If you’re a team leader trying to navigate the challenging world of veterinary medicine, you should check out our leadership webinar. This webinar will teach you the fundamentals of good leadership, signposting common pitfalls veterinary professionals make when directing a team: