#128: So You Want To Start Your Own Practice? With Dr Amber Christie, Brooke Goodwin and Caroline Willemse.

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If you’ve ever wondered about starting your own veterinary practice, then this episode is for you. We speak to Dr Amber Christie and Brooke Goodwin, a vet and vet nurse team who are the owners of a brand new clinic, about the highs, the challenges the lessons learnt from building their new practice. 

Dr Amber is on new practice number four, and she tells us what they're doing differently this time around - from the practicalities of setting up the practice, like practice design, business structure, and finance, to how they’re thinking about things like boundaries, values, and growth. Brooke shares her perspective from a first time business owner’s point of view, and tells us how they are making the vet nurse/business owner structure work for them and for their clients. Finance specialist Caroline Willemse from Credabl took care of the money side of practice ownership for Amber and Brooke, and she joins us to answer common questions and bust some myths about business finance. 

Topics and Time Stamps

05:21 Balancing Personal and Professional Life as a Practice Owner

10:49 The Importance of Flexibility 

16:15 Designing the Perfect Vet Clinic

19:51 Financial Planning and Support for New Practices

30:22 Misconceptions and Realities Starting a Vet Practice: 

31:17 Choosing Your Path: Independent vs. Group Practice

31:38 The Joy of Building from Scratch

32:58 Financial Considerations for New Practices

34:48 Renting vs. Buying: Pros and Cons

36:18 Fixed vs. Variable Borrowing

38:51 The Unique Partnership: Vet and Nurse Co-Ownership

46:00 Picking Your Values and Goals

54:33 The One Question

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