20 June 2022
State of the nation: veterinary business succession | Brendan Hickman | 8.30am
In the past couple of decades there have been some significant changes in the nature of the ownership structures that are present. The options available to the next generation of vet for ownership are now more varied and in some areas, arguably more limited than yesteryear. This presentation will provide a brief review of where the veterinary profession is at in regards to succession of veterinary businesses. The following speakers during this day will help provide a solid understanding for anyone interested in veterinary business ownership. For many, it may dispel the many myths that surround ownership.
How to value a veterinary business and financing into ownership | Craig Melhuish | 9am
This session will look at how veterinary businesses are valued, covering the different methods of valuing practices, the factors that influence value, and the accounting and financial metrics that are considered during the valuation process. It will also provide prospective buyers of veterinary practices with advice around financing, and different succession options will be outlined to help ensure a profitable transition.
Practice ownership and succession | Bryce Pullan | 10.30am
Every young vet should be thinking about practice ownership, and current owners should be developing a succession plan to hand over the reins to the next generation. In this session we will look at: Why young vets should invest into a veterinary business, and what owners need to do to develop a succession plan.
How to enjoy prosperity and sustainability as a veterinary business owner | Gary Turnbull | 11.30am
Whether you are contemplating veterinary business ownership or already there, it is important to recognise the fine line between working for your business and it working for you. In this presentation Gary will explore what successful veterinary practice ownership can look like through the execution of sound business strategy. With a ‘work smarter, not harder’ mindset, he will highlight the skills and competencies integral to achieving commercial and professional prosperity within a sustainable model.
Starting a clinic from scratch: Evolution Vets | Laurie Gray | 1.30pm
Evolution Vets was born because of a failed attempt to buy an existing practice as well the frustration that had come from that process - "let's just go out on our own''. We were confident our clear ideas about how to look after staff and clients would make the business a success (based on our own experiences as employees) and to start with we were expecting it just to be the two of us for quite some time. I want to share our experience of practice ownership so far, the barriers, the challenges, and the positives.
Paradise Vets: considerations when founding an independent veterinary business | Michael Lilley | 2pm
Paradise Vets is a predominately dairy veterinary practice, started in January 2020. This presentation covers the journey leading up to and the first few years of operation. What we have learnt, the pros and cons and would we do it again.
Business ownership | Kate Gloyn | 2.30pm
Kate has gone from being a large animal vet shareholder in a large corporate practice, through to practice management and onto shareholding/practice ownership in a medium sized privately owned clinic. She will talk through these different scenarios and experiences.
Our journey to the clive cottage clinic | Brendan Hickman | 3pm
Two ordinary people, a Vet and Vet Nurse, who meet at the right time have decided to start their own clinic in a small town in Hawkes Bay. No other Vet Clinic has been here before, no experience in owning a Vet Clinic before, not a lot of finances to back them up and they both have a young family. Is this the right time, the right place and the right team?
Getting into veterinary ownership | Bart Karalus | 4pm
Facilitated panel discussion | 4.30pm
21 June 2022
Staff utilisation: improve this and improve your practice wellbeing | Francesca Brown | 8am
Veterinary practices are under significant pressure with veterinary shortages and increasing demand for veterinary services. Data collected in 2021 indicates there is a significant opportunity to examine team structure including the roles and ratios of staff employed and ensure a structure that enables tasks to be carried out by the most appropriate staff member. What did the data tell us? What are the barriers and opportunities that were identified by respondents? What are some solutions? This session will focus on companion animal practice, with future research to examine the opportunities in rural practice.
Leading with strength: smart ways to build a resilient team | Kathryn Jackson | 9am
"Understanding and leading wellbeing has become a strategic differentiator for business performance", Josh Bersin, 2021 If you’ve noticed that your team is a little more highly strung than usual lately, you’re not alone…but does it feel like you’ve all become experts at navigating this elevated stress, or are you all just holding on tightly until the world goes back to “normal”? The bad news is that “normal” is very unlikely to return (seriously, when was the last time you didn’t feel stressed at work or in life?) but the good news is there’s plenty of scientific research and information to help us lead teams more strongly during turbulent times. Instead of waiting for the inevitable burnout or resignations, what if there were some simple steps you could take to prevent some of this elevated stress? This workshop will help you to understand how the science of wellbeing positively influences resilience within a high performing environment and will provide you with some practical strategies to support your team.
Choose to thrive: three big secrets for preventing burnout | Kathryn Jackson | 10.30am
The world we live in is filled with potential stressors – even more so thanks to the global pandemic and recent events in the Ukraine. On top of this, the veterinarian profession in New Zealand is navigating unprecedented resource shortages, financial pressures, and the ever-present risk of compassion fatigue. Like many people, you’ve probably noticed that these extra stressors are not helpful when it comes to making good decisions, staying focussed or even being nice to be around! This workshop will investigate how the science of wellbeing could influence whether we simply survive or thrive during these most challenging circumstances. Expect an interactive workshop which explores how strength psychology, can help you to feel better equipped to navigate whatever lies ahead. You will leave with information about research, ideas, and some practical resources to help you stay fully charged, in a world that won’t slow down.
Resilience in disruptive times: part one | Nick Petrie | 1.30pm
This interactive session draws upon 30 years of research and will help you understand the difference between pressure and stress. Filled with insights from Nick's latest book, Work without Stress: Building a resilient mindset for lasting success, you’ll discover that while pressure is inevitable, stress is something you create. With stress, you can learn to let it go. This workshop will help you build individual and organizational resilience for the long term. You’ll gain insight into your personal resilience profile and discover how you can help others in your organization and family to deal with the demands of life.
In this session you’ll learn:
- The difference between stress and pressure
- How stress is created and what resilient people do to avoid it
- Your resilience profile based on eight dimensions
- How leaders and staff can reduce stress and increase energy levels even in times of change
- Four steps you can practice to decrease stress even in challenging times
- How to support your teams to be more resilient
Resilience in disruptive times: part two | Nick Petrie | 2.30pm
This interactive session draws upon 30 years of research and will help you understand the difference between pressure and stress. Filled with insights from Nick's latest book, Work without Stress: Building a resilient mindset for lasting success, you’ll discover that while pressure is inevitable, stress is something you create. With stress, you can learn to let it go. This workshop will help you build individual and organizational resilience for the long term. You’ll gain insight into your personal resilience profile and discover how you can help others in your organization and family to deal with the demands of life.
In this session you’ll learn:
- The difference between stress and pressure
- How stress is created and what resilient people do to avoid it
- Your resilience profile based on eight dimensions
- How leaders and staff can reduce stress and increase energy levels even in times of change
- Four steps you can practice to decrease stress even in challenging times
- How to support your teams to be more resilient
If you want them to listen: talk their language | Fiona Couchman | 4pm
With a worldwide shortage of Veterinary professionals, there is competition to secure staff, so when it comes to communicating, you better get it right. Learn the 6 different personality styles within all of us and how to communicate at each level, build trust and make stronger connections based on trust and authenticity as you navigate your way through the variety of styles amongst human nature. Prepare to tap into your true potential in the world of Emotional Intelligence.
End of day facilitated panel discussion | Gary Turnbull | 5pm
22 June 2022
Benchmarking veterinary business:what have we learnt so far? | Mark Hosking | 8am
Veterinary businesses throughout NZ are all facing similar challenges - High client demand, workforce shortages, rapidly rising salary and wage expectations and significant cost inflation, creating significant movement in both practice revenue and expenses. Benchmarking has a critical role to play provide an understanding the current market and to help build sustainable veterinary business and lifting veterinary team renumeration into the future. This presentation will give some insights from the VBB benchmarking undertaken in 2021.
When did you last increase your prices? | Nick Cooper | 9am
In this ever-changing world, we must ensure we are looking after our team, clients and ourselves. Ensuring we are keeping pace with correct pricing, being able to offer the right remuneration, the right equipment is a very challenging process. We must be proud of what we do and charge accordingly. We will discuss how we have changed clinics from a single figure or negative EBITDA ,to in excess of 20%, with a team based solution.
Emotion in the workplace: are you ready for human conversations? | Kate Strahan & Rae MacDonald | 10.30am
Emotions influence employees commitment, creativity, decision making, quality of work and, the likelihood of sticking around. You can see the effects of these on your bottom line. So, how do we start talking about emotion in the workplace in a way that moves beyond ‘hint and hope’ to intentional conversations to elicit engagement and commitment?
Celebrating weirdos! harnessing the power of uniqueness | Jenni Hill | 11.30am
It would be fair to say that veterinary professionals are, in the main, super smart, funny and very kind. Notwithstanding these generalisations, the range of personalities, scope of strengths and drivers of the people we encounter in the workplace is about as vast as dog breeds! Let’s explore how to recognise, nurture, and harness the fabulous uniqueness of all of our people.
The 10 behaviours of successful people | David Keane | 1.30pm
Are you really successful? If you were to ask that question of yourself, what would you answer? In this lively and interactive session, Dr David Keane will help you unpack the answer for yourself. In our time together, we will explore your definition of success and 10 Behaviours to support you in achieve success in both your professional and personal life.
After hours successful stories | Seton Butler, Nick Cooper & Francesca Brown | 2.30pm