Vet Launch

How To Get The Most Out Of Your Practice Manager | Maria Parita, CVPMDo you need a practice manager? When should you hire one? And once you do, what should you actually hand them, and what should you never let go of?In this episode, Dr. John Younker sits down with Maria Parita, a Certified Veterinary Practice Manager (CVPM) and Business Development Coordinator at Uncharted Veterinary Conference. Maria spent years running a practice herself and now helps other practice managers communicate, lead, and grow their teams.We cover when it's the right time to hire, whether to bring in an experienced manager or grow one from within, how to interview for values instead of resumes, the daily, weekly, monthly, and annual rhythms of the job, what to outsource, what to delegate down, and the safeguards you need in place before you hand anyone the keys.Whether you're pre-opening, running a two-doctor practice, or managing a 60-person team, this episode will help you get more out of one of the most important hires in your practice.TIMESTAMPS00:00 Highlights02:25 Episode Intro03:08 Does Every Practice Need a Practice Manager?04:48 When Is the Right Time to Hire?07:54 Management by Committee: Does It Work?09:59 Why More Revenue Doesn't Mean More Profit14:10 Experienced Hire or Grow From Within?18:44 Interviewing for Values, Not Resumes (The Super Tech Trap)25:56 Where to Actually Find a Practice Manager32:31 What a Practice Manager Does Every Day, Week, and Month37:48 Weekly Meetings, Monthly Reviews, and Annual Goals41:14 You Can't Aspire Your Way to Great Culture41:40 The Practice Manager as Your Implementer42:50 The Highest Value Task: Team Development47:48 What to Outsource (Bookkeeping, Payroll, Marketing)51:33 What to Delegate Down (Inventory, Social Media, Training)57:08 Give Every Role a KPI59:59 What the Owner Should Never Hand Off01:06:27 Hourly vs. Salary: How to Pay a Practice Manager01:08:52 Your Manager Needs a Network Too01:11:58 TLDR: Key TakeawaysRESOURCES MENTIONEDVHMA Job Framework and Job Description for Veterinary Managers: https://www.vhma.org/resources/practice-owner-toolsCONNECT WITH MARIALinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-pirita-cvpm-b06a1aa2/If this episode helped you, hit like, subscribe, and share it with a practice owner who's drowning in management work.#VeterinaryPracticeManagement #PracticeManager #VetPracticeOwner #VeterinaryBusiness #CVPM #VetLaunch

Most practice owners think they have a great culture. Almost none of them have a system for it.

In this episode, Dr. Brianna Armstrong, medical director and co-owner of Firehouse Animal Health Centers in Austin, Texas, and co-host of Choose People Love Pets: The Veterinary Culture Podcast, walks through the exact systems her hospital uses to hire the right people, hold them accountable, and keep the team talking to leadership.

This is a how-to episode. You'll leave with a hiring process you can copy, a one-on-one format you can run next week, and a survey approach that actually changes something.

What we cover:

- Why "nice" leaders fail their teams, and what kind leadership sounds like in a hard conversation

- Hire fast, fire slow: why 95% of candidates should be a no

- The one interview question that predicts culture fit

- How to write core values with your team in one meeting

- Why the open door policy is a myth, and what replaces it

- Engagement surveys: what to ask, how often, and why the follow-up is the whole point

- Quarterly leadership sessions with every employee, doctors included

- The "at capacity" scheduling rule that lets doctors control their own workload

- Skill gap vs. will gap: training problem or wrong hire?

- Setting boundaries with clients without blowing up your culture

Book mentioned: The Ideal Team Player by Patrick Lencioni

Find Dr. Brianna Armstrong:

Instagram, TikTok, Facebook: @DrArmstrongDVM

LinkedIn: Brianna Armstrong DVM

Podcast: Choose People Love Pets: The Veterinary Culture Podcast

Chapters:

(00:00) Intro and highlight reel

(03:09) What is culture, really?

(05:33) Building core values with your team

(07:20) Hire fast, fire slow

(08:52) Behavior-based interview questions

(11:24) Using AI to write values and interview questions

(13:09) The annual culture survey

(16:29) Why survey follow-up is non-negotiable

(20:55) One-on-ones and team bonding

(23:16) Kind vs. nice: having hard conversations

(27:04) Lead with curiosity and build trust deposits

(30:47) Skill gap or will gap?

(33:03) The full hiring process, step by step

(40:08) Working interviews and making the offer

(43:34) Giving the team a vote on new hires

(44:03) Hiring veterinarians through externships

(45:44) Hiring through your referral network

(47:42) Why the team would rather be short-staffed

(49:54) The daily 1-to-10 check-in

(52:02) The five-minute huddle

(54:27) Workload, capacity, and doctor autonomy

(58:52) Setting boundaries with clients

(01:01:47) Quarterly leadership sessions

(01:06:45) Why one-on-ones are the number one culture tool

(01:10:29) Leading by example and owning your mistakes

(01:15:46) Where to find Brianna

(01:17:36) TLDR

Debbie Boone never hired a CSR with a medical background, and her average receptionist stayed 15 years. In this episode, she breaks down how to hire, train, and keep the person who shapes every client's first and last impression of your practice.
Debbie spent 23 years managing veterinary practices before founding 2 Manage Vets Consulting. She wrote Hospitality in Healthcare, co-founded the North American Association of Veterinary Receptionists, and has trained veterinary teams across North America on communication and client service.
We cover where to find front desk candidates outside vet med, the behavior-based interview questions that beat hypotheticals, working interviews, onboarding that actually sticks, how fast to let a bad hire go, why she paid great CSRs the same as licensed technicians, and how to use recorded phone calls for coaching instead of surveillance.
CONNECT WITH DEBBIE
Website: https://debbiebooneconsulting.com
Book: Hospitality in Healthcare (Amazon)
Podcast: The Bend
LinkedIn: Debbie Boone
NAAVR (North American Association of Veterinary Receptionists): https://naavr.org
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Highlight Reel
02:44 Welcome and Guest Intro
04:05 From Barbecue Ribs to the Front Desk
07:06 What Clients Get From a CSR They Get Nowhere Else
10:58 The Traits of a Great CSR
13:13 Hire for Hospitality, Teach the Medicine
15:05 Interview Questions That Predict Behavior
20:36 Recruiting Outside Vet Med
25:01 Hiring Mistakes and Why Diversity Pays
28:14 Hospital Tours and Working Interviews
31:30 Onboarding a New CSR
33:22 Training Lists and Teach-Backs
37:46 How Fast to Know, and When to Let Go
42:47 Making Core Values Real
48:34 Call Recordings as a Coaching Tool
52:17 Pay, Train, and Retain: Why Her CSRs Stayed 15 Years
57:19 Be the Best Hospitality Person in Your Hospital
58:38 Where to Find Debbie

Top 10 Myths of Veterinary Practice Ownership (Part 2) with Peter Weinstein, DVM, MBAThink owning a veterinary practice is too expensive? Too risky? That now isn't the right time? In Part 2 of this conversation, Dr. John Younker and Peter Weinstein, DVM, MBA finish busting the myths that keep veterinarians from making the leap to ownership.Here's the number that changes everything: veterinary hospitals have a success rate over 99.5%, second only to one industry (you'll have to listen for the punchline). One bank's default rate on practice loans is 0.15%, about the same odds as being born with six fingers. Meanwhile, a well-managed $2 million practice at 25% profitability puts an extra $500,000 a year in the owner's pocket.We cover why "too expensive" is a myth when you understand both sides of the P&L, how a profit and loss statement is just a blood panel for your business, when startups reach cash flow, niche practice opportunities, why you need a support team instead of doing it all yourself, and the mindset that matters more than any technical skill.Missed Part 1? Go back and listen first. We covered student debt, competing with corporate groups, balancing doctor and CEO, and the thousands of practices waiting to be bought.Connect with Peter at Veterinary Ownership Advocates: https://www.veterinaryownershipadvocates.comPick up his book, The E-Myth Veterinarian, or find him on LinkedIn.Timestamps00:00 Highlight Reel: You're Not Going to Fail01:38 Recap of the Part 1 Myths02:19 Myth: It's Too Expensive to Own05:42 Profitability and Controlling Expenses09:05 Niche Practices: Stand Out in Your Community10:51 Cash Flow, Working Capital, and When You Get Paid16:43 The Real Risk: A 1-in-600 Default Rate18:37 Build Your Support Team22:16 Mindset and Entrepreneurial Grit24:09 Myth: Now Isn't the Right Time26:34 Closing Thoughts and Resources27:19 Final Wrap Up: Share This With a ColleagueKnow a colleague sitting on the fence about ownership? Send them this episode. That's who we made it for.#VeterinaryMedicine #VetPractice #PracticeOwnership #VeterinaryEntrepreneur #VetLaunchPodcast

Top 10 Myths of Veterinary Practice Ownership (Part 1) with Peter Weinstein, DVM, MBA

Think you can't own a veterinary practice because of student debt? Convinced you can't compete with corporate groups? In this episode, Dr. John Younker sits down with Peter Weinstein, DVM, MBA, to bust the biggest myths that keep veterinarians from making the leap from clinician to entrepreneur.

Peter is a practice owner turned educator, co-author of The E-Myth Veterinarian, business and finance instructor at Western University College of Veterinary Medicine, and co-founder of Veterinary Ownership Advocates. In Part 1, we tackle the first myths on the list: student debt, competing against national consolidators, balancing the doctor and CEO roles, and whether there are actually practices out there to buy.

You'll learn why banks consider student loans "a ticket to the show," why an independent practice is a speedboat next to a corporate tanker, the three hats every owner wears, and why roughly 7,000 baby boomer-owned practices are waiting for their next owner.

Connect with Peter and learn more about practice ownership at Veterinary Ownership Advocates: https://www.veterinaryownershipadvocates.com

Timestamps
00:00 "I'll Just Say Bull": Why Now Is the Time to Own
02:30 Welcome and the Myth List
03:34 Myth 1: My Student Debt Disqualifies Me
06:52 Cash, Credit Scores, and What Banks Actually Want
08:57 The Ownership Wealth Mindset
10:28 Myth 2: I Can't Compete with Corporate
15:48 Speedboat vs. Tanker: The Independent Advantage
16:50 They're Sprinting, You're Running a Marathon
17:21 Myth 3: I Can't Be a Doctor and a CEO
20:14 The Three Hats: Technician, Manager, Entrepreneur
23:50 Building Your Leadership Learning Library
26:03 Myth 4: There Are No Practices to Buy
32:04 Buy vs. Start from Scratch: The Tradeoffs
34:21 Your Associate Is Your Exit Strategy
36:30 The Three-Doctor Sweet Spot
37:07 Wrap Up and What's Coming in Part 2

Subscribe for Part 2, where we bust the rest of the myths holding veterinarians back from ownership.

#VeterinaryMedicine #VetPractice #PracticeOwnership #VeterinaryEntrepreneur #VetLaunchPodcast

The exact cash flow system John Younker, DVM, MBA uses in his own veterinary practices: one credit card, two bank accounts, and a simple rule for paying yourself. No finance degree required.In this episode, Dr. Younker covers how to pay your expenses, where your cash should sit, and how to pay yourself, including:Why every expense goes on a business credit card you pay in full each month, and the exceptions to that ruleHow to stack your distributor's payment terms with your card's billing cycle so inventory doesn't pull cash out of your account for two months or moreWhen a prompt-pay discount beats your credit card rewardsSimple theft prevention: employee card limits, deposit-only bank access, and the two-signature cash drawer ruleHow much to keep in checking (125 to 150% of monthly expenses) and high-yield savings (3 to 6 months)The monthly sweep that turns idle cash into passive incomeWhen to ask your accountant for a tax projectionPaying cash vs. taking a loan for equipment and renovationsHow to pay yourself with owner distributionsTimestamps:00:00 Cash Flow Plumbing01:42 Pay Expenses by Card02:48 Four Card Benefits07:01 Float System Tips08:48 Exceptions and Vendors10:16 Security and Controls13:31 High Yield Savings14:30 Bucket Cash System16:12 Taxes CapEx Distributions18:42 Wrap Up and Next StepsRelated episodes:Episode 9: GPOs and Pharmaceutical VendorsEpisode 11: Business Entities and Tax Structures for VeterinariansEpisode 15: Business Insurance and Workers' CompensationHave a question? Reach out to Dr. John Younker on LinkedIn or Instagram. And if this episode helped you, follow the show and leave a review. It's the best way to help other veterinary entrepreneurs find it.This episode is for general education only and isn't financial, tax, or legal advice. Your numbers are your own, so run them with your CPA and financial advisor.#VetMed #PracticeOwnership #CashFlow

On the Vet Launch Podcast, Dr. John Younker interviews Rod Finnegan of VetInsure about essential insurance for starting and growing a veterinary clinic, with a focus on workers’ comp and business insurance. Rod shares a client story where increasing employee dishonesty coverage prevented a major shortfall after a practice administrator change led to $80,000–$90,000 in theft. They outline insurance needs across a startup timeline, including general liability for leased space, builder’s risk during buildout, business owner policies as equipment arrives, and when to add workers’ comp. Rod explains workers’ comp basics, state differences, class codes, payroll-based pricing, audits, billing options, claims impact, experience modifiers, and how 1099 relief vets are treated. They also discuss executive risk like employment practices liability, real estate ownership considerations, animal bailee coverage, cyber insurance risks and statistics, and why vet-specialized independent brokers and umbrellas matter. CHAPTERS00:00 Introduction02:03 Dodging a Bullet03:24 The $80,000 Employee Theft Story08:17 Required Insurance to Open10:09 Buildout and Loan Protections11:34 When to Add a Business Owner Policy13:02 Workers' Comp Basics and Rates17:19 Billing, Audits and Renewals18:52 Claims Impact on Premiums21:11 Pay Out of Pocket or File?24:16 1099 Relief Vets and Audits26:14 How Often to Shop Insurance28:40 Employment Lawsuits and Executive Risk30:54 Owning the Building and Liability34:14 Animal Bailee and Lost Pets37:21 Cyber Insurance Reality Check41:33 Broker vs Direct and the Vet Niche44:22 Umbrellas and Personal Protection46:43 Final Advice: Don't PanicROD FINNEGAN AND VETINSUREInsurance and consulting built specifically for veterinary hospitals.https://vetinsure.comhttps://vetinsure.com/contactVet Launch is a podcast for veterinarians who own or are about to own an independent practice. Subscribe so you don't miss an episode.Educational only, not legal, financial, or insurance advice. Insurance requirements vary by state. Talk to a licensed agent about your own practice.#VetMed #VeterinaryPractice #PracticeOwnership

When can I start to pay myself in a veterinary startup? In this episode, I walk through a break-even analysis, the simple financial model that answers this question with a real number: about 9 patients per day in our example model.

Most veterinary founders go months without a paycheck and have no idea when that ends. I've lived it. In this episode, I give you a mathematical framework that turns that anxiety into a number you can count patients toward, using a real-world startup model built with Professor Jeff Sanford at the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine.

What you'll learn: break-even analysis explained with a simple lemonade stand, fixed vs. variable costs, how to calculate startup payroll and rent, contribution margin, the break-even math ($441K in fixed costs = about $604K in revenue = 9 patients a day), and how many patients per day it takes to pay yourself $100K, $250K, or $500K.

Want a copy of the break-even spreadsheet? Follow the show and DM me on Instagram or LinkedIn at VetLaunch and I'll send it to you.

Episodes mentioned: Episode 3 (The Anatomy of a Veterinary Startup Loan), Episode 4 (How to Find a Location for Your Veterinary Startup), Episodes 12 and 13 (How to Read a P&L and overhead costs).

Break-even model courtesy of Jeff Sanford, MBA (UGA College of Veterinary Medicine) and Dr. John Younker, DVM, MBA.

This episode is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice. Run this analysis with your own costs and consult your accountant or financial advisor.

What separates a vet practice that clears $600K a year from one losing money on the same revenue? It's not what you'd think.

John Younker, DVM, MBA sits down with Professor Jeff Sanford, MBA of the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine to break down two real veterinary practice P&Ls, line by line. Same size. Same type of clinic. Wildly different outcomes. One we call "Sad Times." The other, "Good Times."

Professor Sanford's has analyzed well over 1,000 veterinary practices, and in this episode he shows you exactly where the money leaks out and how to plug it, using one simple framework: the 20/40/15 rule.

Here's the gut punch. The "Sad Times" clinic does $3.2M in revenue and still loses money. Cost of goods running near 29%. Payroll at 53% with underutilized doctors and too many bodies on the schedule. Overhead creeping up everywhere, including a $100K professional fees line that made Jeff's jaw drop. This owner should be clearing $600K a year. Instead they're in the red.

Then we flip to "Good Times," a $3.7M practice that does it right: monthly financials, weekly KPI meetings, COGS near 22%, payroll near 36%, and roughly $783K in EBITDA. Same effort. Completely different result. The difference is discipline.

In this episode you'll learn:

The 20/40/15 benchmark that tells you in 30 seconds if your practice is healthy

Why COGS is the expense you have the MOST control over (and how to fix it in 90 days)

The inventory behaviors quietly inflating your drug spendWhy discounting is "the cigarette smoking of the vet world"

How to spot overhead creep, renegotiate fees, and catch fraud before it costs you

The DVM-to-CEO transition that stalls most practices around $3M

New to reading a P&L? Start with Episode 12, where John walks through the basics: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4RN4iceccRrw4IdxPWAgg7?si=YMWRysSmRwqcJtDyiDudAA

🎧 Subscribe for more practical finance for veterinary practice owners. No jargon, no MBA required.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Tale of Two P&Ls01:11 Podcast Intro and Guest03:46 P&L Buckets Explained05:56 Benchmarks and Percentages09:28 Sad Times Practice Setup11:22 Revenue Trends Breakdown12:53 COGS Deep Dive16:26 Inventory and Pricing Fixes26:22 Payroll Problems and Capacity33:12 Owner Pay and DVM to CEO38:44 Overhead Next Steps38:53 Overhead Expense Creep40:28 Big Overhead Outliers41:30 Professional Fees Shock45:19 Negotiating Bank Fees47:34 Rent Fixed Costs48:17 Expense Discipline Fraud49:01 EBITDA Explained49:46 Why EBITDA Is Negative52:42 Depreciation Passive Income55:49 Sad Times Recap57:18 Good Times Systems59:03 Good Times COGS01:01:04 Payroll Utilization Wins01:04:27 Overhead Normalization01:06:42 Good Times EBITDA Gap01:08:00 Owner Playbook Wrap

How to Read a Veterinary Practice Profit & Loss Statement (P&L): Benchmarks, EBITDA, and Monthly DecisionsJohn Younker, DVM, MBA explains how veterinary practice owners can read and use a profit and loss (P&L) statement to make better business decisions. He uses an analogy comparing it to a car’s speedometer with profit at the bottom, revenue pushing up and expenses pulling down. He clarifies why profit on a P&L won’t match cash in the bank due to debt principal payments and capital expenses, and notes cash flow statements and balance sheets cover those areas. He breaks P&L rows into four expense groups—COGS, payroll, overhead, and other expenses—then defines EBITDA and how it’s used for performance comparisons and practice valuation. He recommends getting the P&L by the 15th monthly, reviewing it with a practice manager, and tracking six key numbers with benchmarks: revenue, COGS (20–23%), total payroll (≤40%), staff payroll (14–20%), overhead (~15%), and EBITDA (20–25%).00:00 Financial Literacy Wakeup01:25 P&L as Dashboard02:37 Profit vs Cash03:36 P&L Layout Benchmarks04:45 Expense Groups Overview05:02 COGS Explained06:01 Payroll and Owner Pay06:31 Overhead and EBITDA08:20 Other Expenses Net Income09:29 Monthly Review System10:25 Six Numbers to Track11:44 The 20 40 15 Rule12:30 Revenue Trend Checks13:04 COGS Control Levers14:46 Total Payroll Ceiling15:15 Staff Payroll Fixes16:58 Associate Pay Hiring19:38 Overhead Fixed Costs20:37 EBITDA vs Net Income22:25 Benchmarks and Tradeoffs23:32 TLDR Checklist26:35 Wrap Up Next Steps