Struggling :(

Re: Struggling :(

Dagmar Steele — Wed, 29 May 2013 12:59:25 GMT

exactly!

Re: Struggling :(

Malcolm Ness — Wed, 29 May 2013 10:33:50 GMT

[quote user="Evelyn Barbour-Hill"]I didn't mean knock a bit off and tell them you've done so, I meant just charge them a bit less, if you should want to.[/quote]

Agree with this completely. However, don't lose sight of the fact that they are only a good client IF they pay your full fee - otherwise they are just very friendly spongers who are keeping you from spending time at home with your husband.

Re: Struggling :(

Hannah Wynne Richards — Wed, 29 May 2013 09:50:41 GMT

Years ago when veterinary practice was far more of a "cottage industry", it was always the veterinary surgeon's wife who did accounts-so why not veterinary surgeon's husband?

Wynne

Re: Struggling :(

CatherineThomas — Wed, 29 May 2013 08:34:46 GMT

I agree with Gillian, It sounds to me like you need an RVN. Even if you've only got one consulting room you can give over one hour of consults to the RVN who can do all of your basic post op checks, AGs etc and then you've got an extra hour to sort out paperwork, phonecalls etc. They can also do insurance forms and will improve the care of your in-patients and allow you to concentrate on more important things. I think clients often really like seeing nurses for some basic things and in some cases are more likely to give truthful answers or ask the questions which they think might be seen as silly.

Re: Struggling :(

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Tue, 28 May 2013 20:23:06 GMT

[quote user="Mark Hedberg"]

[quote user="Gillian Mostyn"]

Train your lay staff to do your insurance forms ASAP!!! They are your cash flow and must not be neglected!!

[/quote]

This, this, a thousand times this.

[/quote]

Could your husband not do this for you in the evenings? I am perfectly serious.

Re: Struggling :(

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Tue, 28 May 2013 20:18:56 GMT

[quote user="Dagmar Steele"]

[quote user="Evelyn Barbour-Hill"]

[quote user="An On MRCVS"]r penalising my very good ones.[/quote]

Among the many great things about being self-employed singlehanded is that you can knock a bit off for your favourite clients, if you should wish to.

[/quote]

yes and no, I don't find this advisable, as they will tell others and you'll be surprised how many people know each other and how much they talk. Apart from that this leads to you expecting gratitude from them for knocking a bit off which they won't give. That might lead to disagreement with the ones that are your best clients. Whenever I go some extra lengths for clients it doesn't pay off but leads to frustration.

[/quote]

I didn't mean knock a bit off and tell them you've done so, I meant just charge them a bit less, if you should want to.

Re: Struggling :(

Mark Hedberg — Tue, 28 May 2013 15:24:46 GMT

[quote user="Gillian Mostyn"]

Train your lay staff to do your insurance forms ASAP!!! They are your cash flow and must not be neglected!!

[/quote]

This, this, a thousand times this.

Re: Struggling :(

Gillian Mostyn — Tue, 28 May 2013 15:00:57 GMT

Train your lay staff to do your insurance forms ASAP!!! They are your cash flow and must not be neglected!!

Re: Struggling :(

Braden Collins — Tue, 28 May 2013 15:00:09 GMT

You need to step back and really look at what you want from life, and then work out how your business is going to provide that. At the moment it sounds like the business is running your life rather than the other way around. Once you have a clear picture of what you want in life, shape the business to fit that. Otherwise it's just not worth losing your life over, I would seriously advise a business coach. They can help you structure your business to work for you and help you find the right work life balance. We have been using one for 6 months now and our stress levels have dropped dramatically, our home life is much better, and our staff are all much happier and more productive. In the meantime I agree that upping your prices may help. We are probably the most expensive in town but we are growing fast because we offer our clients a great service such as 20 minute consults as standard. If you still good value for money you will keep the good clients. Have you looked to relocate the practice to a bigger facility? That would give you the room for growth. But even then consider if you want to remain as a sole practitioner or if you want to grow to something else. It once again comes down to fitting the business to suit your life and plans.

Re: Struggling :(

Dagmar Steele — Tue, 28 May 2013 14:59:38 GMT

Another thing to add maybe, even if there's no room for another vet when you're there it might be worth thinking about employing one to stand in for you when you're having an afternoon off. I'm married with two children and I employ a vet to do surgery on Monday afternoons and every other Saturday. That gives me some time with the family as well as the opportunity to catch up with some paperwork. My clients are not over the moon about this but I do and I'm doing it for thirteen years now and I'm still here so!

Re: Struggling :(

Dagmar Steele — Tue, 28 May 2013 14:46:29 GMT

[quote user="Evelyn Barbour-Hill"]

[quote user="An On MRCVS"]r penalising my very good ones.[/quote]

Among the many great things about being self-employed singlehanded is that you can knock a bit off for your favourite clients, if you should wish to.

[/quote]

Re: Struggling :(

Clive Ansell — Tue, 28 May 2013 14:32:39 GMT

The Lamborghini may not even be his, could be on credit or even leased.

In this age of easy credit almost anyone can own, or rather have use of, an expensive car. not necessarily a sign he is wealthy??

Re: Struggling :(

An On MRCVS — Tue, 28 May 2013 14:30:14 GMT

[quote user="Evelyn Barbour-Hill"]By the way, An On, are you married?[/quote]

I am, actually, and sad to say that being constantly so harassed at work has allowed itself to disrupt my home life which I never wanted. My husband is super supportive and I know would do anything to help. If he were a vet, I'm sure he'd rush to my rescue! There's not an awful lot of practical assistance he can offer but he has been there with a shoulder to cry on and plenty of wine when I've needed it.

[quote user="Evelyn Barbour-Hill"]Supply and demand. Charge more! Some clients will disappear, you'll have a more reasonable workload and you'll still have a good income[/quote]

This is what everyone is saying. This is what I'll try and do.

Re: Struggling :(

Martin Atkinson — Tue, 28 May 2013 14:25:47 GMT

[quote user="Hannah Wynne Richards"]

If he's that cheap, he may have a phenomenal turnover-I bet the profits aren't that great

Wynne

[/quote] He is so busy he is prepared to work all hours Godsend so he does appear to make a good profit, at least the Lamborghini on the drive testifies to that, but I'm sure he never has time to drive it so what's the point?

Re: Struggling :(

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Tue, 28 May 2013 14:07:27 GMT

[quote user="An On MRCVS"]r penalising my very good ones.[/quote]

Among the many great things about being self-employed singlehanded is that you can knock a bit off for your favourite clients, if you should wish to.

Re: Struggling :(

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Tue, 28 May 2013 14:04:35 GMT

[quote user="Mark Hedberg"]

It's got nothing to do with the fact you're too cheap; it's got to do with you're an excellent vet and clients want you.

[/quote]

Supply and demand. Charge more! Some clients will disappear, you'll have a more reasonable workload and you'll still have a good income.

And get a little lay help in.

By the way, An On, are you married?

Re: Struggling :(

An On MRCVS — Tue, 28 May 2013 13:31:57 GMT

Thanks for all the kind replies. Looks like putting prices up is the way to go. I'm not the cheapest vet in the area so I suppose I've been reluctant to go too high for fear of losing all my clients or penalising my very good ones.

I don't do OOH, thankfully, so I do get some down time. I'm just usually too sleepy to enjoy it at the moment.

I am the practice owner so nobody to blame but myself. My staff are okay but I don't have RVNs. I might be able to find room for another lay staff member but an additional vet just isn't possible given the layout. I do everything myself - consult, dispense, take bloods, run bloods, sedate, operate obviously, take the phone when animals are being prepped, read the lab reports, report the lab reports. Today's another example of how it is. Full morning surgery, then a spay, an xray, a "dental" ( I know some of you hate that word"), a cat for bloods, fluids etc. Just when I thought I had that all under control we had a phone call about a cat with a gaping wound on its leg. I either need to squeeze it in today and then rush to get all the others discharged/written up before my full evening surgery starts or try and squeeze it in tomorrow when I already have a pretty full operating schedule. It just feels like this happens all the time. I don't know when I last sent an insurance claim away - they're mounting up silently in the background. Maybe I should stop wasting time on here...

Again, sorry for the moan. I'll have a look at pricing this week if I get the chance and at least see that all the work is worthwhile. Thanks again, everyone, it's good to know that others have been through this and come out the other side happy!

Re: Struggling :(

Gillian Mostyn — Tue, 28 May 2013 12:58:26 GMT

You need to look at your staffing..... as has been said, even a part-time vet to handle your routine ops would be a help. Even if you haven't got two consulting rooms, it will help if ops and consults are happening at the same time and should easily cover it's own cost.

In the meantime, have you got some good nurses (preferably RVNs)? When we have really busy moments, such as Saturdays, they'll look at the list and take any appointments they can, such as routine post ops, 2nd vaccs, nail clips, EAGs, etc. Even for the exotics I'll often do the treatment stuff but send the client through to one of my nurses to go through the (inevitable but lengthy) husbandry advice. They'll also chase up lab results and often make the phone calls - it is quicker to tell the nurse and for them to then have the long and waffly chat with the client. You can always have a more in-depth chat later when you are less busy - the owner will just be happy that they have an idea of what is wrong....

It helps an awful lot to have the other staff supporting you...... the vet practice is a team so you shouldn't feel like you are doing all the work!

Re: Struggling :(

Hannah Wynne Richards — Tue, 28 May 2013 12:41:02 GMT

If he's that cheap, he may have a phenomenal turnover-I bet the profits aren't that great

Wynne

Re: Struggling :(

Martin Atkinson — Tue, 28 May 2013 11:56:12 GMT

I was in exactly the same position 30 years ago, I put my prices up and went from being the cheapest to the most expensive. Admittedly this coincided with a load of other practices opening up around me but I halved my workload yet made the same money because it gave me time to do the job properly. Someone has opened up down the road now undercutting everyone else by nearly half. He's worked off his feet and is cutting corners and making errors, his staff leave in droves with horror stories, he sees all the puppy dealers and dodgy clients and is disrespected by the other local practices. I have an excellent reputation for quality work and my loyal clients love me. I am stress free and have a great home life. He says I'm jealous of him because he's successful because he's always busy and making shed loads of money. I judge success in a different way.

Re: Struggling :(

Mark Hedberg — Tue, 28 May 2013 11:27:23 GMT

48 hours a week is 8 hours a day 6 days a week; if you have a half day on saturday that's 9 hours a day with 3 on saturday. if you're doing your own OOH you have zero time to recharge, so effectively you've been on solid duty since...who knows when? I did that for 3 years and basically was a vegetable towards the end. It's got nothing to do with the fact you're too cheap; it's got to do with you're an excellent vet and clients want you.

Accidents and mistakes happen and the fact you're recognizing things and asking for help are massive signs that you are a conscientious vet who has very high standards and holds patient care as a keystone of your practice.

You are not churlish for 'only' working 48 hours a week. You are exhausted and worn out from trying to do everything to the maximum and this is admirable but ultimately it's worn you out.

Get some help in. Delegate some of your work to staff; see if you can get a part-time vet in to handle some ops so you get some rest during the day. Work time regulation isn't Brussels trying to ruin things for vets; it's there to make sure that people are adequately rested and not worked into an early grave.

Been there. It's lonely but it doesn't have to me. PM me if you need a chat. Call VetLife. There's options out there. Good luck!

Re: Struggling :(

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Tue, 28 May 2013 11:10:31 GMT

[quote user="An On MRCVS"]I'm afraid if I put my prices up and scare away clients I'll be quiet again in a few weeks and regretting it. I do have a holiday booked in about 10weeks time but it seems so far away. At the moment it's work, eat, sleep. I'm too tired for anything else. I'm really down.[/quote]

Put your prices up. Way up.

[quote user="An On MRCVS"]people tend to just wait for me to come back anyway.[/quote]

See? That answers your concerns. People want you.

And maybe you could jam one more member of lay staff - part-time receptionist or general PA - into the building? Don't give yourself even more hassle with employment stuff, though.

Re: Struggling :(

Niall Connell — Tue, 28 May 2013 10:44:20 GMT

No churlishness about it - it's good that you've recognised the problem and are looking for solutions. I agree with the other posters by thinking you need to look at your pricing compared to neighbouring practices. Would it be worth asking a colleague or someone who would be able to look at your set up with a fresh pair of eyes and get some brainstorming going for change? Also in the longer term, it might be worth considering a change of premises to be able to get in more staff as necessary

Re: Struggling :(

Dagmar Steele — Tue, 28 May 2013 10:31:17 GMT

by the way, does "only" 48 hrs mean consulting time or allover working time (paper work, cpd etc.)? If it's just consulting time you definitely should take action asap!

Re: Struggling :(

James Laidlaw — Tue, 28 May 2013 10:25:50 GMT

I think you also need to manage your time better so you aren't under pressure and have the time to deal with clients, ops and phone calls - ESPECIALLY if you are sole charge. Is it your own practice or a branch or a corporate? If you're in charge just book out the time and make sure no one touches it - so you don't get the delays in lab reports, or get a nurse/reception to call if things are ok and no discussion is required. Also how long are your appointment times, do they book extra for skin/difficult consults etc? Whatever happens, I hope you can sort some system for making a better work/life balance for yourself!