BE A LEADER, NOT JUST A BOSS

Good leaders are made not born. If you have the desire and willpower, you can become an effective leader. All you have to do to become a boss is buy a practice. to become a good leader you must develop through a never-ending process of self-study, education, training, and experience. To inspire your team into higher levels of teamwork, there are certain things you must be, know, and, do. These do not come naturally, but are acquired through continual work and study. The best leaders are continually working and studying to improve their leadership skills.

Leadership is a complex process by which you influence others to accomplish a mission, task by the application of your beliefs, values, ethics, character, knowledge, and skills. Ownership gives you the power to accomplish certain tasks and objectives in the practice but this power does not make you a leader. It simply makes you the boss. Bosses tell staff what to do, leaders inspire a desire to doit. Leaders make people want to achieve high goals and objectives.

Your staff will evaluate your leadership skills not by what you say but by what you do. They will watch to see if you walk your talk. They can tell immediately if you are an honorable and trusted leader or a self-serving tyrant who misuses your authority of ownership. Self serving leaders can force employees to obey but can’t force them to follow.

What makes a person want to follow a leader? People want to be guided by those they respect and who have a clear sense of direction. To gain that respect, be ethical above all else. Then develop and communicate a clear vision for the future of the practice.

The complete guide to Leadership and Team Leadership is available to SmartStart Practice members. To receive your member's PDF copy of this manual contact Info@SmartStartPractice.com.

KUDOS to Todd McCoy DVM, Texas A&M 1997

Congratulations to SmartStart student, Todd E. McCoy DVM, a graduate of College Station. Thanks to his SmartStart training and the assistance of the SmartStart Acquisition and Merger team, Dr. McCoy was able to obtain funding for an important acquisition and to successfully transition from a $400K to a $1.4M practice. Thanks to his training and hard work, he has posted nine successful months in the combined practice now called NASA Pet Hospital in Houston. Working closely with the SmartStart Transition Team, Dr. McCoy is quickly acquiring the financial management skills that will help carry his practice into the multi million dollar level and realize his longer term dream of building a new, state-of-the-art facility in three years.

SmartStart at North Carolina State University

The Business Management principles and focus on creating client-centered practices will soon be part of the veterinary curriculum at Nort Carolina State University. Donald Erceg, a co-founder of SmartStart Practice, has been invited by the school of Veterinary Medicine to teach a day-long Seminar on Practice Marketing in its eight day concentrated Business Management curriculum in April 2006.

Mr Erceg's daylong seminar based on the SmartStart materials will focus on:

I. Brand marketing: creating your brand and making your brand promises.
II. Keeping your brand promises with a client-centered practice.

VETERINARY ECONOMICS

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What you should know about traveling with your pet

Offering helpful advice to clients is an important value added service. Like the article shown below, client information is abundant and easy to obtain for your practice. You likely belong to many associations and organizations, and they often have tools for you to use. Reach for these and others to quickly build up your file of client education information. It makes you look good, and it certainly helps clients and pets alike.

From the article -

Planning and Preparation
Planning and preparation are necessary when traveling with family pets. Consider whether your pet is comfortable when traveling. Some animals, like some people, function better in familiar surroundings. A car-sick animal can make a trip miserable for everyone. Some ill or physically impaired dogs and cats cannot withstand the rigors of travel. If this is the case, discuss options such as using a reliable pet-sitter or a clean, well-managed boarding facility with your veterinarian.
If you will be staying with friends along the way, be considerate. Find out in advance if the pet is welcome. The same goes for hotels, motels, parks, and campgrounds. Always check whether pets are allowed or ...........

Read the rest of this information at: http://www.avma.org/communications/brochures/traveling/traveling_brochure.asp

You can print a nice .pdf document for clients also.

Great Place to find Advisors

The AVPMCA is a great organization (www.AVPMCA.org)

This is a collection of consultants and advisors in the field of veterinary medicine that subscribe to the objectives shown below. Many of our Key Advisors belong to and/or helped establish the organization as Charter Members. If you need an advisor, this is a great place to look. There is a searchable database that shows each advisor's specialty and expertise. Happy hunting!

The AVPMCA strives to:

To increase the knowledge of veterinary practice consultants and advisors in the fields of veterinary business management and veterinary practice valuations.
To elevate the profession's understanding of veterinary business practice management and practice valuations through educational programs.
To cooperate with veterinary, legal, accounting, appraisal and other allied professional organizations to enhance the public benefit in the application of veterinary practice management, consulting, advising and practice valuations.
To communicate with veterinarians, veterinary related parties and veterinary students to improve the profession's understanding of business principles.
To create and maintain a member code of ethics.

Mandatory New Posters for 2007 Available from the CVMA

Order yours today at http://www.cvma.net/, Shop the Mall!
The minimum wage in California is going up to $7.50 an hour on January 1, 2007 and veterinary practices are required to post this new minimum wage, along with other required California and Federal postings. The CVMA is selling an Employee Posting set, new for 2007, consisting of two laminated posters. In addition to the new minimum wage (which will go up to $8 an hour on Jan. 1, 2008), the posters have new Whistleblower Protection required information and new Uniformed Services Employment & Re-employment Rights Act information.
Go to http://www.cvma.net/and order yours now! And check out the other regulatory compliance service products the CVMA has to offer:

Meet one of our Key Advisors - Jim Guenther, DVM MBA MHA CVPM

Jim Guenther, DVM provide expertize and consulting in Practice Management for the Smart Start Practice Program.

Dr. Guenther graduated from The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1970 and later owned and managed Biltmore Veterinary Associates in Asheville, NC for 25 years. He completed a dual degree (MBA/MHA) program through Pfeiffer University in Charlotte, NC in 1999 and also became the Administrator of REACH (Regional Emergency Animal Hospital). At the same time he joined Brakke Consulting, Inc. of Dallas, Texas as part of the practice management team.Through his experiences in the development of REACH Hospital, Dr. Guenther understands mergers, acquisitions, and the marketing of a new practice. His knowledge of equine, small animal, and emergency medicine has allowed him to better understand the art of practice and the science of management. As administrator of a 24/7, he understands and utilizes the principles needed to create a successful practice in the new millennium.

Expertise: Practice management consulting including specialty referral practices, practice merger and acquisitions, strategic planning budgeting, financial analysis, and problem-oriented challenges.

SmartStart Practice and Fair Fees Solutions

SmartStart Practice anounced December 12th news that it had developed a working arrangement and co-assistance program with Fair Fees Solutions. Both companies seek to improve the business success of veterinarians through business knowledge education and through proper fee structuring that creates a profit, respectively. The companies share great respect for the impact and effort each is making and has chosen to work together on a series of joint seminars in 2007. Look for announcements soon. Expect them to be associated with major veterinary conferences throughout the US.

First Year Comes to a Close

Its the holiday season, one of thankfulness and cheer. Thankful that we made it through the most trying of times launching a new venture and cheerful that we've had so many good comments from student-clients and the industry. We have a lot of improvements to make and we will be finishing many of the components that were not yet ready as well as making replacements and revisions to items that needed updating.