Opening a new veterinary practice is a stressful and challenging undertaking, but having the right team behind you to support the launch of your business can make a huge difference. Petpack supported new practice owners Michelle and Aiden Trevan with a practice launch assessment and coordinated a launch promotion for their Northern Beaches Veterinary Clinic in Smithfield, just north of Cairns.
Vet Dr Michelle Trevan and her husband Aiden, who has a business management background, had wanted to own their own veterinary clinic for some time, and after starting a family and finding their forever place to live, they decided the time was right to start their own practice.
“We always thought that a partnership would be the way for us to break into veterinary practice ownership but that never eventuated, so after reaching out to some of Michelle’s veterinary friends who had also started businesses, we decided we needed to give it a go,” explained Aiden.
After discussions with the team at BOQ Specialist, the couple soon had pre-approvals in place, with the bank funding the purchase of a property and the fit-out of their new veterinary clinic. Petpack provided a practice launch assessment to help guide their new venture in relation to marketing and attracting customers.
“As a start-up, we wanted to ensure that our investment was made on sound information that was based on evidence and facts. We used Petpack to verify our own research around demographics, competitors and population growth in our preferred location,” said Aiden.
“One of the major challenges of a start-up is not having a single customer, and we were keen to ensure our business was well promoted before opening day. We engaged Petpack to design our marketing strategy, and we took up all their recommendations. Petpack designed our website, and managed our Google Business Profile and Google Ads account.”
In the initial weeks after opening their veterinary clinic, Petpack provided almost daily advice, and together with Aiden and Michelle, tweaks were made to the business marketing budget and content.
“As the numbers guy, I wanted to see data, return on investment, cost per click, numbers of new clients, phone calls inbound and their source. The Petpack team adjusted their reporting tools so that I could get the information I wanted. Petpack continue to support us with their suite of marketing tools and I can’t see that changing,” shared Aiden.
“Since our business opened, everything is now travelling along quite nicely. We have put in a huge amount of work, client numbers are growing, word-of-mouth referrals are increasing and overall, we are really pleased with how our business is performing.”
As evidence of the business’ strong growth, the practice is planning to employ a second veterinarian, and they’ve quickly become part of their local community.
“Our advice to others is to do your market research, and make sure you have enough cash in the bank because it is way more expensive than you think. Don’t think that it will be easy and that you’ll have time on your hands because it’s not and you won’t! Engage specialists who are the experts in their field and be really clear on your vision,” said Aiden.
Petpack is here to provide support and marketing services for vets looking to launch a new practice or expand their existing practice. Call us on (03) 9690 6253 or email sales@petpack.com.au.