A business consultant says new practice owners should allow 60 to 90 days between major changes

Many new practice owners bring a great vision and a long list of changes, and they want to implement those changes now, writes Mira Johnson, managing partner with JF Bell Group, a business consulting firm for veterinary practices. New PIMS, new payroll system, new scheduling philosophy, new associate, new equipment, new brand, new culture, all of it, simultaneously, in year one.

What the all-at-once approach costs

Johnson writes that each big change causes turbulence for a team, and most people can handle one change at a time. Pile on several at once and your best employees start looking for new jobs, clients notice instability, revenue dips, and the owner ends up managing chaos instead of building the success they envisioned.

Some staff turnover and client attrition in the first year after an acquisition is normal, Johnson writes. Clients who came to see the previous owner will follow that doctor, and long-tenured team members may decide they don't want to learn a new way of doing things.

Johnson recommends allowing each major change 60 to 90 days to settle before adding another. For some practices, it takes an entire year for the team to embrace a new PIMS. This is not slow, she writes, it is how lasting change happens.

The triage that makes the one-change rule work

Not every change is equal. Johnson says to make a list and prioritize, thinking about each change's impact and being honest about which problems are costing the practice right now and which problems simply annoy the new owner. Start with what bleeds.

Cash flow will be tighter than projected in year one, Johnson writes. Staff will test the new owner, clients will compare the new owner to the predecessor, and existing systems and policies will frustrate. Most likely, these challenges are not emergencies, they are data points telling the owner to make small corrections and stay deliberate.

The timing of adjustments and how quickly an owner makes corrections separates owners who build something great from those who burn out their teams trying to reach their goals, according to Johnson.

What the new owner bought

Buying an existing practice, if done well, can be one of the best ways to become an owner, Johnson writes. The new owner realizes immediate cash flow and gets an established client base, a trained team, and a proven location and track record. These are real benefits that a startup cannot offer right away, but the owner will only see these advantages if they approach ownership with open eyes.

The previous owner flew a specific route at a specific altitude with specific habits, Johnson writes. Frequent clients are used to a particular experience, and the new owner steps into the cockpit of a plane in midflight. The first year of ownership may feel like constant turbulence, but a good pilot does not panic, a good pilot reads the instruments, makes small corrections, and stays focused on the destination.

If your week runs on calls like this one, subscribe to VeterinaryPracticeNow.

Our read on the 60-to-90-day rule

We're hearing Johnson's one-change rule used as a benchmark in transition planning, and it holds up. The 60-to-90-day settling period between major changes is not a soft suggestion, it is the difference between a team that absorbs the change and a team that starts looking for exits. The associate who would have stayed through a phased rollout has a decision to make earlier than they otherwise would if the new owner piles on changes without allowing time for each to settle.

For the owner-DVM, Johnson's framing gives you language to protect your team during transition if you sell. Staff who were frustrated before may thrive under new leadership, Johnson writes, and long-term clients who care about the practice will give the new owner a real chance. Some people will leave, some people will become the new owner's biggest supporters, plan for both, Johnson writes, and the new owner will not be blindsided by either. That planning conversation, before the deal closes, is worth having explicitly rather than assuming the buyer already knows it.

← Back to the Newsdesk