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Burnout vs Sale—What's Really Driving the Decision
Burnout can be a real signal for veterinary practice owners, but it should not automatically lead to a rushed sale. This article explains how burnout-driven exits, strategic sales, and restructuring options require different deal structures and conversations.
Margin Compression Is the Quiet Killer
Revenue can rise while profit quietly slips. This article breaks down margin compression in veterinary hospitals, where it hides, why volume alone will not fix it, and what owners should review before it impacts practice value.
Recurring Revenue in a Vet Practice — and How to Build More of It
If two vet hospitals do the same revenue — but one has 30% locked into wellness plans, auto-ship, and recurring diagnostics — which sells for more? It's not even close. That's recurring revenue, and it might be the single most under-built lever in independent veterinary practice today.
Inventory Discipline — Hidden Margin Most Owners Leave on the Table
Inventory discipline is one of the most overlooked margin levers in veterinary practice ownership. This article explains how better par levels, vendor consolidation, expiry tracking, and shrinkage controls can improve profitability, strengthen EBITDA, and help practice owners prepare for a stronger sale.
Strategic Price Increases — Protect Your Veterinary Hospital’s Profit Margin (and Still Sleep at Night)
Raising prices isn't greed — it's stewardship. Learn how to protect your veterinary hospital's profit margins with strategic, targeted fee increases that sustain excellent care without losing client trust.
Thinking About Ownership Without Blowing Up Your Associate Vet Job
Many associate veterinarians quietly consider hospital ownership, but exploring that path too openly can create tension in your current role. This guide explains how to prepare for veterinary practice ownership strategically, build the right advisory team, and protect your associate position while planning for long-term opportunity.
The Tax Trap: When “Smart” Tax Planning Quietly Hurts Practice Value
Many veterinary and dental practice owners focus on minimizing taxes each year. But aggressive tax strategies can distort financials, weaken reported earnings, and reduce practice value at sale. Here’s how the “tax trap” develops—and how to protect long-term enterprise value without sacrificing smart tax planning.
Why Your CPA Needs to Understand Veterinary Hospitals
Veterinary hospitals operate differently from most small businesses, and those differences directly impact profitability, taxes, and long-term value. If your CPA doesn’t understand how vet hospitals really work, your financials may be telling the wrong story. Here’s why veterinary-specific CPA experience matters and why January is the smartest time to make a change.
Brokers Don’t Bite: How to Start a Conversation with a Veterinary Hospital Broker
Starting a conversation with a veterinary broker doesn’t commit you to a sale. It gives you perspective. The first call is about understanding your hospital’s value, your timeline, and your options. When you lead with curiosity instead of pressure, you gain insight into how buyers and lenders see your practice and what steps can strengthen your position over time.
Free Brokerage Services? Not so fast…
If you’re selling your dental or veterinary practice and come across an “advisor” claiming their services are free because the buyer pays the fee — stop and ask questions. What sounds like a perk can actually be a major conflict of interest that costs you real money. Here’s what every seller should know before signing on.
Failure to Launch: How not having a realistic view of the market damages a seller’s ability to have a successful sale
Too many deals fall apart, not because the business isn’t strong, but because the seller’s expectations don’t line up with reality. In this blog, we share a real example of a practice that looked great on paper but never got to closing, and the lessons every seller should learn before going to market.
Are You Really Ready to Sell Your Practice?
When an owner starts thinking about selling, the first question is usually, “What’s my practice worth?” That’s an important question—but not the first one you should be asking. The real starting point is making sure you are ready: financially, mentally, and strategically.
You’re Not Selling a Practice—You’re Selling a Transition
When it comes time to sell your practice, the numbers aren’t enough. Buyers aren’t just purchasing equipment and financials — they’re buying confidence that the team will stay, the clients won’t leave, and the transition will be smooth. At Wicklow, we help practice owners prepare, position, and transition so they can maximize value and close with certainty.
Main Street vs. Wall Street: Why SDE Matters More Than EBITDA for Single-Provider Practices
We say this often at Wicklow, because it’s a critical distinction that many buyers (and even some advisors) miss. When a corporate buyer or private equity group is evaluating a multi-doctor practice, they want to know what the business throws off in pure operational profit—before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization.
Startup vs. Acquisition: Which Path Should You Take as a Practice Buyer?
If you’re exploring practice ownership, one question comes up every time: “Should I buy an existing practice, or should I start one from scratch?” The real answer is: it depends on you — and the vision you have for your future.
Waiting to Sell Your Practice Could Cost You Everything You've Built
When it comes to selling your healthcare practice — whether veterinary, dental, or medical — timing is everything. Many owners believe they can wait “just a few more years” to build value, only to discover too late that the market, or their own business fundamentals, have shifted against them.
Wicklow Buyer Series: Choosing Your Bank
When you're buying a dental, veterinary, or medical practice, you’re not just choosing a business — you’re laying the foundation for years of ownership. One of the most critical decisions you’ll make during that process is choosing your bank.
Preparing to Sell Your Veterinary Practice—Key Tax Considerations in an Asset Sale
Selling your veterinary practice is a monumental step, and understanding the tax implications of the transaction can save you from costly surprises. If you’re considering an asset sale, here are key points to guide your planning process.
Surgical Skills are a Specialty. Let’s Start Charging Like It.
Let’s talk about something that’s long overdue: raising surgical fees in general practice. In a field where costs are climbing, staff are burning out, and client expectations keep evolving, one thing has stayed strangely stagnant: what we charge for veterinary surgery.
10 Strategies To Make Your Veterinary Hospital Stand Out
Marketing a veterinary hospital takes way more than having a nice website and hoping pet owners find you. You’ve got to build trust, create memorable experiences, and stay top-of-mind for pet parents. Here are 10 creative, strategic ways to help your business stand out, bring in new clients, and keep current clients coming back.
