When a practice owner begins to think about selling their business, it often seems that the natural choice for the purchaser is close at hand, in the form of a trusted employee or contractor. They will often offer that trusted employee the ”right of first refusal” to purchase the practice, before they put it on the market.
Many people think that that the purchase of a veterinary practice is solely a financial transaction, and that the highest dollar offer will always win the day.
When someone is looking to buy or sell a practice, they are often presented with an appraisal of the practice that has been prepared by the other party in the transaction. While the results of the practice’s trading may be clear, there are numerous appraisal techniques to choose from, and often some creativity applied when using them.
One of the greatest fears buyers of veterinary practices have is that they will pay significant money for goodwill and there will be a mass exodus of clients when they take over. To mitigate this risk, any buyer needs to seriously look at the reasons why a client frequents the practice, and give them no reason to want to change their behaviour.
Most people would acknowledge that it is inappropriate for a judge to preside over a case involving a family member. If they did, their decision could be influenced by their personal relationship with the person involved in case, rather than the facts. Any ruling would not be deemed fair and just to those who sought judgement (and it probably wouldn’t be).
The practice scene in Australia is changing rapidly, therefore practice owners need to be aware of strategic opportunities, so that the practice can continue to move forward with the industry (if you are not going forward, you are going backwards!). One of the options open to some practices is a practice merger with a near neighbour. So, when is a merger a good way to go, and what are the advantages of the strategy?
Do-It-Yourself (DIY) projects are usually a great source of pride for the person undertaking the project. It is a way of putting your unique touch on something, creating a personal vision or an ideal, from formless raw materials, often saving yourself money at the same time.
On June 3rd 2016 the world lost one of its most admired sports heroes, when Muhammad Ali passed away. Ali will no-doubt go down in history as an inspiring figure. As an athlete, he was an Olympic Gold Medallist and ranked by most (and most notably by himself) as boxing’s greatest of all time. As an activist, he was probably the most high-profile and well-known conscientious objector to the Vietnam War. As a sports personality, he was renowned for his eloquence, and was near-universally loved.
Let’s say you had a café that you bought a coffee from every morning.
When selling any business, a seller will try to describe the business not just as it is, but also as it could be. Being able to show untapped potential and unexplored opportunities can mean a significant premium paid above and beyond what the financials of your veterinary practice would suggest.