The VetPractice Playbook

VetPracticePro
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Business

The VetPractice Playbook is your weekly game plan for building, leading, and scaling a successful veterinary practice. Designed specifically for practice owners, managers, and aspiring leaders, this podcast from VetPracticePro dives into the real-world challenges of ownership—from team leadership and operations to growth, profitability, and long-term sustainability—so you can run a more efficient, profitable, and purpose-driven clinic. Join host Dr. Emily King alongside Jon and Cayla Bittles and Richie King every Wednesday at 9:00 AM EST as they break down the realities of practice ownership, share practical, actionable strategies, and equip you with the tools to lead your team effectively, enhance the client experience, protect your time and wellbeing, and build a practice—and a career—you’re proud to own.

  1. 10h ago

    EP39 - How to Handle Employees Who Are Always Late

    Send us a question to be featured on the podcast! What do you do when a veterinary team member is constantly showing up late? And at what point does a few minutes of tardiness become a much bigger problem for your practice? In this episode of The VetPractice Playbook, Dr. King and Cayla tackle one of the most common and frustrating challenges in veterinary practice management: employee tardiness and accountability. Being late might seem like a minor issue, but in a busy veterinary hospital, even 10 minutes can create a ripple effect that impacts patient care, appointment schedules, team morale, and overall clinic efficiency. Dr. King and Cayla share practical strategies for addressing chronic tardiness, setting clear expectations, having difficult employee conversations, and creating a workplace culture where accountability matters. Free Resources On Our Website: https://vetpracticepro.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vetpracticepro/  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@vetpracticepro  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VetPracticePro  TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Intro 01:37 Same Conversation Five Times: The Chronically Late Tech 03:03 Resentment & the Double Standard 04:49 Ten Minutes Matters 05:27 Core Values Worth Enforcing 06:11 What the First Conversation Sounds Like 07:43 Documenting & Making Firing Unemotional 09:50 Removing Obstacles: Fix the Schedule 11:13 Hiring for Timeliness: Interview Questions & Red Flags 12:59 Building a Feedback Culture 13:36 Outro

  2. Oct 28

    EP38 - Hire, Train, Lose, Repeat: Breaking the Vet Hiring Loop

    Send us a question to be featured on the podcast! Finding good people is hard. Keeping them is harder. In this episode of the Vet Practice Playbook, Dr. Emily King and Kayla dig into one of the most common pain points they hear from clinics across the country: hiring people and then losing them.  It starts with a call Dr. King had with a veterinarian who admitted, “I think I’m the problem.” She had high expectations, no training system, and no employees left. From there, the hosts break down why high expectations turn into a weakness without training behind them, and why people don’t learn just by watching you work.  Free Resources On Our Website: https://vetpracticepro.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vetpracticepro/  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@vetpracticepro  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VetPracticePro  TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Intro 01:01 “I Can’t Find People, and Then I Lose Them” 02:11 High Expectations vs. Actual Training 04:19 Breaking the Hire-and-Lose Loop 06:53 Hiring the Right Person: Long Interviews & School Pipelines 08:28 Making New Hires Feel Supported from Day One 11:28 The Back-Door Welcome & Why Small Gestures Buy Grace 13:40 The Six-Week Training Window & Weekly Check-Ins 15:57 Department Welcomes & Cross-Training 17:11 No Time to Train? Teach the “Ten Things” 19:45 Outro

  3. Oct 21

    EP37 - Opening a Veterinary Practice? 4 Marketing Strategies You Need Before Launch

    Send us a question to be featured on the podcast! Opening a veterinary practice is exciting, but without the right marketing strategy, even a great clinic can struggle to attract new clients. In this episode of the VetPractice Playbook, Dr. King is joined by Harrison King, Richie King, and Cayla Bittles to break down the marketing strategies every veterinarian should consider before opening their doors. From building a high-converting website and launching Google Ads to optimizing your Google Business Profile and generating client reviews, the team discusses four essential marketing strategies that can help new veterinary practices establish themselves, attract pet owners, and build momentum from day one. Free Resources On Our Website: https://vetpracticepro.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vetpracticepro/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@vetpracticepro YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VetPracticePro Timestamps 00:00 Intro 01:43 The Biggest Launch Mistake: No Marketing Budget 05:19 Why Marketing Becomes an Afterthought, and Why Competition Has Changed 06:32 Website and Pre-Booking Landing Page 08:49 Why to Be Wary of Big Corporate Web Developers 10:10 Google Ads 13:21 Making Sure Marketing Actually Drives Revenue 15:50 Optimizing Your Google Business Profile 16:30 Getting Client Reviews (and How to Respond to Bad Ones) 18:45 Where Social Media Fits 20:43 The $5 Clinic-Opening Checklist 22:10 “Fail on Paper, Not in Real Life” 24:00 Outro

  4. Oct 14

    EP36 - Why Your Veterinary Clinic Needs to Start Forward Booking Appointments

    Send us a question to be featured on the podcast! What if one simple change to your veterinary clinic's scheduling process could improve patient care, increase client retention, and create more predictable revenue? In this episode of The VetPractice Playbook, Dr. King, Richie, and Cayla discuss one of the most overlooked strategies in veterinary practice management: forward booking appointments. While dentists, physicians, and other healthcare professionals routinely schedule their patients' next visits before they leave, many veterinary clinics still struggle to implement this simple practice. The team breaks down why forward booking is so valuable, the common obstacles preventing veterinary teams from adopting it, and practical strategies to make it a seamless part of your clinic's daily operations. Free Resources On Our Website: https://vetpracticepro.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vetpracticepro/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@vetpracticepro YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VetPracticePro Timestamps 00:00 Inro 00:50 Forward Booking 02:18 The Clients View 05:23 Why Vet Clinics Struggle To Implement It 06:02 What Forward Booking Does For The Business 07:25 What It Does For The Patient 08:32 Why Staff Feel Uncomfortable 10:24 Common Objections 12:37 How To Handle Pushback 15:59 Outro

  5. Oct 7

    EP35 - Stop Discounting Your Veterinary Services

    Send us a question to be featured on the podcast! In this episode of The VetPractice Playbook, we’re tackling one of the most common, and costly, habits in veterinary medicine: discounting. From Dental Month promotions to filling gaps in the schedule, discounts can feel like an easy way to drive appointments and provide more accessible care. But are they actually helping your practice? We break down why busy doesn’t always mean profitable, how routine discounting can unintentionally lower the perceived value of your services, and why discounts often treat the symptom instead of addressing the underlying problem. We also discuss the guilt veterinary professionals can feel around pricing, the fairness issues discounts can create, and why your expertise deserves to be valued appropriately. Free Resources On Our Website: https://vetpracticepro.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vetpracticepro/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@vetpracticepro YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VetPracticePro Timestamps 00:00 Intro 00:51 Why Do Practices Discount? 04:31 Dental Month, Filling the Schedule, and Guilt Around Price 07:30 Busy vs. Profitable 10:02 Giving Away Your Expertise 11:48 Why Routine Discounting Rarely Makes Sense 15:23 Perceived Value and the Dental Month Breaking Point 16:35 Discounts Treat the System, Not the Cause 20:16 Fairness Issues 22:10 Outro

  6. Sep 30

    EP34 - Stop Doing Everything Yourself: How to Better Utilize Your Veterinary Team

    Send us a question to be featured on the podcast! Are veterinarians doing too much themselves? In this episode of The VetPractice Playbook, Dr. King and Cayla break down one of the biggest opportunities for improving efficiency inside a veterinary practice: better staff utilization. From empowering veterinary technicians to use their full skill set to properly training assistants, kennel attendants, and receptionists, they explore how delegating the right responsibilities can save doctors time, develop stronger team members, improve the client experience, and help the entire practice operate more efficiently. Free Resources On Our Website: https://vetpracticepro.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vetpracticepro/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@vetpracticepro YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VetPracticePro Timestamps 00:00 Intro 01:05 Empowering Technicians and Building Job Satisfaction 02:18 Procedure Delegation and "Multiplying Your Time" 05:02 Overcoming Vet Trust Issues and Scope of Practice 08:08 Moving Veterinary Assistants into Exam Rooms 09:03 Pre-Exam Workflow 11:15 Role Optimizations 13:06 Measuring Staff Utilization 14:13 Outro

  7. Sep 30

    EP33 - Stop Training Your Vet Team Once: The Rule for Better Onboarding

    Send us a question to be featured on the podcast! Hiring a great veterinary professional is only the beginning... how you train them can determine whether they thrive, struggle, or eventually leave. In this episode, we break down the 3-5-7-9 training framework and how veterinary practice owners and managers can use repetition, role-playing, clear expectations, and hands-on learning to build stronger, more confident teams. From onboarding new employees to improving front desk phone skills, we discuss why simply showing someone how to do something once isn’t enough. You’ll learn practical ways to reinforce training, reduce cognitive overload, improve client communication, create accountability, and help your team reach true mastery. If you’re a veterinary practice owner, hospital manager, medical director, or team leader looking to improve employee training, onboarding, retention, and practice culture, this episode is packed with strategies you can start implementing in your clinic. Free Resources On Our Website: https://vetpracticepro.com/ Join Our Free Circle Community: https://tinyurl.com/2rh95fv5 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vetpracticepro/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@vetpracticepro YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VetPracticePro Timestamps 00:00 Intro 01:17 Introducing the 3-5-7-9 Rule 04:28 Rule 3: Preventing Cognitive Overload & Chunking Information 06:01 Rule 5: Repetition Across Different Learning Contexts 07:31 Rule 7: Multi-Touchpoint Blended Learning 08:33 Rule 9: Reaching Habitual Mastery & Total Internalization 10:23 Call Reviews, Reward Systems & Peer Accountability 13:13 Outro

  8. Sep 16

    EP32 - Is Your Front Desk Costing You Clients? How to Improve the Veterinary Client Experience

    Send us a question to be featured on the podcast! Your veterinary clinic’s client experience starts long before a pet ever walks through the door... it starts with the first phone call. In this episode of The Vet Practice Playbook, Dr. King and Cayla Bittles discuss what they’ve discovered from mystery-calling veterinary practices across the country and why the bar for great phone service may be much lower than you think. They break down how tone of voice, clear expectations, phone rubrics, role-playing, and consistent team training can dramatically improve the client experience. They also explore why poor employee performance isn’t always a motivation problem and how veterinary leaders can better define what success actually looks like for their teams. If you’re a veterinary practice owner, manager, or leader looking to improve customer service, strengthen your front desk team, and create a better experience for both clients and employees, this episode offers practical strategies you can start implementing right away. Free Resources On Our Website: https://vetpracticepro.com/ Join Our Free Circle Community: https://tinyurl.com/2rh95fv5 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vetpracticepro/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@vetpracticepro YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VetPracticePro Timestamps 00:00 Intro 00:49 Market Analysis and Clinic Phone Standards 02:13 Low Service Standards and Workplace Factors 04:00 Lessons from "Crucial Influence" 06:02 Defining Success Using a Phone Rubric 08:08 Mastering Phone Skills Through Role-Playing 09:20 Let Us Call Your Clinic 10:19 Summary and Outro

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

The VetPractice Playbook is your weekly game plan for building, leading, and scaling a successful veterinary practice. Designed specifically for practice owners, managers, and aspiring leaders, this podcast from VetPracticePro dives into the real-world challenges of ownership—from team leadership and operations to growth, profitability, and long-term sustainability—so you can run a more efficient, profitable, and purpose-driven clinic. Join host Dr. Emily King alongside Jon and Cayla Bittles and Richie King every Wednesday at 9:00 AM EST as they break down the realities of practice ownership, share practical, actionable strategies, and equip you with the tools to lead your team effectively, enhance the client experience, protect your time and wellbeing, and build a practice—and a career—you’re proud to own.

Information

  • Creator
    VetPracticePro
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    39
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The VetPractice Playbook
  • Show Website
    The VetPractice Playbook

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