Miha's Story

Read how, with Medivet’s support, practice ownership became possible for Miha.

“When I first moved to the UK in 2011, I spent 10 months working in a charity clinic. This was great and one of the best things I did to gain experience quickly, however I soon realised that there were few opportunities for progression and I wanted more from my career. I didn’t know what I wanted and hadn’t considered practice ownership at this point, however one of my friends told me about the Medivet Branch Partnership model and I decided to find out more.

Having had an initial discussion, I decided that this was a career path I wanted to pursue and so I began my journey with Medivet as an employed vet working between two clinics. One of these clinics was Medivet Battersea. After seeing the potential for the clinic to grow I decided to invest in my future and I became Branch Partner in 2012. I did not have any reservations about becoming a Branch Partner, I knew that I would never be fulfilled professionally or rewarded financially in an assistant vet role and I needed to be challenged.

My primary motivation has always been my clients. I have built a loyal client base and enjoy getting to know them as individuals. In return for building a strong rapport with them, they trust me and the advice that I give, which is ultimately to deliver the best care for their pets. As a vet this feeling is very satisfying and from a clinic perspective, I take pride in the clinic’s growth and success which is built upon our dedication to our clients.

The level of support and security that being part of Medivet offered made Branch Partnership a good choice. Branch Partnership is a true co-ownership model and financially was a more affordable way to own my clinic. My loan to buy the clinic was serviced from my earnings as a Branch Partner. I wouldn’t have been able to secure a loan to finance independent practice ownership, and so the Branch Partnership model made practice ownership possible.

Aside from the financial support Medivet also offers support in all areas of running my business.

The administrative functions work well. My Regional Operations Director supports the day to day running of the clinic and provides commercial and operational support when needed. I also have support for areas such as recruitment, marketing, property and health and safety, while areas such as payroll are also taken care of.

There is a highly experienced clinical team who share updates on any legislative changes and their impact of our practice and protocols, which is incredibly helpful – and allows me to spend more of my time doing what I enjoy most, being in the consult room with my patients and clients.

And more recently, I had a lot of support from Medivet when my clinic was relocated in 2022. We had outgrown our premises and an opportunity arose to move to a much larger premises across the street. Medivet were very supportive of the move, helping to develop a business case and requesting my input regarding the design of the clinic. I was able to request features that were important to me such as ceiling height, lighting and ventilation which I knew would make a difference to our working space.

As a Branch Partner, I’m also part of a much wider Branch Partner community who I can call upon should I need any clinical support. In the early days I would regularly work in the 24 hr hospital and in other branches, taking snippets of great practices and implementing them in my clinic, allowing me and my team  to continually grow. I have also found that despite being part of a group and my clinic being Medivet branded, my clinic still has local personal touch. My clients come for the service that my team provide and we have been given the freedom to create this feeling.

Branch Partnership has helped to create a truly rewarding career for me. I work hard and have a dedicated team who I encourage to support one another. These days I work a four days per week and every third Saturday, and I have flexibility in my role to allow me to finish early when needed. My career has a healthy work-life balance and I live well because of it.  I know if I was still an employed vet I would have become frustrated by now, however I don’t feel like that as a Branch Partner.

One recent change to the Medivet Branch Partnership that has made a huge difference to me is the introduction of the new exit strategy. It has been a changing point for how I see my future. I can now plan ahead, develop my clinic and create value in my business with the knowledge that I have the option to exit every 2 years if I wish. Before the exit option was introduced, there was limited opportunity to sell my shares and be paid what they were worth. If I found somebody to buy my shares they would have been limited by how much they could afford or borrow. Now, Medivet will buy back my shares at a set multiple, allowing me to see the true value of them. It also allows me the option in the future, should I wish, to take on another clinic and develop that, although Battersea is my baby so I have no immediate plans. The exit strategy has just been amazing, it gives me options should my circumstances change.

My advice to anybody considering Branch partnership is have fun, work hard and don’t worry. If there are any issues, even financing your equity, you will receive help and so just focus on doing the best for your clients, their pets and your team. Don’t overthink it, build a support network with the support office teams, the other Branch Partners and vets within your region and switch off when you get home.

Branch Partnership has made practice ownership possible for me. It has given me not only a rewarding career but a healthy lifestyle, and I am extremely proud of what I have achieved.”

If you would like to find out more about becoming a Branch Partner please contact one of our team for a confidential conversation.