It really is overwhelming trying to figure out what exactly to do with life. I’m sure a lot of people, probably the majority of people, can relate to that feeling. My brain sometimes seems to be going a mile a minute (in circles, of course) with all of the never-ending possibilities zipping by; I can’t grasp any of them long enough to give them adequate consideration. Whether I can or can’t manage to pause my mind, I always get myself caught up in questions about affordability and the feasibility of doing something differently than I currently am.
I always wanted to be a veterinarian, and I always wanted to ultimately work for myself. As a child, I never considered what exactly that entails. Even until recently, I have’t really been able to seriously delve into that because I was too busy, getting into school, trying to feel competent as a veterinarian first and foremost (that’s still debatable in my head, although others tell me I’m at least halfway decent at it), paying off exorbitant vet school debt, steps like those.
In the last six months or so, I started reading various books about management and being a good leader for a team. I took an online business course. I keep realizing how little I know about finance and managing expenses for a business. I believe I could handle the people side of being an owner, at least in terms of employees, but I get a little anxious when I think of the support I’ll need to buy or start and run a business- a lawyer, an accountant +/- a separate book keeper, a great practice manager ASAP. I need a realtor and maybe an architect because I historically always envisioned a brick and mortar practice. I don’t know the first thing about choosing the right people for any of those jobs.
Financially, I feel like I’m doing just fine day-to-day, but how much will it cost to get a practice going? People do it every day, and many are successful. It doesn’t work out for everyone though, so I need to avoid whatever mistakes those people made. It seems easier and less stressful to start something mobile and have just myself +/- one employee to help answer questions and maybe accompany me to (most) appointments to try to ensure they go as smoothly as possible consistently. A lot of people that start mobile businesses have no employees, at least initially. I don’t hate that idea, but I have reservations.
My biggest mental roadblock is a concern for lack of access to the care and supplies that an established practice with a set location offers my own pets. I want to be able to perform yearly dental cleanings, get their dental radiographs and remove any masses from my pets myself. I don’t want to have to keep 100-count bottles of carprofen in my kitchen cabinet when I give maybe 5 tablets a year. I want to be able to reach into a fridge and grab the vaccines that they need when they need them and not have to take my animals in to see a colleague for those services.
I don’t necessarily worry about the money I would make or not make for daily or monthly spending, but I know I don’t have nearly enough money currently saved to retire. I don’t believe a mobile practice would net me enough to ever comfortably reach that milestone. Also, who buys a mobile practice if or when I did ever get to that point in life? These are aspects I feel need consideration when I’m making the decision about what my next phase of life, career-wise, looks like. How do I ever know what’s best?
For now, I’ll continue trying to learn and research and do my mental gymnastics while saving money and starting to more intentionally invest it than I have been up to this moment in my life. I continue to add staff, family and friend pets to my list of acupuncture recipients, the latest being my sister’s dog (pictured below, relaxing for his first session this morning) and hopefully soon a friend/former tech’s dog. Yesterday, I started compiling some information, thoughts and a supply list to bring to my practice manager. She and I had a brief discussion about it the other week and agreed to sit down for an hour or so sometime in November and have a focused conversation about starting to offer it to our clients. In January, I’ll be back in Florida for a few days for an advanced acupuncture course that will meet my requirements for my certification. Once the online portion of that ends in March, I can add some letters to the end of my name. Once that’s done, I’ll figure out how and when to work in the rehab course.
I have some smaller goals to meet while I get wherever it is I’m going more long-term. It’s just a longer distance to the next stop than I anticipated. Isn’t that how it always goes, though?
“You have to dream before your dreams can come true.” ~ A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
