Article By Sherry Everhart CVT, CMA, CSCA, CVA, and David McCormick, MS, CVA
Mobile veterinary practices have become increasingly popular as pet owners seek more convenient, stress-free care for their animals. For veterinarians, mobile practices can offer a unique balance of flexibility, profitability, and lifestyle benefits—but they also come with challenges that require thoughtful planning.
Why Mobile Practice Can Be a Great Fit
• Healthier life-work balance: Owning a mobile practice allows you to set your own schedule and manage appointments around both professional and personal needs.
• Greater affordability: Mobile practices typically avoid many of the bigger expenses that come with a brick-and-mortar practice such as rent, utilities, and large staffing expenses.
• Easier maintenance: With no building to maintain, owners don’t have to weather typical facility maintenance headaches, such as leaky roofs or HVAC repairs.
• Happier clients: Many pet owners, especially those with pets that struggle in traditional clinics, highly value the reduced stress that comes with at-home care.
Challenges to Consider
Scheduling
A mobile practice is not without hurdles. Drive times, traffic, and unpredictable in-home visits can reduce the number of daily appointments compared to a clinic setting. Flexibility must be balanced with careful route planning.
Pricing Model
The pricing model can also be tricky. While facility costs are avoided, vehicle financing, fuel, insurance, maintenance, and portable medical equipment represent significant recurring costs. Combined with fewer daily cases, services often need higher pricing to maintain profitability. Some owners hesitate to charge enough, and some clients resist the premium even if they appreciate the convenience.
Team Recruitment
Staff must adapt to constant travel, limited space, and unpredictable schedules. Finding associates motivated by flexibility and client connection may be more challenging than in traditional settings.
Exit Planning
When it’s time to retire or sell, mobile practices appeal to a smaller pool of buyers. Many are built around the owner’s reputation and client relationships, so strong systems, accurate financials, and a capable team are essential for continuity.
Setting Up for Long-Term Success
The good news? With the right strategies, you can build a mobile practice that thrives today and has strong value down the road. Key steps include:
• Maintain strong cash flow and profitability: Lower facility costs help, but disciplined pricing, efficient scheduling, and expense management are critical to profitability. A financially healthy practice shows true profitability (i.e., not what is on the tax return and financial statements) above 14% after paying all expenses and compensating the owner fairly.
• Develop strong operational systems: Protocols for patient care, communication, recordkeeping, inventory, equipment upkeep, and referrals keep operations efficient and scalable. Buyers value established systems.
• Foster professional relationships: Referral partnerships with local clinics, specialists, and emergency hospitals ensure comprehensive care and position your practice as a trusted collaborator. These connections not only enhance service quality for clients but also demonstrate to buyers that the practice is integrated into the broader veterinary community.
• Strengthen brand recognition: A professional website, clear messaging, and community presence build credibility and client loyalty—assets that reduce buyer investment at the outset.
• Build a loyal, diverse client base: Repeat clients provide dependable revenue, but avoid over-reliance on a few households. A balanced client mix produces steady earnings and signals resilience and long-term stability.
• Keep accurate financial records: Clear accounting is critical. Because many mobile practices are operated from a home office, personal and business expenses can easily become entangled. Maintaining separation not only protects the owner from tax or legal consequences; it also increases buyer confidence if/when the practice is sold.
• Minimize owner dependence: Delegate administrative tasks so the practice runs smoothly without constant owner involvement. This makes the practice more transferable.
Final Thoughts
A mobile veterinary practice can be incredibly rewarding—offering freedom, profitability, and care that today’s pet owners value. Success requires recognizing hurdles early, setting up systems, and confidently communicating the value of in-home care. With proactive planning, a mobile practice can be sustainable and appealing to future buyers.
At Simmons & Associates, we’ve helped many mobile practice owners strengthen their businesses and prepare for eventual transitions. Whether you’re just starting out or planning ahead, the right foundation ensures your practice supports your lifestyle now and retains value for the next chapter.
David McCormick and Sherry Everhart are veterinary practice appraisers and practice management consultants at Simmons & Associates. They can be reached at 888.746.3717 and by email at DMcCormick@TMcCG.com and SEverhart@TMcCG.com.
