We were lucky to catch up with Erin George recently and have shared our conversation below.

Erin, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Talk to us about building your team? What was it like? What were some of the key challenges and what was your process like?

My team is one of the things I am most proud of as a business owner. I feel very fortunate to have the staff that makes up Edgewater Animal Hospital and the culture we have created here.

When I opened the practice, I started with five employees. I am proud to say that four of those original employees are still with the practice now, almost a year later!

My search for a great team started with a posting on Indeed that was put up several months before we planned on opening. It was important to get great candidates, and I set my clinic apart by offering higher-than-average pay and a plethora of benefits that are not standard in our industry.

The applications came in, and I weeded through resumes and conducted phone interviews with qualified candidates. It is typical in the veterinary field for the next step in the process to be a working interview, but my clinic wasn’t open yet, so that option was lost. What followed was a bit unconventional.

I invited selected candidates to the clinic, which was still under construction, and gave them a tour of the building as I discussed my vision for the practice with them.

I was so impressed with the candidates and predicted such remarkable cohesion between them that I took a leap of faith and hired one more employee than planned.

As a veterinary clinic owner, my biggest monthly expense is payroll. It was difficult to justify spending so much initial capital on employee wages without having any clients yet, but it was, without a doubt, the best thing I did for the business.

We learned and grew so much as a team in this first year at Edgewater Animal Hospital. Together, we have created a positive, safe, and happy work environment where we are passionate about helping animals and their owners.

Erin, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I always knew I wanted to be a veterinarian, especially after having a great experience with our family veterinarian growing up. I shadowed at a clinic in high school and was enthralled by surgery.

I studied Animal Sciences at the University of Illinois, where I was introduced to various topics, including shelter medicine, animal behavior, microbiology, and large animal medicine.

I completed my Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at Purdue University, where my passion for the field blossomed, and I gained extensive hands-on knowledge.

I worked at a small animal general practice in Illinois for 6.5 years, gaining invaluable experience before relocating to Georgia to be closer to family.

I had the drive to open my own practice for three primary reasons: To provide the highest quality care for my patients, to excel in client communication, and to improve the culture of the veterinary workplace.

Edgewater Animal Hospital opened its doors in August of 2022, and we have enjoyed serving the northern Atlanta community thus far!

Edgewater Animal Hospital is a full-service veterinary clinic aiming to provide the highest quality care to dogs and cats in the northern Atlanta suburbs. We offer preventative medicine/wellness examinations, vaccinations, health certificates, urgent care visits (including in-house blood work), surgery, chemotherapy, diagnostic imaging (in-house x-ray and ultrasound), and end-of-life/hospice care.

The surgical services that we offer include spays, neuters, dental cleanings and extractions, mass removals, bladder stone removal, foreign body removal, ACL ligament repair, cherry eye repair, entropion repair, stenotic nares repair, elongated soft palate repair, therapeutic tail and leg amputation, splenectomy, and a variety of biopsies.

Our outstanding client education is what sets us apart from others. We are often complimented on our attention to detail and the thoroughness that we discuss a patient’s treatment plan. I am most proud of my amazing team, who work to provide the very best patient experience.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

We have partnered with many animal rescues and shelters to provide discounted veterinary services, including spays and neuters. This has allowed us to generate revenue and establish Edgewater Animal Hospital within the Alpharetta community.

One of the reasons this strategy has been so effective is that many of these organizations are foster-based, meaning that the foster “parents” are bringing these animals in. Most of these individuals have their own pets, so it’s a way for them to experience the clinic and the high-quality medicine and surgery we provide, potentially establishing their dogs and cats as patients.

Additionally, we offer a complimentary examination for any animal adopted from a shelter or rescue. Initially, most of our clients found us on Google, as we made sure that we allocated some of our working capital towards advertising and search engine optimization.

However, now that we have been open for almost a year, more and more people are finding us through reviews and word of mouth.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

We were referred to a segment of Wells Fargo’s banking sector that worked explicitly with veterinarians developing new practices. Our contacts within Wells Fargo were extremely knowledgeable about anticipated costs and helped map a plan to move forward.

This team worked diligently before and after funding our startup loan to ensure we had the elements required for success. They continue to be a valuable resource, and we feel fortunate to have connected!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://edgewateranimalhospital.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edgewatervet/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlpharettaVeterinarian/