We recently connected with Mary Buelow and have shared our conversation below.
Mary, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Alright, so one thing we think people don’t talk about nearly enough is investments – either time or money. What’s one of the best or worst investments you’ve made and what did you learned from the experience?
It’s clear to me that investing in my staff is the best thing I have done and continue to do for my business. When I purchased the business in 2017, it was a one-doctor practice with a support staff of five people. Over the last six years, we have expanded to a four-doctor practice with a support staff of 15 individuals! Despite some periods of turnover and employee loss, particularly during COVID, most of our employees have been with us for years. I am genuinely impressed and proud of my team for the exceptional care they provide to each other, our patients, and our clients. They are all incredible people!!!
One of the most common pieces of advice I received about starting a business was to avoid forming friendships with employees. However, I’m so glad I didn’t listen to that advice because it’s just not in my nature to keep a distance from the wonderful people I work with every day. Our work environment is vibrant, lively, and full of conversations, creating a warm space where coworkers feel free to share anything on their minds. While not everyone takes full advantage of this, I truly appreciate how our workplace feels like a second home. Even if some prefer to keep things more private, I believe that developing personal connections with my coworkers fosters a tight-knit team and helps me understand their needs better. I genuinely look forward to going to work each and every day!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My playbook resembles that of many other veterinarians. Ever since I learned to say and understand the word “veterinarian,” I knew it was my calling. Since I was little, I’ve always been an animal lover. Like many kids, I hounded (pun intended) my parents for a dog until they finally said yes when I turned 11. Enter Sammy, our adorable Chow Chow mix. He quickly wormed his way into our hearts and became the most cherished member of our family for 12 years. We also had a parade of other animals, such as cats, hamsters, gerbils, finches, parakeets, guinea pigs, rabbits, snakes, and fish. While I regret our experiences with caged animals and no longer support keeping any animals in cages now, each one taught me valuable lessons that I apply in my career today.
My commitment to becoming a veterinarian was unwavering, and I worked tirelessly to achieve the grades necessary for admission into veterinary school. All that hard work and dedication paid off when I graduated from the University of Illinois Veterinary School in 2004. My first job after graduating was in Cincinnati, OH. My boss there was not particularly easy to work with. In fact, after two years, he told me I was easily replaceable. While it was difficult to hear and an unfair remark, it prompted me to decide to move to NYC and live with my twin sister, one of my best decisions to date. We lived on the Upper West Side; I worked at a busy practice in Yonkers, and I loved life! Those years were both formative and incredibly enjoyable. While working in Yonkers, I realized that dentistry and oral surgery in veterinary medicine were severely lacking. Animals can eat and behave “well” despite serious issues in their mouths, and many veterinarians don’t seem properly trained to address this. That’s when I decided that we, as veterinarians, needed to improve, and I began spending my days off with a local veterinary dentist. Without realizing it, I had officially committed to becoming a dentist and oral surgeon for animals. Once I have an idea, I’m not one to let it go, so through a series of fortunate events, I was offered a residency in dentistry and oral surgery at the University of Illinois, my alma mater. Although leaving New York was painful, I knew it was temporary and in my patients’ best interest. The next few years were demanding, but in 2014, I became a board-certified veterinary dentist, marking one of the best days of my life.
After my residency, I returned to NYC and practiced as a dentist for a corporation (Veterinary Centers of America, VCA) for a few years, and I loved it. However, an advertisement for a professorship at the University of Pennsylvania prompted me to contemplate the advantages of university life, particularly the incredible opportunities for continuous learning, teaching what I had already learned, and developing research projects to address some unending questions I had. In 2016, I was offered a position as an Assistant Clinical Professor at Ryan Veterinary Hospital at U Penn, which I happily accepted. Unfortunately, my year and a half at U Penn turned out to be one of the most challenging times in my life. Without delving into all the details, I resigned from my position there in 2017 for the sake of my mental health. But the lowest lows bring the highest highs, and I met my amazing husband during my time in Pennsylvania. He provided the strength I needed to get through those experiences, and with his support and confidence in me, I made the decision to purchase Animal Dentistry & Oral Surgery (ADOS) in Leesburg, VA. This was the biggest risk I had ever taken in my life, and I was terrified! But it felt right. On November 12th, 2017, I became the sole owner of ADOS and embarked on the most fulfilling journey of my life.
What is ADOS? Animal Dentistry & Oral Surgery is a veterinary dental specialty practice located in Leesburg, Virginia, dedicated exclusively to the oral surgical and dental health care needs of domestic pets. Our practice is uniquely situated within The Life Centre, a full-service veterinary specialty hospital, which gives our clients direct access to cutting-edge veterinary technology and a wide range of specialists, including cardiologists and a complete emergency and critical care team. Our doctors are board-certified by the American Veterinary Dental College and possess advanced education and experience in oral surgery and dentistry. We specialize in treating dogs and cats and embrace a collaborative approach that emphasizes partnership between owners and veterinarians to optimize oral health and well-being. We work alongside an accomplished team of Licensed Veterinary Technicians who are highly trained in the latest veterinary dentistry and anesthesia practices. We provide a warm and comfortable environment for you and your pet, along with a personalized level of care rooted in communication and collaboration.
I am incredibly proud of the business I’ve built! I cherish my co-workers and consider them friends. I enjoy going to work every day. I love meeting new patients and clients who care for their animals as much as I care for mine. In short, owning this business is my true calling, and I finally feel at home.
Let’s move on to buying businesses – can you talk to us about your experience with business acquisitions?
I purchased Animal Dentistry & Oral Surgery (ADOS) in the fall of 2017. ADOS is a veterinary practice that offers specialty care for dental and oral conditions in animals. While we mostly focus on domesticated cats and dogs, we also volunteer our services to the local zoos in the area and have worked on a multitude of animals including bears, lions, tigers, ferrets, monkeys, gorillas, giant pandas, fennec fox, etc…
Although I was never someone interested in owning and operating my own business, past job-related experiences led me to realize that owning a hospital was the only way to ensure my patients, clients, and staff received the care I wanted for them. Additionally, as corporate medicine began to take over veterinary practices, owning my practice offered a chance to keep at least one hospital independent and free from corporate greed. Despite this motivation and commitment, I must admit I was terrified of taking out such a large loan and bearing the responsibility for the staff and the ongoing success of the business. The encouragement from my family, friends, and husband propelled me forward, and eventually, I transformed my fear into excitement.
Since I had never made a purchase or acquisition like this before, I had no expectations about how the process would unfold. Fortunately, my lack of experience seemed to make the process go more smoothly. Furthermore, the doctor who was selling the practice was an incredible person committed to ensuring his legacy continued positively and productively, and I felt honored that he chose me to carry on his work. We immediately connected, and I believe our compatibility and emerging friendship were key factors in the acquisition. During the final stages, we began communicating directly and chose to disregard the lawyers’ advice, as it felt like they were creating division between us and delaying the sale. Ultimately, the acquisition was completed in six months, and by the end of 2017, I proudly became the successful owner of this wonderful veterinary practice!
Any advice for managing a team?
There are four main things that come to mind when I think about managing my team and keeping them happy (they are, after all, the reason my business works!). These four things are introspection, friendship, focus, and reward.
INTROSPECTION: Owning a business involves more than just understanding what motivates your employees and recognizing their strengths and weaknesses. I would argue it’s even more about being self-aware, examining what drives you, identifying your strengths and weaknesses, and figuring out what you could do better. Even when I feel that those around me are unfair in their judgments of me, I often realize that there’s something in my behavior that has contributed to their dissatisfaction. Being willing to reflect and explore your own shortcomings is very challenging, but it is the most crucial step in personal growth.
FRIENDSHIP: Many may disagree with me here, but I genuinely enjoy getting to know my employees. For some, this means just discussing work and asking about their lives; for others, it involves having dinner or drinks outside of work or meeting for dog walks or playdates with our pets. This gives me the chance to understand them on a deeper level and harness their full potential by knowing what motivates them and what their needs are. You can also become better at anticipating and avoiding tricky situations this way.
FOCUS: Focus on and harness your employees’ strengths while overlooking their weaknesses. I have certainly had employees who don’t possess enough strengths in our field to warrant continued employment, and unfortunately, we have to let those individuals go. However, my managers and I get to know our long-term employees’ strengths and weaknesses. Instead of attempting to improve the weaknesses that are unlikely to change, we build on their strengths and find ways to adjust their roles accordingly. Being able to pivot around those strengths and enlist other employees to fill in the gaps caused by weaknesses fosters a more cohesive and engaged team.
REWARD: Daily words of praise and small tokens of gratitude are essential (I could definitely improve in this area), but let’s be honest—everyone desires more money. Money is, by far, the greatest motivator. I offer random bonuses, and we have a 401 (k) plan that includes a profit-sharing component. If we have a very profitable year, my employees deserve to benefit from that!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://animaldentalspecialist.com
- Instagram: @mypetssmile
Image Credits
Mary Buelow