We were lucky to catch up with Melissa Tompkins-Lewis recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Melissa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?

The majority of my veterinary career I have helped people.

In the beginning I was helping the animals and the clients.

After becoming a practice manager, I was helping my team.

After leaving full time practice management and becoming a management consultant, I now help many teams. I help practice owners realize their goals and try to make their hospitals stronger. I am active in the veterinary community, and I help other managers reach their goals.

Most of the things that I do on a daily basis, are focused on helping others be successful.

I want people to say, “Melissa she was always so helpful.”

Melissa, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I became interested in the veterinary field after finding a stray cat in the middle of the road after being hit by a car. I rushed her to the ER and thankfully she only had minor injuries and I adopted her. After that experience, I realized that I wanted to help animals for a living.

I went to Cal Poly Pomona and was admitted to the pre-vet program. I started working at The Cat Care Clinic and began helping cats. After a few years, I realized that while I loved being around the animals, I liked helping the people and business more. So, after graduating with my bachelor’s degree, I became the manager of the hospital changed my focus from taking care of the animals, to taking care of the people. After working my first hospital for 12 years, I began managing specialty and emergency hospitals, giving me a wider range of experience.

I was also very active in the local veterinary managers group and c0-created the North Orange County Veterinary Hospital Manager’s Group. It was then that I realized my favorite thing to do was help other managers and practice owners with some of the goals they were trying to achieve. So, 5 years ago, I left full time practice management and opened my own consulting company.

Now, I help veterinary hospitals with the different things they are struggling with, whether it is recruiting the right people, training the team members, helping with pricing and inventory control, I can help with it all. As a veterinary professional with over 20 years of experience, I have seen and done a lot. I love people and I love helping where I am needed.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I am a naturally happy person and I like sharing things that make me happy. I created my business Facebook and Instagram pages with the intention of sharing fun things that I was doing.

I am a professional speaker and trainer, so I go into hospitals regularly to train on different things. One I started posting pictures of me at the different hospitals or venues.

Little did I know that people would see my posts and realize that I had a service that I offered that could help them and so I gained more business.

I am also very authentic, and I shared a story on my business Instagram, Facebook, and Linked In about how I have Multiple Sclerosis and how it affected me. This resonated with a lot of people because everyone has something that affects them and now, they saw that I did do. Sharing my story really helped boost how people viewed me in a good way.

I think using social media for the good things and sometimes the not so good things can help people see the real you and that they just might be able to relate on a personal level.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I was fired from the second job in my veterinary career. It was a huge shock because I didn’t expect it and I felt like a failure. I had to redirect myself and figure out what I wanted to do next. I was able to get another job as a practice manager and actually gained different experience than I had before.

In the end getting fired was the thing that I needed to take me to the next level and contributed to the success that I have had as a business owner.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://southcoastveterinarymanagementsolutions.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southcoastvetsolutions/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southcoastvetsolutions
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-tompkins-lewis-bs-cvpm-phrca-ccfp-6910b812/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_-q9k4wt7lr0W4IOiy5kMg