Celebrating 10 Years: Beating the Odds of Small Business Survival

Fox Run Animal Hospital is excited to celebrate our 10th birthday on October 19, 2025. It is a big day. We decorated a large bulletin board and the surrounding wall with news from 2015, pictures, cards, letters, and articles. We put up mylar balloons. Our wonderful vendors* contributed prizes, which we are handing out to clients at the end of their appointments as well as drawing a larger prize for one lucky client each day during the month of October.

Is it a marketing ploy? Partly, of course! We believe that recognizing and appreciating our clients is the best kind of marketing. It acknowledges that our clients chose us, and it keeps our business centered on grace and gratitude. Per the Chamber of Commerce (2024) the number one reason small businesses fail is due to poor marketing initiatives.

Inadequate management and meeting financial hurdles are the second and third reasons small businesses fail (Chamber of Commerce, 2024). As a hospital, we are invested in providing the best medicine in our area. The only way we can accomplish our mission (YOUR PET’S HEALTH IS OUR TOP PRIORITY) is to invest in high quality diagnostic and treatment equipment, such as ultrasound, radiology, blood and urine analyzers, centrifuge, microscope, therapy laser, surgical equipment, monitors, etc., as well as maintaining an inventory of everything required to keep the patient healthy. This in addition to all the usual equipment required to run a business – computers, phones, tablets, and all the peripheral equipment and services required to operate them. And last, but certainly not least, is our exceptional team of professionals.

Human resources accounts for 70.2% of employer costs in private industry (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025). Since becoming the Human Resources Manager at Fox Run Animal Hospital three years ago, I focused my energy on building a team where the doctor could be a doctor, and the rest of the medical staff could expand their talents to perform within their full scope of practice to provide exceptional medicine from the moment the patient comes through the door. This is known as “stakeholder” management, where my customer [the stakeholder] is the medical team. The philosophy is to take care of your team so your team can take care of your customers (Lester, 2020). In corporate culture, it is generally stockholder focused (Miller, 2025).

Corporate consolidation is active in all industries. In veterinary medicine, corporations own an estimated 30% of general practices, ironically accounting for 50% of primary care revenue, and they operate 75% of all specialty and emergency facilities (Lester, 2025; Steinbach, 2024). Let the buyer beware – these corporations buy the seller’s name, so most veterinary clinics go through this transformation without their clients knowing the practice changed hands (Lester, 2020; 2024). Lester is optimistic that the corporations are turning the corner from corporate mercenaries to stakeholding missionaries, but Miller (2025) states that corporations continue to put profits first, while their staff report pressure to generate revenue and see more clients per hour. On the other hand, independent veterinary practice staff report greater job satisfaction because they can focus on patient care.

The significance is that Fox Run overcame marketing, management, and financial challenges to beat the odds with a stakeholder, missionary philosophy. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Chamber of Commerce, 2024), 18% of small businesses fail within their first year, and it does not get better as time goes on. After five years, 50% of small businesses fail, and approximately 65% never make it until their 10th birthday. It is with an odd combination of pride and humility we celebrate being in the 35% of successful small businesses in the United States.

*Boehringer Ingelheim/Merial; Elanco; Idexx; Nutramax; PennVet; Purina; Zoetis

References:

1. Chamber of Commerce Team. (2024). Small business statistics. Chamber of Commerce. https://www.chamberofcommerce.org/small-business-statistics/. October 11, 2025
2. Lester, B. (2020). Mercenaries and Missionaries: Consolidators who push profits first leave veterinary teams feeling neglected, leading to less-than-optimal pet care and reduced profits. Today’s Veterinary Business. https://todaysveterinarybusiness.com/consolidators-mercenaries-missionaries/. October 11, 2025
3. Lester, B. (2025). Veterinary Main Street and Wall Street: We’re gradually shifting from traditional practice ownership to a corporate model. Fortunately, the future is bright for both. Trends: Practice Management. https://todaysveterinarybusiness.com/consolidation-creative-disruption-0425/. October 11, 2025
4. Miller, C.A. (2025). Corporate consolidation and the rise of private equity. Trends: Practice Management. https://www.aaha.org/trends-magazine/publications/corporate-consolidation-and-the-rise-of-private-equity/. October 11, 2025
5. U.S. Department of Labor. (2025). Employer costs for employee compensation. Bureau of Labor Statistics, June 2025. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/ecec.pdf. October 13, 2025