Nina's Story

After I graduated in Slovenia in 1998, I went to work as an Army vet for 8 years but had always dreamt of owning my own clinic. This opportunity arose and I then owned a clinic in Slovenia for 8 years, but I struggled with the financials of the clinic.

One of my vets had moved to the UK and had become a Branch Partner in Medivet and kept asking for me to come to the UK to join him. Eventually I did and accepted a night vet role in Liverpool combining my emergency and small animal experience. I did this role for 2 years and it was great, but I missed building relationships with clients and seeing their pets from puppies and kittens through to adulthood. I therefore became Branch Partner of Medivet Billinge in 2017 and once again could realise my dream of owning my own clinic. Being a Branch Partner suited me better than being an employed vet as I could own the client journey and lead my team. When clients realise that I am the Branch Partner and that I am here long term, they become more loyal to the clinic and get to know me and trust me.

The Medivet model suited me well. I knew from having my clinic in Slovenia that the financial aspects of running the clinic were complicated and so now Medivet take care of this for me. Medivet also take care of all the clinic marketing, IT and supplier relationships. One of the biggest areas of support for me is help in dealing with complaints so I do not feel on my own. Medivet handle all the non-clinical aspects.

As part of Medivet I am also part of a large clinical community who will offer suggestions and share knowledge if there is a case that I am unsure about. I also get a CPD budget so can continue my clinical development.

I did have some concerns about taking on the financial responsibility when I first looked at partnership, but this has worked out fine, so this is no longer a concern. I have seen my clinic grow from a quiet clinic to a busy branch and are now looking at plans for expanding. I can see the reward for all the effort and knowledge that I have put in.

One of the benefits for me of being a Branch Partner is that when I am away from the clinic, I do not need to be contactable and so can switch off and have a real rest. I love to travel, be out in nature with my dogs and have recently started to learn to play the guitar and concert photography so get to fit a lot of hobbies around work.

My advice to anybody considering partnership would be to clearly consider what you want. If you want to grow something and see the fruits of your work, then being a Branch Partner is great. You can leave a personal imprint on your branch, your team, your clients and business.