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Milestones
Jun. 11th, 2015 09:15 pmApologies to those of you seeing this plastered across multiple social media sites; sometimes you just gotta crow....
About a year ago, maybe a little more, I read an article about an emerging field in veterinary medicine, and how hospice care for animals was becoming A Thing. And I thought to myself that if I could do anything in the world - if I had a million dollars and all the time and no obligations - that THAT was what I wanted to do with my life. That it was the dream I never realized I had. That, in my perfect world, I would open a hospice practice.
But I also figured that doing something like that would be impossible. I'd need more money than I could pull together; I'd need to learn so much; I'd need so many resources that I could never manage to get; I'd never be able to afford to try.
Seven or eight months ago, I decided that I had to at least try. I'd spent so much time daydreaming about it and joking about it and wishing for it, that if I didn't give it a go I'd never forgive myself. So I started talking to other hospice vets, and to friends with MBAs and law degrees, and finding out exactly what would be involved.
About 3 months ago I opened my doors, metaphorically speaking, and started taking clients.
As of Close of Business today (so formal for 'when I finally drove home from my last house call of the day and opened Quickbooks to record my invoices) I have officially earned back my entire investment in Autumn Care & Crossings. Every nickel I spent on incorporation and graphic artists and continuing education and web hosting and new work computer and medical equipment. All earned back. I have broken even.
I still have ongoing expenses - my therapy laser is lease-to-own; I need to replenish my drug supplies; I pay my crematory and lab monthly. But from here on out, anything on top of that is profit instead of recovering losses.
In three months.
I have no idea how this happened, but damn is it awesome.....
About a year ago, maybe a little more, I read an article about an emerging field in veterinary medicine, and how hospice care for animals was becoming A Thing. And I thought to myself that if I could do anything in the world - if I had a million dollars and all the time and no obligations - that THAT was what I wanted to do with my life. That it was the dream I never realized I had. That, in my perfect world, I would open a hospice practice.
But I also figured that doing something like that would be impossible. I'd need more money than I could pull together; I'd need to learn so much; I'd need so many resources that I could never manage to get; I'd never be able to afford to try.
Seven or eight months ago, I decided that I had to at least try. I'd spent so much time daydreaming about it and joking about it and wishing for it, that if I didn't give it a go I'd never forgive myself. So I started talking to other hospice vets, and to friends with MBAs and law degrees, and finding out exactly what would be involved.
About 3 months ago I opened my doors, metaphorically speaking, and started taking clients.
As of Close of Business today (so formal for 'when I finally drove home from my last house call of the day and opened Quickbooks to record my invoices) I have officially earned back my entire investment in Autumn Care & Crossings. Every nickel I spent on incorporation and graphic artists and continuing education and web hosting and new work computer and medical equipment. All earned back. I have broken even.
I still have ongoing expenses - my therapy laser is lease-to-own; I need to replenish my drug supplies; I pay my crematory and lab monthly. But from here on out, anything on top of that is profit instead of recovering losses.
In three months.
I have no idea how this happened, but damn is it awesome.....
