Veterinary System Services, Inc. is a finalist for the Entrepreneurial Opportunity Contest in partnership with BBVA. For more information on the contest, click here.
Company description: Veterinary System Services, Inc. (VSS) was founded in 2014 and is a professional services company that caters to the veterinary industry. The vision is to help veterinary businesses grow and evolve. VSS offers bookkeeping, relief services, inventory systems, and secret shopper services to animal medicine practitioners.
Number of employees at company/organization: The state classifies us as 50 to 75 employees, as we have so many part timers. We have more than 125 people on staff technically. We have 17 people who receive full-time benefits.
Website: www.helpthevet.com
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/VeterinarySystemServices/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/V_SServices
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/veterinary-system-services-636a30157/
What is the concept you are pitching? The veterinary industry has a significant problem when it comes to hospital linens. When we see all the studies done in human medicine and the issues with disease transmission, and then look at veterinary medicine practices, there is a massive disconnect. It is not just a patient safety issue; there is a real threat to employees. Just as it was discovered that firefighters are exposed to carcinogens because of the cleaning of their turnout gear, the veterinary industry is about to become aware of the problem that is their laundry operations.
VSS is setting out to create the first medical-grade, commercial laundry operation that serves animal medicine. We will uphold human medicine standards because that is the right way to do it. Why aren't human hospital laundry facilities providing this? The CDC. They are not allowed to launder human medical linens with animal linens.
Our operation will improve patient care and help decrease the high secondary transmission rates that currently exist in veterinary medicine. More importantly, we are going to help create a safer work environment for those working in animal health.
What do you enjoy most about being an entrepreneur? Solving problems. Creating a business is about fulfilling needs, which is effectively solving a problem. But then within that, one must overcome the barriers that inhibit the purpose of the company. To grow this business, I have learned to overcome a myriad of hurdles. It is a continuous cycle that I am grateful for every day.
How did you get your idea or concept for the business? During the holidays of 2013, my manager, at that time, and I were discussing a work shortage, wondering how we were going to get by. The answer was clear to me, as my grandmother had started a similar business in another industry many years ago. I knew the answer, all I had to do was figure out how to get it done.
To what do you attribute your success to date? My team. There have been many ups and downs and a few people have come and gone. But some great people have stayed with me. Their input and efforts have led us to the creation of a really good system. My idea was mostly right, but it would not be the success it is without them.
If you had one piece of advice to someone just starting out, what would it be? Be humble enough to know you don’t have all the answers, and find good people to surround yourself with in the endeavor. They can fill the gaps in your knowledge and the holes in your thinking. Starting a business is like raising children: it takes a village.
Tell us something about yourself that would surprise the people you work with. Even though we just passed the five-year mark, I am only just getting started. I have a lot of ideas and plans for the future to help elevate the veterinary industry. In doing so, I hope to elevate the lives of those who work in it and the care they give the animals.
What business ventures did you try before this one? This is my first business venture. I have been involved with helping an inspection company and a consulting company in the startup phase, but not as an owner. My degree is in business with an emphasis in entrepreneurship.
What was your biggest challenge in launching or growing this business? What wasn’t a challenge? The biggest was bringing a service to an industry that hasn’t had it and wasn’t prepared for it. We aren’t doing something completely new, but the way we are doing it is different. Yet that is the reason we have succeeded in a space where most who have tried to do what we are doing have failed.
What is unique about your business? Just about everything. We are unlike any other veterinary company or vendor. We are unlike any other staffing company. Our laundry service will be the first of its kind. Moreover, we are setting a higher standard in investing in our employees and the company.
Who do you go to for business advice, such as a mentor, spouse, sibling, etc.? I had a professor in college advise that any entrepreneur should establish a board of advisors. I put a board together that consists of several professionals and my grandmother. She started almost a dozen different companies, a handful of which she sold. She was a pioneer.
The five finalists of the Entrepreneurial Opportunity Contest will pitch their ideas to a panel of judges at the Cultivating Growth: Strategies to advance your business event on October 1. Register now to attend the event and watch their pitch.