Veterinary startups face unique challenges when deciding whether to secure a loan first or a lease. This episode unpacks how the order of these steps affects budget, lender approvals, and build-out timelines—plus why making the wrong choice can stall your practice before it even begins.

In this “Whoops” episode, the team unpacks a real startup’s challenge: trying to launch with two associates, a space requirement that doesn’t fit, and a budget lenders won’t support. The discussion reveals how misplaced trust and poor advice can derail a project, why contractors aren’t the ones to guide your business plan, and what happens when ambition outpaces financial reality. The takeaway? A bad plan—or no plan at all—can leave your practice dead in the water before it even begins.

Even new veterinary offices can face climate control issues that disrupt daily operations and patient comfort. In this episode, we explore two common post-construction pitfalls — missing key HVAC components and reusing outdated systems — and how they lead to uneven temperatures, inefficiency, and costly fixes. We cover the importance of proper design coordination, the risks of low bids that exclude critical work, and why ongoing oversight is vital from the first plan review to project closeout. You’ll also learn how small mechanical oversights can snowball into larger operational challenges and how to avoid them by asking the right questions early.