Scott Spaulding is a wildly successful entrepreneur who has practiced as a veterinarian in Rock County, Wisconsin for 25 years. As a farm kid from the area, Scott always had a passion for working with animals and livestock in particular. Contrary to how many practitioners view their work, however, Scott viewed his veterinary practice as a really great business opportunity.
Many veterinary practices are not the best businesses. Veterinarians are really great at their work with animals and are, in Scott’s opinion, salt-of-the-earth by nature. And while they are great at their practice and passion, they are so focused on providing great care that they forget to focus on business and building value to their practice. In seeing this happen to many vets in Scott’s time in the industry, Scott wanted to help show colleagues and the community that vet clinics can be just as effective in business as they are in care.
Scott started his initial practice in Janesville and quickly expanded to two other locations within the state, seeing the opportunity to expand his mixed-animal practice even beyond the boundaries of Wisconsin. From there, it grew- Scott and many of his practicing friends around the country came together under one corporate practice, growing to 40 locations and 1,500 employees from coast-to-coast.
In doing so, Scott generated hundreds of millions of dollars in value for the 90 shareholders, and ended up selling the practice during September of 2020.
That big change started by focusing on the little things. Scott credits his two initial practicing partners with being a driving force behind the success of the whole group- they wanted to practice and trusted Scott to manage more of the actual business work. Small tweaks in their business model helped them generate more value for their initial three practices almost overnight, and many other small practices wanted to join their group soon after.
“Part of it is recognizing there is an opportunity there, then actually having the courage to do it, and to start working on it today.” – Scott Spaulding
This whole business endeavor ran its course in Scott’s hands within five years. But that wasn’t the only project feeding Scott’s entrepreneurial interests. Hearkening back to his farm-family roots, Scott has greatly enjoyed having a family focus within his business endeavors. In 2013, Scott, his son Justin, and daughter Sarah invested in their first property together. Since then, Scott and Justin have built up from their first four unit purchase to over 900 units today, all in southern Wisconsin.
Sarah is still very involved in their real estate investments but also has pursued her dreams and built her own businesses and following through the power of social media. Justin has definitely taken after his dad and plays a major role within their real estate investing business, while Scott works more on the leadership development and training for his employees.
Scott’s desire to step into this unique role really stems from all of the guidance and leadership he received from so many different people growing up- whether that be a 4-H or FFA leader, a teacher, or a friend, Scott identifies how strong of a role these connections and conversations have played in his success. One of his biggest passions is helping other people be successful. He is a firm believer that by adding value to the lives of those around him, he can become more successful himself.
Scott’s advice to new and aspiring entrepreneurs?
“There’s disruption everywhere you look. And I happen to believe that disruption is the driver of opportunity.”
Throughout the pandemic and most likely many years down the road, people will be constantly
looking for different and better ways to do things. So, the first step is recognizing your vision- the
opportunity.
“Opportunity of a lifetime comes around once a week. Most people just don’t recognize it.”
Your crazy idea might not be that crazy after all. Some people might look at you sideways while you
pursue it, but you have to have the courage to say yes.
Then, act on it with urgency. Time moves so quickly, and somedays quickly turn into tomorrows
when you push things down the road. Walk tenaciously in the direction of your dreams today. You
need to be willing to put yourself out there, and the path will become apparent.
“In place of failure, I put courage.”
With all of the uncertainties surrounding us today, it’s easy to get caught up in the what-ifs. “What
if I fail? What if I don’t have the money to start? What if I lose all of my money?” Not one person is
fabulously successful at everything they try. It’s not your failure, it’s part of your journey to realizing
your vision. You can learn from it, you can grow from it, but you’ll never know if you don’t try.
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