Fieldwork: who buys, when, and the next 90 days
Built from 5 real deals and 1 paid workshop. As of 12 Oct 2026.
Independent vet clinics with 2-5 vets, in the 60 days after opening a second site or losing their bookkeeper.
- Who
- Owner-run veterinary clinics with 8-25 staff and $1-4M in revenue, still on spreadsheets or a part-time bookkeeper
- When
- A second location opens, a partner buys in, the bookkeeper quits, or a tax deadline is missed
- Buyer
- The owner-vet, or a practice manager who brings the owner into the call
- Replaces
- A part-time in-house bookkeeper and the owner's Sunday-night spreadsheets
- Not a fit
- Corporate-owned clinics; no change coming in the next 60 days; only a front-desk contact; owners who won't share read-only bank access
Lines marked like this are hypotheses still to test.
Open any section for the evidence and the plan.
GoalsFive retainer clients and $10K a month by the end of the quarter, up from two clients and $4.2K today.
| Goal | 90-day target | Today |
|---|---|---|
| Retainer clients | 5 | 2 |
| Monthly recurring revenue | $10K | $4.2K |
| Written case studies | 2 | 0 |
EvidenceRetainers closed when the owner was on the call and a trigger was live; deals died with a receptionist or head office.
Lakeside Vet Group, 2 sites $2.4K/month, 8 months
- Trigger
- Second location opened and the bookkeeper quit
- What we did
- Cleanup project, then monthly bookkeeping for both sites
- Lesson
- A live trigger plus the owner is the fastest close
Harbor Animal Clinic $1.8K/month, 5 months
- Trigger
- A new partner bought in
- What we did
- Month-end close and partner reporting
- Lesson
- The manager got the owner on the call; that is the champion path
Pinecrest Pets $600, one-off
- Trigger
- Missed a tax deadline
- What we did
- One cleanup project
- Lesson
- A manager alone buys a project, not a retainer
Corner Paws Lost
- Trigger
- None
- Lesson
- No authority, no urgency
Valley Vet Corp Lost
- Trigger
- None
- Lesson
- Corporate-owned, so every approval went to head office
Paid workshop
| Program | Who came | Price | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Month-end close workshop | 14; mostly practice managers | $199 | 3 became retainer leads |
PatternsFour findings decide the ICP; each traces to specific deals.
- Owners buy; managers scope.Both retainers had the owner on a call. Pinecrest stayed a one-off.
- Triggers beat budgets.Both retainers began within 30 days of a trigger. Both losses had none.
- Corporate ownership kills the deal.Valley Vet Corp could not approve anything locally.
- Every retainer started with a cleanup project.The fixed-price project removed the risk of a first yes.
Offer ladderEvery client climbs three steps: a fixed-price cleanup, a monthly retainer, then planning calls on top.
Step 1
Cleanup
$600-1.5K
One-off catch-up of the books. A low-risk first yes.
Step 2
Retainer
$1.8-2.4K/month
Monthly close and owner reporting.
Step 3
Planning calls
$400 each
Quarterly cash and hiring planning with the owner.
- Anchor price against a part-time bookkeeper, not other firms.
- Cut scope to match any discount.
Sales planThree more clients needs about 45 targets and 12 owner calls, assuming 1 in 4 qualified calls closes.
Pipeline math
Qualify before pitching
- 2-5 vets, independently owned
- Owner on the call, or a manager who will bring them in
- A trigger in the next 60 days
- Read-only bank access is acceptable
Outreach message
Saw you're opening a second location. When Lakeside Vet Group opened theirs, we had both sites' books closed within 6 days of month-end. Want 20 minutes on setting that up before the new site's first payroll?
WorkshopsPractice managers want a cleaner month-end, and workshops are how they find us before an owner does.
Positioning: "Close your month in 3 days." "Saves 10 hours a week" stays out until three clinics have tracked it.
- One live workshop a month, $199
- A month-end checklist as the take-home
- An offer of a free books review to attendees whose owner will join a call
ContentContent gets owners to recognize us so the first small ask is easy; it doesn't need to close.
Audience: practice managers and owners. Post one client result and one month-end tip.
Newsletter
Audience: past attendees and leads. One short essay and one checklist.
Vet-owner forums (to test)
Audience: owners. Answer questions, no pitching. Review after 8 weeks.
Time and scorecard40 hours a week, weighted to client work and sales.
| Area | Hours/week | Weekly metric |
|---|---|---|
| Client work | 20 | Books closed by day 6 |
| Sales | 10 | Owner calls booked |
| Workshops | 5 | Attendees who book a review |
| Content | 5 | Replies traced to a post |
Open questionsTwo things the interview could not settle.
- Does cold outreach reach owners, or only warm introductions? Know after 20 sends.
- Do clinics outside the first metro area buy at the same price?