Just Vetting with Peter Tanella, ESQ.
This program fills the gap in veterinary education by focusing on non-clinical skills like communication, leadership, confidence building, and real-world readiness — all essential to long-term success in practice.
Just Vetting with Peter Tanella, ESQ.
10 | Jen Coppens | Turning Vision into Action: How Strong Processes Help Veterinary Practices Thrive
🌿 Episode Description
In this episode of Just Vetting, host Peter Tanella sits down with Jen Coppens, founder of Coppens Business Strategies, to unpack what it really takes to turn big ideas into sustainable success in veterinary practice ownership.
With more than 25 years of experience in business leadership — and nearly a decade working hands-on with veterinary practices — Jen shares how she found her way into the veterinary industry and why helping independent practices build strong systems, cultures, and financial clarity has become her passion. Throughout the conversation, she bridges the gap between clinical excellence and business strategy, offering practical insights that owners can actually implement.
She reflects on:
✨ How transitioning from IT and corporate leadership to veterinary consulting revealed powerful parallels between people, process, and performance
✨ Why most practice owners struggle not with vision — but with execution — and how to make change stick
✨ The importance of consistency, team buy-in, and designing processes with staff instead of imposing them
✨ How COVID, staffing shortages, and consolidation disrupted core fundamentals — and why practices must return to basics to thrive
✨ Creative, culture-driven approaches to recruiting and retaining DVMs and staff in a competitive market
✨ Breaking down financials into simple, actionable “buckets” so owners can actually understand their numbers
✨ The value of peer groups like VMG and VSG — and why community, accountability, and shared learning change everything
✨ One deceptively simple habit every owner should adopt: choosing one initiative at a time and following it through
✨ The two biggest profit leaks Jen sees in practices today — pricing and staff retention — and how to address both proactively
🐾 From forward booking and room flow to leadership mindset and financial intelligence, Jen offers grounded, experience-based guidance that cuts through overwhelm and replaces chaos with clarity.
Whether you’re an independent practice owner feeling stretched thin, an associate curious about the business side of medicine, or a leader looking to strengthen culture and performance, this episode delivers practical wisdom, honesty, and encouragement — one process at a time.
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