The UVG Story
Let me tell you how the UVG came about.
In November of 2006, I heard a comment from someone who worked outside of the vet industry. They said, “You vets are mad. You should form a buying group to give you some control over what you pay for supplies. It occurs in every other industry. Why isn’t there one for vets?”
I was in a tight financial situation at the time. I was running a small practice and found I had little or no negotiating size, when it came to trying to improve my bottom line. Every cent counted for me back then, and I soon found that I wasn’t the only one in this situation. It made sense to form a buying group.
Hence the UVG was born. We started with 6 practices who could see the benefit of banding together to share ideas and buying power. It made a lot of sense to not try and go it alone. We joined together and the rest is history.
There are now over 140 practices across Australia, who contributes to the buying power of Australia’s largest veterinary buying group, the UVG. However, the real value for members is not in the thousands of dollars they save, but in the information they get on how to generate a lot more money in their own vet clinics.
The ability to participate in a massive mastermind group of other likeminded practice owners is seen by many members as the bigger benefit of the UVG. My vision is instead of vets working against each other, why not start working together to share business idea, increase buying power, and remove the isolation of owning a vet practice.
With the veterinary landscape changing with the entry of corporate clinics, it is becoming increasingly important to have buying power as well as know how to market your clinic successfully without having to spend a fortune doing so.
The UVG has evolved from being just a buying group run part-time from a vet clinic, to a complete program showing vets how to increase profits, reduce stress, increase motivation, and deliver an outstanding customer service experience, without increasing their overheads.
I hope you will take the time to consider the vast benefit of not going at business alone. It just makes sense to let others help you on your journey.
Sincerely
Sam Bowden
© 2008-2011 United Veterinary Group – Australia’s Largest Veterinary Buying Group
