You have built your practice through professional skill, personal reputation and years of hard work. But as the practice develops, clinical expertise alone does not always create the clarity, consistency or momentum you need.
Herdwick & Goose helps vets, practice owners and human and animal practitioners strengthen the way their practice operates. We work closely with founders to build confidence and direction. Train teams to communicate more fluidly with each other and their stakeholders, and design operational structures that produce seamless customer experiences.
Through our Trusted Practice Framework, we look at the whole practice—from the strengths of the founder, to the skills within the team, and the systems you have in place. As we work through each stage, you’ll start to see where minor errors are creating gaps and missed opportunities that could mean the difference between success and failure.
Does this sound familiar?
Your practice is established, but it doesn’t feel as strong, consistent or rewarding as it could.
You may be:
- relying heavily on your own reputation and personal effort;
- balancing animal and human practice without a clear structure;
- attracting clients, but not always the right ones;
- delivering excellent clinical work without communicating its value clearly;
- managing administration, follow-up and client communication in an improvised way;
- aware that something needs to change, but too close to the practice to see where to begin.
You do not necessarily need more marketing. You may need a better-designed practice.
What is the Trusted Practice Framework?
The Trusted Practice Framework is Herdwick & Goose’s system for developing founders and practices that people feel confident choosing, returning to and recommending.
It brings together three closely connected areas:
- The People — confidence, clarity, decision-making and professional direction of the founder and team.
- The Practice — positioning, services, systems, communication and commercial structure.
- The Client Experience — every stage of the journey, from first impression to follow-up and recommendation.
The purpose is not to impose a generic business formula. It is to identify what is limiting your particular practice and create focused, practical improvements that fit the way you want to work.
The Framework is delivered in four formats to support the different stages of business.
- Start Up Stage—when you want to start out right and build something sustainable.
- Growth Stage—when you want to expand your offering and/or your team.
- Consolidation Stage—when you’re ready to capitalise on your efforts and take a more hands-off approach.
- Commercial Stage—for multisite practice owners or commercial businesses where practice management and development plays a significant element.
When deciding where you fit in, think of it in terms of how long you’ve been in practice, and how well established your practice is. Next, how much work you want to do versus how much work you’d prefer someone did for you. This will help you find the sweet spot.
Are you uncertain? Book a dedicated consultation and we’ll decide together. See the booking button below.
Our Ideal Customers
This work is currently designed for vets (and branch partners), practice owners and human and animal practitioners, who are serious about developing their practice.
It may be particularly relevant if you:
- would like support building your practice the right way;
- want to build a brand that speaks of high quality care;
- have built a good professional reputation but want greater commercial clarity;
- are ready to invest in improving how your practice works;
- want thoughtful tailored guidance rather than high-pressure marketing and sales tactics;
- care deeply about professional standards and the experience your clients receive;
- want to build something more sustainable than a practice that depends entirely upon you.
If you run a different type of practice and find our work helpful, by all means join in.
What areas can we work on?
Depending on the needs of your practice and which stage of business you’re working on, this may include:
- clarifying what your practice stands for and whom it serves;
- building team confidence and communication skills;
- developing your brand;
- strengthening your positioning and professional message;
- reviewing the complete client journey;
- improving enquiries, onboarding, follow-up and client retention;
- creating a more consistent and trusted practice experience;
- reviewing services, pricing and the way value is communicated;
- developing referral and recommendation systems;
- identifying personal patterns that may be limiting commercial decisions;
- building practical systems that reduce unnecessary reliance on the practice owner.
The work begins with a personalised consultation with the the founder—not with a predetermined package of advice. In this 90-minute session you can discuss the gaps between the way your practice currently runs and the way you wish it could run, and you and Dustie will begin to map out a plan of action and a way forward.
A whole-practice approach
We believe that a practice cannot be separated from the person leading it, nor the people running it.
Our Trusted Practice Framework combines strategic consultancy, operational experience, client-experience design and leadership development coaching. That’s a very commercial way of saying, we look at all the moving parts and make sure your practice is running to the best of its capacity.
We examine both the visible workings of the practice and the decisions, habits or uncertainties that may be influencing its progress. This may be rooted in the limiting beliefs, a lack of operational clarity or misaligned branding.
The result of looking at your practice in this way, is practical, focused support that strengthens the practitioner, the team, the practice and the experience clients receive. Lasting development requires all three to work together.
Why Herdwick & Goose?
Herdwick & Goose has been building and operating clinical and educational services since 2018, with its founder drawing on decades of clinical and practice management experience.
The work is led by Dustie Houchin, an osteopath, MBA and experienced organisational leader who has built clinics, developed professional education, led operations and marketing, managed commercial multidisciplinary teams and supported practitioners throughout their careers since 2007.
Herdwick & Goose understands the realities of clinical practice because our team has worked within them for over 25 years.
Are you ready to grow?
Whether you’re a solo-practitioner just starting out or a seasoned professional wanting to capitalise on years in practice or take a step back, we’ve got you covered. All you have to do is register your interest and if you want to start out right, book an initial consultation so we can help you choose the right route for you.
Step One—Register your interest in working with us by subscribing below. We will send you updates as webinars, events and space on our Stages open up.
Step Two—if you’re ready to take action, book your initial consultation so we can get you on the right track.
The consultation is a straightforward conversation about:
- where your practice is now;
- what you would like it to become;
- what appears to be getting in the way;
- whether our approach is the right fit for you.
If you’re ready to build a successful practice that is trusted, valued and professional, we look forward to working with you.
There is no expectation that you arrive with everything worked out. That is all part of the work.
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