Episode 116: Bridging the Gap Between Business and Expert Knowledge, One Vet at a Time, with Chris Turner
In Episode 116 of The Business Habitat podcast, Sam takes a closer look at the topic of the expert paradox and the disparity between the knowledge and expertise needed to become a leader in a chosen field, and the specific set of management skills required to successfully run a thriving business. Sam is joined by Chris Turner, founder of Vet Services Australia, to discuss how his company is addressing this problem by providing much needed administration and management support to time poor professionals in the animal services space.
Chris took a non-linear path to the company he now runs, and it’s his diversity of experience and training which he attributes to his current success. While not for everyone, Chris adapted well to the demanding world of sales and cold calling, before progressing into the financial services industry. It was in these roles that Chris came to understand the importance of listening to people and genuinely aiming to understand his client’s primary needs.
Fortuitous circumstances led to Chris unwittingly adopting a dog from a relative, and slowly growing to embrace “Dudley” as an important member of the family. Through this experience, Chris began to recognise the overwhelming need for support for vets and veterinary services, and utilising his background and skills, the idea behind Vet Services Australia was born.
In this conversation, Sam and Chris explore the concept of the expert paradox, and the need for business support for many professionals, regardless of their field. Sam emphasises the consistency that Chris has applied to building his business and the value that is derived by freeing up a vet’s time to focus on their clients (both animals and people).
Sam and Chris discuss the emergence of heartfelt and community based businesses, whilst also recognising that wealth creation strategies play an important role in allowing business owners and professionals to build a valuable asset that can set them up for retirement.
Chris’s Vet Services Australia is a fantastic example of a business that’s arisen to solve an existing problem, and this discussion brings clarity to how we can better address the ongoing issue of overwhelm and burnout.
Listen to an excerpt
What we cover in this episode
The expertise gap and its role in burnout
The importance of vets on the Australian psyche
The corporate culture
Talking to people and genuinely listening to find out what they need
Heartfelt and community based businesses
The power of consistency
Quotes
“The expertise gap, that is the expertise deficit and that's the difference between our technical skills that we wanted to be an expert in and we've learned a lot about that, usually takes decades to do, and then the skills and the resources that actually allow us to effectively run a business” - Sam
“There's a lot going on in the veterinary industry and so that's when I said, what can be done to fix this” - Chris
“The biggest thing is time, if you can take a lot of these tasks away that are mainly business management, and take a lot of those tasks away from the people that are running these clinics and that will give them more time to actually run the clinic, be the vet, be the vet nurse and actually look after these animals and so that is the key philosophy behind Veterinary Services Australia” - Chris
“They’re selling to a corporate because they need help with accounting, they need help with all this genuine business management support and I think bringing those same resource that the corporates have available and actually provide that to the vet - let them still be them” - Chris
“Vet Services Australia gives them the corporate support without being corporate “ - Chris
“That's where our approach is going to be successful because we're quite genuine, we are Australian down to the core and we are here for Australians so I think that's a trend that we definitely recognised that other people have identified and I think we were just lucky enough to be able to pull it off” - Chris
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