Interview: Dr. Celina Hatt, owner/operator of multiple veterinary clinics.
Tell us about yourself. What is it that you do for a living? What isthe scope of your responsibilities (number of locations you operate or manageand number of people you lead) and whom do you serve as customers?
I am a general practicesmall animal veterinarian and small business/practice owner. I’ve been a vet since 2001, and an ownersince 2004. I own two practices: One in Oahu,Hawaii and one in Vacaville, California.
Hawaii practice: Threedoctors, executive run (owner independent as I do not have to be there to haveit succeed x four years) 26 staff members open six days a week, with an activeclient base of 5,000 people. I managefrom afar with weekly phone calls with my executive director and maintain apulse on the practice by reading weekly/monthly statistics
California practice: Twodoctors of which I am one. We have a playcare, retail and grooming area. Open for three years.45 staff members, open six days a week with an active client base of 5,000 people. (originally purchased the practice with lessthan 100 clients in 2015)
I see patients and am the CFO, oversee inventory management, leadweekly staff meetings to keep staff motivated and informed, and also maintain acommunity presence by speaking in schools on career day, sponsoring sportsteams and providing tours.
When did you realize this is what youwanted to do as a profession? How didyou know?
A chat with my dad whenI was 17 years old. He was only going topay for school/college if I chose a career that would be lucrative andcontribute to community. I pulled vetmed out of the air because by then the conversation was fairly frequent. My father was very astute in teaching me tobe very self-aware of my personality, both the good and the bad, by askingquestions like: Would you like a nice car? Would you like to provide yourfuture kids with college education? Doyou prefer to work alone or in a group?
When I told him vet med,he said…”hmm, you are not afraid of school, you are a good student, you tend tobe bossy rather than a follower, youwork well with others if you lead them….this could work. let’s get you tovolunteer with our local veterinarian.” Iwas hooked!
Wheredo you draw your inspiration?
My staff; seeing them winand become more capable and/or self-aware of their abilities in the veterinaryprofession.
What is the biggest challenge in yourindustry or profession and how do you solve it?
Clients unwilling to be accountable to the care of their pet, orconfirmations of what was heard. “Ididn’t know I was supposed to do that.” In order to prevent further neglect, wemaintain good documentation.
As an owner, the biggest challenge is keeping my staffmotivated. I have an evolving millennial-basedstaff…. insecure about today but hopeful about tomorrow. Folks are so afraid to make a mistake and havingto be accountable for it that they would rather ask permission to think. We provide careful training, validation, andstaying ahead of them so they feel like they are important and learn to bepatient with the process.
My hiring process is character based rather than skillsbased. I can teach you how to drawblood, but I can’t teach you how to be kind.
Describe the experience ofrecognizing that others were responding to you as a leader.
Staff/clients being compliant with minimal question. The flow is smoother when I’m around. A light-hearted feeling is felt when Iorganize something. Tasks are done ontime, efficiently, and folks feel like they accomplishedthe day rather than survived it.
The biggest gain was when my Hawaii practice staff said “Dr. Hatt,you should retire, we got this!” Thiswas my plan all along, and they believed it was their idea. So they feel invested in the second practicein California because they enabled me to leave Hawaii and start the next place.
How do you define work-life balanceand how do you attain it?
Time management. 8am to 8pmis work. After that, the rest ismine. The mornings are forexercise. Sometimes I do chart patient records,so I am up earlier. I’m up at 5-5:30amevery day. I over-focus onresponsibilities so play does take a back seat. I’m still working on this.
What 3 books do you recommend toothers who wish to follow a similar path?
Shucks, I don’t really read. I don’t have much time for thatsort of self-improvement. To be honest, I study the bible
How do you define success?
By the level of others around you that are successful at whatyou asked them to do. If you are wellthought of, mainly as a person of good integrity and an unstoppableattitude. My staff often comment “Idon’t know how you do it! No one can ever see you sweat”.
Staying positive, practiced, and solution oriented makes onesuccessful.
If you could have a conversation withanyone living, who would it be? What questions would you ask?
Andy Roark…I would ask all the above questions!
Favorite motivational quote?
“Fear is a liar”
What’s the best advise you have everreceived?
“In the end it’ll be okay. If it’s not okay now, it’s not theend.”
And “You will always survive because you are a ‘Celina’” ...spokenby my grandma Celina when I was 21 years old.
What rituals or practices do you doto keep you motivated?
Exercise and Bible study. God is the best leader, he runs theworld and trained disciples how to disseminate the parameters for a successfullife, and then created an exit plan. God is the example of a perfect businessowner.