Dr Lachlan Cameron hits the perfect spot

Dr Lachlan Cameron always wanted his own clinic. Fortunately, he didn’t have to look too far before finding the perfect location.

  5.5 minutes

Real estate ads and business advisers will tell you location is one of the most important factors in establishing a new clinic, and veterinarian Dr Lachlan Cameron found the perfect spot to open his own. “I'm on the road a lot,” he explains, a result of following his passion for large animal medicine. “So I see a lot of up-and-coming housing developments in different areas across Adelaide.” He spotted a new development in the city’s northern fringe which promised a growing population and access to a mix of potential clients. There was only one problem: nothing had been built yet.

This is a bit of a problem if, like Dr Cameron, you’ve just started your own practice. “I started my business—Cameron Veterinary Services—and within six months we decided to build the clinic,” he says. “It then took another two years to get it to the point where it was open.”
 

The right place

Dr Cameron always knew he was going to be a vet. “I had a very good family friend that was a vet and it was just a career path I really wanted to follow,” he recalls. “I would’ve been a bit stuck if I didn't get in to vet school, to be honest with you, because I didn't know what else I would do.”

He studied at the University of Adelaide, Roseworthy Campus and completed his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 2016. “As I progressed in my career, I realised how important it was to be in control of my own workload,” he says.

“This industry struggles with work-life balance, and one of the big drivers for me was to generate an environment that people were happy to come and work in. In order to do that, I had to own my own business.”

He started out with a mobile clinic, which worked well as it enabled him to pursue his passions like equine dentistry and large animal medicine generally. Although it was easier, a bricks-and-mortar small animal clinic was always Dr Cameron’s goal. “I've always had this drive and passion to set up a mixed clinic,” he adds. “But more importantly, a wholesome clinic that really provides a good work environment for our staff.”

Then one day as he was driving past the new Springwood Estate, east of Gawler, he found the perfect spot—in a new shopping centre development. “I had done a fair bit of research into where there was a high growth rate and where I thought would need a clinic,” he says. “I could see that when driving past Springwood—I just knew that it was going to take off, and it certainly has.”

Even though nothing had been established there yet, he started speaking with the developers, who were quite excited to have a veterinary clinic that was owned and operated by the vet, rather than a large, branded corporate practice. “The whole centre has been designed with a focus on small or local businesses. A lot of the businesses in there are family-owned operations. That was a big focus for them, and that fitted with our style as well.”

For finance, Dr Cameron approached Annie Feist at BOQ Specialist, after he had used them for financing his residential purchase a year earlier. “Annie's been incredibly responsive and easy to get along with,” he says. "You don't have to go through three offices to get her on the phone, and have a chat. I'm a big believer in relationships and developing them, and BOQ Specialist was strong on that in their motto too.”
 

Room to grow 

Although it was a fairly long wait for the centre to be built and the practice to get up and running, Dr Cameron is well-established now and has his eye on growth. “It's not designed to be a one- or two-man band,” he says. “It's got the intention to be a five-, six-, or seven-vet clinic with a couple on the road. My plan really is to grow with the suburb as it grows. I want to focus on that and try to create a cohesive work environment that everyone really enjoys coming to for work.” 

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