Your opening, dated backwards from the day the doors open.
Eighteen months of milestones, from the business plan to the ninety-day review, each on a real date. If you are starting late, the plan tells you what is already due instead of pretending you are on schedule.
October 2026
- Oct 3T−78 wkWrite the business plan and a three-year projection
Lenders read the projection first. Use the startup cost calculator for the funding number.
PlanDo now - Oct 17T−76 wkTalk to two veterinary practice lenders
Get pre-qualified before you fall in love with a building.
MoneyDo now
November 2026
- Nov 14T−72 wkDecide the model and the services
General practice, urgent care or mixed; dentistry, surgery, imaging, boarding. Every choice sets the floor plan.
Plan - Nov 28T−70 wkPick the market and shortlist three sites
Drive-time, visibility, parking, competing clinics, and whether the space can take a surgery suite.
Site
January 2027
- Jan 9T−64 wkEngage a veterinary architect or design-build firm
Ask for veterinary references. Animal facilities have their own plumbing, HVAC and noise problems.
Build
February 2027
- Feb 6T−60 wkLetter of intent on the space
Negotiate the build-out period and a tenant improvement allowance before the lease.
Site
March 2027
- Mar 6T−56 wkSubmit the loan application
Plan, projections, LOI, personal financials. SBA 7(a) is the usual vehicle for a first practice.
Money
April 2027
- Apr 3T−52 wkSign the lease
Rent should start after the build-out period, not before.
Site - Apr 17T−50 wkForm the entity, get the EIN, open the accounts
Bank, credit card, payroll provider.
Plan
May 2027
- May 1T−48 wkZoning, building and sign permits
Permit timelines vary from four weeks to four months. Start the moment plans are ready.
Build - May 29T−44 wkFreeze the design and the equipment list
Changes after this point cost money and weeks.
Build
June 2027
- Jun 26T−40 wkOrder long-lead equipment
Radiography, dental unit and dental x-ray, surgery table, anesthesia machines, cages and runs.
Build
July 2027
- Jul 24T−36 wkConstruction starts
Weekly site walk. Photograph everything behind the walls.
Build
August 2027
- Aug 21T−32 wkApply for DEA registration and state controlled-substance licences
Also the state premise permit and your veterinary licence for the new address. These take longer than anyone expects.
Licences
September 2027
- Sep 18T−28 wkInsurance in place
General liability, property, workers' compensation, professional liability, and business interruption.
Licences
October 2027
- Oct 2T−26 wkSign the practice software and set your opening date
On Bittsi's New Practice Program you pay nothing until opening day. Catalog and price-list import starts now.
Systems - Oct 16T−24 wkHire the practice manager or lead technician
The person who builds the schedule, the inventory and the culture with you.
People - Oct 30T−22 wkOpen lab and distributor accounts
IDEXX or Antech, your distributor, compounding pharmacy, crematorium.
Systems
November 2027
- Nov 13T−20 wkFinalise the fee schedule and service catalog
Priced from your costs and your market, loaded into the software once.
Plan - Nov 27T−18 wkWebsite, Google Business Profile and social channels live
A coming-soon page with pre-booking beats a launch-day website.
Launch
December 2027
- Dec 11T−16 wkHire technicians and front desk
Offers now, start dates three to six weeks before opening.
People - Dec 25T−14 wkPayment processing and the terminal
Bittsi Pay with a free terminal, interchange-plus, next-business-day funding.
Systems
January 2028
- Jan 8T−12 wkControlled-substance logs, safe and protocols
Before the first order arrives, not after.
Licences - Jan 8T−12 wkPlace the opening inventory order
Staged deliveries: pharmacy and consumables two weeks out, perishables the week of.
Build - Jan 22T−10 wkEquipment installed and calibrated
Radiography acceptance testing, dental unit, autoclave validation.
Build
February 2028
- Feb 5T−8 wkStaff accounts, permissions and the training plan
Every role set up before the first shift.
Systems - Feb 19T−6 wkTeam starts; training week one
Live sessions on the software, the protocols and the phones. Record them for later hires.
People - Feb 26T−5 wkInventory delivered and shelved
Counted into the system, minimums and reorder points set.
Build
March 2028
- Mar 4T−4 wkPre-booking opens; reminders live
Neighbourhood mailer, local vets and groomers, a community open house.
Launch - Mar 11T−3 wkDry run: full visits, chart to invoice
Two mock days with staff pets. Emergency and controlled-substance protocols rehearsed.
Systems - Mar 18T−2 wkFinal inspections and certificate of occupancy
Fire, health, building. Keep copies in the front office.
Licences - Mar 25T−1 wkSoft opening
Friends, family and staff pets. Fix what breaks.
Launch
April 2028
- Apr 1Day 0Opening day
Billing for the software starts today, not before.
Launch - Apr 15T+2 wkWeekly numbers review begins
New clients, visits, average transaction, no-shows, cash.
Plan
June 2028
- Jun 24T+12 wkNinety-day review
Hours, hiring, fee schedule, marketing spend, and what the first 300 clients told you.
Plan
The calendar file puts every milestone on its own day in Google Calendar, Outlook or Apple Calendar. The software milestones assume Bittsi's New Practice Program: nothing to pay until opening day.
Six months out is when the software goes in. It costs nothing until you open.
Sign, set your opening date, and use the run-up to load the catalog, the templates and the team. Billing starts on opening day: Standard for $249 a month in year one.