I had my job meeting this morning. I knew that he was being too agreeable. He brought an offer to the table that I was totally not expecting. He’s a terrible businessman. He hates everything to do with it. His wife is a year away from retirement. His last kid is a junior in college. Do I want to lease his practice and hire him part-time?

I don’t know. The space the practice is in is way too small and there is no parking. I’m not in a position to buy a new building right now. I don’t know that the practice is profitable enough to support it. But I’ve wanted to be in charge for a while. This is a way to get control of a practice without having to buy it outright. If it doesn’t work out I surrender the lease and walk away.

I recommended that he contact a nationally known veterinary business management company that happens to be located nearby. I explained that they were the people who write columns in a well known veterinary business journal that is sent free to all clinics. He said that he never reads that one. I refrained from saying that I wasn’t surprised. This company does evaluations of vet clinics and tells you how to work smarter. He said he would contact them. This is a man who I once had to wait several months to get a printout off his computer. I was shocked when he called me two hours after our meeting and said that he had a meeting set up for 3/24. He must be motivated this time.

It is a lot to think about and I don’t know quite what to think. After the meeting I had some time before I had to go to work so I went to a local bike path to walk and think. I passed a church sign that said, “Don’t be afraid of the mountain. Start climbing.” Is that my literal sign from God?