2017 RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Staples Start-up Award Winner: Trina Bailey

Trina Bailey

Owner, Veterinary Surgeon, Bailey Veterinary Surgical Specialty Ltd.

Winner, Staples Start-up Award

Bailey Veterinary Surgical Specialty Ltd. of Newfoundland and Labrador began as a referral hospital offering advanced surgical care and diagnostic imaging for companion animals in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. They are the only hospital in the province providing specialty services and 24 hour patient care, serving clients with sick or injured pets who needed diagnostic testing, which was not available in the province. With Bailey Veterinary Surgical, Trina set out to open a hospital for pets and pet owners in her home province who need advanced care which could not be provided by their regular veterinarians, either due to lack of training/experience or equipment. She wanted the hospital to provide compassionate, affordable and professional services for both the animals and their owners to help alleviate some of the stress from the regular veterinarians in the province. Her long term goal is to have a facility so well equipped and staffed that no pets would ever need to travel out of province again.

What do you wish you knew at the beginning?

The importance of standard operating procedures and having a starting point before you open the doors. Despite 17 years of industry experience, there were still very small, yet important, processes that were not ironed out. Acknowledge the need for continuous improvement. Prepare for, but don’t focus on, mistakes. Use that energy to resolve the problems when they do arise.

What, if anything, are you doing differently to prepare for the next stage of success?

We have identified that we need to market ourselves to increase our community profile and relationships with referring veterinary practices. We are also investigating opportunities to attract other specialists to join our team – allowing a wider breadth of services. The goal is to increase patient numbers, allowing continuous facility improvement and addition of equipment for enhanced patient care.

See all of the 2017 RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Award finalists.