006: Why An Entrepreneurial Mindset Is Important As A Veterinarian w/ Aaron Wallace of Lacuna Diagnostics
Did you go to school for one thing but always wanted to pursue other areas as well? So many of us are told that we should focus on one area only in terms of schooling and business. Aaron Wallace is going after two different degrees, which from the outside look like they wouldn’t mix but boy, has he found the common ground between the two.
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Show Notes:
Aaron Wallace is a fourth-year veterinary student who is only one of five students at CSU that are in the MBA/DVM program which means he will be graduating in only a year and half with both degrees in his pocket. He's also the co-founder of Lacuna Diagnostics. He took some time out of his crazy schedule to speak with us today about the differences and similarities between the two degrees, how an MBA can set a vet practice up for success from the very start, and what he is doing to make the future of vet medicine more technologically advanced.
We dive into the entrepreneurial mindset and talk about how asking the right questions can lead to advances in vet medicine that were never even considered possible before, and how blending the two fields has prepared him for having his own veterinary clinic in the near future.
Besides vet medicine, what degree would you have wanted to work towards? Why did you decide against it? Would you ever go back to school for it?
In this episode:
- The benefits of doing an MBA with your DVM degree
- The impact an MBA can have on your future success as a vet
- The importance of having an entrepreneurial mindset for the future of vet medicine
- What the crossovers are between the world of MBA and the world of DVM
Quotes:
“I think some people would automatically think that there is a huge difference between an MBA student and a DVM student, looking back, I don’t think so.” [11:05]
[re: the debt crisis in vet medicine] “It’s okay to ask these questions, this is your life and you have worked hard to be here. It’s okay to talk with your practice, it’s okay to talk with your friends about these things.” [13:40]
“We are an established startup, Lacuna Diagnostics, we are inside of one hospital, and we have done over 70 live cases of digital pathology; we’re gaining traction. We are starting to understand the build, measure, learn of getting an idea, getting something together and putting it somewhere and then testing it, then changing it, testing it, and making it better, and changing it. I think digital pathology is the answer to helping our pets in a different way through technology.” [31:57]
“Not only are these guys my business partners but they’re some of my closest friends in the world... You get five people working on an idea that they’re passionate about, you can get a lot of knowledge.” [36:15]
Links:
Lacuna Diagnostics
Follow Lacuna on Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn
Veterinary Entrepreneurship Academy
Translational Medicine Institute
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