Entrepreneurship, The Fire that Burns

Céline Leheurteux, DVM

I am privileged to have realized my childhood dreams: to be a veterinarian, to find love, and to have children. I decided to be a veterinarian by watching a show where a dog was hit by a car, had a broken jaw, and was saved by the action of a veterinary superhero. And before that, I wanted to work with Mother Teresa. The marriage between my desire to help humans and animals was signed. In 2016, when my daughter began to speak, I gave birth to my 4th child, a business with a unique profile in an unglamorized field: animal burial. I am restoring dignity to a once missed act. Putting a beloved animal in a garbage bag. This situation, which put me at odds with my core values, led me to create the EUTHABAG body bag to improve the euthanasia experience for all involved. Even if no one sees it or knows it. Out of respect. To put my love for our profession into action. It is my passion and I want to honor our commitment to excellence down to the smallest detail. This perfectionism is our strength and our prison. A personality trait that leads us to be rarely fully satisfied. Designed in my kitchen in Quebec, close to a million of these covers have been used in 25 countries, helping people in difficult moments of their lives or careers. Making a difference in the lives of people (and animals!) has always been my inner drive, propelled by that fire that burns.

Céline & her beloved Pepper

Entrepreneurship is all the rage. I've never been trendy, always so late that I end up being early! While my friends were listening to Wham, I was getting emotional about Tchaikovsky, reading books about horses. Why this thirst for entrepreneurship? Thrills, freedom, a sense of accomplishment, recognition? What we thought we would have when we were veterinarians, but which is missing in the end. I never thought as a child that once I was a veterinarian, I would be chasing another Kilimanjaro summit where I would leave a piece of my finger or a toe. That's the way humans are, it's imprinted in our reptilian brain, always further. I sometimes feel that entrepreneurship is an obsessive compulsive or pervasive personality disorder. We are inhabited, consumed, obsessed. Others would say persevering, visionary, committed! An unusual appetite for risk. Did you know that a 2018 study* showed that professionals attending an entrepreneurial event had an incidence of Toxoplasma gondii 1.8 times higher than normal? And that the incidence of infection to this parasite was an indicator of the activity and entrepreneurial desire of geographical areas. This parasite alters the risk management area leading its host to take more risk, get caught by a cat and contribute to the radiation of the parasite.

A fire that heats up, that creates pressure in the combustion chamber which carries us forward like a train! Fire in the gut when the sound of our mission resounds in a stranger's home. When a veterinarian from Singapore writes me that she wants me to come and give a lecture in the country whose GDP per capita is just below that of Qatar and about which I knew nothing before her email. When a veterinary nurse tells me that she has found a part of her soul that she didn't know she had lost with the product born in my head and for which I fought for like a mother bear on an ice island. When I share my vision with 80 vets in Colombia via video conference and the founder of the distributor who has been in the industry for 50 years tells me it is one of his favorite products. When a distinguished German woman tells me in New York that EUTHABAG is chic and refined as if it were a Longchamp bag. For me, the little country vet, to be recognized in this way is unexpected. I would never have been able to discover the technique of arthroplasty or borreliosis, but I contribute to making my peers feel better and I have to remind myself that this is important too. Because our work is so demanding.

My prison and my freedom, as my colleague who owns a wonderful clinic says. So what burns the set?

Being alone at the top. Not sharing the risk. Like this morning, walking through the snowstorm. The storm that freezes our cheeks and then sets them on fire. The snow that assaults our corneas, but gives us the satisfaction of moving forward in adversity. Not seeing anything that awaits us around the corner and going anyway. Like our first C-section. Having the courage to do it knowing full well that we are not the most qualified. To have confidence in life, in our means and in nature. The cold that stings and this light that dazzles and blinds us at the same time.

All day long, like a veterinarian, it's up to you to decide which direction to take in the multi-factor decision algorithm. Left, right, up, down. Straight, diagonal, elliptical. The weight of the outcome on your shoulders. Instead of the health of an animal and the satisfaction of its family, it's the house of cards of the company you created from a cell that is at stake. Your ego, your reputation, jobs, your hopes and those of your family. 50% of companies will not pass the 5 years mark. The sword of Damocles is always there. Five years is a long time. And we are so vulnerable. No one to guide us in front, no one to guide us behind. Have you had your production inspected by an external firm? When will you hire your first employee and pay yourself a salary? When will you incorporate? Do you have to charge taxes if you sell online in the US? Should you have your product distributed exclusively?

I've learned about decision fatigue on the job. When you can't decide on the flavor of your tea, the colors of your socks and you'd rather stay home than find a hotel room! That's why it's so important to rest, to recharge your batteries before Monday!

Frustration is the mother of invention. Several veterinarians have designed products, I will list here a few of them that I have had the chance to meet. Pierre Brassard, produces his own line of intravenous solution. Jean-Marc Vaillancourt created the Chatonnelle cellulose-based litter to detect hematuria. Maxime Meunier founded VetRéseau in 2013 allowing to find veterinary professionals by being himself the first replacement of his company. Jamie Critall and Charlie Barton founded Virtual Recall in England in 2011 to provide their colleagues with digital recall solutions. Philippe Moreau creates digital veterinary communication tools to support clients at every step with Visiocare.

Veterinarians are brave, inventive and resilient entrepreneurs! We are also a bit oblivious, jumping into the dangerous waters of entrepreneurship without any training thinking that like surgery, we can open the book and look before we leap into the void!

Most of them ended up leaving the practice to take care of their babies. I kept my job full time for the first 2 years then had to cut back to 2 days in clinics then 1 day. Being “just” a veterinarian, employed, is relaxing! Doing practice 1 day a week is exciting. The weight of the client relationship doesn't have time to wear us down. I continued until I left for France in 2020 to have a cultural experience with my family and to develop the European market. Vetceterra Solutions, which markets EUTHABAG, has experienced extraordinary growth in Canada and the United States, where 75% of our sales are made, but we want to solidify our foundations to better resist copies from players whose ethics are not those of a veterinarian. A threat that at night can turn into an inventive nightmare. And when the day comes, we regain our optimism and roll up our sleeves.

What is the secret of leadership, the Holy Grail of entrepreneurs? I would tell you that in a leadership position in the company since 2016 and for 20 years as a veterinarian, after reading books by American, Indian, multinational or startup authors, the recipe is simple.

1.         Have a team of flowers chosen with care. Each with its own color and fragrance. Not competing with each other.

2.         To create an atmosphere of respect where everyone can give their opinion without feeling threatened.

3.         To be guided by strong values that indicate the path to take at each crossroads. In this way, decisions are made and justified in harmony.

4.         Be an entrepreneur for the right reasons, to change the world in your own way. Not to be more free or make more money. That is an illusion.

5.         Have a mission that mobilizes and that will make you an inspiring leader, no matter what path you choose.

Have the courage to go for it if that's what you want and savor the peace of mind if you choose to stay employed. The veterinary field has endless possibilities. I still think it's the greatest job in the world.

*Johnson S.K, Fitza MA., Lerner DA., Calhoun DM., Beldon MA., Chan ET., Johnson PTJ. Risky business: linking Toxoplasma gondii infection and entrepreneurship behaviors across individuals and countries. Proc Biol Sci. 2018 Jul 25;285(1883):20180822.