Creekside Veterinary Clinic and Grooming
Relationship-based veterinary care
Becca Phillips and Tanya Hoffman opened Creekside Veterinary Clinic and Pet Grooming in Black Earth in 2024 to continue the tradition of a locally owned practice focused on personalized relationship-based care. Their goal is to provide tailored treatment for every patient, while taking the time to truly connect with the pet owners they serve.
“It’s about building relationships, treating pets individually, and spending time with them,” says Hoffman.
The clinic has been open over a year and is growing every day.
“Our client base is growing, and we are excited about continued growth in the future,” says Hoffman. “Every day feels unique to me, being able to have relationships with pets and clients. Everyone comes in happier, and there’s less stress all around, and we really get to know people and their pets.”
From first puppy and kitten visits to their final moments, Phillips and Hoffman say they are honored to practice veterinary medicine the way they believe it should be, building lasting relationships, one paw at a time.
“While it’s never easy to say goodbye, the joy of building lifelong relationships with pets and their families far outweighs the sadness,” says Phillips.
Planning and Launching a New Vet Clinic
To write their business plan and get their finances in order, Phillips and Hoffman participated in the UW-Madison Small Business Development Center (SBDC)’s Entrepreneurial Training Program (ETP) and Accounting and Projections Clinic.
“Our banker at Lake Ridge Bank recommended we work with Michelle Somes-Booher [the Erica Kauten Director of the SBDC],” says Phillips. “We had no idea what we were doing, so we met with Michelle, and she helped us, and then recommended ETP, which was really beneficial to us.”
“ETP gave us a good overview of all the parts that go into starting, running, and funding a business,” says Hoffman. “We had a list of everything we had to learn, figure out, and get better at.”
Phillips says their experience in the Accounting and Projections Clinic helped them secure funding for the clinic.
“Michelle still helps us all the time, too,” she says.
Hoffman and Phillips continue to learn about other Wisconsin entrepreneurial groups.
“We’re taking a class to learn more about funding opportunities, women in entrepreneurship, and venture funding capital,” says Phillips. “We’ll keep doing classes and networking with our peers.”
Growth and Future Planning
Creekside Vet Clinic’s location on Highway 14 draws clients from Black Earth, as well as Mazomanie, Cross Plains, Spring Green, Prairie du Sac, Dodgeville, Waunakee, Middleton, Verona, Mount Horeb, Blue Mounds, Blanchardville, Hollandale, and New Glarus.
“It’s convenient to get in, and we spend more time with the animals, taking the time to build personal relationships with the pets and owners,” says Phillips. “We have plenty of parking, and the clinic is all one level, with grooming and veterinary medicine all in the same building. Owners love having the ability to have any medical issues found in grooming addressed the same day by our veterinary staff. We also use fear-free, calming colors and natural light, so it’s homey.”
Word of mouth has been an effective way to let clients know about the new clinic, and they also advertise in the newspaper and on social media. Hoffman and Phillips also attend in-person events, like dog fairs and community events.
Creekside Vet Clinic is working with Wisconsin Heights School district to bring youth apprentices into the clinic and support students interested in pet grooming or veterinary medicine.
“We like to help students out,” says Hoffman. “We sponsor school events and donate gift baskets for fundraisers.”
As the clinic continues to grow, Phillips and Hoffman aim to increase from one full-time vet to two. They also plan to expand their holistic, acupuncture, massage, and rehab offerings. They currently have seven full-time and six part-time staff members, plus a student intern, and they envision continued expansion.
“We rent two bays of the building we are currently in, and there are two other bays. Our big dream is to own the building and build it out to encompass large animal and additional pet-related services,” says Phillips.
The Wisconsin SBDC Network is a proud part of the Office of Business & Entrepreneurship within the Universities of Wisconsin. It is funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. The Wisconsin SBDC at UW-Madison is also part of the Wisconsin Entrepreneurship Hub at UW-Madison.
The Wisconsin SBDC at UW-Madison helps entrepreneurs succeed at any stage. We offer no-cost, confidential consulting and business education across a wide region, primarily serving Dane, Sauk, and Columbia counties. SBDC services are provided in a nondiscriminatory way to all legal residents and citizens in the US.
Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance. Contact us at sbdc@bus.wisc.edu or call (608) 263-2221.