Meet Julian Peckich of Marietta Vet Clinic in Marietta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Julian Peckich.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Julian. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
The story of owning my business began after graduating veterinary school when I applied for my state licensing to the Secretary of State Office in Georgia. After 6 months of not hearing back from the office, I called to find out that my application had been misplaced. All in all, it took over 2 years after graduating school to finally receive my state license. Eager to practice after the long wait, I immediately began to apply to every veterinary clinic in metro Atlanta (150+ practices) and was only offered relief work and one part-time position. Realizing this would not sustain my basic needs, I came up with the crazy idea of opening my own veterinary clinic. I say “crazy” because most veterinarians work under other veterinarians for years before jumping into such an extensive venture. There is so much you do not learn in school that you acquire in general practice. Because of this, I was fortunate to have a different approach to client and patient relationships, and I pride myself on the most practical usage of my client’s money.

Business was extremely slow at first, but having an amazing staff and a “new age” outlook towards medicine caused my practice to grow rapidly and become extremely busy. After just 4 years, I moved out of the “closet” I was renting and purchased the suite next door that more than quadrupled my clinic’s size. I’m proud to say that my laid-back personality (some days you might catch me in gym shorts and a t-shirt) has proven that a doctor does not gain respect by putting on a white coat.

Has it been a smooth road?
Not exactly. One of the major obstacles I dealt with early on was never having worked as a veterinarian or in the veterinary field. This forced me to rely on myself, as I didn’t have another doctor to consult with at work, and develop confidence from within that has put me where I am today. Most veterinarians learn how to practice after apprenticing under the veterinarian that employs them, and tend to practice medicine similar to those who taught them. I gathered all of my notes I saved from school that I previously thought would be useless, and began to work as a veterinarian with a feeling that I may not know what I was getting myself into. For years I told my mom that opening my own clinic was a rash decision and that I’d be better off doing something else; thankfully, she settled me down each time and assured me that I was on a good road.

In terms of struggles while in business, the long hours and extreme amount of dedication it takes to be a quality doctor makes it easy to forget to take time to care for yourself. This has become a daily struggle for me, since I have been working 6 days a week for the past 6 years. My clinic consumes my life both during and after hours, so there are weeks at time that I forget to take a breath. It is a rewarding sense of exhaustion that I’m sure many business owners can relate to.

In the beginning, I was not expecting backlash from competition. While there are many professionals that I have formed educational and progressive relationships with, I’ve found that there is always someone waiting for you to fail. Cobb County has plenty of pets in need of care. Instead of worrying about competition, I would rather concentrate on giving my clients and their pets the best care by offering honest advice and fair prices.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
The Marietta Vet Clinic is best known for its laid-back environment, affordable pricing, and the ability to be with your pet at all times (even during surgery, if desired). I have four full-time employees, two of which are up front with reception/administrative assistant duties and two who are veterinary technicians that work primarily in the back with me. My staff is not required to wear scrubs, so I believe clients are instantly more comfortable when they walk in the door. Laughter is constantly heard around the clinic all day long, as my staff thoroughly enjoys working with each other and our wonderful patients. Our clinic is very young, but each employee has a hard work ethic and plays an important roll to the client’s experience. I’m proud to say that every single one of my employees are amazing in their own way and contribute greatly to making a visit to the veterinarian an enjoyable experience.

The Marietta Vet Clinic offers a variety of generalized veterinary services including internal medicine, annual wellness/vaccinations, surgery, diagnostic imaging, and dentistry, amongst other services like anesthesiology, neurology, ophthalmology, euthanasia/cremation and dermatology. Veterinarians are essentially expected to be 15 different types of human doctors in one, and be able to apply this knowledge to countless different species that speak a different language. That being said – I believe the smartest veterinarians are those who know what they exceed in, and thus when to refer. I hate to see pets come in with botched orthopedic surgeries that were learned by a general veterinarian at a weekend continuing education seminar. I am the only veterinarian at my clinic, and I have a philosophy of being very conscientious of my client’s money. We strive to have complete transparency with what we are doing with your pet, and why we have chosen to do so. There are specialists for a reason and if you waste your client’s money with subpar services that cause thousands of dollars, you will lose your client’s trust and subsequent business.

Lastly, I am one of the only doctors that you can reach at any time. All of my clients have the ability to reach my cell phone after hours by simply calling our office number and listening to the prompts, as one of them forwards their call to my cell phone. To help my clients avoid emergency clinic costs, I offer my clients after-hours emergency visits.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
From what I have been told, Atlanta used to have a huge demand for veterinarians years before I opened my clinic doors. This was not the case prior to opening my own clinic since I was unable to find a clinic to hire me. The veterinary industry in my local area is extremely competitive, yet there is always room for more businesses that can differentiate themselves from the rest. We strive to stand out, which has lead us to become a very popular clinic. Starting your own demanding business becomes both a gift and a curse, since you can easily let life fly by without noticing; I’ve always said I feel like I’m going to blink and be 40 years old. However, if you have the drive, work ethic, and interpersonal skills to relate to a variety of people, I see no reason why you should not go for it and be your own boss.

Pricing:

• One annual wellness exam fee includes all pets within a family – A $40 exam fee is charged only once a year and covers the cost of the office visit for appointments regarding vaccinations, heartworm and flea/tick prevention purchase, heartworm testing, FeLV testing, prophylactic bloodwork, fecals, and weigh-ins.
• Discounted vaccination rates on Saturdays – $39 brief exam, deworming/heartworm prevention chewable, and one vaccination. $20 each additional vaccine. (For instance, your pet can get two core vaccinations, a deworming/heartworm prevention pill, and a brief exam for $59.
• Payment plans available upon request

Contact Info:

• Address: 3696 Largent Way Ste 200
  Marietta, GA 30064
• Website: mariettavetclinic.com
• Phone: 404-919-5150
• Email: info@mariettavetclinic.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MariettaVetClinic/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/PeckichDVM
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/marietta-vet-clinic-marietta

Image Credit:
Julie Kimmerling

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