Tatyana Abutova: “Money needs to be invested in people”

Dog kennel PCHELKIN HOUSE. Newfoundland

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Origin of the breed

Monument in honor of the Lewis and Clark Expedition (Kansas City, Missouri, USA). The dog Sailor, who took part in the expedition, is depicted as part of the sculptural group.

The Newfoundland is a popular dog breed originally used as a working dog in Canada. These are large dogs with long, thick black or brown hair and a thick undercoat; white spots are allowed on the chest and paws. The Newfoundland has membranes between its toes.

The Newfoundland in Russia is sometimes incorrectly called a diver; it would be more correct to call the variety bred in the USSR divers.

The dog's homeland is considered to be Newfoundland.

There is still no consensus among experts about the origin of the breed. The Canadian Dog Guide puts forward 3 main versions of the origin:

• crossing the now extinct black wolf with Asian mastiffs;
• crossing Viking dogs with local dogs/wolves
• crossing of mastiffs, shepherd dogs and water dogs brought by Europeans in the 15th-17th centuries.

The American Kennel Club, as one of the versions, traces Newfoundlands to Great Pyrenees dogs, allegedly brought to Newfoundland by Basque fishermen.

I. I. Akimushkin gives several versions:

• Newfoundlands are not a cross between Viking Bairnburys and local canines, but simply a wild variety;
• the ancestors of these dogs are local huskies;
• or Molossians brought by the British.

Newfoundland is a very kind and loyal dog, always ready to help.

Source

Before adopting a dog from the kennel

Any pet with character and emotions. Call a friend who already has an animal if you have not interacted with animals. Relatives may have a negative attitude towards the decision to adopt a dog - convince them and get their consent. Walk the dog yourself, or arrange with relatives. Remember, the dog is usually walked 3 times a day. If you have children, they should be able to get along with animals. Teach them not to hurt your pet. The child should not touch the pet when she is eating or sleeping. You cannot scare or shout at the animal.

Tatyana Abutova: “Money needs to be invested in people”

Text: Alexander Kolchin, Maria Mayevskaya Photo: provided by T. Abutova

How to learn to run a veterinary business overnight? What is an ideal clinic and what unusual pet store is planned to open in Tyumen? These and other questions were answered by Tatyana Abutova, the owner of a chain of pet stores and veterinary clinics in Tyumen, the Newfoundland nursery “Aquatoria Kelvin”, the best breeder in the country according to the Best Russian Dog - 2020 rating.

– Tatyana, today your business is one of the largest in the Tyumen pet market. How many years did it take you to develop it? How did you get started? – It took about ten years. I took over the business as a result of a tragic incident: the previous owner, Evgenia Mamonova, died in an accident literally a month after the first clinic opened. Her family and team, which was still small at that time, turned to me with a request to help save the business. At that moment, I was working part-time at this clinic as an administrator at the reception desk.

– Where was your main place of work? - At MTS. I am a banking specialist by education. I have experience working in four banks in Tyumen, the last of which was Bank of Moscow. When I left there, I promised myself: I will never be a leader again in my life, it requires too much health. Having settled at MTS, I completed a three-month intensive training course in Moscow: sales, communication, psychology, and it turned out to be the most useful experience in my life. Thanks to training and work at MTS, as well as in federal and local banking organizations, I gained an understanding of how business is managed at different levels and what tools are used for this. When I met Evgenia Mamonova, I was 24 years old, I had just gotten my first dog and brought the puppy for vaccination.

– And despite the fact that you promised yourself never to occupy a leadership position, you headed the clinic? - Yes. I took Plamen Paskov’s book “Management in the Veterinary Business,” read it overnight, and the next morning I knew how to run a veterinary business. The organization had only 5 thousand rubles in the cash register; they used it to buy a basket of flowers for Zhenya’s grave and began to work.

Inpatient department of the central clinic named after Evgenia Mamonova.

The clinic was located in a rented space of about 200 square meters. m, in an old building, but with a small walking area and parking. In 2003–2005, they worked around the clock, offering services in different market segments: grooming with a fairly strong turnover, more than 1.2 million rubles per year, and a pet hotel that brings in good seasonal income; the reception desk and veterinary pharmacy in one window are the “heart” of any clinic, and the well-being of the organization depends on the health of this organ.

In less than a year, the clinic was on everyone’s lips thanks to an active advertising campaign, the costs of which were equal to the profit - after a year, any taxi driver, hearing “veterinary clinic,” knew that he needed to take him to our clinic.

The clinic team and I are very grateful to the Royal Canin branch in the Urals and its then director Elena Lozhkina, they supported us at that difficult moment. Despite the debts for the goods, shipments did not stop, and this allowed us to continue working, increase turnover and pay off.

When I came to work as a receptionist at the clinic, I was very surprised by the strange imbalance of tariffs - services were cheap compared to the cost of drugs, doctors' salaries were calculated as a percentage of services, and the markup on medicines was from 100 to 1000%. Having been forced to head a veterinary clinic, her first actions were aimed at improving the tariffs for the clinic’s services. The clinic worked around the clock, was equipped with the necessary equipment, quite simple, decommissioned from medical clinics, very tired and outdated. Intensive work allowed us to begin gradually equipping the clinic with new equipment. The first to be purchased were devices for ultrasound and laboratory diagnostics. During periods when the ability to cope with the incoming client flow was exhausted, a decision was made to raise tariffs for services.

The clinic team worked tirelessly - the basis for stable growth was our dedicated work.

Tatyana Abutova and chief physician of the network of veterinary clinics Yulia Tsibina.

At one unfortunate moment, the landlord announced the termination of the contract. At this time, the flow of clients was more than 100 patients per day.

A year earlier, while walking with my dog ​​along a building under construction in the central part of the city, I felt that I needed to open a clinic here. Having rented the premises upon completion of construction and taken out a bank loan for renovations, we opened in December 2005. The room, located on the ground floor, has approximately 130 sq. m. m was occupied by a veterinary clinic and 70 - the first self-service store in Tyumen. I just brought a puppy from Slovakia, admired the huge pet stores in Bratislava and was inspired to do something similar in Tyumen.

If I had not done this, in November 2006 the veterinary clinic named after Evgenia Mamonova would simply cease to exist.

– How did you manage to build such a large business for Tyumen? – The first time after Evgenia’s death, in 2003, everyone worked 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – both me and the employees, who were, of course, united by emotional experience. Enthusiasm and the desire to preserve the clinic in memory of Evgeniy helped us survive at first, when it was very difficult. And then - just the desire to work, develop and learn. I think that the business line is always determined by the manager, and what matters to the employees is the idea in the name of which we work. In the psychologically complex work of a veterinarian, inspiration and understanding of the importance of our work for society are necessary. I am close to the idea of ​​Isaac Adizes about the ideal leader. He argues that any management team is formed from people who have the qualities that the leader lacks. A doctor cannot work without a good administrator, without assistants, without assistants. Veterinary business is a team effort, where everyone is in their place: someone brings cartridges, someone shoots - effectively manages finances so that at the moment when the need for new equipment arises, the business can afford it. I tried to work this way, building a team and motivating people. I think that effective resource management is the key to a manager’s success, ensuring the reliability and sustainability of the company.

Friendly team of Tatiana Abutova.

At the Best Russian Dog award ceremony.

– Does authority among breeders help in business? Is this an added benefit? – The authority of a breeder is formed over decades - the first litter under the name of the kennel was received in May 2006, in 2003 I was an ordinary owner of two Newfoundlands and went to work part-time in a veterinary clinic in order to have additional funds for the maintenance of the second Newfoundland. Participation in the largest Russian and world exhibitions, international veterinary congresses, work as a dealer for Royal Canin and Hill's, partnership with Valta - I am very grateful to these companies for the opportunity to learn and exchange experiences at the events that they organized, which formed my comprehensive horizons in the pet business from different positions - head of a veterinary clinic and pet stores, dog owner and breeder, distributor of food for dogs and cats. My knowledge helped shape the optimal assortment in our pet stores - we sought to offer products whose quality I trusted as a dog owner. Responsible clients who view animals as family members especially appreciate this approach. In general, when you engage in different areas, it undoubtedly broadens your views and enriches your experience. My knowledge in the field of veterinary medicine, which I had to acquire involuntarily, helped me as a breeder. And being a breeder and facing inevitable problems in breeding, I understood in what direction the development of veterinary specialists is required. Understanding the needs of pet owners helps you choose the right direction for business development. Therefore, the wider your horizons and scope of activity, the better and more interesting the work goes and the opportunities grow!

– How do you manage to combine running a business, raising winning dogs and being an authority on the veterinary market? – The issue of authority in the veterinary market is a moot point – until recently, the dogma “only a veterinarian can run a veterinary clinic” reigned in the professional community. But I am glad that the intensive development of business in this area refutes this statement.

Tatyana Ostanina (wife of M. Abutov, has been working in the network since 2006), Tatyana Abutova, Mikhail and Irina Abutov.

Like-minded people around me are Elena Yuryevna Gorodilova, commercial director of the “Living Planet” chain of pet stores and the creator of the “Living Planet” brand in our company, and Yulia Tsibina, chief doctor of the veterinary clinic named after Evgenia Mamonova. I am lucky with my colleagues - we are united by a love for animals and the same concepts of what is good and what is bad in management decisions. Later, my brother and sister joined the company and are now replacing me in operational management.

In 2011, a happy accident brought an amazing person to my kennel, who today takes full care of my dogs and is one of the most qualified specialists in this field - from grooming and training to delivering babies if necessary. He takes care of dogs and puppies, allows me to travel to exhibitions, business events and manage all processes remotely. In 2012–2014, our veterinary and retail business underwent a major reorganization - with the acquisition of the oldest chain of pet stores and clinics in the city, Aibolit, the purchase of real estate, and so on. Such large-scale changes are only possible when you have someone to rely on in life.

– When we first met, in 2005–2007, you said: if a store doesn’t make a profit in the first six months, it means something was done wrong. Do you still manage to develop so intensively? “That’s what happened with the first ten stores.” Since 2006, we have entered into intensive development mode. A second store was opened in December, and in 2008 there were already seven. And at that time they really turned a profit within a month or two. Now, of course, one can only dream about this. Times have changed, the market has become more saturated, there are many offers. On the one hand, perhaps competition is good, but on the other hand, it does not provide an opportunity for high-quality development of the market.

– Do you mean dumping on the part of pet retail players? - Not necessary. The problem is that the buyer is “scattered.” If in the first decade of the 21st century one seller served up to 100 people a day, now the average store in the regional market brings in about 50 checks per day. Resources - rent, salaries, taxes - are the same, turnover decreases, as does income. The buyer has the opportunity to purchase similar goods on marketplaces, online stores and supermarkets.

– How many clinics and stores are in your network now? – Recently, the 20th store opened in the chain, one full-cycle veterinary clinic with round-the-clock operation, three pet clinics and one veterinary clinic with daytime operation in a residential neighborhood. This year there will be a major reconstruction and equipment of the main clinic plus the opening of a sixth one. There is also a preventative veterinary office in the shopping center - a new format of veterinary services. Over the years, the number of pet stores in the network reached 20 points; some turned out to be unsuccessful and had to be closed. Three months is the period during which you need to understand whether the store will work productively or whether it is better to close it.

– Is it impossible to predict this? - You can predict. However, it happens like this: there is an understanding that “there are no fish here,” but the choice is this: either a store of our network will open, or a competitor. It’s spinning in my head: I have to try, if everyone really wants to take this place, then, of course, it should go to me. At the same time, I intuitively always feel that there will be no income there. Or another situation: they opened a huge beautiful store - 400 sq. m, but a decent customer flow has not formed. We wanted civilization, advancement, getting closer to better standards, but it turned out that we were ahead of our time. After more than a year, we had to close it - the buyer was not ready for this format.

– Is it true that in a retail network a certain number of points generate profit, and the rest solve strategic problems - to be present in different areas of the city, to close places for competitors? – No one has canceled the Pareto principle – 20% of the business brings 80% of the income, this is so. However, a business always needs to grow. The average lifespan of a retail outlet is 10 years. If a store was opened in 2010, then in 2020 it begins to lose momentum and profits, which will not recover. This is due to natural processes - migration, redistribution of customer flow, changes in the environment of this store. Should it be closed? The decision to close is made after a balanced, comprehensive assessment of the management team. Stores have different stages of development. Some belong to the category of “stars” or “cash cows” - they have good net profit margins. And there are simply stores that cannot be promoted by any means, but there is a pool of clients who are convenient to be served here. Even if the profitability is not as high as we wanted, it is still a profitable point and cannot be closed.

– In your opinion, what should a pet businessman invest money in today – retail, services? What will develop more intensively? – I think the development of the “pet store-clinic-grooming” format will be relevant. And money should always be invested in people. To educate and raise a salesperson is three months, to educate and raise a doctor is three years. Therefore, you need to do both. We have short and long term goals and objectives. Long-term – veterinary clinics; opening requires careful selection of premises and more serious investments with a long payback period. Retail stores are easier to open, and turnover forms quite quickly, but each outlet has a certain “ceiling,” while veterinary services show steady growth from year to year. Retail and services complement each other well. I would really like all our customers to be customers of both pet stores and veterinary clinics, but pet owners themselves choose what is convenient for them. We offer a full range of services and products, and the final decision is made by the client.

– In what direction do you plan to develop? – It seems to me that a universal format is very promising, combining a pet store with an assortment of the most popular goods and basic veterinary services. I call this animal clinics - ideally this is a room of about 100 square meters. m with a reception room, an operating room, a small hospital for performing procedures, grooming, a registry and a small pet store. The animal clinic is faced with the task of maintaining the health of the animal; it mainly offers hygienic and preventive services. And there are full-cycle veterinary clinics, working around the clock, with an inpatient facility and full diagnostics - they are tasked with saving lives. Step-by-step availability of preventive veterinary services for pet owners ensures high-quality and timely care for the health of their pets. In my opinion, every district should have this opportunity.

– How will the stores develop? Nowadays the trend of discount stores is hot, don’t you think about trying this format? – We tried to organize discounters, but this format did not work in our city, perhaps due to my lack of faith in it initially. I think that discounters these days are online stores. I don’t see a market idea in offline discount pet stores. If you need a product with a maximum discount or a minimum price, you can always find it online. Discount stores are usually located outside the city, where rent is cheap or land costs are low, and you need to spend time going there. And time is money. It turns out that you are wasting time in order to come somewhere far away and buy something a little cheaper? For me this is doubtful.

We will stick to our own path, which we are moving on now. For example, clinics, in my opinion, should be of three formats: small and maximally accessible, larger and working around the clock, and large hospitals with serious equipment that deal with truly complex cases; one of these is enough for a city. It's the same with shops. We have specialized sites with the maximum assortment, as well as small points of sale in places of intense customer flow - shopping centers. Now we want to open a large store in Tyumen - 1000 square meters. m - with specialized goods that are rarely in demand in existing chain stores. We plan to present a high-quality assortment for all types of animals that our clients keep - purebred farm animals, fish, birds, rodents and reptiles. We spent the last year, despite the pandemic, looking for an opportunity to buy a building for the implementation of this idea.

– Did you manage to get closer to your dream? – Yes, we have found the premises, we are working on a solution to comply with the requirements of the legislation on the sanitary protection zone. I wanted to implement the idea of ​​​​creating a full-format store 10 years ago, but then the market was not ready. Now, I think, we are ready, and among clients there is a need for such an offer on the market.

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The first thing to do

Plan when you will take your dog for vaccinations. Bring toys for him to play with. Prepare a place and train your pet to this place. Necessary things:

• Dry food,
• clothes,
• Shampoo,
• Oral hygiene product,
• Brush (comb),
• Claw clipper.

If you want to add your organization, fill out the form below: Indicate the name of the nursery, its description and provide contact information. We will be glad to add you to our directory.

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