The Brief: February 2026

You’ve Still Got Time: Four Starting Points for 2026

January came and went, and if you’re like many practice managers, those ambitious New Year’s goals are still looking at you from your to-do list. The good news? February is when the real work begins—and you’re right on schedule.

The practices that thrive in 2026 won’t be the ones that started perfectly in January. They’ll be the ones who took the time in Q1 to build the right foundation, set realistic priorities, and create systems that actually stick. Whether you planned to improve your financials, strengthen your team, or finally get your marketing dialed in, it’s not too late to set up your practice for meaningful progress this year.

Below are four strategic areas where a small, focused effort now can set you up for a stronger 2026. Each addresses a common gap we see practices facing in Q1, and each one is completely doable, even if you feel like you’re already behind. Take a deep breath — you’ve got this, and we’re here to help. 

1. Bookkeeping: Close 2025 Before You Plan for 2026

You can’t build a solid 2026 budget if you haven’t yet closed the books on 2025. Many practices are still catching up with last year’s financials in February: unreconciled accounts, missing receipts, and transactions that were never properly categorized. This creates a shaky foundation for everything else.

Why it matters:

Accurate 2025 data is the baseline for effective 2026 planning. If your books aren’t closed and reconciled, you’re making decisions based on incomplete information. That means your budgets, your goals, and your financial strategy are all built on guesswork instead of reality.

What “closing 2025” actually means:

• All bank and credit card accounts reconciled through December 31
• Outstanding invoices and bills are properly recorded
• COGS (Cost of Goods Sold) is accurately tracked and categorized
• Payroll expenses finalized and verified
• Any one-time expenses or unusual transactions are properly documented

2026 actions to consider:

• Schedule a dedicated “books cleanup day” with your bookkeeper or financial team
• Review your profit and loss statement for 2025 to identify any obvious errors or missing entries
• Confirm that all December vendor invoices have been entered and paid
• Verify that your categories align correctly for apples-to-apples benchmarking among industry standards

Realistic goal: Have your 2025 books fully reconciled and closed by the end of February. Once you have clean data, you can move forward with confidence—whether that’s setting a budget, planning payroll adjustments, or making strategic decisions about growth. 

2. Analytics & Finance: Build Your 2026 Budget Based on Real Data, Not Best Guesses

Many practices approach budgeting in one of several ways: they either skip it entirely, give it nominal attention (“we’ll just see how the year goes”), or set overly ambitious targets based on wishful thinking rather than reality. None of these approaches works. The practices that actually hit their financial goals in 2026 will be the ones that build budgets grounded in real data and track progress consistently throughout the year.

Why it matters:

A budget isn’t a restriction; it’s a roadmap. It tells you where you’re going, how you’ll get there, and whether you’re on track. Without one, you’re flying blind. You won’t know if a slow month is a temporary dip or a red flag. You won’t know if your payroll percentage is sustainable or quietly eroding your profitability. And you won’t have a framework for making confident decisions about investments, hiring, or strategic growth.

With thousands of budget reviews under our belt, we’ve seen what works: practices that use clean financial data, set realistic targets, and review progress monthly are the ones that turn data into generative growth.

What a real budget includes

A strong 2026 budget isn’t just revenue projections. It’s a comprehensive financial plan that accounts for:

• Revenue goals – Based on 2025 performance, client trends, and realistic growth expectations
• Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) – What it actually costs to deliver care (typically 18–25% of revenue)
• Payroll expenses – Your largest expense area, usually 45–45% of revenue for healthy practices. This includes gross wages, payroll taxes, fringe benefits, and continuing education.
• Fixed and variable expenses – Rent, utilities, marketing, administrative expenses, equipment, and merchant services fees
• Cash flow planning – Ensuring you have enough working capital to cover slow months
• Growth investments – Planned spending on marketing, staffing, or facility improvements

2026 actions to consider:

• Start with your clean, reconciled 2025 data (from the Bookkeeping section above) as your baseline
• Review the Vital KPIs from your practice management software or PULSE dashboard: Revenue, Average Transaction Charge (ATC), New Clients, and Lost Clients
• Set realistic monthly revenue targets based on 2025 trends, seasonal patterns, and planned growth initiatives
• Build in monthly check-ins to review actual vs. budgeted performance and adjust as needed
• Identify one or two priority areas for improvement (e.g., reducing COGS by 2%, increasing ATC by 5%, improving client retention)

The monthly rhythm that makes budgets work: Budgets fail when they’re created in January and never looked at again. The practices that succeed establish a monthly review rhythm:

• Compare actual revenue and expenses to your budget
• Track your Vital KPIs to spot trends early
• Adjust spending or strategy based on what the numbers are telling you
• Celebrate wins and address problems before they compound

Realistic goal: Have a complete 2026 budget in place by the end of February, built on accurate 2025 data. Establish a monthly budget review process (even if it’s just 15–20 minutes) to track progress, identify gaps, and make informed decisions throughout the year. Practices that review their financials monthly make better decisions, catch problems earlier, and grow more predictably than those that only look at the numbers once or twice a year.

3. Marketing: Audit Your Google Business Profile

Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is often the first impression potential clients have of your practice. Yet after the holiday rush, many practices haven’t touched their profile in months—outdated hours, missing services, old photos, and no recent posts. A quick February audit can make a meaningful difference in how you show up in local search results.

Why it matters: 

The2025 Veterinary Marketing Benchmark Report shows that digital visibility and online reputation continue to shape clients’ choices of veterinary care. In the age of AI-assisted searches, data indicate that an active, accurate (GBP) is more important than ever. Additionally, your GBP is one of the most critical factors affecting your local SEO rankings. When potential clients search “vet near me” or “ vet in [your city],” your profile is instrumental in determining whether you appear in the top local results. Most pet owners don’t scroll past the first few options, so higher rankings directly translate to more phone calls and new client appointments.  Practices that actively maintain their Google Business Profile see noticeable improvements in client acquisition. Unlike a full website overhaul, a profile audit can be completed in under an hour.

What to check during your audit:

• Hours of operation – Are they accurate, including any recent changes or holiday hours that need updating?
• Contact information – Is your phone number, website, and address correct?
• Service list – Do you highlight key services (wellness exams, surgery, dentistry, emergency care)?
• Photos – When was the last time you added new images of your team, facility, or patients?
• Google Posts and Offers- Have you posted anything recently to highlight services, promotions, or practice updates?
• Reviews – Are you actively encouraging satisfied clients to leave reviews? Are you responding to and showing engagement with your reviews? 

2026 actions to consider:

• Set a recurring calendar reminder to review your Google Business Profile monthly
• Upload 3–5 high-quality photos of your team or facility
• Create a Google Post highlighting a service, seasonal reminder, or practice update
• Create a simple review generation process so it becomes part of your client checkout flow
• Aim for 5–10 new Google reviews per month 

Realistic goal: Complete a full Google Business Profile audit by mid-February and establish a monthly maintenance routine. Optimizing your local search presence supports your client acquisition goals and makes it easier for pet owners to find you, trust you, and choose you.

4. HR & Team Support: Schedule Your 2026 Performance Reviews Now

One of the most common HR issues we hear from practice managers? “We never get around to performance reviews.” The reason is always the same: they’re important, but never urgent—until suddenly you realize your team went an entire year without any feedback, or an issue has arisen that should have been nipped in the bud months ago.

The fix isn’t necessarily annual reviews for everyone—it’s creating a feedback system that fits your practice.

Why it matters:

Regular feedback—whether through formal annual reviews, work anniversary reviews, or monthly one-on-ones—is about retention, development, and alignment. When done well, it creates clarity around expectations, recognizes strong performance, and gives team members a roadmap for growth.

The costs of a no-feedback system:

• Team members feel undervalued, unrecognized, and directionless
• High performers don’t know how to advance
• Compensation decisions feel arbitrary or reactive
• Retention suffers because no one is investing in development

2026 actions to consider:

• For practices with fewer than 20 employees: Schedule annual performance reviews for all team members, spreading them across Q1 and Q2 so they’re manageable, not overwhelming
• For larger practices (20+ employees): Consider anniversary-based reviews tied to each employee’s hire date to avoid review overload
• If formal reviews feel like box-checking: Skip them and commit to meaningful monthly or quarterly one-on-ones instead—but make this non-negotiable
• Create a simple review or one-on-one template (goals set, progress made, areas for growth, support needed)
• Tie feedback conversations to your payroll planning so compensation decisions are informed and intentional

Realistic goal: By the end of February, decide which feedback approach works for your practice size and culture, then get it on the calendar. Whether it’s scheduling all your annual reviews, setting up anniversary reminders, or blocking monthly one-on-one time, the key is committing to a system and actually following through. Consistent feedback—in whatever format works for you—ensures your team knows they’re valued and supported.

Moving Into 2026 With Momentum

The difference between practices that thrive and practices that survive often comes down to small, consistent actions in the right areas. You don’t need to overhaul everything at once—you just need to focus on the foundation.

By closing your 2025 books, setting clear financial goals, optimizing your local search presence, and investing in your team’s development, you’re building the infrastructure that supports everything else. These aren’t flashy initiatives, but they’re the ones that create stability, reduce stress, and position your practice for sustainable growth.

It’s not too late. February is the perfect time to reset, refocus, and make 2026 the year you planned for, and iVET360 is ready to help you meet your goals. Whether you’d like assistance in one area or across the board, we offer customized, hands-on support to make 2026 the year your practice accelerates.