From Zero to $1 BILLION: The Vet Clinic That Broke Every Business Rule | Ep 70

Michael’s entrepreneurial journey started at 12 with a paper route and grew into building Thrive Pet Healthcare into a billion-dollar company. In this episode, he shares exactly how he scaled from one affordable vet clinic to 250+ locations, the mistakes and pivots along the way, and how he’s now tackling home services with the same playbook.

We talk market opportunities, raising private equity, scaling operations fast, and the mindset needed to push through slow starts and build industry-leading businesses. Whether you’re building your first startup or scaling your 10th, this episode is packed with practical takeaways. Watch the full episode  @FundsAndFounders 

What you’ll learn:

- How to spot and validate opportunities in massive markets

- The business model behind affordable pet care

- Scaling from zero to $1B top line in 5 years

- Why acquisition can outpace building from scratch

- Lessons on being relentless as a founder

Timestamps

0:00 – Intro & Michael’s first hustle at 12

3:25 – Early lessons from the paper route

7:48 – Baseball card collecting & the value of collectibles

11:40 – From M&A to starting Thrive Pet Healthcare

15:28 – Identifying the affordable pet care gap

21:02 – Building the first clinic: model, pricing & efficiency

27:44 – Surviving a slow start & hitting profitability

31:55 – Scaling to multiple locations & hiring the right team

38:19 – Raising capital & accelerating growth

42:56 – Inside the pet care market size & opportunity

48:03 – From 20M to $1B revenue in 5 years

54:32 – Challenges of scaling fast & integrating acquisitions

1:00:50 – Industry consolidation & competing with giants

1:05:24 – Why Michael moved into home services

1:10:12 – Parallels between pets & HVAC (and the crazy costs)

1:15:30 – AI opportunities in vet care & home services

1:20:15 – Michael’s #1 lesson for founders: Be relentless

1:24:07 – Where to connect with Michael