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❤️ What one dog taught about presence, connection, and a life well lived
Ivan Zak, DVM, MBA, Founder of Galaxy Vets, Co-Founder of Serenity Vet
When Ivan Zak hit rock bottom, he thought the problem was himself. Years spent working emergency shifts as a relief veterinarian had left him exhausted, burned out, and questioning whether he could continue. What he eventually discovered was that the crisis wasn't personal—it was systemic. That realization would shape the next decade of his career.
Today, Zak is one of the most influential operators in veterinary medicine. He bootstrapped SmartFlow from a frustrating workflow problem inside emergency hospitals and eventually sold it to IDEXX. He launched Galaxy Vets to test whether employee ownership could create healthier workplaces. And now, through Serenity Vet, he's tackling one of the profession's most persistent challenges: labor efficiency. In this conversation, Zak reflects on burnout, entrepreneurship, private equity, employee ownership, and why operational excellence—not acquisitions—may ultimately determine the future of veterinary medicine.
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