Edging when you don’t have a lab
The most profitable and effective way to manage an edging-only lab is to partner with an edging company that is knowledgeable and reasonable to do business with.
Negative Online Reviews? No sweat!
Sometimes, despite your best efforts, a patient will have a less-than-positive visit and write a bad review. While critical reviews are never welcome, when one occasionally gets posted there’s no reason to despair. Online reviews have been around long enough that more people discern they are only one person’s opinion—an opinion which they may or […]
2 ratios all optometry business owners should know
Whether you own five percent of an optometry practice or 100 percent, running a small business does not have to be overwhelming or difficult to know if it is successful. To help determine the business’ level of success—or if your efforts are even worth it, use these two essential ratios. After all, the last thing […]
Patients need confident optometrists not conceited ones
Why do so many Americans watch sporting events when one team is favored highly over the other? We love the possibility of an upset. Upsets occur for many reasons including a highly favored team mentally believing they are “untouchable” and that winning is close to automatic. The same applies in optometry and can lead to […]
What if you could invest $1500 and receive $4500 in return?
Last weekend at Vision Expo West in Las Vegas, I talked with many optometry business owners about their online marketing strategies. It was eye opening. Many optometrists are hesitant to make investments that will grow their business. An investment of $1,500 per month for online marketing will not only grow your business by adding patients, […]
Associate Optometrist and non-OD Staff incentives based on value
As an optometric practice owner, do you find the amount of compensation you are paying out is pushing the high end of absurd? In his book Good Profits, billionaire businessman Charles Koch writes that incentives should be solely centered on the value an individual adds to the company as a whole. He critiques companies that […]
Should you remodel your optical?
Over the past decade, remodeling has become entertainment. Shows on HGTV and other networks show dramatic transformations, and may make you think it might be time for your optical to get a face-lift. However, the improved space always comes at a price. For example, if I was remodeling my home, HGTV would probably set my […]
What the experts don’t say about Managed Vision Care Plans
As a practicing OD who sees patients 3.5 days a week and manages a large multi-location practice with one other owner, I find my primary job is making decisions. As owners, my partner and I have the responsibility to make key decisions that will impact the health of the practice immediately and for years to […]
Rules of engagement: Hiring employees from other optometry practices
Understood rules of engagement among competing optometry practices lay the groundwork for professionalism and ethical business practices. For our purposes, I define competitors as any company within a 50-mile radius that practices optometry, opticianary, or ophthalmology and requires staffing with the same job skills. When a person applies at your office, it’s important to know […]
3 things to do when your schedule is slow
Most optometry practices have months when the schedule is not bursting at the seams. This can be discouraging and stressful, or it can be beneficial and rejuvenating, depending how you as a leader approach it. Here are three ways to make the most of a slow schedule: Reflect for encouragement – Be encouraged by looking […]