I was sad to read about the passing of Vidal Sassoon this week. I admired the man and his work from the age of 13 when I first got my hair cut at the Vidal Sassoon Academy in London. Sassoon's styles became "emblematic of freedom and good health". Many years later, just by coincidence I worked for Vidal Sassoon, Inc. in marketing. Our famous … [Read more...]
We recently received this email from a new eye doctor: We applaud her for asking this important question as a budding entrepreneur. 'I recently opened my private practice and I having a tough time setting production goals for myself and team members. Do you have any suggestions on how to go about this?' Setting up goals is important for any … [Read more...]
About five years ago, I met this optometrist, Harue Marsden, an associate professor at SCCO (Southern California College of Optometry). The first thing that strikes you about Harue, she carries a huge presence. If you have met Harue, I am sure you will agree, she's smart, eloquent, out-spoken and dynamic and always on the go! One of the things I … [Read more...]
It is now 2012, and time to reassess many things in our lives, both personally and professionally. In the optical world, a scary fact still exists, and needs to be addressed: Roughly one half of all optical dispensaries have no inventory or benchmarking tracking systems in place. Think about this for a minute. You invest $20k, $30k, $40k, or … [Read more...]
We are advocates of tracking and benchmarking. Getting up on to speed on your numbers will help you compete in 2012 and increase profitability. The advantage of tracking numbers and benchmarking are numerous, as the adage says ' What You Measure Improves'. The EDGE, a leading business management program for Eye Care retailers is offering … [Read more...]
A Coming Together of Visionary Minds There are those who follow the rules and adhere to tradition. There are those who conform to the past and never venture into the unknown. Their results are minimal and predictable. Yet, there are those who are innovators, free spirits and explorers; people who break rules, ignore tradition and create the … [Read more...]
Since Steve Jobs untimely death in October, it seems he has been on the minds of just about everyone in the business world. His biography by Walker Isaacson was rushed to press right after his death and has been atop bestseller lists every week since. There are some wonderful lessons to be learned from Steve Jobs life and from what he and his staff … [Read more...]
We seem to keep getting emails from people wanting to start an eyeglass business. (About 1 a week) I am sure many of these people will be successful, but we really don't know who to recommend where to get supplies for manufacturing in China, Italy, Taiwan... But we did run across this article on Building a business Repairing Eyeglass … [Read more...]
I was lucky enough to go on an African Safari with my husband, Ron where we had the best vacation of our lives! Seeing the wild animals up close was amazing and I can see why eyewear designers are inspired by the colors, textures and sheer beauty of these magnificent creatures. It is impossible to describe the excitement of seeing leopards and … [Read more...]
Well lot going on with our optical vendors: Deals of the Week are eye-bounding for eyecare professionals. Lots of opportunities to upgrade equipment and save some money AIT Industries (Free passes to Vision Expo West) If you are looking to upgrade your equipment, now is the time to trade in that old edger or tracer / blocker toward a new … [Read more...]
Each year, VisionWeb acknowledges the spectacle lens suppliers that have shown exemplary results growing and maintaining customer loyalty using VisionWeb with the VisionWeb Lab of the Year program. The annual honorees represent the most forward thinking laboratories in the Optical industry, those that have embraced VisionWeb as a tool to improve … [Read more...]
I know this doesn't have anything to do with optics, it about saving money. I have a friend who throws away pennies, thinking they are worthless. It about kills me, with so many people that need pennies to live! One of the things I started to do about 10 years ago, was to save change to use as mad money. I also made my boyfriend use it for his … [Read more...]
The unrelenting economic pressure goes on and many optical companies are looking for new ways to reduce the cost of doing business. Reducing labor cost by hiring independent contractors in place of employees is one of the most obvious and often irresistible ways to reduce cost because of the associated cost of payroll taxes, employee benefits, and … [Read more...]
Last week Cathy and I attended an optical practice meeting hosted by Transitions and Vision West. Several optometrists and opticians attended - the format was a round table dinner discussion, delicious food and good conversation, what a deal! We liked the informal structure with everyone being able to speak and exchange ideas which worked well … [Read more...]
Thank you to the forty or so people that took the time to make comments about the Optical Vision Site blog. We will be sending out a gift voucher to everyone that made valid comments and $50 to our winner. We said we were looking for great ideas and we really like what Eric Geiger of Styleyes had to say: "I own a retail optical shop in … [Read more...]
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