Launching Two Practices + a Family of Five as an Early-Career OD

Cold Start 
The practice where I started working right out of optometry school was my dream come true, and within a couple of years, I knew I wanted to own a practice just like it. The owner wasn’t interested in selling, nor was another practice owner I pursued, so I decided to start my own practice cold in Broken Arrow, OK. 
Two weeks before I saw my first patient, the other OD I’d contacted called and said she’d reconsidered and would be shutting her doors in two months unless I bought her practice. I headed back to the bank, asked for a larger loan, and five years out of optometry school, was the proud owner of two optometry practices.

Off and Running
VSP has been a big supporter of my practices right from the beginning. I signed up to become part of the VSP network immediately to increase awareness about the practice and to take advantage of their frame discounts and program conferences. I was credentialed very quickly, especially compared to the 4–6 months required by other insurance companies, and the day after credentialing, I got my first phone call. I didn’t even have the keys to my building, and all phone calls were going to my cell phone. The caller wanted to schedule an appointment! I asked how he’d even heard of us since we hadn’t really started marketing and weren’t showing up yet with search engines. He said he found us on the VSP website. That was just the beginning—being affiliated with VSP jump-started our practice with new patients who wouldn’t have found or come to us otherwise. 

Stocking the Shelves
When launching the cold start, all of my budget went to new equipment, leaving very little for the 600-700 frames I wanted to display. Marchon/Altair jumped in, providing frames, POP, and marketing, and supporting us as we incorporated their luxury frames. Patients loved the frame lines and the higher allowance they got with their benefit, and we loved the impact of the extra reimbursement on our bottom line. It was huge to be able to fill up a whole optical shop with popular frames right from the start, and Kaleyedoscope frame board management enabled us to constantly keep the best sellers on the board. For lenses, we chose the Unity line, and patients were very excited about the quality and durability of the coating and photochromics. Simply by offering products we stood behind, we became part of VSP Premier Edge at the Platinum level, which skyrocketed the practice. We also joined PECAA right away and saw our bottom line bolstered even further last year with the additional rebate that membership provides for VSP eye exams. 

Oklahoma!
I love practicing in Oklahoma—it is why I moved here after optometry school and am raising my family here. The scope of practice is comprehensive, and it’s extremely exciting to listen to a patient and know that I can fully take care of them exactly how I was trained. I also serve as an infancy provider for the state of Oklahoma, allowing me to provide a free comprehensive exam to any child one year old and younger. I love that I have the freedom to take extra steps towards improving patients’ overall health and helping them live better lives. 

As Eye See It
Like many of my peers, I went into optometry to help people—my dad was a first responder, and my mom was a nurse, so it was in my DNA. With a mission to leave a legacy of service for the practice, my patients, my employees, and my family, I look at my two flourishing practices and my growing family (just welcomed baby #3!) and am grateful to the profession that makes that possible.