Episode 1: Optical Retail Wins!

Optical retail owners looking to enhance their revenue and drive business growth now have a powerful new resource at their disposal.

Revenue RX: Optical Retail Wins is a new podcast designed specifically for eye care professionals (ECPs) who are eager to build their businesses but are unsure where to begin, have exhausted their ideas, or simply lack the time to strategize effectively.

Hosted by Vancouver-based optical entrepreneur and business coach Joseph Mireault, the podcast offers a winning prescription for optical store owners. Each episode delves into actionable insights and fresh ideas aimed at helping ECPs differentiate between working on their business and working in their business—an essential distinction for sustainable success.

The podcast emphasizes that trust is often the biggest expense in business and guides listeners on how to manage it effectively. With a focus on key areas such as time management, team development, financial strategy, and innovative approaches, Revenue RX is poised to become an invaluable tool for those in the optical retail industry.

Joseph Mireault, with his unconventional journey into the optical retail sector, brings a wealth of experience to the table. He shares lessons from his 16 years in the optical industry, along with nearly 35 years of experience across various business ventures, which have collectively prepared him to successfully own and operate profitable optical stores.

Listeners can expect to gain insights into overcoming challenges such as stiff competition, the importance of a customer-centric marketing strategy, and how to achieve real wealth by reclaiming discretionary time.

Future episodes will cover topics like organic revenue growth, innovative marketing opportunities, fostering staff autonomy, and tackling the issue of commoditization within the optical industry.

Tune in every two weeks to Revenue RX: Optical Retail Wins and discover new strategies to transform your optical retail business. This podcast not only promises inspiration but also offers practical advice for those committed to becoming the entrepreneurs they’ve always aspired to be.

Listen to the latest episode of the Revenue RX podcast

The podcast is also featured on Eye Care Business Canada under the practice resources section.

For more information, contact:

Joseph Mireault

www.revenuerx-opticalretailwins.com

1.604.968.6282

jmiro@telus.net

Joseph Mireault

Joseph was the owner and president at Tru-Valu Optical and EyeWorx for 16 years. During his tenure, he consistently generated a sustainable $500K in annual gross revenue from the dispensary.

He now focuses on the Optical industry, and as a serial entrepreneur brings extensive experience from a variety of different ventures.

Joseph is also a Certified FocalPoint Business Coach and looks to work directly with ECP’s in achieving their goals.

Through his current endeavour, the (Revenue RX, Optical Retail Wins podcast) he shares the challenges and solutions of running an Optical business.

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Introducing Revenue RX, Optical Retail Wins

Practice, Revenue RX

By Joseph Mireault
Optical Retail Entrepreneur, Podcast Host, Certified Business Coach

It’s 2007, right at the cusp of a recession. I wear glasses but have never worked in retail, and I’m neither an optometrist nor an optician. Yet, here I am, buying an optical retail store. You might wonder, “What on earth am I doing?”

In this introductory episode of Revenue RX I will take you on a journey to explain where I came from, how I found myself in the optical business, and why you might want to listen to what I have to say.

My Journey to the Optical Retail Business

I’ve documented my 16-year journey in the optical industry, alongside years of diverse business experiences. This podcast is directed at supporting Eye Care Professionals (ECPs) with transferable actions addressing four key areas: time, team, money, and strategy. We’ll dive into topics like organic revenue growth, capture & conversion techniques, old-school marketing opportunities, and much more, all while keeping it simple (K.I.S.S.).

To quote Einstein, “If you can’t explain something simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” So, I intend to keep things simple and relatable, focusing on the bottom line. This podcast highlights practical applications for growing the business as well as philosophical approaches.

Discovering My “Why”

To understand why I’m doing this, you may have heard of Simon Sinek’s book, “Start With Why.” It’s based on the premise that people don’t buy what you do but why you do it. My “why” is to inspire and motivate change for retail optical owners to find real wealth, more discretionary time, freeing them from their job and sharing my knowledge in hopes that we all learn more.

Leveraging Diverse Experiences

Where did I come from? I’ll spare you the detailed rundown but suffice to say, it was a very eclectic number of ventures where each of these experiences gave me the tools to own and operate an optical store successfully.

Everything I did in my past was based on the premise that I could figure out what I needed to do. I wouldn’t second guess my ability to find a solution until proven otherwise. In my journey, I realized that coming into the optical business from the outside had its advantages. I was not subject to the saying, “you can’t see the forest for the trees.” I approached the business as a retail store, not as a dispensary of prescription eyewear, focusing on the product and how to sell more of them.

Embracing the Optical Opportunity

Back in 2007, I was looking for a sustainable small business where I could work for myself. Through my search, I came across an optical store for sale. It had no optometric services at the time and was strictly a retail store for eyewear. I saw the potential for recurring sales of the product and multiple revenue streams, realizing that eyewear is a product that satisfies both a need and a want.

As I stood outside the store, I noticed the competition. There were eight other optical stores within a four-block radius. This area, referred to as Optical Row, was a medical business district with ophthalmologist offices, an eye care center, and a major hospital. Understanding this profoundly affected my marketing strategy going forward.

Investing in Marketing During a Recession

It was time to buy the store. All the boxes checked, including the financials, which showed no line item for marketing. The store was operating on return business only and some walk-by traffic. From a marketing perspective, the opportunity to do more was obvious.

During a recession, most small businesses cut back on marketing to save money. This is the time to invest in marketing, as it opens the door for your brand to stand out. When things recover, your brand will be top-of-mind for consumers, capturing a higher percentage of the resurgent buyers.

Overcoming Constraints and Focusing on Success

As you proceed with this podcast, you will discover ways to challenge the constraints of commoditization. The podcast looks at some possible constraints and why you might want to listen to what I have to offer.

If you’re looking for more money, more time, better employee trust, effective strategies, higher conversion rates, or higher margins, you’ll find answers here.

What to Expect Next

In the next episode, we’ll delve deeper into understanding time and how to find more of this precious, non-renewable resource.

Join me on this journey to uncover wins for optical retail. Visit my podcast page and begin your search for answers in discovering the path to real wealth.

Joseph Mireault

Joseph was the owner and president at Tru-Valu Optical and EyeWorx for 16 years. During his tenure, he consistently generated a sustainable $500K in annual gross revenue from the dispensary.

He now focuses on the Optical industry, and as a serial entrepreneur brings extensive experience from a variety of different ventures.

Joseph is also a Certified FocalPoint Business Coach and looks to work directly with ECP’s in achieving their goals.

Through his current endeavour, the (Revenue RX, Optical Retail Wins podcast) he shares the challenges and solutions of running an Optical business.

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Zero to Five Pathfinders: Four Eyes Optometry Podcast

NextGenOD, PathFinders

NewOptometrist.ca puts the spotlight on Zero to Five Pathfinders

Four Eyes Optometry Podcast Founders

PathFinder Spotlight:

Four Eyes Optometry Podcast

Founders

Dr. Alex Coon, Wasilla, Alaska, US
Dr. Amrit Bilkhu, Brampton, Ontario
Dr. Deepon Kar, Lethbridge, Alberta
Dr. Ravinder Randhawa, Vaughn, Ontario

Four enterprising female ODs from the Illinois College of Optometry class of 2019 started the “Four Eyes Optometry” podcast, combining their talents and cross-border interests to educate, enlighten and entertain ODs on both sides of the border.

The Four Eyes Optometry founders:

Dr. Alex Coon, Wasilla, Alaska, US
Dr. Amrit Bilkhu, Brampton, Ontario
Dr. Deepon Kar, Lethbridge, Alberta
Dr. Ravinder Randhawa, Vaughn, Ontario

… combined their answers to questions posed by NewOptometrist.ca Editor Dr. Jaclyn Chang.

After reading their responses below, make sure you sign up to their podcasts. You can view the entire list of podcasts from Four Eyes Optometry here: See the list (the ladies have been busy!)

Jaclyn: Are there any resources that you can provide for new graduates that you found helpful?

Four Eyes Optometry: Besides the Four Eyes Optometry podcast, we all found that joining our provincial and state associations tremendously helped with information about licensing, job searches, and the overall process of transitioning from a student to an independent optometrist.

Other valuable resources we all use on a regular basis to keep up to date with what is occurring in the eyecare industry are various digital publications such as, Eyes on Eyecare, Modern Optometry, Review of Optometry, and 20/20 Glance.

Jaclyn: Can you provide job search/interview/contract advice?

Four Eyes Optometry: Since all of us have been working full time in various practice modalities for the last couple of years, our most important piece of advice is to not always accept the job that pays the most.

You may be offered a position where the compensation is great, but you are questioning yourself about the hours, equipment available, staff, and the number of patients that need to be seen.

These feelings of uncertainty will not eventually disappear as you practice, they will often return until you decide to address them.

Money will seem like the priority when you first graduate because of those pesky student loans that need to be paid off, but from our experiences, money is definitely not everything when it comes to avoiding burnout and finding an appropriate work-life balance.

Jaclyn: Describe your first day of work.

Four Eyes Optometry: We have all talked about similar anxious experiences from our first day of practicing as an independent optometrist. Most of us were working as solo practitioners and were very aware that we did not have an extra set of eyes to help with diagnosis, treatment and management if we were ever unsure of the clinical situation.

The first day, and even the first week, was very nerve wracking for all of us, especially since there is no Attending to double check your work and guide your clinical decisions. Even during those initial anxious moments practicing on our own, we would constantly text each other in our group chat hoping one of us would have the correct answer, and what we all eventually came to realize is that it is absolutely okay if you do not have the immediate answers, you can always follow up with patients at a later time and systematically plan your approach to their care.

Jaclyn: What advice would you give a new grad today?

Four Eyes Optometry: If you or a group of your friends have been thinking about creating something, starting a project, or reinventing a product that is already out there, whether or not it has to do with the eye care industry or not, without a doubt, just start it!

The most difficult step is to start, and then the second most difficult step is to be consistent with your efforts towards your creative project.

Even if you do not know all the steps to get to the result you want, you will figure out everything as you trudge along. This is exactly how we started the Four Eyes Optometry podcast. We began not knowing everything that could potentially go wrong, and when they did, which was often, we figured it out together and learned a great deal from the process.

Jaclyn: What is your definition of success or what habits make you a successful person?

Four Eyes Optometry: In our opinion, any person with a goal in which they are consistently putting in those tough and long hours towards achieving it every single day, is already a successful person.

It really is all about the process. Being able to look back on those rough experiences and hard lessons during the journey will always make reaching the destination so much more rewarding.

Jaclyn: What is your most effective marketing tool/platform?

Four Eyes Optometry: “Do it for the gram!” All jokes aside, Instagram has been our podcast’s platform of choice because of the multitude of opportunities to network with so many of the amazing and different eye care professionals we have connected with in the past and plan to connect with in the future.

Jaclyn: What was the last time you laughed?

Four Eyes Optometry: We always have belly aching laughs when we are together recording our weekly podcast episodes; we definitely do not take ourselves too seriously. Our regular Happy Hour podcast episodes definitely show off our goofy personalities!

Jaclyn: What is your favorite TV show / Netflix series?

Four Eyes Optometry: All of us have lived with one another at different points of time during our optometry school days. The TV genre that always excitingly brought us together in the living room, along with various snacks in hand, was tacky reality TV. These TV shows included everything from Netflix’s bakeoff challenges to MTV’s Floribama Shore. Quite a range, we are aware. Even though we do not have much time to watch these entertaining TV series now, we once did schedule time to live vicariously through these so-called TV characters on a regular basis, and shamelessly loved every moment of it!

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Episode 19: The Optometric Family CFO – Roxanne Arnal

Eyes Wide Open, Podcasts

Roxanne Arnal, OD and Certified Financial Planner® discusses her unique skill set as a family Chief Financial Officer specifically for optometrists. She charts her path from Optometry School, through personal health challenges and becoming a financial planner focused on Optometry practices and their families.

About the Guest

Roxanne Arnal graduated from UW School of Optometry in 1995 and is a past-president of the Alberta Association of Optometrists (AAO) and the Canadian Association of Optometry Students (CAOS). She subsequently built a thriving optometric practice in rural Alberta.

Roxanne took the decision in 2012 to leave optometry and become a financial planning professional. She now focuses on providing services to Optometrists with a plan to parlay her unique expertise to help optometric practices and their families across the country meet their goals through astute financial planning and decision making.

Episode Notes

Roxanne Arnal and Glen Chiasson, classmates from the 1995 UW School of Optometry graduating class, discuss Roxanne’s path through her early years’ post grad activities, ultimately leading to full ownership of an optometric practice in rural Alberta.

She shares how she came to the decision to stop practicing optometry and launch herself into an entirely new career direction in financial advice and planning. Roxanne outlines her strategy to bring her unique skill set and expand services to optometrists and their families across the country.

She relates how a very serious health challenge abruptly derailed her plans, but also motivated her to pursue a new mission: To share the mental health side of her cancer journey by writing a book.

Along the way, she and Glen reminisce about their student days, particularly the challenges of Physiological Optics 109!

Resources

- Roxanne Arnal’s Website: Clarity Financial Services
- Free Consultation – Contact Roxanne

Dr. Glen Chiasson

Dr. Glen Chiasson is a 1995 graduate of the University of Waterloo School of Optometry. He owns and manages two practices in Toronto. In 2009, he co-hosted a podcast produced for colleagues in eye care, the “International Optometry Podcast”. He is a moderator of the Canadian Optometry Group, an email forum for Canadian optometrists. As a host of “Eyes Wide Open”, Glenn looks forward to exploring new new technologies and services for eye care professionals.

Dr. Chiasson enjoys tennis, hockey, and reading. He lives in Toronto with his wife and two sons.

Dr. Chiasson splits EWO podcast hosting duties with Roxanne Arnal.

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Episode 18: Building a Dry Eye Specialty Practice

Eyes Wide Open, Podcasts

Dr. Steven D’Orio, practicing in partnership his father Dr. Greg D’Orio, shares his approach on incorporating a dry eye specialty within the practice.

About the Guest

Dr. Steven D’Orio first became interested in the field of Optometry during high school. This led him to take greater interest and involvement into his father’s practice. D’Orio graduated from Salus University School of Optometry in Pennsylvania, and experienced first-hand working in primary care and triaging ocular emergencies in Albert Einstein Hospital, low vision at The Eye Institute, and trained further in contact lenses and ocular disease at Will’s Eye Hospital. Dr. D’Orio has taken special interest in Dry Eye, incorporating the latest equipment and treatment options to meet his patients’ needs.

Episode Notes

Dr. Steven D’Orio explains his motivation to incorporate a dry eye specialty in his Toronto practice. He indicates his preferred approaches to diagnosis tools and which therapeutic options and treatments he deploys. The impact of COVID on dry eye is also discussed.

He and Glen share their points of view on how industry representatives can and have truly added value to their practices, and how staff can be optimally deployed to benefit the patient experience.

Finally, Dr. D’Orio shares what he sees as exciting new dry eye therapeutic options on the near-term horizon, but not before he and Glen debate the intricacies of Philly Cheese Steaks, an indulgence they both enjoyed while interning in the City of Brotherly Love.

Resources

Dr. Glen Chiasson

Dr. Chiasson enjoys tennis, hockey, and reading. He lives in Toronto with his wife and two sons.

Dr. Chiasson splits EWO podcast hosting duties with Roxanne Arnal.

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EPISODE 14: Creating the Future of Optometry Today

Eyes Wide Open, Podcasts

Dr. Kerry Salsberg and Dr. Glen Chiasson share a few memories while Kerry explains how Eyes on Sheppard became one of the largest optometric practices in Toronto and how a re-imagined practice of the future took shape in partnership with Urban Spaces.

About the Guest

Dr. Kerry Salsberg was born and raised into an Optometry family, following in the footsteps his father, Dr. Stan Satlsberg and sharing in his passion for technology, healthcare and business.

Over the last four decades, Eyes On Sheppard has become one of the biggest optometric practices in Toronto, with over 20 staff, 8 doctors, and serving over 60,000 patients in a multi-specialty and general optometry practice.

Episode Notes

In conversation with Dr. Glen Chiasson, Dr. Kerry Salsberg talks about the history of Eyes on Sheppard. Kerry relates the lessons learned from his father, Dr. Stan Salsberg, a forward-thinking innovator in Optometry.

Kerry relates how the organic growth of the practice necessitated a move of premises, not once, but twice and how the COVID pandemic provided unexpected challenges, but ironically also dealt a twist of fate that led Eyes on Sheppard to its ideal 11, 000 sq. ft new location.

Kerry engaged general contractor Frank Carpino of Urban Spaces for the design and build out after gaining confidence that Frank shared Kerry’s vision for the reimagined practice. Frank’s commitment and passion for the task, were instrumental in bringing in the project on time and on budget, even while handling major course corrections, including numerous health protection adaptations dealt by COVID,

Kerry provides his thoughts of the future of optometric practice, using the term “retailing” unapologetically. He thinks of the new practice as a “high-tech magic show with really cool technology” and a delightful assault of all the senses.

Best Quote:
“Retail is not dead. We need to create emotional connections with our clients and dazzle them. If we do, the future is ours.”

Resources

Dr. Glen Chiasson

Dr. Chiasson enjoys tennis, hockey, and reading. He lives in Toronto with his wife and two sons.

Dr. Chiasson splits EWO podcast hosting duties with Roxanne Arnal.

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Episode 11: Vision Therapy with Dr. Virginia Donati

Eyes Wide Open, Podcasts, Practice, Resources, Specialty Practice

Glen Chiasson discusses all things Vision Therapy with Dr. Virginia Donati, president of Vision Therapy Canada.

About the Guest

Dr. Donati attended the Pennsylvania College of Optometry where she first learned about vision therapy by becoming a patient herself and graduated in 2006. Upon returning to Canada she brought her passion for vision therapy to her own patients and to the profession at large as the founding VP of COVT&R and the current President of its successor organization, Vision Therapy Canada. She is an Instructor of the Optometric Extension Program’s Clinical Curriculum in Vision Therapy and the lead instructor for VTC’s Practical Vision Therapist Accreditation Program (PVTAP). She lectures across North America in the field of binocular vision and is keenly interested in the education and training of new and existing Vision Therapists and Optometrists.

Episode Notes

Virginia Donati shares her personal story of how a life changing experience while studying at PCO cemented her intense interest in and passion for Vision Therapy.

Glen plays devil’s advocate around some of the professions perceptions of vision therapy, including on “the science”, and the perceptions of expense to patients.

Donati, of course, stands her ground, and opines as to why the medical profession, and even many in the optometry world including optometric educators, do not take VT as seriously as it deserves.

She outlines the challenges facing the sub-specialty and encourages ODs to think about their future role with Vision Therapy being a part of their practice and how Vision Therapy can help differentiate their practice.

Lastly, Dr. Donati outlines specific steps that can be taken by ODs to learn more and become a VT specialists if they so desire.

Key Quote: “Demand is there, patients are there but this may not be recognized”.

Resources

Dr. Glen Chiasson

Dr. Chiasson enjoys tennis, hockey, and reading. He lives in Toronto with his wife and two sons.

Dr. Chiasson splits EWO podcast hosting duties with Roxanne Arnal.

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Insight with Glen Chiasson

Insights

Dr. Glen Chiasson is a 1995 graduate of the University of Waterloo School of Optometry. He owns and manages two practices in Toronto.

In 2009, he co-hosted a podcast produced for colleagues in eye care, the “International Optometry Podcast”. He is a moderator of the Canadian Optometry Group, an email forum for Canadian optometrists. He is the host of “Eyes Wide Open”, a new podcast aimed at presenting new technologies and services for optometrists.

Dr. Chiasson enjoys tennis, hockey, and reading. He lives in Toronto with his wife and two sons.

Glen Chiasson

Why did you choose your field?

I needed glasses when I was in grade school and I thought my optometrist was a pretty cool guy with a pretty fun job. After 20+ years, helping people see and feel better still feels good.

Where do you see your practice / eye care in ten years?

More medical optometry with more and more of the ‘routine eye care’ (aka ‘vision tests’ / refractions) being done online, on your smartphone, etc.

What changes to eye care do you see coming down the pipe?

I think we will see a lot more artificial intelligence in medicine, with both good and bad outcomes. I think there will also be more personalized medicine (individualized medications based on your genetics, 3D-printed frames customized to your face and head, etc)

What is currently the most exciting thing in your field to help patients?

I continue to be fascinated and impressed with all the instruments we can use to see inside a patient’s eye. I imagine they will only continue to get better and better.

What is something you plan on implementing in your practice this year?

More aggressive screening for, and managing, dry eye and meibomian gland dysfunction.

What is something you have done in your practice to set you apart?

As a practitioner, you need to be yourself. We like to have a fun, relaxed atmosphere in the office and I think patients like this too.

What metrics do you track in order to gauge your success?

Monthly gross, monthly net, and production per doctor day at work. Family time and “time to just relax and do nothing” at home.

What business books would you recommend other ECPs read?

The E-Myth Optometrist (part of the E-myth series). Anything by Jeffrey Gitomer for sales insight.

What advice would you give a new grad today?

If you can, develop a specialty. Especially in a big city, you need to stand out from the crowd.

How do you hire new staff? What is the process and who does the hiring in your office?

We post ‘want ads’ in the usual places or we get referrals from current staff. My office manager does most of the screening process. The staff typically have more interaction among themselves than with me so I want the current team to feel comfortable with the new hire.

General Interest / Personal Questions

If you could take one album, one book, and one luxury item to a desert island, what would they be?

REM, “Life’s Rich Pageant”, “1984” by George Orwell, and a genie to provide unlimited wishes.

What is your favorite TV show / Netflix series?

Currently, I am waiting for the next season of “Peaky Blinders” and “Ozark” on Netflix.
All time TV Show = the first 10 seasons of “The Simpsons”.

What’s your Favorite food?

Hard to beat a steak dinner.

Favorite past-time/hobby?

Cooking. I find it very relaxing, and then there’s food at the end!

What’s your favorite 80’s jam? (or decade you graduated high school in)

In high school, I was into bands like REM and The Smiths, which aren’t really known for their “jams”. That being said, and assuming “jam” refers to something danceable, I remember “Let Your Backbone Slide” by Maestro Fresh Wes being really popular when I started university. “U Can’t Touch This” by MC Hammer was also a big hit around then too.

What would you do if you won 10 million dollars? What would you do with your practice?

I would book a trip around the world. I would likely still practice part-time but I would hire a manager to deal with all the day-to-day management.

Describe your perfect day.

Make a coffee and drink it in the backyard. Make a big breakfast for my family. Play some tennis. Come home and jump in the pool to cool off and then chill out poolside. Quick nap in a hammock in the mid-afternoon then some more swimming. BBQ dinner with some wine. Read for a bit or watch a little TV then off to bed.

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