As an optical dispenser, EDDIE MOORE wanted more from his career, so he equipped himself with the knowledge and skills to become an optometry practice owner. Here’s what he learned along the way.
Early in my career – after working at an independent practice and obtaining my Cert IV in optical dispensing – I secured a position with Baker, Payne and Webb (BPW) Optometrists in Port Macquarie, NSW. It was January 1995 and I was fortunate to work with an excellent optical dispenser, Ted Vogels. It presented an opportunity to learn new skills, but I wanted a more thorough education, so I started a bachelor of business part time while working full time at BPW.
Eddie Moore.
“We set the practice up as Pty Ltd and drew a wage as employees so we could focus on business growth while knowing we had a paycheck each week.”
It was a decision that altered the course of my career, seeing me ultimately become an optical dispenser practice owner. It’s also taught me many lessons that I hope to pass on to other dispensers with an entrepreneurial mindset.
In 2000 the practice manager took maternity leave and I successfully applied, staying in the role for five years. I was in charge of nine practices and it was a great training ground to running a business. I was with BPW for almost 11 years, but upon finishing my business degree, I had a young family and applied for graduate positions outside the optical industry. I wanted to further utilise my education.
Ultimately, we didn’t want to leave the area and my wife suggested an optometrist friend and I approach BPW to purchase one of their two practices in Kempsey. Our families put everything on the line so failure couldn’t be contemplated.
Mr Ben Bailey and I negotiated the purchase of Masons Eyecare off BPW and started working for ourselves in January 2006, and remain business partners today.
Key lessons
Because Ben was the incumbent optometrist since 1999, we were fortunate nothing changed for the patients, except for a new optical dispenser. It was Ben the optometrist, myself, and a receptionist. I had to quickly adapt to optical dispensing again while running a business. We were successful from the very first day.
We set the practice up as Pty Ltd and drew a wage as employees so we could focus on business growth while knowing we had a paycheck each week. This was one of the best decisions we made.
As a full-time optical dispenser, it was sometimes challenging wearing both hats as a business owner as well. But in some ways it was easier as I only had one practice to focus on, rather than nine.
My business degree has been invaluable and I’m not sure we would have been as successful had I not the skills in management – both financial and HR.
Ben and I clearly defined our roles at the beginning. He’s happy as an optometrist and while he has a keen interest in the running and success of the business, he didn’t want that to be his role. We therefore have defined roles and stay in our lanes, playing to our skills.
As we became more successful, I hired a trainee optical dispenser and a year later our receptionist retired so I hired another trainee optical dispenser. As we further grew, optometrist partner, Ms Naomi Keast, bought in and we hired another trainee optical dispenser.
Today, we have two full time optometrists and four full time optical dispensers although one is still training. We no longer have receptionists as I was keen to have everyone trained to cover all aspects of the business and the front-of-house can interchange with each other seamlessly as they all have the same skills.
If I have anything to offer prospective optical dispenser practice owners, it is only what worked for us. I am too risk averse to have bought a practice without an optometrist partner. Ben and I were already friends and had worked together so we knew what would work for us in a business relationship.
I don’t think being friends is necessary, but you must have similar goals – it would be untenable otherwise. That said, everyone has a different risk aversion and there are successful non-optometrist practice owners aplenty.
Having the skills of the business degree have been invaluable; in the early years, primarily the finance accounting aspects and, as we grew, the HR/people management skills. Having a young family and a wife that also worked, we had to be conscious of our time and I made sure everything was done.
We kept the name of the practice as it held weight in parochial country town and we didn’t think it necessary to have our names in the title of the business.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Eddie Moore is a qualified optical dispenser and the part-owner of Masons Eyecare since 2006, a full-scope independent practice located in Kempsey, NSW.
