How One Optician Uses Social Media to Teach, Sell, and Build Trust

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Welcome to another episode of Automatry Profits Review.
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I'm your host, Peter Brecht, and today I am blessed to be with Tom Sasso.
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Tom has been in ICARE eight years.
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He started in 2018.
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He's got an amazing history, which we're gonna walk through, and I want Tom to explain, but Tom's got glasses, and you don't have to go five thousand miles to see him without any further ado.
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Tom Sasso, good to see you.
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Good to see you, Pete.
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Thanks so much for having me.
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I really appreciate it.
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I got your when I got your message, I got real jazzed up.
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These are important discussions, and you know, we we were we were just talking like I always do with guests that you know, not only to walk through your journey, but to talk about the work that you're doing on TikTok and the social media impact that you have.
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Very unique.
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So talk about your journey.
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You know, you're a New Jersey guy, so you relocated to Michigan, and that's when you became an optician, right?
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Yeah, so in like 2017, I was working for a friend of mine in New Jersey.
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She's an optometrist, family-owned optometry practice, they were hiring.
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I was miserable working where I was and needed something new.
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And I worked in the admin side, so I was like upstairs.
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It was an old house.
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I was upstairs in a small office, answering phones and digitizing charts from the 1970s to today.
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And I hated it because that's not what I wanted to do.
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I'm a people person, but I loved the people I worked with there, so it was kind of uh a toss-up.
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And then 2018 hit around.
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My uh my ex-wife and I decided we were moving to Michigan for grad school, and we moved.
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As I'm looking for a job, thinking, what do I want to do?
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I just looked in optometry.
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I'm like, well, at least I know all the terms and everything right now.
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And a local optometrist was hiring an optician.
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I'm like, yeah, I could do that.
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So I interviewed there.
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We were visiting for a week and arrived on a Sunday.
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I'm in Holland, Michigan.
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So, like, right on Lake Michigan on the west side.
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And uh I interviewed and then I canceled every other interview I had the rest of the week.
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I felt like that was my place, and it was.
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I was there for seven years almost.
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And their only optician within a year of working there, I started studying for my ABO certification, got that on the first go.
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Um, and then probably two years into it, everything changed.
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I met reps and designers for independent eyewear, and my passion of what glasses could be uh exploded.
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And I was just moving and moving and moving.
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I became good friends with an owner of uh 20 now 24 years they've been in business, optical shop downtown, standalone, and he started kind of mentoring me outside of that and showing me what frames could be and troubleshooting issues I was weren't running into and just becoming a good friend.
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And then a year ago, like a week and a half ago, I left my job of seven years, took a position managing an optical for an optometry practice about a half hour away from my house.
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And I wanted to see what management was like.
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I have four opticians that are on my team, and uh the ages range.
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I mean, from early 20s to I think mid-50s.
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Wow.
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And it's a pretty standard optometry practice for an independent optometry practice, but it's a cool team there.
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And then I started working very part-time at my friend's shop, and I do all their social media, I do my social media, I bounce around as much as I can going to every trade show I can.
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So, like I do eyeball in Palm Springs, I do The Loft in New York.
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If Vision Expo is conveniently located, I'll go.
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Right.
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I'll be doing Northeast Optical Show in October, that's in DC this time.
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Right.
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10K Frame Show in Minneapolis.
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I am fingers crossed, breaking news, booking my flight to Silmo in Paris in the next week or so.
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Nice.
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So I just I became obsessed with what I do.
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Really hard.
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Like, this is my personal frame collection.
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What's I was just gonna say?
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You're you're not even you're not even at work.
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It goes up.
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So, like, there's about like 65 frames there.
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Mostly all of them have an updated prescription in them.
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Some of them aren't my style anymore, so they don't they're not in rotation.
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But like I became obsessed with what I do as an optician, and I've realized, oh, all these years watching Project Runway, I love fashion too.
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Okay.
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Well, you know, and and and we're certainly gonna spend a lot of time talking about social media, but is that is that where your social media journey really began?
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Was it after you left the place you were at for seven years and got into the boutique environment?
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It was kind of in in the flux.
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So, like, I it was probably three years ago I started with the idea of doing a social media thing.
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And it was just me walking into my frames that was a very small, small collection comparatively, showing a frame, putting it on, smiling, and that was it.
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Right.
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There was really nothing to it, and then I started going to the trade shows and meeting people and having fun.
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Tom Scott Glasses started in the midst of a very sad time when I was going through a divorce, and I found joy.
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I was putting frames on and dancing in my living room, and it just that's how it started.
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And I thought, oh, like I'm happy doing this.
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And then I found opticians that just don't love what they do, but they're still opticians, and it shifted of like, hey guys, like we're doing something really cool.
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Opticianry, opticianry is the least recognized job.
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No one knows what I do if I tell them I meet them on the street.
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And we're doing really unique things.
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I like to explain what we do this way: we are helping provide vision for people, which if we don't value our vision, I don't think we've dealt with not having good vision.
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So we're helping provide vision, but we're also building people up and helping self-esteem.
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There is no better feeling when I'm with a patient or a customer and they tell me, Tom, I hate wearing glasses, and I just ask why.
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I don't like the way I look.
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Great.
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That is such an easy thing to fix.
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Right.
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We find a frame, we spend the time, we get to know what's your closet look like, what's your style like?
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What are your goals?
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And then we find the frame for them.
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And then when they put them on, we get their lenses made, we're done.
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They put them on and they look at themselves.
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And a lot of times in West Michigan, people don't like to really show emotion.
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I'm from New Jersey, I cry all the time.
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I'm an emotional boy.
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You get the little smirk, the hmm, my heart explodes.
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And if it's a certain type of person, it's just like, girl, this is it.
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See, look how beautiful you are.
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I love telling our customers and patients how good they look.
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And I won't lie to them.
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I will never lie to them.
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Well, and and again, it a lot of what you're describing was the entire premise in an original business idea to create IC clearly, to have the video call connect because I saw the reactions that you were describing.
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You know, I'm in a dispensary in my safety days, you know, waiting to talk with somebody, and I'm watching what you're talking about.
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And then I'm thinking, how can that amazing skill coming out of her, how can I take that to Maryland, to Pennsylvania?
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You know, yeah.
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And and and the reality is that making it portable was the only thing that came to my mind.
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But you have a really amazing approach on TikTok because you talk about that relationship with the patient, and you talk about forget the selling, get to the relationship.
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You just talked about a tiny little reaction on someone's face, a little eye, you know, and how you know you're reaching them in a different way than than than than maybe than they've ever experienced.
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And to me, that is where optician work is even different than the fashion, than the medical.
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There's an there's a human element that cannot be replaced.
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And and while the the intimacy tends to be very highly associated with that dark room and the which one's better, this or that, and of course it's intermittent there.
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But the truth is we know just as many that are way more excited to be in the this in that dispensary, or even those like you talked about a situation a moment ago where the person's like glasses again, like it's you know, it's like it's a chore.
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It's like going to going to the dentist.
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Sorry, dentistry.
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But it's you know, that's the that you know, it shouldn't be a pain.
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It should be a amount of people.
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I I went to a CE event and someone was talking about like the things that people most dread doing, purchases, and it's like buying a house, buying a car, buying glasses.
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Yeah.
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Because it's hard.
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It is hard.
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If you're on your own, I hate frame boards in like the optic in the retail world.
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This is not how glasses should be displayed.
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It's just a wall where I think everything just looks the same, you get lost.
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I think shelves with multiple tiers, cool merchandising, beyond the point.
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When you go to buy glasses as a consumer, you're overwhelmed.
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You see a room with hundreds of frames and you don't know where to start.
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And that's our job.
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That is that is our job to say, well, before we even look at frames, and this is where opticians fail, and I've talked to opticians about this, before we look at frames, talk to the consumer.
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Get to know them, get to know what their wardrobe's like, what work is like, what lifestyle is like.
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Like, I don't do outdoors like a lot of people.
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I don't like camping or hiking or I like going on a boat, that's relaxing, but I don't like fishing.
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Like, I like certain things, but we have a I'm on Lake Michigan.
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We have a huge lake life here.
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Right.
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Well, we need to talk about what polarized lenses can be and what frames are going to say on their face when they're finally out on the boat cruising, and that's not gonna fly.
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You need to figure out how people live, and that is going to help determine the frame.
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Not everybody I know wants to wear a beautiful Rainbow Pride frame from Blake Kuahara, but they might want to wear a much, you know, safer classic moto frame that you can wear every day.
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Not everyone wants something that's flashy and over the top.
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I do, but you need to learn that from people because I can't style every person in what I want to wear.
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I have to put my personal preferences aside.
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And opticians, do it, like get over yourself.
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Right.
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Well, you know, it can be challenging when uh we always opticians endlessly joke about fitting an engineer.
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Well, when when you do have that monotone, the no expressions, you know, that can be challenging to cope with, but you just talked about it.
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There's always there's there's a gift there because when you do see a little, all you need's a little.
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Yeah, you just need a little.
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All you need's a little.
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Then you're really paying attention to the to uh the mood enhancers and how that is going to relate to their life in a secondary way, you know.
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But the things you've already discussions you've had, like you said, preliminarily before you're going through actual frames, you know, which is so cool.
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Talk talk briefly about you talked about inheriting an inventory mess and your approach to going through that, which I thought was really kind of cool.
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So I'm gonna talk about a couple of different frame lines real quick, but go ahead and do that.
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If you if you could give me just your take on how to clean up an inventory mess that a lot of opticians are looking at right now.
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Yeah.
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So at the doc's office I was at, they had a ton, like a metric ton of backstock of frames.
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And I it took time to figure out why.
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And I think their intention was good.
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And I want to I want to say this the intention behind that staff was very good.
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If a patient wanted to see a frame in a different color, they would order it for them.
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If they want, you know, but when we're doing that for 10, 15 patients a week or, you know, whatever, you're you're getting a ton of backstock, and you can't like ret people don't realize you can't just return frames.
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That's not really a thing.
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Especially when you get in the independence, you're not getting a one-for-one exchange.
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You can't just return it based on patient approval.
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Some companies, and I'm not gonna name names because I think some of these numbers are ridiculous, are like a you want to return a frame, you gotta buy 15.
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Right.
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You know, it's crazy.
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But I also get it.
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So I had several hundred, I would say, back stock frames.
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And what I did was I called when I became the optical manager there, I called all of our reps and I set up meetings.
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I'm like, I know some of you because I've worked with you in the past, I've met you in the past, I'm the optical manager here, and if we're going to have a relationship, I don't look at rep relationships as transactional.
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I look at it as a partnership and a relationship.
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Because if our reps work with us and we work with them, our patients are happy.
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Um and I said, if we're going to do this, I've inherited a problem.
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I have a lot of frames, and a lot of them are not gonna sell.
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I I worked my little New Jersey talking magic of let's exchange some of these for top sellers in two colors each.
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Or like right now, I'm running, I hate sales.
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I hate doing a sale, but we have frames that aren't moving, and I'm running, I'm looking to bring in new collections.
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So I've marked down a ton of frames for the month of August, but it's it's just selling off the board.
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Everyone's scared where I work, not everyone, but a handful of people are scared of having openings on our frameboards because we have frameboards there, and I'm like, it's okay.
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We can merchandise those, we can put shelves in with POP or with little signs of like transitions.
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I love a photochromic lens.
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I love a photochromic lens.
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So let's just put things about that around.
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Let's put information about an anti-reflective treatment or myopia management or business cards for the doctor.
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Like, let's just have things around.
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We can fill those shelves with stuff where it doesn't look messy.
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Let's get rid of our inventory.
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Let's just sell down a hundred frames off the board and then order a hundred new ones that our patients haven't seen.
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And it's going well.
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I have right now I have 30 frames in backstock from one company only because I moved where they were, and they have less board space.
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And they only have less board space because how they're displayed now shows the frames better.
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So I'm okay having 20, 20 or 30 frames or whatever from this collection that I love, and I love our rep for them.
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I'm okay having not as many out if the frames are being shown better.
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Right.
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Well, I I don't really know the answer to this, but can social media help with that understock somehow?
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Yes.
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I would say yes.
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We don't, so that office, I don't do any of their social media.
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I'm expensive to do social media.
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Yeah, and we and we really didn't even announce that.
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That's your side, that's your major side is social media management.
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Well, and you obviously you've got a very strong presence on Instagram and TikTok.
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I had a dude, I had a crazy two months.
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Like, I made a video on FrameFit and a couple follow-up videos from it, and my views, my reach, followers, interactions, the DMs exploded, and it hit a point where I'm talking to industry people all the time now with questions.
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I'm I I consider myself an expert.
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I am not the best.
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There is always going to be people better.
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I want to be very clear.
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I am, I love learning from people, and I appreciate humbly people asking me questions, especially people that have been in the industry longer than I have.
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So I am I want to be clear of I don't think I'm better than anyone.
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I think I'm damn good at what I do, but it's a team thing.
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If opticians start taking care and helping other opticians and we stop gatekeeping, our industry, our profession will explode.
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Well, you offer a different type of education too.
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Because you're a lot of your TikTok posts are talking in an educational way to opticians.
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I said this jokingly in an email to you, but a lot of times you're like, wham, you know, you're like right there.
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So I love that.
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I well, it reminds me of those times where I'm in a class and I'm like, Yeah, you know, and now I'm paying attention.
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It grabs attention.
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The one that that that comes to mind right off the top of my head was this this you debunk a myth really, really quick, and and we're all guilty of this, or someone's someone's my size or maybe your size, and they're asking for that 47i, and you're yeah, you held up the kid's frame, and then you put your glasses on.
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It's like uh, you know, and you know, we know it, but we don't think about it.
00:17:11.279 --> 00:17:15.440
We don't know and connect the this is me, this is my script.
00:17:15.680 --> 00:17:17.200
Look at a 47i on me.
00:17:17.279 --> 00:17:18.000
Oh my god.
00:17:18.160 --> 00:17:22.000
Yeah, now I can now and then let me put a 62i on.
00:17:22.079 --> 00:17:23.519
Like they they they fit me.
00:17:23.599 --> 00:17:26.160
I mean, this is uh exactly exactly I don't even know.
00:17:26.319 --> 00:17:29.440
It's like a 49, and I have a 63 up there.
00:17:29.599 --> 00:17:33.359
Like I it's that's really, really, really cool.
00:17:33.440 --> 00:17:35.440
I've seen Rick Peralta do that too.
00:17:35.519 --> 00:17:37.440
But I love Rick Peralta.
00:17:38.079 --> 00:17:48.559
But the the two of you, I think the array of frames that you will need to mix in and out, you're comfortably showing that an A measurement isn't the end all be all.
00:17:48.880 --> 00:17:49.920
Yeah, it takes it.
00:17:50.799 --> 00:17:52.960
Take it into consideration for sure.
00:17:53.759 --> 00:17:58.000
But like I feel like the A measurement is geared towards the lab more than anyone.
00:17:58.240 --> 00:17:58.559
Right.
00:17:58.880 --> 00:18:00.720
Like, you need to know lens size.
00:18:00.960 --> 00:18:04.640
Completely, but lens size doesn't equate to frame size.
00:18:05.200 --> 00:18:11.279
No, no, fit, the the how close, you know, PED, shape of face, you know.
00:18:11.519 --> 00:18:17.519
E these men from Eastern Europe, there's a short distance from frame front to ear.
00:18:17.599 --> 00:18:29.200
I don't know why, but that tends to be common there, you know, and then as opposed to here in America where we're where we're we need the 140s and the 145s, and it's it's just it's different.
00:18:29.359 --> 00:18:33.599
Uh yeah, you talked about a couple of really cool frame lines, and I want to give you a chance to kind of expound on them.
00:18:33.680 --> 00:18:35.759
But you mentioned Woody's, you mentioned Rain.
00:18:36.079 --> 00:18:41.119
I forget the last one that you mentioned, but are these are coming in now, or are you working with them now?
00:18:41.599 --> 00:18:50.240
So I I am very fortunate in the dock's office I'm at where they're trusting me to bring in more independent collections.
00:18:50.400 --> 00:18:55.519
And I'm very fortunate for the boutique I work at for introducing me to independent collections.
00:18:55.759 --> 00:19:02.559
So, like at the docs office, I just brought in Woody's like three months ago, and we have sold through our first order already.
00:19:02.720 --> 00:19:09.440
And it's for them, it's it's a more conservative office, it's a more fiscally conservative as well as fashion conservative.
00:19:09.519 --> 00:19:12.480
It's bringing in a pop of color and pop of something new.
00:19:12.799 --> 00:19:33.519
Rain I wear, I'm meeting with them next week, and uh I don't tell anyone I'm buying them because it's a phenomenal price point for a very high high quality and incredibly wearable frame in an array of colors that are more geared towards neutrals, like tortoises blacks, crystal greens, things of that sort.
00:19:33.680 --> 00:19:38.079
Um, black fin is just Italian type Italian-made titanium.
00:19:38.160 --> 00:19:39.920
I want to bring in the fun stuff there.
00:19:40.000 --> 00:19:41.680
That's not really gonna move.
00:19:41.839 --> 00:19:48.000
But like the stuff at the boutique, you know, this is my Masahiro Mariayama frame.
00:19:48.160 --> 00:19:50.079
You're not gonna get this at a doctor's office.
00:19:50.240 --> 00:19:51.759
This is a little extravagant.
00:19:52.000 --> 00:19:52.480
Right.
00:19:53.039 --> 00:19:57.680
You know, and I've had the privilege of spending time with him with Blake Kuwahara.
00:19:57.839 --> 00:20:01.519
There's frame designers that change the game.
00:20:01.680 --> 00:20:05.839
When there's when frames are thoughtfully designed, it feels better.
00:20:07.200 --> 00:20:18.640
Talk talk to me about the connecting of social media, the fashion that you've been showing me, yeah, and how to know what is gonna move in what environment.
00:20:19.519 --> 00:20:20.160
Yeah.
00:20:20.720 --> 00:20:22.319
That's the hard thing, right?
00:20:22.400 --> 00:20:30.079
Like, so I started working in a town that I had never living in Michigan eight years, I had never been to the town that I'm working in uh for the doctor's office.
00:20:30.240 --> 00:20:34.160
So it's a half hour away in Jennison, Michigan, right outside of Grand Rapids.
00:20:34.240 --> 00:20:36.960
I had never stepped foot in Jennison, Michigan.
00:20:37.039 --> 00:20:37.680
I knew nothing about it.
00:20:37.759 --> 00:20:40.240
I knew it was conservative, um, and that's fine.
00:20:40.559 --> 00:20:47.759
But I had to spend probably my first two months figuring out our our demographic there.
00:20:48.160 --> 00:20:59.039
It's an older demographic that is a little, a little more concerned with money, but I think it's really because no one has ever talked to them about why something costs what it does.
00:20:59.200 --> 00:21:02.079
Whether it's lens design or frame, because guess what?
00:21:02.240 --> 00:21:07.839
Progressives press biopes, you better know not every progressive lens is designed and made the same.
00:21:08.000 --> 00:21:09.279
I'm sorry, it's not.
00:21:09.519 --> 00:21:14.160
Lens folks, polycarbonate, not one polycarbonate lens on this wall.
00:21:14.319 --> 00:21:15.920
I don't do polycarbonate.
00:21:16.720 --> 00:21:21.519
I don't care about saving you$30 or whatever your VSP copay is.
00:21:21.680 --> 00:21:22.240
I don't care.
00:21:22.480 --> 00:21:23.440
I want you to see better.
00:21:23.519 --> 00:21:31.519
I'm not even I don't even talk polycarbonate unless it's a really fiscally conservative person who, or just it's not in their budget.
00:21:31.759 --> 00:21:32.400
Fine, I will work.
00:21:32.880 --> 00:21:34.319
Or they they mention it.
00:21:34.559 --> 00:21:37.359
Yeah, or they mention it, and then I love having the opportunity.
00:21:37.519 --> 00:21:50.079
Well, actually, there's materials there that that light just moves through better, and there's science behind it proving my point that it's just better quality of vision.
00:21:50.240 --> 00:21:52.160
I and and I want you to see well.
00:21:52.319 --> 00:21:59.759
I'd rather you spend the money on great lenses for you, and we can maybe go with a frame that still looks good on you, but as much.
00:22:00.319 --> 00:22:02.000
Cost effective, you know.
00:22:02.720 --> 00:22:03.200
Makes sense.
00:22:03.440 --> 00:22:10.400
So I the first move I did when I became the manager there was their frames were organized by gender and gender only.
00:22:10.799 --> 00:22:12.480
I don't gender frames.
00:22:12.960 --> 00:22:16.240
I took every frame off the board and put them by collection.
00:22:16.319 --> 00:22:20.079
And to this day, I mean a year later, I well, where are the guys' frames?
00:22:20.160 --> 00:22:21.599
Where are the girls' frames?
00:22:21.920 --> 00:22:23.599
They're on the sales floor.
00:22:23.839 --> 00:22:26.240
They're all guys' frames and they're all girl frames.
00:22:26.400 --> 00:22:27.119
Well, what do you mean?
00:22:27.200 --> 00:22:30.240
I'm like, are there traditionally feminine shapes?
00:22:30.480 --> 00:22:31.279
Of course.
00:22:31.599 --> 00:22:33.599
Are there traditionally masculine shapes?
00:22:33.759 --> 00:22:35.039
I might say no.
00:22:35.359 --> 00:22:38.720
I might say no, but most frames are unisex.
00:22:38.799 --> 00:22:48.000
And if you want an honest opinion, it's our job to tell you, well, that frame does show a little feminine on you, or in West Michigan, we have a very high Dutch population where I live.
00:22:48.079 --> 00:22:49.920
I live in Holland, Michigan.
00:22:50.400 --> 00:22:52.880
A lot of Dutch women are bigger women.
00:22:53.039 --> 00:22:55.279
They're taller, they have broader features.
00:22:55.519 --> 00:23:00.079
Do you know the worst thing you could do to a woman is say, hey, none of these frames fit.
00:23:00.160 --> 00:23:01.920
Let's go look at the men's section.
00:23:02.640 --> 00:23:02.880
It's not.
00:23:03.279 --> 00:23:04.079
I couldn't laugh.
00:23:04.160 --> 00:23:08.480
No, that's no, it's funny because that that's just what happens.
00:23:08.720 --> 00:23:08.880
Right.
00:23:09.200 --> 00:23:11.359
And it's just everything.
00:23:11.440 --> 00:23:14.319
I mean, Pete, we've talked before this.
00:23:14.480 --> 00:23:16.079
Everything's about the relationship.
00:23:16.319 --> 00:23:16.799
Right.
00:23:17.519 --> 00:23:17.920
Right.
00:23:18.160 --> 00:23:30.160
And I think taking down any barrier from a patient or a customer from feeling like they're being treated with the dignity that they inherently deserve is going to hurt that relationship.
00:23:30.400 --> 00:23:33.440
I mean, I don't want to take a woman to the men's section.
00:23:33.519 --> 00:23:36.880
I don't want to take a man to the women's section because people are really worried about that.
00:23:37.279 --> 00:23:43.200
You know, and this is a board design where you've wiped that off, that's not even going to be an option.
00:23:43.359 --> 00:23:43.519
Yeah.
00:23:43.839 --> 00:23:48.799
You can't not be there and have an optician do that because you've taken it out of the mix, you know?
00:23:49.440 --> 00:23:56.720
Well, that's those social components, those social interactive skills really ought to be a series of CEs.
00:23:57.359 --> 00:23:59.200
Good luck getting them approved.
00:23:59.279 --> 00:24:01.839
But I will say this, it can happen.
00:24:02.480 --> 00:24:04.799
I'm I'm working on some of that action.
00:24:05.119 --> 00:24:08.000
Well, and to me, it's the it's the missing component.
00:24:08.079 --> 00:24:09.920
You hit on it very, very succinctly.
00:24:10.000 --> 00:24:11.440
There's a couple of TikTok posts.
00:24:11.519 --> 00:24:13.119
I almost wish I could play one right now.
00:24:13.680 --> 00:24:25.200
But where it is you basically are saying, listen, you know, to me, it's a natural relationship because of where I come from, because of how I am, because of what I do, because of how I interact with everybody I'm working on.
00:24:26.559 --> 00:24:29.200
To you, it's just those are they're all relationships.
00:24:29.680 --> 00:24:31.839
And and and and again, that becomes natural.
00:24:32.000 --> 00:24:33.599
I think it's a little bit natural for me.
00:24:33.759 --> 00:24:38.960
I don't want to, you know, make it a geographical thing, but both of my parents were from New York.
00:24:39.359 --> 00:24:41.279
You're you're a New Jersey guy.
00:24:41.599 --> 00:24:50.799
I think there's there's an element and a and a component of that middle Atlantic where just openly talking, uh breaking down some barriers.
00:24:50.960 --> 00:24:53.200
If it people are some people are naturally good at it.
00:24:54.079 --> 00:24:54.799
No one's a stranger.
00:24:55.359 --> 00:24:57.200
But but it should be able to be taught.
00:24:58.000 --> 00:25:05.119
Because even that person that's walking the big woman over to the men's frames, they may not even think in their head that they're doing something wrong.
00:25:05.519 --> 00:25:09.359
They may, they, they're in fact, they may think I'm doing my job right.
00:25:10.000 --> 00:25:10.960
But but are you?
00:25:11.759 --> 00:25:12.559
But are you?
00:25:13.359 --> 00:25:20.240
I mean the unspoken element that you you address this openly.
00:25:20.559 --> 00:25:22.400
How do you feel like you notice that?
00:25:22.720 --> 00:25:27.519
And do you how much of that do you think plays into how you manage social media for for anyone?
00:25:29.039 --> 00:25:37.039
I'm more on a specific side of how I live my life and how I treat people and the communities in which I'm a part of.
00:25:37.279 --> 00:25:46.480
And I would say asking so in West Michigan, it was really interesting when I started asking people what their preferred pronoun is and figuring out who they are.
00:25:46.640 --> 00:25:51.200
So when I greet people, I don't usually say, hi miss, hello ma'am, hi sir.
00:25:51.359 --> 00:25:54.079
I say, or if it's like a group of people, hi folks.
00:25:54.319 --> 00:26:06.400
I try to use more gender-neutral terms when I'm speaking with people, especially out here, because there is a large LGBTQ community and they are a little bit more low-key on things.
00:26:06.720 --> 00:26:13.599
And hey, I don't know how what you prefer to be called, what name you prefer, what pronoun you prefer.
00:26:13.759 --> 00:26:14.799
I'm gonna ask.
00:26:15.039 --> 00:26:25.119
And when I do things on social media, it's I want to create this, like, because of what I believe in, a level of radical inclusivity.
00:26:25.359 --> 00:26:25.920
Right.
00:26:26.319 --> 00:26:48.079
Whether you agree with things that I really value and find important, or you don't, I want to create a space in my Tom's Got Glass's social media world where we break down gender norms, racial barriers, socioeconomic barriers, age barriers, because that's a huge one that people don't think about.
00:26:48.640 --> 00:26:54.559
Where it's a place where I want people in my comment threads interacting with each other.
00:26:54.640 --> 00:27:02.240
I have people that have followed my personal Facebook who vehemently disagree with a lot of who I am inherently as a person.
00:27:02.720 --> 00:27:03.759
And that's fine.
00:27:04.640 --> 00:27:06.000
Are they my friends?
00:27:06.319 --> 00:27:06.640
No.
00:27:07.440 --> 00:27:14.720
But can I maybe by who I am on social media in real life be like, hey, we just need to treat people better.
00:27:15.359 --> 00:27:19.519
I want it to go outside of optics, but we just need to treat people better.
00:27:20.000 --> 00:27:21.839
We're opticians, we're in the people game.
00:27:22.400 --> 00:27:30.880
Well, one of the interesting dialogues that comes up quite a bit in in these podcast interviews is what you're talking about, how people are treated.
00:27:31.039 --> 00:27:37.039
I'm talking to somebody who's 28 years old or 25, and they say, I exclusively order glasses online.
00:27:37.599 --> 00:27:38.000
Yeah.
00:27:38.400 --> 00:27:38.720
Great.
00:27:38.960 --> 00:27:44.559
How do you exclusively order anything a particular way when you're 25, you know?
00:27:45.119 --> 00:27:47.839
You know, that's the bad side of being, you know, almost 60.
00:27:47.920 --> 00:27:52.319
You don't want to laugh at that, because that when someone says their whole life and it's been 20 years, you know.
00:27:52.960 --> 00:27:55.359
And it's been 20 years and they've been an adult for four years.
00:27:55.680 --> 00:27:56.160
Right.
00:27:56.559 --> 00:28:00.720
But let's be let's read between that, you know.
00:28:01.759 --> 00:28:08.079
If they're exclusively making a purchase that way, there's a chance that there's a purchase that they made another way that didn't go well.
00:28:08.559 --> 00:28:09.279
That didn't go well.
00:28:09.920 --> 00:28:16.160
And there's a chance that they were mistreated based on the dialogues that we you and I have seen.
00:28:16.319 --> 00:28:21.440
So I view your work as a way of championing the the breaking down of that.
00:28:22.160 --> 00:28:22.559
Thank you.
00:28:23.039 --> 00:28:26.480
And well, it's what we should all be doing.
00:28:26.720 --> 00:28:35.599
Hey, it isn't fun to to watch your best customer walk in with a set of glasses that they purchased online and they're not going well.
00:28:36.160 --> 00:28:36.480
Yeah.
00:28:37.119 --> 00:28:46.960
But rather than turn that into a stinky cheese moment, you have an opportunity to make that moment you.
00:28:47.519 --> 00:28:47.920
Yeah.
00:28:48.160 --> 00:28:50.400
You about you.
00:28:50.640 --> 00:28:58.000
And and opticians want to bang their chest, but they don't take the opportunities when they're sitting in front of them to do it.
00:28:58.240 --> 00:29:00.799
It's okay to tell people you're an expert at what you do.
00:29:00.960 --> 00:29:02.079
It's okay to do that.
00:29:02.400 --> 00:29:02.799
Absolutely.
00:29:03.039 --> 00:29:06.240
I I love the idea of like that conversation.
00:29:06.319 --> 00:29:07.759
I exclusively go online.
00:29:07.920 --> 00:29:16.240
And to follow up, like a lot of the reasons, because I ask people, I ask people why you do this or why not try us, you know, and whatever.
00:29:16.400 --> 00:29:17.200
Why wouldn't you?
00:29:17.359 --> 00:29:21.599
And a lot of the answers for online I get is well, I'm just I get very anxious of doing it.
00:29:21.759 --> 00:29:25.039
I've I've never had anyone help me, so I could just do it by myself.
00:29:25.279 --> 00:29:28.319
I I can't find anything I can afford or anything I like.
00:29:28.559 --> 00:29:29.920
I can return them online.
00:29:30.079 --> 00:29:31.599
All you know, there's a million reasons.
00:29:31.839 --> 00:29:37.279
I I have a love-hate relationship with online glasses sales, right?
00:29:37.359 --> 00:29:38.720
Like, I get it.
00:29:39.119 --> 00:29:39.759
I get it.
00:29:39.839 --> 00:29:44.720
There are they are able to offer things to you at a price point that will put me out of business.
00:29:44.880 --> 00:29:50.000
And not everyone has it in their budget to be able to afford quality eyewear.
00:29:50.400 --> 00:29:55.200
I have helped a number of people through the online ordering process.
00:29:55.839 --> 00:30:06.240
Whether they're my friends or my patients, and I hate it because it's they're not buying from me, but I will gladly, I will opticians don't gatekeep patients' PDs.
00:30:06.319 --> 00:30:06.960
Don't do it.
00:30:07.039 --> 00:30:08.240
You look like a jerk.
00:30:08.480 --> 00:30:13.200
If someone asks for their pupillary distance, hey, I will be happy to give that to you.
00:30:13.279 --> 00:30:14.000
And then guess what?
00:30:14.079 --> 00:30:21.200
You can say, if you'd like, when you get your glasses, I will gladly take a look to make sure that the prescription's right.
00:30:21.279 --> 00:30:24.319
Because when you do that, guess what happens more times than not?
00:30:24.559 --> 00:30:25.359
It's not right.
00:30:26.240 --> 00:30:27.359
It's not right.
00:30:28.559 --> 00:30:31.119
Or even if it is, look at the look at the work you just did.
00:30:31.279 --> 00:30:31.519
Yeah.
00:30:32.079 --> 00:30:34.720
If it checks out trying, that's not a bad thing.
00:30:34.960 --> 00:30:40.240
It shows that your willingness to follow through because their vision is what matters more to you than anyone.
00:30:40.480 --> 00:30:43.839
You're not my customer, but you're still a patient at the office.
00:30:44.000 --> 00:30:44.319
Right.
00:30:44.480 --> 00:30:46.400
You're still a human being.
00:30:46.640 --> 00:30:58.240
Well, I I repair and adjust people's glasses that I've never met or seen or made a purchase with in my life because it's my job and I don't charge people for adjustments, I don't charge people for PDs.
00:30:58.480 --> 00:31:03.039
It's just being a decent person and they remember that experience.
00:31:03.119 --> 00:31:08.640
If they have a crap experience with online, they might, they might maybe come back to you.
00:31:08.799 --> 00:31:09.039
Great.
00:31:09.200 --> 00:31:11.359
If they don't, also fine.
00:31:11.839 --> 00:31:14.480
You just talked about having those constant dialogues with people.
00:31:14.559 --> 00:31:21.920
If you know someone's ordered online, you don't like not ask questions, or if you're out in a restaurant, you're like, screw them, I'm not gonna talk about it.
00:31:22.079 --> 00:31:23.440
You're the other you're the other way around.
00:31:23.519 --> 00:31:24.000
You're like me.
00:31:24.079 --> 00:31:25.440
It's like, how did that go?
00:31:25.839 --> 00:31:26.720
How did it go?
00:31:26.960 --> 00:31:29.200
What did you what made it easy for you?
00:31:29.359 --> 00:31:30.400
What did you like about it?
00:31:30.559 --> 00:31:31.519
What didn't you like about it?
00:31:31.680 --> 00:31:39.920
Because if there's something that they really like about ordering online that I can do in person, it helps me learn how to grow as an optician.
00:31:40.160 --> 00:31:40.799
Absolutely.
00:31:41.119 --> 00:31:49.519
If there's something they hated, I can say, hey, actually, if you come see me at place X, Y, or Z, that won't happen.
00:31:49.839 --> 00:31:50.400
Right.
00:31:50.640 --> 00:31:58.079
And I don't make promises to people ever because then I look like a jerk if it's I oh, I could get them here for you in a week.
00:31:58.160 --> 00:31:59.440
Well, it's eight days.
00:31:59.759 --> 00:32:00.640
Now I've failed.
00:32:00.799 --> 00:32:02.000
I can definitely do this for you.
00:32:02.079 --> 00:32:04.799
No, hey, let me give it my best shot and we'll see what we can do.
00:32:05.039 --> 00:32:08.240
I can promise people things that won't happen when they work with me.
00:32:08.559 --> 00:32:09.039
I can.
00:32:09.119 --> 00:32:10.559
There's certain things that I can promise.
00:32:10.720 --> 00:32:22.400
I can promise that I'm gonna get to know you, that I'm gonna do everything I can to find a frame that fits you, but you also love, and I'm gonna give you an honest opinion and tell you no on a frame that doesn't fit you.
00:32:22.559 --> 00:32:24.799
I will tell you I love telling people no.
00:32:25.440 --> 00:32:26.319
Like, well, why?
00:32:26.480 --> 00:32:29.359
I go, well, it doesn't fit you.
00:32:29.759 --> 00:32:43.200
Or you're a minus, you're a minus eight, and you want a 65i a metal aviator with a 63B measurement, and you want it in polycarbonate without AR.
00:32:43.359 --> 00:32:45.759
Well, no, I'm not gonna do that for you.
00:32:46.079 --> 00:32:51.279
But but but there is a takeaway because you've got an idea what they're what they're gravitating towards.
00:32:51.359 --> 00:32:55.920
You so now you know the where to meet them in between there.
00:32:56.240 --> 00:33:03.359
You kind of you kind of described it just a moment ago, but I added a new segment and I asked my guests to tell an online ordering story.
00:33:03.440 --> 00:33:05.039
And you sort of you sort of told one.
00:33:05.119 --> 00:33:08.720
If you have a different one, by all means uh I've got some funny ones.
00:33:08.960 --> 00:33:22.160
One that's not an ordering story, but I found an online frame like glasses place that is just literally stealing designs from independent designers, and I have actively been doing everything I can to get them shut down.
00:33:22.240 --> 00:33:35.599
And we've got a bunch of industry people just like, hey, just like sending the email to our friends who design, like, hey, just so you know, this website has literally stolen your design and a little signature piece that you put in every frame.
00:33:35.839 --> 00:33:37.200
So that's a whole thing.
00:33:37.279 --> 00:33:40.880
So that's why I hate online things because there's there's a lack of creativity.
00:33:41.279 --> 00:33:50.400
To me, there's a big open window there for the very specific uh theft of shape, size, and design with 3D printing.
00:33:50.720 --> 00:33:51.359
Yeah.
00:33:51.920 --> 00:33:56.000
And this is an area where I think the industry needs to come together.
00:33:56.079 --> 00:33:58.880
It's great to have all these diversities of frame lines.
00:33:59.359 --> 00:34:02.240
Well, I remember the frames book was a phone book in the day.
00:34:02.319 --> 00:34:03.839
Now it's all digital.
00:34:04.079 --> 00:34:11.119
But there was there now that it's digital, they need to be galvanizing to stop what you just talked about.
00:34:11.280 --> 00:34:11.519
Yeah.
00:34:11.760 --> 00:34:15.760
So getting all these different guys to come together, that's part of the problem.
00:34:16.079 --> 00:34:16.719
Yeah.
00:34:17.679 --> 00:34:21.039
If their designs and shapes are being stolen.
00:34:21.760 --> 00:34:24.639
You just show up at their warehouse as an Italian from New Jersey.
00:34:24.719 --> 00:34:25.760
I bring my baseball bat.
00:34:25.840 --> 00:34:27.199
We show up at their warehouse and take them out.
00:34:27.360 --> 00:34:28.000
No, no.
00:34:28.159 --> 00:34:33.280
But to answer your question online, I this is one go-to I like to do.
00:34:33.440 --> 00:34:41.440
I had a patient once, years ago, come in with a frame from an online site I had never heard of, and I feel like I'm pretty familiar with most of them.
00:34:41.519 --> 00:34:45.519
And I don't want to name names because I don't, that's not how I roll.
00:34:45.760 --> 00:34:46.239
Right.
00:34:46.480 --> 00:34:50.320
But I asked, you know, they brought them in, they're like, hey, Tom, these don't fit at all.
00:34:50.480 --> 00:34:50.960
And they didn't.
00:34:51.039 --> 00:34:52.079
The frame was an awful fit.
00:34:52.239 --> 00:34:55.360
I'm like, I can try, but I felt the frame.
00:34:55.519 --> 00:34:59.119
And as opticians, you can pick up a frame, you can touch it and be like, Lord.
00:34:59.360 --> 00:35:09.679
And they said, well, in the in when I ordered, they said, bring them to your local optician, and they will gladly, for free, adjust and get your frame fitting you perfectly.
00:35:09.840 --> 00:35:10.480
And you know what?
00:35:10.559 --> 00:35:10.960
I will.
00:35:11.119 --> 00:35:17.360
I will, I will gladly do, I will huff and puff when I'm not around you because I hate doing that, because they tell you it's for free.
00:35:17.519 --> 00:35:17.840
Right.
00:35:18.000 --> 00:35:21.119
But I didn't tell you, I I want to tell you it's for free.
00:35:22.000 --> 00:35:23.760
But I said, I can adjust this.
00:35:23.840 --> 00:35:26.719
Let me check the prescription, see where things are are lining up.
00:35:26.800 --> 00:35:31.039
And it was a relatively significant myopia prescription.
00:35:31.119 --> 00:35:37.679
It was like a minus four, with like maybe like one and three-quarter cylinder in like each eye, something around that.
00:35:37.760 --> 00:35:39.119
So it was a decent prescription.
00:35:39.199 --> 00:35:39.280
Yeah.
00:35:39.440 --> 00:35:41.440
And decentration is a worry of mine.
00:35:41.519 --> 00:35:44.079
So like I took their measurements before I did anything.
00:35:44.159 --> 00:35:46.960
I dotted the lenses when I read it in the lens meter.
00:35:47.039 --> 00:35:54.079
And I'm like, first and foremost, your prescription is seven millimeters off from where you need to be.
00:35:54.320 --> 00:35:56.559
And then I'm like, I can't fix that.
00:35:56.719 --> 00:35:58.159
I can tell you what it should be.
00:35:58.239 --> 00:36:02.960
Um and I go, you're also about 20 degrees wrong in your axis.
00:36:03.199 --> 00:36:05.760
Which, like, depends on who you ask.
00:36:05.920 --> 00:36:07.280
To me, that's unacceptable.
00:36:08.320 --> 00:36:14.000
You know, some people will let it go, but the more significant the prescription, that degree is a lot worse.
00:36:14.159 --> 00:36:16.800
So they're like, can you just adjust them so they don't fall off my face?
00:36:16.960 --> 00:36:18.159
I will try.
00:36:18.480 --> 00:36:21.360
I heated up this temple because this is the only adjustment.
00:36:21.440 --> 00:36:23.679
You know, it's I hate the like, oh, I'll just bend it behind the ear.
00:36:23.760 --> 00:36:25.519
I hate that being the only thing people do.
00:36:25.840 --> 00:36:29.119
But like, there was nothing else I felt like I could do.
00:36:29.280 --> 00:36:33.599
So I put it in the frame warmer, and I'm very mindful of this.
00:36:33.679 --> 00:36:38.079
I've got my I burn my hands all the time because I'm warming and I'm touching and I'm warming and I'm touching.
00:36:38.320 --> 00:36:38.480
Right.
00:36:39.360 --> 00:36:44.960
And I went to move the frame, the temple, and that frame just went whoop.
00:36:45.280 --> 00:36:49.199
It just, I mean, instead of just bending it here, it literally expanded.
00:36:49.280 --> 00:36:53.039
That there was nothing, no metal shot in that temple.
00:36:53.119 --> 00:36:57.599
And I I know better and I should have, but I'm like, yeah, this is not gonna happen.
00:36:57.760 --> 00:37:05.920
And I didn't heat things, like I don't think I even heated it as long as I normally would have heated a frame, and it just fell apart in my hands.
00:37:06.000 --> 00:37:13.199
So that was like one one patient, a frame that fell apart, and a prescription that was terribly wrong.
00:37:13.360 --> 00:37:17.599
And then I have another, my friend, I took her pupillary distance.
00:37:17.920 --> 00:37:21.199
She does not wear her glasses often at all.
00:37:21.360 --> 00:37:24.719
And she said, Tom, I just need a really cheap pair of glasses.
00:37:24.880 --> 00:37:26.880
And I said, I will help you.
00:37:27.199 --> 00:37:29.760
And it broke my heart to do it, but I helped her.
00:37:29.920 --> 00:37:43.039
We I took her pupillary distance, we went online, I showed her some shapes that I thought would work with her, and she got a frame, and I was pleasantly surprised that her frame and her lenses were pretty close to spot on.
00:37:43.199 --> 00:37:46.719
Like, I the frame I kind of had an idea because it's what I do.
00:37:46.800 --> 00:37:46.960
Right.
00:37:47.119 --> 00:37:49.440
I can't control the lenses, and I was very happy.
00:37:49.519 --> 00:37:52.880
And with her wearing them maybe twice a week, okay.
00:37:53.039 --> 00:37:53.760
I was very pleased.
00:37:53.840 --> 00:37:56.960
I'm like, hey, like, just so you know, like these came out pretty good.
00:37:57.760 --> 00:38:02.000
You can wear these all the time if you wanted, but she has such a minimal prescription.
00:38:02.480 --> 00:38:07.679
Like, minimal, like to where insurance would be laughing, saying, Yeah, we're not covering this.
00:38:07.920 --> 00:38:08.400
You know.
00:38:08.719 --> 00:38:19.840
You know, those are the scenarios that are very they're they're more often a win for anyone who's in a challenging place to get glasses online.
00:38:20.239 --> 00:38:20.719
You know.
00:38:21.039 --> 00:38:32.960
There is, and I've spoken about this over and over again, there's definitely a misperception amongst the internal part of the industry that, you know, people are only going to buy online for price.
00:38:33.119 --> 00:38:34.719
It it is a factor.
00:38:35.039 --> 00:38:50.400
But you know, when you know that the average sale at America's best two pair and an odd exam for 69 to 80 or 170 or whatever it is now, you know, that's people go people know what to expect.
00:38:50.719 --> 00:38:53.440
They know, you know, what's going in and what's not.
00:38:54.000 --> 00:38:54.719
Pretty direct.
00:38:54.880 --> 00:38:58.880
I I it's the same kind of thing exists in the equity purchasing world.
00:38:59.840 --> 00:39:14.480
Where I I I'll tell this story very quickly, but here there's sometimes there can be a corporate disconnect in these purchasing environments where they'll come in and buy and and they and they immediately want to try and you know correct pricing.
00:39:14.880 --> 00:39:33.039
And the reality is that if you come in as an EP and you're thrusting this, you know,$99 pairs on billboards when the entire community has been used to be paying five, six hundred dollars at these three opticals that you just purchased, you've offended the entire town.
00:39:33.599 --> 00:39:40.239
You didn't even realize you're just trying to be pair for 99 without doing any of your demographic research.
00:39:40.400 --> 00:39:42.079
Those billboards came down quick.
00:39:42.400 --> 00:39:50.239
And you know, I'm not gonna name the town or the place, but that was a major cluster bleep that didn't really need to happen.
00:39:50.400 --> 00:39:54.400
Had some homework been done about what you were actually buying, you know?
00:39:54.639 --> 00:39:54.960
Yeah.
00:39:55.199 --> 00:39:57.360
So it's creating value.
00:39:57.679 --> 00:40:00.000
It's creating value, and that's right.
00:40:00.639 --> 00:40:04.239
That's what we can in the industry do really.
00:40:04.559 --> 00:40:06.880
We can, we don't always do really well.
00:40:07.119 --> 00:40:11.440
I can sell someone a frame that's wholesale cost is$14.
00:40:12.239 --> 00:40:12.559
Right.
00:40:12.719 --> 00:40:16.079
And I can sell someone a frame that's wholesale cost is$1,000.
00:40:16.559 --> 00:40:18.800
I'm talking wholesale, these are not retail numbers.
00:40:18.960 --> 00:40:27.039
I can talk to the customer about the difference in quality and and why, not even quality, why there's a difference.
00:40:27.280 --> 00:40:31.039
Injection mold versus a sheet of handmade acetate.
00:40:31.280 --> 00:40:53.760
The design process, the fact that you're supporting an actual designer and not some AI-generated frame design that is being mass-produced as quickly and as poorly as possible, taking time to cure and to happen, or why Nina Muir frames are made of wood and how there's zero stock.
00:40:54.320 --> 00:40:57.360
Nina Muir has zero stock in her frames.
00:40:57.599 --> 00:41:01.599
If you order frames, they are made to order because it's sustainable.
00:41:01.760 --> 00:41:07.119
We're not wasting wood cutting shapes and doing all this stuff for things that haven't sold yet.
00:41:07.599 --> 00:41:08.880
Let's cut it as needed.
00:41:09.519 --> 00:41:14.960
So it's there's a difference in process that we can create value in.
00:41:15.039 --> 00:41:16.239
And that's just frames.
00:41:16.400 --> 00:41:19.599
Lenses are even more important to create value.
00:41:19.760 --> 00:41:20.239
Right.
00:41:20.639 --> 00:41:29.360
Because people don't realize not every single vision lens is the same, not every material, antireflective treatment, um, progressive lens, and my favorite is photochromic.
00:41:29.440 --> 00:41:31.920
Not every photochromic lens is made the same.
00:41:32.079 --> 00:41:33.840
I had transitions, I hated them.
00:41:33.920 --> 00:41:35.599
Well, when did you have transition?
00:41:36.159 --> 00:41:37.360
2002.
00:41:37.519 --> 00:41:37.840
Okay.
00:41:38.079 --> 00:41:40.000
Do you still have your iPhone from 2000?
00:41:40.559 --> 00:41:42.000
Because technology changes.
00:41:42.159 --> 00:41:44.559
I had progressives and I hated them.
00:41:44.719 --> 00:41:46.320
When was the last time you had them?
00:41:46.559 --> 00:41:47.599
2008.
00:41:47.760 --> 00:41:48.320
Okay, great.
00:41:48.400 --> 00:41:49.119
Where did you get them?
00:41:49.360 --> 00:41:49.920
Online.
00:41:50.079 --> 00:42:04.000
Well, let me tell you why progressive lenses cost what they cost and how it's gonna change your vision and the measurements that I, the expert, am going to take to help ensure that your vision is gonna work with this.
00:42:04.320 --> 00:42:04.559
Right.
00:42:05.280 --> 00:42:06.239
Creating value.
00:42:06.400 --> 00:42:11.440
It's very easy if we know what we're talking about.
00:42:11.920 --> 00:42:12.320
Right.
00:42:13.679 --> 00:42:19.679
Between that and building around the relationships, you separate what you do.
00:42:19.840 --> 00:42:25.519
You also talk about that a lot on social media, which I think is is is absolutely critical.
00:42:25.679 --> 00:42:34.960
Would you say there's a different social media approach from where you, for instance, spent your first seven years as opposed to the as opposed to the boutique environment?
00:42:35.519 --> 00:42:36.000
Yes.
00:42:36.239 --> 00:42:46.079
So the boutique I'm at is really cool doing their social media because like we can tell the story of the frame of the designer because we're friends with the designers.
00:42:46.320 --> 00:42:46.719
Right.
00:42:47.119 --> 00:42:50.719
And showcasing more of the little intricate details of things.
00:42:50.960 --> 00:42:55.599
It's really cool when we get customers that are like, oh my god, I saw the frame on your Instagram.
00:42:55.760 --> 00:42:56.559
I need it.
00:42:56.880 --> 00:42:57.360
Great.
00:42:57.440 --> 00:42:57.920
I love it.
00:42:58.000 --> 00:42:59.599
I do a frame of the week, or we do.
00:42:59.679 --> 00:43:01.440
I I'm not the only one on video.
00:43:01.599 --> 00:43:02.800
We do a frame of the week.
00:43:02.880 --> 00:43:07.440
And my goal is at some point, someone's gonna say, I saw that frame of the week, I want it.
00:43:07.599 --> 00:43:09.920
Because at the boutique, we sell it, it's gone.
00:43:10.079 --> 00:43:11.679
We don't reorder frames there.
00:43:11.840 --> 00:43:12.719
And that's cool.
00:43:12.960 --> 00:43:17.280
That my goal is I'm gonna highlight a frame one week, and I'm only there on Monday.
00:43:17.360 --> 00:43:19.519
So by next Monday, someone comes in.
00:43:19.760 --> 00:43:21.119
I go in there and I'm like, Where's the frame?
00:43:21.280 --> 00:43:26.800
They're like, you know, so-and-so saw that the video, and they're like, I needed that frame, so they came in and bought it.
00:43:27.039 --> 00:43:32.800
And then, like, we get to share stories of so Bob is the owner of Globe Design Envision in Holland, Michigan.
00:43:32.960 --> 00:43:35.039
What he is surrogate family to me.
00:43:35.199 --> 00:43:37.440
He's been in the industry for literally forever.
00:43:37.679 --> 00:43:48.000
Globe's been there 24 years, sharing stories of what our industry looked like 20, 30 years ago to what it is now is really cool.
00:43:48.320 --> 00:43:48.960
It is.
00:43:49.679 --> 00:43:54.719
And that's where like the independent thing is because we could kind of do whatever we want there.
00:43:54.880 --> 00:43:59.760
Um, Bob and I create videos sometimes where he just looks so sorely and uninterested.
00:44:00.320 --> 00:44:10.320
In my existence, and it's just for fun, and we can be playful in a way that I think, in a more clinical environment, you can't.
00:44:10.559 --> 00:44:16.880
And it can play off my social media with Globe social media where we're just having a damn good time.
00:44:18.639 --> 00:44:19.599
And it's really fun.
00:44:19.679 --> 00:44:31.760
Like I document all of our travels to the frame shows for them and put together little recaps of time with the designer and showing our customers how we pick out what we're purchasing.
00:44:32.800 --> 00:44:34.719
Because they don't under people don't know that.
00:44:34.800 --> 00:44:36.079
Like what that process is like.
00:44:36.800 --> 00:44:38.159
Like, oh, they just send you frames.
00:44:38.320 --> 00:44:42.079
No, we touch every frame that we're gonna buy and we figure out why we want it.
00:44:42.400 --> 00:44:54.239
You just told a really cool story though about an integration of someone seeing a frame in social media and then being first in line to get there and purchase it.
00:44:54.320 --> 00:44:54.639
Yeah.
00:44:54.800 --> 00:45:02.559
You know, and then if I were to ask to tell that story even 25 years ago or back, it can't be done.
00:45:03.199 --> 00:45:09.599
That that that scenario can't happen pre-2001.
00:45:10.320 --> 00:45:16.000
Around 2003 or 4 or 5 is when virtual tryon got introduced in clothing and things like that.
00:45:16.159 --> 00:45:26.159
But yeah, you know, again, took a very, very long time to get pulled and introduced, and it still has bizarre limited use, which I don't really understand in a lot of sales environments.
00:45:27.039 --> 00:45:30.400
That is really a fascinating thing to say.
00:45:30.559 --> 00:45:35.440
That that scenario you just described, social media saw a frame, went out of frame.
00:45:36.239 --> 00:45:40.960
How can we compare that to how business was done when that guy started his lab?
00:45:41.679 --> 00:45:42.239
Yeah.
00:45:42.559 --> 00:45:48.480
I'm sure there is some comparison, but not really like that, short of an optician going and showing frames.
00:45:49.920 --> 00:45:53.360
And we know the on-site optician did actually exist in the early 90s.
00:45:53.599 --> 00:45:54.239
I would love to be a motion.
00:45:55.519 --> 00:45:57.760
I would love to pay me to come to your house.
00:45:57.920 --> 00:46:02.239
I will bring you trays of frames that I think will work, and we will get you fitted.
00:46:02.480 --> 00:46:03.599
You don't even need to leave your home.
00:46:03.760 --> 00:46:09.920
Just pay for my flight, get me a meal, and give me a little bit of extra money, and we're good.
00:46:10.239 --> 00:46:17.360
There's an optician, well, there's several that do this, and most of them do it in rural and smaller communities that do it at any successful.
00:46:17.599 --> 00:46:23.519
And they're you and they're embedding safety eyewear fittings at plants and all these other things because that's how that's how they're making a living.
00:46:23.840 --> 00:46:25.199
You bring up an interesting thing.
00:46:25.280 --> 00:46:26.880
There's a couple in large cities.
00:46:27.039 --> 00:46:28.559
Toronto is the one that comes to mind.
00:46:28.719 --> 00:46:32.960
There's a woman in Toronto who has has an absolute mobile booty.
00:46:33.519 --> 00:46:46.960
I mean, she goes up into high rises and sells two sets of glasses, two sets of glasses, two uh, you know, husband and wife, 12 pairs of glasses, and she's she's made enough money for six months and she's good to go.
00:46:47.280 --> 00:46:48.159
You know, yeah.
00:46:48.320 --> 00:46:51.119
I mean, but she's there, they don't have to worry about it.
00:46:51.280 --> 00:46:55.440
It's all done in their living room, and they have more money and then they know what to do with.
00:46:55.519 --> 00:46:56.639
They're probably known people.
00:46:56.800 --> 00:47:01.599
If you're like a local athlete, it's not always cool to just just be able to waltz on it.
00:47:01.679 --> 00:47:08.400
Some people like it and want to do that, but you can't always just waltz into a place, you know, and have a normal exchange.
00:47:08.480 --> 00:47:09.360
It just can't happen.
00:47:09.840 --> 00:47:19.679
At the office I was at in New Jersey, we had a very famous singer as a patient and a very famous TV person as a patient.
00:47:19.920 --> 00:47:28.400
And we were very mindful of hey, so-and-so's coming in today, just so we're all remember, keep it in your pants.
00:47:28.559 --> 00:47:29.360
It's okay.
00:47:29.519 --> 00:47:32.239
Like, don't make a big deal about this.
00:47:32.400 --> 00:47:35.039
Like, they're normal people, and we will treat them as such.
00:47:35.199 --> 00:47:44.559
Because it's hard for some of these people to go out in the regular world and go to their doctor's appointment, go to get coffee, go to do these things.
00:47:44.719 --> 00:47:48.800
And like, I mean, I'm literally from where Bruce Springsteen's from.
00:47:48.880 --> 00:47:52.239
You see Bruce walking around, leave him a lot, like say hi.
00:47:52.960 --> 00:47:55.840
You can say hi to people, but like, don't follow them.
00:47:55.920 --> 00:48:00.960
Don't make a huge Usually they're out grocery shopping, getting a coffee, doing a normal thing.
00:48:01.280 --> 00:48:02.320
Treat them as such.
00:48:02.480 --> 00:48:13.920
So, like, when we had these people, these I'm gonna very frankly say celebrities come into my office in New Jersey, I was at, like, I had some of the best conversations with them because I didn't treat them any different.
00:48:14.159 --> 00:48:18.320
Would I have loved to, at this point in my career, be like, hey Tom, I really need new glasses.
00:48:18.480 --> 00:48:19.039
Can you come over?
00:48:19.199 --> 00:48:19.760
Oh, yes.
00:48:19.920 --> 00:48:20.960
It's my dream.
00:48:21.119 --> 00:48:25.679
I have two optical dreams is to style Bruce Springsteen in a pair of glasses.
00:48:25.920 --> 00:48:27.760
That is my number one optical dream.
00:48:27.920 --> 00:48:31.920
And the other is to do like a New York Fashion Week tag team with a designer.
00:48:32.079 --> 00:48:36.079
I do the glasses, they do the outfits, and just do it that way.
00:48:36.800 --> 00:48:38.800
And like, those are my goals.
00:48:38.960 --> 00:48:42.480
You don't have to be in your shop to do that.
00:48:42.639 --> 00:48:43.599
They're huge goals.
00:48:43.760 --> 00:48:46.719
I mean, I have eight Bruce Springsteen tattoos.
00:48:47.039 --> 00:48:48.480
I'm a little obsessed.
00:48:48.800 --> 00:48:50.719
They're very obtainable goals.
00:48:51.039 --> 00:48:53.679
And he certainly needs glasses these days, I'm sure.
00:48:53.920 --> 00:49:00.400
I mean, he's he yeah, and I've seen him wearing glasses, and I'm like, oof, Bruce, baby, come see me.
00:49:01.280 --> 00:49:04.079
You mentioned that you sold a plethora of meta.
00:49:04.480 --> 00:49:04.960
How has that?
00:49:05.360 --> 00:49:05.920
So two meta.
00:49:06.320 --> 00:49:07.440
Oh, I thought it was more than that.
00:49:07.519 --> 00:49:10.960
I thought there was a few that came in and you okay, you got rid of them.
00:49:11.199 --> 00:49:11.360
Okay.
00:49:11.679 --> 00:49:13.039
I'm trying to not work with them.
00:49:13.199 --> 00:49:16.400
I am so I am very rid of them, you didn't sell them.
00:49:16.480 --> 00:49:17.119
You got rid of them.
00:49:17.840 --> 00:49:18.000
Okay.
00:49:18.559 --> 00:49:20.079
Just for clarity.
00:49:20.480 --> 00:49:21.599
It might ruffle.
00:49:21.679 --> 00:49:29.440
I don't know any you know, partnerships with whoever, but like I am wildly against the vast majority of people getting metaglasses.
00:49:29.599 --> 00:49:35.920
I believe that there are instances for folks with low vision, hearing issues, things of that sort where it makes sense.
00:49:36.159 --> 00:49:36.320
Right.
00:49:36.559 --> 00:49:48.400
I think that right now those glasses are being tampered with too much, and it's creating unsafe situations for people, and I don't like recording people without consent, and it allows that too much.
00:49:48.800 --> 00:49:56.000
The nuanced glasses I have not worked with, but I know people who have 100% get those hearing glasses.
00:49:56.159 --> 00:49:56.880
I love that.
00:49:57.039 --> 00:50:01.920
And I've referred people to meta because I know your father is very low vision.
00:50:02.159 --> 00:50:03.519
It makes sense for me.
00:50:03.760 --> 00:50:10.000
I am not a fan of Luxotica in any way, and I'm I'm very open about it.
00:50:10.159 --> 00:50:10.400
Right.
00:50:10.639 --> 00:50:19.440
I think that there will be a time where the AI glasses make more sense, and I don't think we're there yet.
00:50:19.760 --> 00:50:30.320
Well, your Ray Band sales are around the industry, they're deliberately placed in your Best Buys, your microcenters, your electronics stores.
00:50:30.719 --> 00:50:37.440
And when our wholesale cost is almost what they're selling them for direct to consumer, why am I gonna sell them?
00:50:37.679 --> 00:50:38.159
Right.
00:50:38.400 --> 00:50:41.679
Well, all every reason that you that you said is true.
00:50:41.840 --> 00:50:45.199
However, the marketing is madly insane.
00:50:45.360 --> 00:50:53.679
There's two things number of people that want Ray-Bans slapped on their lens, and also the number of people that just want smart eyewear.
00:50:53.760 --> 00:50:55.679
Now, I will I just want to say this real quick.
00:50:55.840 --> 00:51:10.400
I heard a scenario this past week that impressed me about smart eyewear, and it was essentially a roofer owner, small crew, just him and his crew, but he's able to field a phone call from the roof, and he wasn't able to do that before.
00:51:10.480 --> 00:51:10.800
Yeah.
00:51:11.039 --> 00:51:12.400
And that's that's a win.
00:51:12.480 --> 00:51:15.840
That's that could be that could be lost, the lost business right there.
00:51:16.639 --> 00:51:20.480
Tattoo artists are using them at conventions when they're tattooing people, right?
00:51:20.639 --> 00:51:36.719
That's why that's so that's the only reason I brought these in at the docs office was because I had a tattoo artist explicitly ask me if I can order him a pair of meta glasses because he's got a bunch of conventions coming up and he really wants to use them to create content for his socials for it.
00:51:36.800 --> 00:51:38.639
And I said, absolutely, you know what?
00:51:39.119 --> 00:51:39.599
Sure.
00:51:39.920 --> 00:51:40.639
Very cool.
00:51:40.880 --> 00:51:42.239
And then he ghosted me.
00:51:42.480 --> 00:51:43.840
Well, he's data driven.
00:51:44.000 --> 00:51:46.239
He probably had he had to fix his car or something.
00:51:46.320 --> 00:51:48.320
But you know, he he got him somewhere else.
00:51:48.559 --> 00:51:49.519
Oh, that's see now.
00:51:50.880 --> 00:51:57.679
But you know, it just the reality is that it's it is something that isn't going to deplete.
00:51:58.079 --> 00:52:01.039
The people are going to ask about it routinely.
00:52:01.119 --> 00:52:03.519
The marketing is so heavy for smart eyewear.
00:52:04.320 --> 00:52:09.840
There's a strong pushing perception that the smart eyewear will literally replace this.
00:52:10.639 --> 00:52:11.599
That's what they're saying.
00:52:12.000 --> 00:52:13.920
Well, but not everyone wears glasses.
00:52:14.239 --> 00:52:22.800
And you know, by the same token, you know, it the nice thing about this is being able to put it down and walk away from it.
00:52:23.119 --> 00:52:23.440
Yeah.
00:52:23.760 --> 00:52:28.960
And you know, if you need your glasses to see or whatever may be the case, I worry about the embedding.
00:52:29.119 --> 00:52:34.639
I worry about uh a prescribed item suddenly being used for something else.
00:52:34.960 --> 00:52:35.280
Yeah.
00:52:35.440 --> 00:52:38.320
And there's there's things about it I'm not stoked on.
00:52:38.960 --> 00:52:39.519
Completely.
00:52:39.760 --> 00:52:45.360
We could talk for an hour about this, but it it is a it's not gonna go away.
00:52:45.519 --> 00:52:48.000
I I definitely want the topic to be discussed.
00:52:48.159 --> 00:52:57.360
But I I also want to ask you uh, you know, eight years in, give us a good technology experience that you've had and a bad one.
00:52:57.679 --> 00:52:58.239
Yeah.
00:52:58.480 --> 00:52:59.679
Photochromics.
00:52:59.760 --> 00:53:00.719
I'm just gonna say it.
00:53:00.800 --> 00:53:04.320
In eight years, photochromics have changed so dramatically.
00:53:04.559 --> 00:53:05.519
They have, they really have.
00:53:05.679 --> 00:53:11.039
And I, of all of these, I think I have like 25 pairs with a photochromic lens of some sort in it.
00:53:11.280 --> 00:53:16.000
They're not all made the same, and I can bash certain lap manufacturers and praise others.
00:53:16.239 --> 00:53:18.400
Transitions has not always been great.
00:53:18.559 --> 00:53:21.360
Transitions brand photochromics have not always been great.
00:53:21.599 --> 00:53:23.280
Gen S came out and I lost my mind.
00:53:23.360 --> 00:53:26.079
I bought like 12 pairs in the first two months that it came out.
00:53:26.320 --> 00:53:30.480
It is so much faster to dark, it is so much faster to clear.
00:53:30.719 --> 00:53:32.480
The color options are incredible.
00:53:32.639 --> 00:53:33.920
I'm a Trivex boy.
00:53:34.000 --> 00:53:38.079
They need to start making colors in Trivex because that's a negative, it's a limited thing.
00:53:38.480 --> 00:53:41.119
So I do see I like CR39 as well.
00:53:41.280 --> 00:53:44.239
So I'll do CR39 all day for colors and things of that sort.
00:53:44.559 --> 00:53:45.119
Right, right.
00:53:45.440 --> 00:53:47.760
Photochromics have really improved.
00:53:48.000 --> 00:53:54.079
Zeiss has done a really good job with there's the Zeiss Burgundy is stupid good.
00:53:54.320 --> 00:53:55.280
Stupid good.
00:53:55.599 --> 00:53:58.159
And I have nothing but good things to say about it.
00:53:58.400 --> 00:54:02.159
I've done the burgundy with the Dirgold AR, and it just looks awesome.
00:54:02.400 --> 00:54:08.480
Photochromics, I think, has been for me personally, because I'm not a Press Biope, I don't wear a progressive.
00:54:08.719 --> 00:54:19.440
For me personally, photochromics has gone from a really negative stigma to younger people are starting to wear them and they're having fun.
00:54:19.599 --> 00:54:21.599
And it's the same with tinted lenses.
00:54:21.679 --> 00:54:29.039
I love a lens tint, I love fashion tints, I love feeling just some sort of way, and that's becoming a thing.
00:54:29.199 --> 00:54:34.159
That blush tint on the bottom of a lens is so cute.
00:54:34.320 --> 00:54:40.480
So I'm gonna say photochromics and tints in general, huge uplift in technology in the industry.
00:54:40.639 --> 00:54:53.119
And I'm gonna say a negative in technology, I think people are getting too reli opticians are getting too reliant on technology doing their job.
00:54:53.760 --> 00:55:11.840
Whether it's the digital measurements, which is I'm not against them, but the digital measurements, a plug-and-play progressive, not figure, like we're relying on yes, the lens technology has grown so well, but like not everyone is a plug-and-play progressive wearer.
00:55:11.920 --> 00:55:16.079
Some people need for their lifestyle a short, fast corridor.
00:55:16.239 --> 00:55:23.519
Or and like a lot of folks, I think, have gotten so easy of we're just using this lens design, we're not thinking about customization.
00:55:24.320 --> 00:55:36.320
It's not a bad thing technology-wise, but it's a bad thing when we stop really thinking about the technology and like why are we fitting people in this lens design?
00:55:36.960 --> 00:55:44.239
Like, I want my job to be easier, I want my staff's job to be easier, but I also want us to understand well, not everyone's plug and play.
00:55:44.559 --> 00:55:50.480
No, they're not, but we're in a unique time because people do an enormous amount of research.
00:55:50.639 --> 00:55:57.199
And I mean, there's there's very specific driving wear lenses that have really come across the screen.
00:55:57.360 --> 00:56:00.400
You mentioned ZISES that have a spectacular drive safe lens.
00:56:00.719 --> 00:56:05.599
Yeah this those driving products are known by consumers when they arrive.
00:56:05.840 --> 00:56:07.519
It's a different world in that regard.
00:56:07.679 --> 00:56:14.000
And I I I I enjoy looking forward to a day when this becomes natural nuance.
00:56:14.239 --> 00:56:19.360
So as soon as someone books an appointment, all they're given is their first middle and last name.
00:56:19.679 --> 00:56:32.719
And all the other data is including, you know, in a perfect world, you know, people's nuances and like you mentioned how they are as a human.
00:56:33.039 --> 00:56:38.559
You know, those types of exchanges are going to always be inherently just human.
00:56:38.960 --> 00:56:43.840
But being able to see them and reflect on them might bring out other memories.
00:56:44.400 --> 00:57:02.159
And to me, any time and place during the exchange that we can document and revisit later, which is exactly what a recorded session is when you're styling, you know, with IC clearly, that is the point to look at it later and go back and say, look at what we were talking about two years ago.
00:57:02.320 --> 00:57:03.760
Yeah, and be able to review it.
00:57:05.679 --> 00:57:06.480
It's unique.
00:57:06.639 --> 00:57:08.800
That doesn't exist, you know.
00:57:09.119 --> 00:57:11.920
Hey, how was that vacation you said you were going on last year?
00:57:12.000 --> 00:57:14.159
You said you you and the family were going to Greece.
00:57:14.320 --> 00:57:15.920
Like, right, how was that?
00:57:16.000 --> 00:57:25.199
Like, I I would love to just be able to talk to people and then like have some sort of scribe putting in highlights from the conversation so I don't have to put notes in.
00:57:25.360 --> 00:57:31.760
But like I love when I see someone's coming in or someone I know, especially the doctor's office, and I put notes in.
00:57:31.920 --> 00:57:37.840
Hey, you know, Peter was going to Greece, and then like, oh, I know they're coming in today, they're on the schedule.
00:57:38.000 --> 00:57:40.800
Let me look up something about Greece so I can have something to talk about.
00:57:41.519 --> 00:57:45.360
Hey, did you go see those houses with the the roofs that everyone loves?
00:57:45.679 --> 00:57:46.320
That was the part.
00:57:46.960 --> 00:57:47.519
Yeah, exactly.
00:57:47.679 --> 00:57:49.440
Did you did you sing Mamma Mia?
00:57:49.679 --> 00:57:53.119
Like, I don't know, like, but it's it's to follow up.
00:57:53.199 --> 00:58:05.440
So, like, I think, like, like you said, like that recorded conversation with it's I see clearly like could be a really awesome thing to just be like, do you remember Peter last year when we were talking about this?
00:58:05.599 --> 00:58:08.639
Like that is that is really cool.
00:58:08.880 --> 00:58:16.239
And like again, we I see these impacts in tiny levels and safety venues and whatnot where I can't share the stuff and I don't go down that road with my personals.
00:58:16.400 --> 00:58:22.719
But the truth is that is a tool that can only be envisioned by being able to demonstrate it in front of people.
00:58:22.880 --> 00:58:26.239
So we're we're getting ready to do that uh in the oncoming weeks.
00:58:26.400 --> 00:58:32.079
But that is a tool that can be used very succinctly later on, you know.
00:58:32.159 --> 00:58:37.519
I I often would have a a thought of somebody in a bad place, somebody who's quite sick.
00:58:37.920 --> 00:58:47.119
And maybe maybe they have to style from a hospital, and then they're in remission, and then two years later, when they've got hair, they're looking back at this with their optician.
00:58:47.519 --> 00:58:52.800
You've you've got a relationship for life there, and that's the kind of thing that you fully understand.
00:58:53.039 --> 00:58:58.480
I think you under you understand this stuff at a little bit of a different level than maybe some of us that have been around a long time.
00:58:58.960 --> 00:59:06.880
And and how you connect that with social media and how you can help grow it first of all, we didn't even get into the self-branding of Tom Scott classes.
00:59:07.119 --> 00:59:20.960
I would love to have a conversation with you and maybe even have you and Rick in on a conversation to talk about your philosophy with this because self-branding and and we mentioned a little bit of it earlier.
00:59:21.039 --> 00:59:25.199
Uh some of the best opticians that I've been around, I don't even know that well.
00:59:25.280 --> 00:59:32.559
But when they hand me a card that says styled by jewels or something like that, there's no indicators on that card where she's from or whatever.
00:59:32.800 --> 00:59:37.280
But the truth is she has an enormous amount of pride in the work that she did with you.
00:59:37.599 --> 00:59:42.239
Yeah, I mean, you get like Rick, Rick is known for his branding.
00:59:42.480 --> 00:59:45.760
The octet octician, she's doing the damn thing.
00:59:45.920 --> 00:59:46.159
Right, right.
00:59:46.239 --> 00:59:50.559
And then the optical nomad Heather, she's out in California or no, Colorado.
00:59:50.639 --> 00:59:57.440
Like there's people that are doing this branding because when we realize we're promoting, we're creating back to the value.
00:59:57.519 --> 01:00:00.800
We create value in the products, but we also create value in who we are.
01:00:01.199 --> 01:00:08.239
And if we are not branding ourselves, you're gonna get people loyal to a brand that has nothing to do with you, that you're just selling.
01:00:08.480 --> 01:00:13.360
You want people to become loyal to your brand to whiteboard Pete.
01:00:13.599 --> 01:00:15.599
Like, I want people to know this.
01:00:15.760 --> 01:00:20.400
Like Tom's got glasses, optical Jedi, Optician, Optical Nomad.
01:00:20.480 --> 01:00:23.679
Like, to do these things, it's not hard.
01:00:24.000 --> 01:00:24.480
Right.
01:00:24.719 --> 01:00:25.199
Right.
01:00:25.519 --> 01:00:45.599
It allows you to go into different personal lanes, it allows you to open up where you want to about yourself, and and it allows you to create a branded identity that can jive with the how you believe, you know, and uh that's I think the the the most unique thing because sometimes if you're an optician in a place, you've really kind of identified with that place.
01:00:46.400 --> 01:00:50.880
And and an op big supporter in optician stepping up and branding themselves.
01:00:51.360 --> 01:00:57.199
Yeah, I mean, I left the office I was at for seven years and I was getting stopped in the grocery store for like three months.
01:00:58.000 --> 01:00:58.639
Where are you?
01:00:58.880 --> 01:01:05.679
And I I it's crazy, is like my response was never, oh, you should leave where I was and come see me here.
01:01:05.840 --> 01:01:06.079
Right.
01:01:06.239 --> 01:01:10.000
It was always I know that that office is providing you great care.
01:01:10.800 --> 01:01:12.880
It was time for me to try something new.
01:01:13.039 --> 01:01:14.000
Here's where I am.
01:01:14.159 --> 01:01:14.320
Right.
01:01:14.480 --> 01:01:19.920
I would be happy to see you, but please, like, don't feel obligated to come and just see me.
01:01:20.159 --> 01:01:20.400
Right.
01:01:20.559 --> 01:01:23.440
Like, because I don't want to poach patients.
01:01:23.599 --> 01:01:24.719
That's not how I roll.
01:01:25.199 --> 01:01:30.480
I still I still refer people to the doctor who I worked for for seven years and I no longer work there.
01:01:30.639 --> 01:01:32.639
I work for a different doctor, half hour away.
01:01:32.719 --> 01:01:34.719
But someone says, Hey Tom, I need an eye doctor.
01:01:34.800 --> 01:01:38.480
I tell them who to go to because I worked for him and he's good.
01:01:39.039 --> 01:01:40.559
I think that's awesome.
01:01:40.800 --> 01:01:52.239
Uh I know Woody's is carried by Heather, so would that definitely a shout out to Woody's and and Heather's work, and uh hopefully I'll get her on here for a conversation one of these days.
01:01:52.480 --> 01:01:53.119
You should.
01:01:53.280 --> 01:01:54.559
Yeah, she's a sweetheart.
01:01:54.719 --> 01:01:56.719
Yeah, it that'll definitely happen.
01:01:56.880 --> 01:01:59.039
Well, you know, we've talked for more than an hour.
01:01:59.199 --> 01:02:01.519
Is there anything that you want to add to wrap this up?
01:02:01.679 --> 01:02:02.880
Um Yeah.
01:02:03.440 --> 01:02:05.119
Optical people, guess what?
01:02:05.360 --> 01:02:15.840
We're doing something really cool, and I think this year, next year is a time where I'm seeing a shift in opticians taking pride in opticianry.
01:02:16.000 --> 01:02:16.320
Yes.
01:02:16.559 --> 01:02:26.800
And I want to encourage all of the opticians out there to find other opticians and form relationships with them and share your wisdom and ask questions from other people.
01:02:26.960 --> 01:02:27.840
We're a team.
01:02:28.000 --> 01:02:32.880
This is not about me being better than you, you being better than me, me being better than them, whatever.
01:02:33.199 --> 01:02:37.440
We have to work together and support each other.
01:02:38.159 --> 01:02:39.360
I love that message.
01:02:39.679 --> 01:02:42.559
It's certainly it's the message of the UOA.
01:02:42.639 --> 01:02:44.639
It's the best thing that's happening right now.
01:02:44.800 --> 01:02:49.599
And uh yeah, we're we're all gonna be coming together and growing and growing in different ways.
01:02:49.760 --> 01:02:52.159
So well, thank you so much, Tom.
01:02:52.320 --> 01:02:53.440
I really appreciate it.
01:02:53.840 --> 01:02:56.880
This has been another episode of Optometry Profits Reveal.
01:02:57.280 --> 01:03:01.360
By all means, check out all of the links that will be in the show notes.
01:03:01.519 --> 01:03:03.280
Participate in the profit prescription quiz.
01:03:03.360 --> 01:03:07.039
If you want to get an idea how your practice ranks, we'll be happy to tell you.
01:03:07.280 --> 01:03:08.159
Thank you so much.
01:03:08.320 --> 01:03:09.519
Take care, everybody.