By Staff
Wednesday, January 15, 2020 3:55 PM
CLAYTON, N.C.—The journey to practice ownership, especially as a cold start, is a challenging one. It wasn’t the original plan for Julie Belanger, OD. “I wasn’t married and as a first-generation optometrist I didn’t have family resources or external finances to fall back on,” she said. She had learned in a business class at The Ohio State College of Optometry about the appeal of the Raleigh-Durham area in North Carolina, so after a binocular vision and contact lens residency at The University of California, Berkeley and gaining experience, she relocated.
By Staff
Wednesday, January 15, 2020 3:40 PM
AUSTIN, Texas—Optometrists and eyecare professionals are equal amounts excited and curious about the future of the industry. The team at VisionWeb is keen to help ECPs better understand how new technology can help transform everyday workflow.
By Staff
Wednesday, January 15, 2020 12:05 PM
Sunny Eye Shop in Brooklyn, New York, has donated 14 pounds of used contact lens foils for recycling with TerraCycle and Bausch + Lomb. They welcome donations from everyone and any brand.
By Staff
Wednesday, January 15, 2020 10:02 AM
MUNICH, Germany—The first trade show of the year, opti is always a fantastic place to get a feel for what might be trending in eyewear over the course of the next 12 months, and this year’s show was no exception. Packed with 28,000 visitors and 605 exhibitors, opti 2020 offered a landscape of trends, from new and exciting eyewear shapes to celebrity-inspired designs. While the trend forecast for 2020 is as expansive and varied as always, one particular trend seemed to stand out across the board: color.
By Staff
Friday, December 27, 2019 12:06 PM
NEW YORK—Yep, New Years is approaching. Time to look back, appreciate the wins, remember the misses and resolve to move forward. The people behind
The Balance Small Business which offers such a rich and diverse range of resources for independents of all types, have posted their
Top New Year's Resolutions for Business Success. It's striking how much independent businesses really do have in common. Check out these top resolutions and think of many ways that you can apply any of them to running a successful independent optical boutique and professional eyecare office that makes meaningful connections with customers and patients. And, the post points and links to the ways that "success" is a work/life balance.
By Staff
Friday, December 27, 2019 10:10 AM
NEW YORK—Finally, 2020 is on the horizon. For many in the industry, 2020 feels like a big year, and one made just for us. And, not to mention, the puns associated with the year ahead are practically endless—and there are just a few days to go now until we can all use them with abandon. As we look toward the new year, new puns, and new innovations in our field, many independent ECPs and brands are taking to social media to share well wishes and fun posts in honor of the new year. Here’s a fun look at just a few of them—to help you get in the spirit, or to give you a little inspiration for your own social media pages.
By Staff
Friday, December 27, 2019 9:22 AM
NEW YORK—Earlier this month, The Pantone Color Institute announced their 2020 color of the year:
Classic Blue. Pantone describes the color as “a timeless and enduring blue hue elegant in its simplicity.” According to Pantone, it makes the perfect choice for 2020’s Color of the Year because, “Instilling calm, confidence, and connection, this enduring blue hue highlights our desire for a dependable and stable foundation on which to build as we cross the threshold into a new era. Suggestive of the sky at dusk, the reassuring qualities of the thought-provoking Pantone 19-4052 Classic Blue highlight our desire for stability.”
By Staff
Thursday, December 26, 2019 12:02 PM
Winston-Salem, North Carolina based Eyes on Trade took to Instagram to share the news that they won a December window display contest held by their local Downtown Arts District Association.
Image via Eyes on Trade on Instagram.
By Staff
Wednesday, December 11, 2019 1:13 PM
NEW YORK—Last week,
Giving Tuesday gave people all around the world the opportunity to give back and help others with donations of time, money, food, or anything else. Many large companies and non-profits in the eyecare and eyewear industries get involved with Giving Tuesday through large-scale fundraisers, volunteering efforts, or charitable initiatives to donate proceeds and products to those in need.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Wednesday, December 11, 2019 12:00 PM
DES PLAINES, Ill.—After Shelley Kim, OD, graduated from Illinois College of Optometry, she, like many other independents, never really planned on opening her own practice. But, in April of 2002 she did exactly that, opening
Best Vision Optometry in Des Plaines, Illinois, inspired, mostly, by her desire to spend more time with her sons. At the time, her youngest son was just nine months old, and owning her own business while raising her kids “worked out in a way that the boys grew up more mature and independent at earlier age,” Emily Alpizar, Best Vision’s office manager, told
Vision Monday.
By Staff
Wednesday, December 11, 2019 9:34 AM
NEW YORK—When most people think of Hootsuite, tasks like managing, tracking and scheduling digital and social media posts are usually top of mind. But did you know that Hootsuite has a very helpful
Resource Center with many step-by-step guides and informative, easy to digest reports. Here is a brief rundown of some of their most popular resources, which are free and designed to help you succeed in social media.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Tuesday, November 26, 2019 3:18 PM
NEW YORK—With Thanksgiving on the horizon, the holiday shopping season is officially full steam ahead. As usual, there’s no shortage of Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals to take advantage of this year—but, for many independent ECPs across the country, it’s Small Business Saturday (this year on Nov. 30th) that really makes a difference.
By Staff
Tuesday, November 26, 2019 11:56 AM
The team at Graeme Black Eyecare, in Cookstown, Northern Ireland, shared on Instagram that they won the Best Retailer award at their local 2019 Mid Ulster Business Excellence Awards.
Image via Graeme Black Eyecare on Instagram.