Learnings from becoming a business owner with Specsavers

Dr Lisjen Puka tells us what it’s like from his perspective as a clinic owner and optometry partner at Specsavers Dorval Crossing. 

What led you to a partnership with Specsavers?

I’ve always wanted to have and run my own business. After working as an associate for many years, I quickly realized how limiting that was, so I was always looking for the right opportunity to build and grow something for myself. A Specsavers partnership was a great fit for what I was looking for.

What does your day-to-day involve as an optometry partner?

Being a partner involves being an optometrist that sees patients on a daily basis while also being a business owner. It's very rewarding (and sometimes challenging) to be able to run your clinic exactly the way you want it – from scheduling and exam times to staffing and scope of practice.

A typical day starts with a brief meeting with my retail partner and team to go over specific goals for the day. This is followed by clinical hours and a debrief at the end of the day to go over our performance. During peak seasons or busier days, I spend more time seeing patients and when I have down time, I spend more time analyzing the business performance and coming up with strategies for growth.

How does the Specsavers partnership work for you?

The partnership with Specsavers is unique and streamlined as you have a retail partner that helps with the operational side of the business, planning, and strategy. In addition, Specsavers provides us with professional business guidance, development tools, and seminars through their support office.

The support office team helps to fill the gaps in the business knowledge and overall strategy that I lack as a healthcare provider. They’re very helpful at the start of the year in helping us draft a business plan, forecast, and metrics needed in order to succeed.

What would you say to people thinking about becoming an optometry partner?

The best thing to do is to work for a period of time as an associate in a clinic within a Specsavers location in order to get the full picture and see how partners spend their days. This way a prospective leader can observe the partners in all the different aspects of their role. I would ask them to be ready for a challenge, especially at the beginning, that is ultimately going to be rewarding.

Make sure you're ready to lead your own clinic and know that you will be responsible for your success. The better you are with patients and the more creativity you have in order to grow your clinic, the better you'll do!