13/05 2024
Patrick Sørensen is busy when we catch up with him in Elsinore. Three months ago, he fulfilled his career dream of becoming a store owner at Louis Nielsen (Specsavers’ Danish brand name). “It feels great, even though the first few months have been quite demanding. There’re many things to deal with when starting in a completely new store, a completely new team, and a completely new city,” says Patrick.
Patrick is a great example of how quickly one can advance their career at Louis Nielsen. At 29 years of age, he started as a sales assistant in Aarhus but soon developed a keen interest in the optical aspects of the job. Consequently, he decided to become an optician after a few years. You can read that story right here. Two years ago, when he finished his training, he enrolled in Louis Nielsen’s internal ‘Partner in Development’ programme (PiD), which prepares promising candidates and new store owners for their roles.
Although he’s just started, Patrick surely doesn't hide his ambitions for the store in Elsinore.
"Our main goal is to increase our revenue while also striving to become a top-performing business in all areas. This includes achieving high levels of customer and employee satisfaction, as well as generating revenue proportional to the size of our store," says Patrick.
This may sound like a serious challenge for a newly independent person. But this is where ‘the power of partnership’ and Louis Nielsen’s special business model come into play. When you are a partner (a store owner), you’re effectively independent and can run the store pretty much as you wish. However, there’s always a safety net to catch you. Help is just a phone call away from headquarters. Headquarters assists store owners with everything from administrative tasks and financial management to demanding personnel matters. This is one of the things that Patrick values most about being an optical store owner at Louis Nielsen.
"I think it's a great way of being independent. I enjoy working with people, however, I’m not particularly interested in handling administrative tasks that come along with it. But headquarters is always there to help with all those things. I’m able to concentrate on the tasks that truly inspire me," explains Patrick.
As part of his PiD programme, Patrick also has a mentor assigned to him whom he can always call if he’s uncertain about something. He also speaks with his former store owners from Aarhus almost weekly, getting advice on this and that. According to Patrick, that kind of camaraderie and strong network between stores is a trait that defines Louis Nielsen. This network also came into play when Patrick’s retail partner in Elsinore, Andrzej Petersen, was looking for an optical partner to take his store to the next level. Patrick and Andrzej own and run the store together.
"Andrzej called because he’d read the career article about me on LinkedIn, and he’d talked to my former supervisors at Louis Nielsen in Ryesgade, who spoke highly of me. We made plans to meet up and determine if we were a good personal and professional fit. I’m good with people, whereas Andrzej is more inclined toward administrative tasks. We quickly realised that we could use our differences to make things even better,” says Patrick.
Throughout his career, he has gained various perspectives of Louis Nielsen, including his experience working on the shop floor. This experience has proved beneficial in his current role as an optical store owner, as he understands what employees require from management. He recognises that a successful business with pleased customers can only be accomplished if there’s also a high level of contentment within the team.
"It is essential to take care of your employees, as they are crucial for the success of your business. Listen to them and trust that they can handle their tasks.."
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