Issue #6 | July 2025
Your monthly ticket to independent optometry excellence.
Welcome to the 2025/2026 financial year!
If you haven’t had the chance to plan or decide on goals for the coming year, we have put together some tips and ideas on how to get started including ideas you may not have considered.
Planning and setting goals are not always common in business, especially in small businesses. While it is something you read about and get advised to do, there are many reasons why business owners don’t.
Some of these reasons include
As a coach, I generally work with businesses before they open (Greenfields where I help them to set up their business), when they want to change/grow their business (often when they have not had growth for a while or are struggling to make profit), or when they are ready to sell (where time is required to get the best return). In most cases, what I end up helping with is in the areas of:
So, as a business owner where do you start?
If you do some research, there are a lot of options out there. For example, SMART goals, the 4Ps of planning, the 4Ps for product/market fit, the 3Cs of business etc… But, if you don’t have time to work on your business and set goals now, how do you have time to understand the acronyms or plan to use them to grow your practice?
In this issue I wanted to give you some ideas based on 2 business types:
Setting Goals or Plans – first time
It’s tough to get started but my advice is to follow some simple steps:
Decide what you want to achieve and why.
Include your team.
They often have ideas, and they generally know your practice and your patients.
Set some milestones and celebrate them.
Your goal might be to achieve X within 2 years but you can include small milestones on the road to achieving that end goal so you can see success and celebrate along the way.
Make sure your goals are realistic and achievable.
Let’s say you want to grow your sales by 10% but you haven’t grown more than 2% for the past 5 years. Without plans and some change, the end goal is not achievable or realistic.
As much as KPIs can seem like a dirty word, using them the right way can help.
KPIs show what is happening in your practice now, they are the result of the behaviours you and your team exhibit. When I look at a KPI report, I can see the opportunity for a practice. For example, if their second pair percentage is low and their sunglass sales are low, I might suggest they work on a multiple pair and sunglass plan. It only takes one extra pair a day or a week to start to change results. It’s the one percenters that make a difference.
Review and adapt.
The good thing about small business is you can be agile and change quickly. Review your results regularly and if the actions you have put in place have not changed your results, then learn so you can understand why. It might be that the plan needs to be altered, maybe the team need additional training or resources or maybe the road to that goal isn’t the right one. You might need to change direction, doesn’t mean you need to change the goal.
Setting Goals or Plans – updating
If you already have a well-run practice and have goals set, you might want to consider some ways to increase or update areas of the business instead.
Setting a budget
Not everyone who sets goals has a budget. A budget is good to help align what you are spending with what you are making. Setting a budget isn’t just about reducing and tightening costs, it can also be about introducing options. For example, not all practices set a budget for their marketing costs. For established businesses, a budget for marketing can be 5-10%; while for a new business or one with an aggressive growth plan, it may be as high as 15-20%. Setting a budget helps you look at what you are spending. It may shock you, so you look for alternate options for some of the areas you have costs in but overall, it’s about ensuring you are managing funds to have a reasonable return that includes paying yourself a full salary.
Updating your recall procedure
It is far cheaper to keep a patient than it is to market to bring in new patients, this is why recalls should be a big part of your business planning. Some questions to consider – Do you ask patients what their preferred contact method is? Do you send one or two follow up recalls if the first isn’t successful? If yes, do you change the method of sending? Do you segment your recall list and use more than one way to make contact? Did you know that phone recalls are very successful – particularly if the scripts are designed well or they are aimed at the right segmentation?
Reviewing your pricing and buying strategies
While suppliers have price updates, not all practices update their pricing. In the last few years, a lot of our groceries have gone up by up to 50%, fuel has increased, and so has many of the products you buy. When was the last time you reviewed your pricing? When was the last time you reviewed your pricing strategy to update the margin you need or to match where your practice sits in the market? Do you have a buying budget? While many practices look at the margin from products sold, they don’t always review their stock on hand, the age of their stock, or pricing.
Setting a category focus
If you are established and doing well but want to expand in a particular area, then planning is a good way to get started. Take time to research the area, see what others are doing well, know what your competitors (locally) are doing, understand the costs, education and resources required, consider how marketing will help etc. Planning at the beginning and setting yourself up from the start is best for a new revenue stream. It is better to be set up than it is to be chasing your tail later.
This is a topic I can write about or speak about for hours. In the end, your focus and planning should relate to your practice and what you want to achieve or be known for. The reason I love coaching is I get to work with practices to achieve their goals, not something set by a corporate business or someone else. I get to look at their results, review and plan for their opportunities. I believe that taking the time to review and plan is a big benefit in any business so I will always suggest all practices and owners consider it.
If you want to learn more about how Optipro coaching can help your business, please click here and we will be in contact.
Warm regards,
Latest Supplier Updates
Start the new financial year with a smart, scalable recall strategy. At eye2eye Marketing 360, we specialise in phone-based patient recalls — helping Optometry practices reconnect with lapsed patients, reduce no-shows, and increase bookings.
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As a member of Optipro, you already enjoy 3% off the list price on Frank and Fritz purchases.
We are excited to introduce an additional offer!
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sales@frankandfritz.com
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Contact your local BDM to know more about these new innovations. You can also call 1800 251 852 or email info@opticare.com.au.
We also want to share with you our ODMAFair 25 Gallery.
Revisit this industry event through our lens!
Taking centre stage for the latest Police Campaign is Zac Efron—acclaimed actor and producer—for De Rigo Group’s house brand. In this new campaign, the Global Artist brings his acting prowess to the forefront, placing Police at the heart of the imagery. The result is a series of intimate and intensely powerful shots that redefine the concept of masculinity—freer and less stereotyped. The campaign’s storyline revolves around audacity, a trait already embedded in Police’s DNA and reflected in its refined, iconic designs. You may have spotted the Police train in Sydney whilst visiting ODMA Fair 25. A bold campaign making waves, just like the collection itself.
Customer service phone number and email 02 9428 1500 or sales@derigo.com.au.
Vaanyard, the newest supplier to join our network would like to extend discounts on top of the exclusive Optipro Member discount off their list price:
These are one-off opening order discounts.
Imagine transforming your practice with state-of-the-art technology that elevates patient care and sets you apart from the competition.
ZEISS Vision Care is making this dream a reality for independent eye care professionals with a chance to win $100,000 worth of ZEISS equipment.
Participation is simple – From 1st July to 31st October 2025, order any pair of ZEISS SmartLife lenses in a 1.6 index or above during the competition period to gain entry into the draw.
Practices can boost their chances of winning by including a ZEISS DuraVision coating with their lenses, earning an additional entry into the draw.
The grand prize winner will have the opportunity to select from an incredible range of ZEISS equipment, including digital centration, auto and subjective refraction tools, and diagnostic technology.
Trisha Rogers, National Sales Manager at ZEISS Vision Care, expressed her excitement for the competition: “At ZEISS, we are committed to empowering eye care professionals with innovative technology that enhances their practice and improves patient outcomes. This competition is an exciting opportunity to bring cutting-edge ZEISS technology into the practice and take the customer experience to the next level.”
Practices are encouraged to contact their ZEISS Business Development Representative to discuss their wish list and learn more about the competition.
Competition Terms and Conditions:
Starts 9:00 AM AEST 1/7/25. Ends 5:00 PM AEDT 31/10/25. Open to AUST & NZ Independent Optical Providers who fulfil the entry/eligibility requirements. Major prize is Winner’s choice of any ZEISS equipment package(s) up to the value of AUD$100,000 ex GST. 4 runner-up prizes of AUD$2,000 pre-paid VISA gift card. Total prize pool is $118,000 (inc GST). Prize draw 11:00 AM AEDT 5/11/25. Winners notified via email & phone by 5/11/25 and published at tpal.com.au/promo/zeiss-100k-equipment-winners on 12/11/25. Promoter is Carl Zeiss Pty Ltd. ABN 82 008 410 704. 65 Epping Rd Macquarie Park NSW 2113. Authorised under NSW Authority No. TP/04407, ACT Permit No. TP 25/01411 and SA Permit No. T25/1051. For full T&Cs refer to tpal.com.au/promo/zeiss-100k-equipment-tc.
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