The Cold, Hard Truth: 5 Lessons Learned In My First Year

As we wrap up 2024, and my first calendar year in my cold start practice, Look New Canaan, I spent some time reflecting on the past year, and what I have learned and experienced. Not surprisingly, there are some life lessons that have stuck with me through this process. While these can certainly be applied to cold starts, they are also valuable to practitioners at each stage of their career.

1. Be flexible. As someone who loves metrics (more on that later) and a plan, learning to be a little more flexible and make changes on the fly can sometimes be difficult. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in my cold start journey was that things don’t always go to plan and you have to be willing to adapt. My first taste of this? The first space I had my eye on (and what I considered my “dream space”) didn’t work out. The space was available, we looked at it with our realtor, and we were on our way, but the negotiations were a nightmare. The ultimate answer was that we decided to walk away, but then we had to regroup and start from scratch. I decided to widen my search and look at slightly smaller spaces in a neighboring town, and when I did that, my current space popped up in my search. The negotiations were much easier, the landlord was great to work with, and in hindsight, this space was a FAR better choice for us. In the moment, it didn’t feel that things would work out. However, once I decided to be more adaptable, it all worked out for the best.
2. Have a mission and vision. We just talked about the need for flexibility, but I am also here to tell you there are some things you should not budge on. When I set out to create Look New Canaan, I had a very specific vision in mind. I knew what it would look like (although maybe not exactly where!), who we would be trying to attract, and what type of care I wanted to provide. Why is this important? Because along the way of creating this dream practice, you will be pulled in so many different directions and start to question the decisions you made. We are part of a wonderful industry with lots of choices in who we work with, and it can be overwhelming to pick and choose your equipment, vendors, alliances, EHR, and frame companies. So many of us make choices, but then we question and second guess them. We are bombarded by opinions at meetings and on social media, and while information is power, information overload can lead to decision paralysis.   
   
   How can we weed through the noise and ensure we make the right decisions?  For me, it always comes back to my mission and vision for Look. Are the decisions I am making in alignment with what I am trying to create?  If not, then the answer is simply no. Once I have made the decision, I move on — no second guessing or overthinking required!
   
   By having a concrete idea of what patient you are trying to attract, and what type of business you are creating, you can truly simplify the seemingly unending number of choices and decisions you have to make. And best of all? This doesn’t only apply to cold start practices! Established practice owners still are bombarded with choices, but going back to your practice vision and mission will never steer you wrong.
3. Be different — it’s ok! This has been one of my absolute favorite lessons I have learned through this process. One of my favorite parts of optometry is how many choices we have in how we see patients, what technology we choose, where we practice, what type of services we provide, etc. It would be very hard to find two practices who are identical — or even similar. That being said, so many of us are afraid to do things truly differently, and we worry that if it hasn’t been done before (or we just don’t hear about it), it won’t be successful and it isn’t worth trying.
   
   I have found the total opposite to be the case! Part of the fun of starting over and opening a cold start practice after being in the industry for 17 years is the opportunity to do things differently and think outside the box. This can sometimes make people nervous, and I have had people ask me, “But what if it doesn’t work?” We have already talked about the importance of being flexible and having an open mind. If something doesn’t work, I figure out why and fix it. Without trying, we will never know.
   
   What are some of the ways we bucked the trends at Look? We don’t have a front desk. That’s right! There is no one sitting at a desk to check patients in. Instead, everyone has a responsibility to greet the patient and get them where they need to be. We don’t have any forms — paper or online. We take all patient demographic information when they schedule an appointment, and we do all the patient history in the consult room. No paper needed! We also are open access for all medical insurances and most vision care plans. I certainly see both medical and comprehensive patients here, and we help patients file for out-of-network benefits. This decision, while not right for everyone, goes back to my vision and mission and the type of care I wanted to provide here at Look.
4. Ask for help. Optometry can often be a lonely career, as we don’t always have the opportunity to collaborate, share ideas, or meet with colleagues. Between running our practices, seeing patients, and spending time with our family, it’s often hard to find “extra” time to meet up with our fellow optometrists. We also often feel that we need to do everything ourselves, and we may feel that asking for help from a consultant or colleague makes us somehow weaker. I’m here to tell you that asking for advice and guidance is so helpful as a business person! Business leaders in general know how important this is, and this is why business/life coaching has become such a growing industry. Take advantage of the advice and guidance of those who are knowledgeable in our industry. You may learn something new, save time, and become more profitable! Just because we CAN do something doesn’t mean we absolutely need to do it ourselves, without help.
5. HAVE FUN!  So often we go through this process with our heads down. There are so many areas of stress, so many decisions and choices to be made, sometimes some heartbreak and disappointment, and the ever present thought of, “Am I doing the right thing?” We forget that we create a practice to suit us not just professionally and financially, but also personally, and what we do actually can bring enjoyment. One of the biggest compliments I receive from patients is, “Wow, you really do seem to love what you do!” And I do. Sure, there are challenging days with difficult patients, staff turnover, and general business headaches, but when I actually take the time to step back and look at what I have created in such a short amount of time, I can’t help but be proud. I set out to create a space that I look forward to coming to every day, and a practice that provides a special type of patient care. Seeing the way our community has supported and embraced Look lets me know I am doing it right, and we will continue to push on. Having my former patients seek me out and follow me here is also a great feeling. It’s exciting to know that someone values the care you provide and wants to continue that with you in a new space.

Cold starting a practice is challenging, but a lot of the lessons I learned through this process can also be applied to life in general. I definitely learned to be more flexible not only professionally, but personally, and have gotten better at asking for help, thinking outside the box, and having fun. I also look forward to what lessons I will learn in 2025 — our second year of being open!