Optometrists Building Empires

Welcome to Optometrists Building Empires! Each week, host Ankit Patel, explores the journey of practice ownership and leadership in optometry with some of the top minds in his field. This show is sponsored by My Business Care Team: We help increase revenue, reduce costs, and reduce staffing headaches. Let's build your empire together!

Optometrists Building Empires is a business podcast hosted by Ankit Patel, with 112 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Ankit Patel hosts Optometrists Building Empires, a business show with 112 episodes published.

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  Episode #112

  Why Your Best People Actually Leave

  Oct 1, 202611 min

  Every practice owner has an instant answer for why their best person quit: money, a better offer, kids these days. The data and the owners who fixed it say something else. Healthcare front-line tenure averages 18 months. Some practices keep their people. The difference is system and culture, not personality. This solo episode opens with a question you have to answer out loud, then tells Nico's projection-booth story before the number lands. Real clips from Dr. Nick Lillie, Dr. Gina Wesley, and Dr. Fred Cho show what it looks like when the system owns the failure, not the person. Episode 112 of Optometrists Building Empires.

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  Episode #111

  Dr. Alex Martin: Curiosity, Grit, and the Future of Eye Care

  Sep 24, 202636 min

  Dr. Alex Martin: Curiosity, Grit, and the Future of Eye Care Dr. Alex Martin joins Ankit Patel to discuss access to eye care, remote diagnostic technology, and the role clinicians should play in shaping new tools. He shares his perspective that remote tools cannot displace full eye exams when patients need them. He also shares how a high-school biology experiment taught him persistence and why he is learning to recognize when saying yes has become overcommitment. This episode reflects Alex's views and experiences from the August 28, 2026 recording. It makes no product-performance or clinical-efficacy claim. CHAPTERS 00:00 Optometrists Building Empires 00:27 Meet Dr. Alex Martin 02:48 A career across clinical care and technology 12:16 The access gap in eye care 17:25 Remote diagnostics and access 24:02 Clinicians shaping new tools 28:02 Learning persistence 33:27 Connect with Alex CONNECT WITH ALEX LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-martin-od-faao-2a609ab0 ABOUT OPTOMETRISTS BUILDING EMPIRES https://buildingempires.live BOOK WITH ANKIT https://meetings.hubspot.com/ankit98/optometry-redefined

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  Episode #109

  Your First Associate: Hire When the Number Is Real

  Sep 3, 202621 min

  How many more hours a week does an owner spend on patient care than the associate they employ? Most owners say ten. The best national numbers put it at about two. This episode takes apart the belief behind every first-associate hire that did not work out: busyness is not demand, an associate multiplies demand but does not create it, and the number that decides the hire never shows up on a report. With real cut-ins from Dr. Carlos Grandela (Episode 092) on hiring before the patients existed versus hiring off a documented 8-to-12-week wait, and Dr. Kyle Maxam (Episode 089) on using your own patient base to fill a new doctor's column. Plus the 1962 Tusko story on scaling by the wrong input. By the numbers: owner vs employee patient-care hours 1,828 vs 1,731 (AOA 2017). Net income $172,016 vs $101,457 (AOA 2017). Seven years later $243,650 vs $156,819 (Review of Optometry 2024, n=422). Widest ownership gap: doctors 4 to 6 years in practice, $59,716 apart. One thing to count: every Monday for four weeks, write down how many days out your third open exam slot is. Under two weeks is a demand question, not a doctor shortage.

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  Episode #108

  From the Catalog: Avoiding Stagnation with Harbir Sian

  Aug 27, 202641 min

  From the Optometrists Building Empires catalog. This is the Harbir Sian conversation on avoiding stagnation, first published as episode 34. Are you ready to scale your optometry practice and embrace bold career moves? On this week’s episode of Optometrists Building Empires, host Ankit Patel sits down with Dr. Harbir Sian, award-winning optometrist, practice owner, and host of The 2020 Podcast. Dr. Sian shares how he expanded from one to three clinics, navigated staffing challenges, and leveraged public education to build a strong professional brand. If you're looking for insights on growth, resilience, and thinking big in optometry, this episode is for you! Takeaways: Success doesn’t happen in isolation, so surround yourself with people who provide honest feedback, even when it’s tough to hear. A reliable network of mentors, peers, and business partners can help refine your ideas and keep you grounded. In a challenging labor market, bringing candidates in for trial periods allows you to quickly assess their fit within your team. This approach ensures you find dedicated employees who align with your practice's culture and values. Growth requires stepping outside your comfort zone and embracing challenges that may seem intimidating at first. The biggest opportunities often come from pushing beyond what feels safe and trying new approaches. Success in optometry isn’t just about clinical skills; it’s about adjusting to industry changes and patient needs. Staying flexible and willing to pivot your business strategy ensures long-term stability and growth. Public education is more than just a way to give back—it’s a powerful tool for establishing authority and trust in your field. Creating content and sharing insights helps expand your reach and strengthen your professional brand. Scaling a practice isn’t just about opening more locations; it requires thoughtful evaluation of community needs and long-term sustainability. Strategic growth ensures your expansion benefits both your patients and your business. Quote of the Show: “ I wouldn't be where I am without the support that I've gotten from friends and family.” - Harbir Sian Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harbirsianod/ Clarity Eye Care: https://clarityeyecare.ca/our-practice/ High Street Eye Care: https://highstreeteyecare.ca/our-practice/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harbirsian.od/?hl=en 2020 Podcast: https://www.the2020podcast.com Ways to Tune In: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5w1H9BBwRXvBSSkexePYxG Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/optometrists-building-empires/id1762685070 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/689a039b-54ce-4f04-b641-66d8640d93d0 Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/optometrists-building-empires-5812208

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  Episode #107

  The No-Show Math: The Leak You Can See vs the Patient Who Never Books

  Aug 20, 202621 min

  It is 7:42. Marcus is packing two lunches. Fourteen months ago he paid in full and said see you next year. The recall text is good. He glances at it over the milk and swipes for soccer. At 9:40 your lane is empty. That hole is real, and it is the small one. The bigger leak is the patient who never makes a promise your PMS can report. This solo episode uses Dr. Bethany Fishbein's warm-start math from Episode 098 to show why a buyer totals that file wall at the closing table if you do not total it first, and three fixes that need no new hire.

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