Dr. Blake Hughes talks with Gary about entrepreneurship in optometry. He started his own surfacing lab and will share how that came about and other opportunities in optometry.

Would you consider no longer selling soft contact lenses at your practice?  One practice did, and we find out why and how it worked out.  Nick Despotidis, OD, joins Gary to share his thought process behind contact lens disruption and its effects on his practice.

C. Randall Harrell, MD, is founder, chairman, and CEO of Regenerative Processing Plant, the manufacturer of Regener-Eyes, a first-in-class biologic eye drop to treat dry eye.  Dr. Harrell joins Gary to discuss how biologics are used in dry eye and why ODs should get involved with them. Listen to this episode to learn more about a new treatment option to help your dry eye patients.

You can't build it, then forget it. Websites require content updates and maintenance. This week, Gary examines 9 ways to help your practice website look more professional. On this episode, find out how to add website tweaks to your holiday break to-do list.

Is it time to rebrand your practice? How do you know if it is? This week, Gary outlines 4 ways to know when it's time.

If a restaurant consistently delivers food and customer experience the same way every time, why is it so hard for staff to consistently answer the phones?

Don Fox, CEO of Firehouse Subs, grew from 65 restaurants to over 1180 since becoming CEO in 2009—and franchises value consistency.

Find out how to apply this advice to your practice on this episode of the Power Hour.

Get into the holiday spirit!

It's the time of year for staff wanting time off around the holidays, considering an office holiday party, and deciding on bonus distribution.

We discuss it all this week!

Gary outlines 9 practice management habits you have to break—things you’re doing that you think are OK but really aren’t.

Here's a hint: One is spending too much time with patients. Tune into to hear the rest!

Make a big end of year push!

It's that time again....year end is staring us in the face.

It's time to make the BIG PUSH to make the numbers for 2019.

Student advocacy leads to running for Congress. Meet Bimal Patel, OD, and learn how he will offer his constituents a new lens and a new vision in 2020.

Art Epstein, OD, FAAO, joins Power Hour once again for a wide-ranging, no-holds barred conversation on:

• Hubble
• Private equity
• Online refraction
• Too many meeting/schools/students
• Cost of technology
• Healthcare politics
• VSP’s end game
• Refractive optometry’s future

Be sure to join us because chances are we will talk about more!

Ripped from the headlines! David Friedfeld from ClearVision Optical discusses how tariffs are affecting optometry. Will your practice feel it? What can you do? Tune in to find out!

Gary digs into the details about bringing on an associate. You need to think about it BEFORE you're ready!

6 things you’re doing you should stop right away – and the last one is likely to shock you!  Tune in to find out more.

Dr. Richard Shuldiner is the Founder and President of The International Academy of Low Vision Specialists. The IALVS consists of 39 low vision optometrists throughout the USA and Canada personally trained by Dr. Shuldiner. Dr. Shuldiner is Clinical Director of Low Vision Optometry of Southern California and has seen over 10,000 low vision patients in his 45-year career. His impressive patient list includes the late actress Jane Russell, automaker Carroll Shelby, as well as Margie Durante and Frances Cagney. He received his OD degree in 1970 from Pennsylvania College of Optometry and has been recognized as a Low Vision Diplomate by the American Academy of Optometry since 1988.

After staff salaries, the optical may be one of the most expensive parts of your practice. Many ODs are looking for ways to maximize their ROI, especially with frames.This week, Gary outlines the best frame board strategies you're likely not using.

Listen to the replay of this widely listened to episode from August 15, 2018.

It’s that time of year again…back to school.

If you haven’t already ramped up your marketing, this week’s show will offer tips on making eye exams part of the back-to-school routine. Don’t forget contact lenses, sports goggles, and more!

Kick-start the back-to-school season with the Power Hour!

The person who answers the phone at your practice is more important than you think. The voice on the other end of the line is a patient's first introduction to your practice.  Don't you want to make that first impression a good one?

Gary and his consultants have talked with many private-practice ODs and visited many practices. Although all are different, there are trends in the challenges these doctors face.

Tune in to Power Hour this week to learn the Top 5 challenges Gary and his consultants have seen. Chances are YOUR practice is experiencing them, too.

Jim Thomas, editor of Optometric Management, joins Gary this week to discuss his favorite articles, topics, and trends.Did you know that Jim is also a stand-up comedian? He shares how to use humor in the office and in life.

Dr. Gary Gerber and Dr. Dwight Akerman discuss Myopia Management.

Topics to be discussed will include:
• Axial length – is it really necessary? Why not watch for changes in Rx?
• Is myopia management a specialty service or part of “core” optometry?
• What’s so bad about being a low myope? What about the optical advantages?
People will be calling in on both sides of these and other questions so make sure to listen in or call in with your own thoughts!

This week, Gary discusses taking advantage of failing and why ODs shouldn’t be afraid to fail.
Fostering a culture of creativity means that sometimes plan will fall apart and things don’t work out.

Patient testimonials can work for your practice…but only if you use them to your advantage.
Gary gives you the scoop on how to get better patient testimonials and what to do with them.

Scleral expert, Dr. Elise Kramer, shares her tips on how to bring this specialty into your practice.

In what may be the shortest Power Hour episode ever, in only about 5 minutes Gary will discuss a 5-minute technique that will have a profound and lasting impact on your practice.

Many practices have reported this simple 5-minute technique is one of the best things they’ve ever done in their practices!

Looking to kick your marketing into high gear? Learn what DOESN'T work. Find out the top marketing blunders seen in most practices. This week on Power Hour, Gary outlines the most common marketing tactics that don’t work.

Both options have pros and cons. This week, Gary outlines the pluses and minuses of buying a practice and opening cold.

Find out how fear of failure and resistance to change can take a toll your practice. This week, Gary talks about the top 7 "should haves" and how they can lead to regret.

Guest Stephen Hamilton from Walman Instruments in a previously recorded episode gets you up to speed on:
• New vs. used
• Extended warranties: good or bad idea?
• Workflow considerations
• ADA compliance
• Effect of recent company mergers
• Best time to buy

Asking staff answer the phone with a script is a mistake. No matter how skilled, they will sound like they’re reading from a document instead of delivering personal information.

Instead, staff who take phone calls should know the practice intimately enough to respond to any calls.

Find out how to train your staff to answer the phone like a human, not a robot.

It might seem elementary, but being able to communicate effectively to your patients may be the most important factor in building a practice. Communication skills can have a major influence on the success of a practice.

What 3-minute free technique can increase eyeglass sales by 32% and contact lens patients by 20%?

A contact lens trial!

Find out how and why this works on this week's show.

You bought a practice. Now what?

Tune into this week's Power Hour to find out what changes to make (and not make) and how to transition doctors.

Considering buying a practice?
Tune in to this week's Power Hour to know how to avoid buying the wrong practice.
Do you know what in the negotiations process should immediately raise a red flag? Get the insight you need to avoid making a mistake.

If you have considered implementing discounts or incentives for your patients, think twice.
They usually aren't successful due to the impact they have on the bottom line and the question of whether a professional service benefits from such incentives in the first place.

Looking to attract a different kind of patient? Wanting to expand into boutique-or budget-services? Or even need to change patients' perception of your practice? Listen to this week's show to learn 8 ways to change your patient base.

Having a hard time saying no to employees? Should you maintain a proper distance or be ‘one of the guys?’ Effective management skills often impacts on the bottom line.
Find out how to be a better boss on this episode of the Power Hour.

On the last Power Hour of the year, Dr. Art Epstein weighs in on the challenging future of optometry.

With the end of the year approaching, many of doctors buy that opto-toy they've always wanted. Unfortunately, this time next year - many of them regret their purchase. Learn ways to avoid buyers remorse as well as a unique way to nearly ensure new equipment is right for your practice and will be profitable.

Posed with common problems, like patients wait too long to see the doctor or patients complain about our fees, we usually come up with common solutions.  If we still have the same problems year after year, then those solutions didn’t work!  How can you and your staff devise genuinely novel solutions to chronic management problems?  Listen to the next episode of the Power Hour to learn how to use this special two word thought starter approach.

What to do NOW to make sure you close out a strong year

Interested in integrating scleral contact lenses into your practice? Find out how to jump start your scleral lens fitting on this episode.

Howard Purcell, OD, FAAO, president and CEO of New England College of Optometry, joins the show to talk optometric education.
Are there too many schools? Is student debt too high? Is today's education still relevant to reality?

If you had to do it all over again...would you choose optometry?  While you can't turn the clock back, you do have control over your practice's destiny. Tune in to this week's show to find out how to redo those things you'd do over.

The cash-paying model in optometry is alive and well. Is it in your office?  Andy Corley joins the show to explain why. Andy is a 40-year veteran of the eye care industry from a start at Allergan to a move to AMO, then co-founding Chiron Vision and eyeonics. He is currently chairman of the board of RX Sight, Equinox, and eyeBrain Medical.

This week, Gary offers up the 5 best hiring and firing tips.
Be sure you are bringing on and moving on staff in ways that help your practice.

Want to learn how to trim costs?  Listen to this episode of the Power Hour.

It's that time of year again...back to school.
If you haven't already ramped up your marketing, this week's show will offer tips on making eye exams part of the back-to-school routine. Don't forget contact lenses, sports goggles, and more!
Kick-start the back-to-school season with the Power Hour!

Want new ways to market your practice? Of course you do!
Tune into the show this week to source ideas from optometry's out-of-the-box marketer Warren Modlin who hails from legacy CIBAVision and Oakley.

Travis Rush, founder and CEO of Sightbox , talks about entrepreneurship, online contact lens retailing, and how things have changed (or not) now that Sightbox is part of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care.

How do long patient wait times affect your practice?
Find out how...and what you can do about it...on this week's Power Hour.

Building on the previous show about staff meetings, this week Gary motivates you to figure out what motivates your staff--and what doesn't. 

Learn all about trunk shows! Find out why "trunk show" is a bad name, and discover how to have a great one in your own office. 

Step right up this week for an update on myopia from Dr. Thomas Aller.

Contact lenses, the FTC, and optometry...what do you need to know?
The deadline to weigh in is fast approaching. Get the scoop so you can make your voice heard.
Find out more on this week's episode of the Power Hour.

Vision Expo was last week. As always, it was a great meeting with lots of classes & a lot going on.
This week on Power Hour, we'll discuss some great things we learned at the meeting. Call in with what you brought home!
Let's talk about it on this episode of the Power Hour.

Vision by Design, THE country’s premier myopia meeting of the year is coming up fast.  Joining the show from VBD will be Drs. Cary Herzberg and Tom Weshefsky to talk about what’s new at this years’ meeting and why you should attend!

Why did you become an OD?  Are you achieving your “why?”  Gary discusses his own personal journey on the road to his “why” and talks about how you can use the same technique to have your practice work for you instead of you becoming a slave to your practice.

Yes, at one time or another, uncollected fees, or accounts receivables that languish over time, are the same as working for free. On this episode we discuss ways to avoid this from happening and talk about how to “mop up” any existing receivables. You did the work, so how about getting paid for it?

Time? Money?
Cell phones, cars and TV’s aren’t the only thing changing at warp speed. The technology we use in our practices is doing the same thing at the same speed. How can you afford to keep up when the least expensive piece of equipment you might buy can be same price as a nice car!
On this episode of the Power Hour Gary gets directly to the point and offers up suggestions and strategies to help with this tech dilemma.

This time of the year, we all have the best intentions of improving our practices and personal lives. Yet somehow, no matter how hard we try, our best intentions get side tracked and derailed. Listen to this first episode of 2018 where Gary shares his consulting teams' strategies for setting goals and actually getting them done. Remember - SAYING you want to increase your practice revenues, cut expenses, see more (or less!) patients or for that matter lose weight is one thing. DOING any of those things is another! This episode will get your year jump started and show you how to keep the momentum you establish going throughout the course of the year!

On this last show of 2017, and as the Power Hour closes in on half a million downloads, Gary recaps 2017’s most listened to shows along with his own top five favorites!

With all the rapid changes going on in optometry, is a residency still necessary?  2015 graduate Dr. Kevin Cornwell joins the show talking about his experiences and viewpoints on the benefits of a residency as well as his thoughts about OD’s practicing in the prison system.  Tune in for this very interesting perspective on this episode of the Power Hour!

Try as we may, things still occasionally go awry in a practice.  What you do after that happens can be the difference between losing a patient, their family and all their friends – or making them lifetime practice cheerleaders.  Learn Gary’s view on service recovery in your practice and what you should do when things don’t quite go as planned.

What is often talked about, easy to calculate and rarely used?  That would be "chair costs."  This week, Gary discusses exactly what the terminology means, how to calculate yours and what to do with the numbers you get.  If you want to learn what GOPPAR and RevPAR mean, and how they affect your practice, and what they've got to do with chair costs - you'll want to tune in to this episode!

In what will probably be the shortest episode ever, Gary reveals the atomic powered tool the every entrepreneur has, and never uses.  It’s one of those “I can’t believe it was this obvious and staring me in the face all the time” things that you WILL be able to use right after the show.  Short, to the point and powerful – on this episode of the Power Hour!

Listen to this episode for an entertaining discussion with Gary and Brian as they talk about the difference between UK and US optometry.  Opticians scope of care, OD education, UK practitioners emphasis on glasses and being ahead of the curve in contact lenses are discussed along with differences health insurance systems and the state of the industry.  Brian also talks about his important work with the BCLA, his fun presentation style and . . .  shoes (listen for details!)

Managed vision care, telemedicine, online shopping for eyeglasses or contact lenses... are these things that will hurt or help your practice? The answers and discussion may surprise you when you listen to this episode of the Power Hour!

Private Equity is getting more and more involved in optometry.  What is private equity, why are they so interested in eyecare, and is private equity something you should look at for your own practice?  Jeff Fronterhouse and Bret Davis, two experts in private equity, join Gary on this episode of the Power Hour!

During a staff training session you tell your optician, “When you sell AR lenses, say X.”
We’ve all tried training our staff this way, and whether “X” is effective or not, invariably we have trouble making it stick. Is the problem “X” or the way we’re training and teaching our staff?
Frank Pigneri, Sr. Manager of Customer Training and Development at Essilor is the guest on our show. He discusses some of the finer points of optical training, what should be included in a good training program, when to do it, how to make it stick as well as a host of other great topics related to staff education.

You practice in an area that is very conservative. Your long time trusted, well known receptionist who had brown hair yesterday, shows up with purple hair today. What should you do? What can you do?
Your optician shows up with a therapy dog. Your insurance biller is afraid of dogs. Now what?
Attorney Julia Goldman is the guest on the Power Hour.  

We have all watched kids scroll through life, with their rapid-fire thumbs and a six-second attention span. Physician and filmmaker Delaney Ruston saw that with her own kids and learned that the average kid spends 6.5 hours a day looking at screens. She wondered about the impact of all this time and about the friction occurring in homes and schools around negotiating screen time—friction she knew all too well.

Years of scientific research and intensive study of real-world applications have led to incredible breakthroughs in the way businesses large and small identify and hire top talent in their fields. Optimize Hire, a leading Internet-based pre-employment testing company focused on helping organizations hire better, joins Local Eye Site on this episode of the Power Hour to discuss this important topic.  

The CDC, in close collaboration with industry partners, has organized Contact Lens Health Week as a strategy to increase public awareness and promote healthy contact lens wear and care.  Jennifer Cope, MD, MPH from the CDC and  Joseph P. Shovlin, O.D., F.A.A.O., the President, American Academy of Optometry, join the Power Hour to discuss the fourth annual Contact Lens Health Week. This year’s campaign theme is “healthy habits mean healthy eyes” with a focus on encouraging youth to start healthy habits early, for healthy eyes later. Increased awareness about the importance of proper contact lens hygiene can encourage contact lens wearers to adopt healthy habits that can reduce their chances of getting an eye infection. 

Five years ago the first Power Hour episode discussed the future of optometry. What's has and hasn't come true since that show? The dialogue will probably surprise you!