The Optical Industry's dirty little secret: we're All winging it

I'm going to tell you something that'll either piss you off or set you free.

Every successful optical shop owner you know? The ones with the perfect Instagram feeds and the "thriving" businesses? They're all making it up as they go. Just like you. Just like me.

The difference? They're not doing it alone anymore.

Here's What Nobody Tells You

When you open an optical shop, you think you're getting into healthcare. Or fashion. Or both. What you're actually getting into is a daily wrestling match with:

• Insurance companies that change their rules monthly

• Customers who think Costco or Walmart prices are "normal"

• Equipment that costs more than a car and breaks like a toy

• Staff who think "sales" is a dirty word

• Margins thinner than the lenses you're selling

And the worst part? You can't talk to anyone about it. Your accountant doesn't get why you can't just "raise prices." Your family's tired of hearing about it. Other shop owners? They're your competition.

So you suffer in silence. Make expensive mistakes. Lose sleep. Maybe lose your marriage. All because you think asking for help means you're weak.

Bullshit.

How I Learned to Stop Pretending

Three years into owning my shop, I was drowning. Not the dramatic, visible kind. The slow, quiet kind where you look successful on the outside but you're checking your bank balance at 2 AM and wondering how you'll make payroll.

I met another shop owner at a conference. We got drunk. Started talking real numbers. Real problems. Real fears.

Turns out, we were both drowning. Just in different ways.

That conversation saved my business. Not because he had all the answers. But because for the first time, I realized I wasn't uniquely screwed. I was just normally screwed.

Why We Built The Optical Collective

After that night, we started a group. Not some formal mastermind with dues and agendas. Just shop owners who were tired of pretending everything was fine.

Now we're 400+ members strong. Not because we're special. Because we're honest.

We share:

• Actual P&L statements (with the embarrassing parts)

• Scripts that actually work (not the crap vendors give you)

• Vendor contacts who don't screw you over

• The truth about what works and what's bullshit

No guru nonsense. No "10X your business" crap. Just real people figuring it out together.

This Isn't Feel-Good Networking

I hate networking. Hate the fake smiles, the business cards, the "let's circle back" conversations that go nowhere.

This is different. This is:

"My best tech just quit. Who's hiring?" "This frame line is screwing me on returns. Alternatives?" "Just lost a $10K insurance check. How do I not lose my mind?"

And getting real answers. Fast. From people who've been there.

The Hard Truth About Going Solo

Every shop owner thinks they're special. That their problems are unique. That they need to figure it out themselves.

You're not special. Your problems aren't unique. And figuring it out yourself is costing you thousands.

While you're reinventing the wheel, someone in our group already built a better one. While you're negotiating with that vendor, someone else already knows they're full of shit. While you're wondering if you're charging enough, someone's sharing their exact pricing strategy.

Pride is expensive. Stubbornness is bankruptcy.

Join Us or Don't

Look, I'm not going to beg. If you want to keep struggling alone, that's your choice. But if you're tired of:

• Guessing what works

• Feeling like the only one failing

• Missing opportunities you didn't know existed

• Wasting money on mistakes others already made

Then maybe it's time to swallow your pride and join people who get it.

eyecarebusiness.org/collective

We're not saving the world. We're just saving each other's asses, one honest conversation at a time.

Still skeptical? Good. We don't want cheerleaders. We want fighters who are smart enough to know they don't have to fight alone.

— Rad

P.S. — If you think this is just another sales pitch, you're right. I'm selling you on the idea that you don't have to do this alone. Because I did, and it nearly killed me. Your call.