BIGGEST CHALLENGE

2024 • Peer to Peer

What’s the biggest issue you’re facing in business this year? That’s a question we posed to two of Shamir’s Peer-to-Peer Champions. They are Lisa Frye, optician and director of optical at InVision Ophthalmology in Greater Birmingham, AL, and Stacy Daniel, optician and owner of Frameology Optical in Syracuse, NY.

Here’s what they told TheVitaminSEE.

LISA FRYE…THE ECONOMY + PRICING

“The greatest challenge we are facing in business this year would have to be the economy. Inflation is impacting all businesses. Costs have risen resulting in decreasing profit margins. In anticipation of tightened budgets and spending, our office put together economical package pricing structures for basics. We also increased multi-pair discount margins. The final step was a restructure of inventory. Based on spending, we increased the category offerings in frame price points that were turning faster and slowed replacement purchases for lines that were slower to move. As we look for ways to continue to service our valued patients, we are exploring what other changes may be needed to impact positive business growth, even in times of economic challenges.”

STACY DANIEL…MANAGING + COMMUNICATIONS

“My biggest challenge is finding time to manage the office, plus communicate and train instead of working on the floor.

For many of us, when we started our business, each dollar was feast or famine. You had to make sure everybody was taken care of, but we grew and hired more employees; it was difficult to back off. I am stepping back and trying not to micromanage.

That requires training staff and communicating so they take care of people the way I do. That means we’re going to be having more store meetings, and I’ll be less tolerant with people not doing what I ask.

We all become complacent. We love our employees and most of the time they do what we ask. I don’t want to write them up for little things, but in optical, communications can be a problem. I’m trying to be more consistent, addressing the situation at the time it happens and then move on. It’s all about communications, and that’s a place where many of us fall down. I have to be better with this and get us all on the same page.”

What’s your biggest challenge this year? Tell us about it and share in the conversation on Facebook here.