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Optometrists Building Empires

Ankit Patel
Optometry
Myopia Management
Leadership
Private Practice
Dry Eye
Staffing
Burnout
IDOC
Entrepreneurship
Private Practice Ownership
EBITDA
Artificial Intelligence
Healthcare Administration
Akrinos
Dr. Fred Cho
Low Vision
Warm Start
Complete Eye Care Of Medina
Private Pay Plan
Vision Plans

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!

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes109Founded2 years ago
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Artwork for Optometrists Building Empires

Latest Episodes

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 Optom... more

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 sma... more

YouTube

Mike Guelcher is one of the few people in eye care who has seen the business from every angle: senior leadership at Allergan, eight years leading acquisition efforts for one of the largest private equity-backed optometry platforms in the country, and... more

YouTube

It is 2:15 on a Tuesday. A patient sits in her car with 15 minutes before her next meeting, contacts running low, finally ready to book the exam she has been putting off since April. The phone rings four times, five times, and about 30 seconds later ... more

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Recent Guests

Mike Guelcher
Co-founder and managing partner at Prism Consulting Partners; former Allergan leader; private equity executive
Prism Consulting Partners
Episode: Mike Guelcher: Building a Practice That Is Profitable AND Sellable on Your Own Terms
Dr. Fred Cho
Travel optometrist; speaker on burnout; author and podcaster
Vogue Optical (consultant); author of Redesign Work; host of the 20 Happy Podcast
Episode: From Burnout to Building a Team of Travel Optometrists with Dr. Fred Cho
Nick Lillie
Owner and founder of Family Vision Optical and Rejuvenation Dry Eye Center; host of Optometry, The Ultimate OD
Family Vision Optical; Rejuvenation Dry Eye Center
Episode: Getting Out of Your Own Way: How Dr. Nick Lillie Doubled His Practice
Kevin Whaley Stefany
Founder of Autograph Eye; former CEO of The Eye Doctors / True Eye Experts
Autograph Eye; True Eye Experts
Episode: Scaling True Eye Experts as a Non-OD CEO with Kevin Whaley Stefany
Gina Wesley
Founder and owner of Complete Eye Care of Medina (Minnesota Practice)
Complete Eye Care of Medina
Episode: Gina Wesley, OD: The Private-Pay Playbook Behind Complete Eye Care of Medina
Mike Herrera
Co-founder and managing partner of Vision Now!
Vision Now!
Episode: Building 9 Rural Optometry Offices with Mike Herrera
Bethany Fishbein
Optometrist, practice management consultant and executive leadership coach
Leaders of Vision; Somerset Eye Care; The Touch and Vision; Milltown Vision
Episode: The Warm Start - Dr. Bethany Fishbein - Optometrists Building Empires - Episode # 098
Rupe Hantzera
Practice owner featured on the show
Optometry practice owner
Episode: Fix Your Staffing, Fix Your Practice - Compilation - Optometrists Building Empires - Episode # 097
Patrick Curran
Dr. Patrick Curran, Johnson Curran Optometry Centers
Johnson Curran Optometry Centers
Episode: Built Together: How Relationships, Systems, and Grit Created Three Thriving Practices - #096

Host

Ankit Patel
Host of Optometrists Building Empires

Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars from 8 ratings
  • Love the new podcast!

    Super helpful content! Hearing the journeys of these docs is inspiring.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    AD Reach
    United States2 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Audience finds practical, real-world advice from practicing owners and leaders valuable for scaling careers.
Listeners appreciate candid storytelling about challenges like staffing and reimbursements.
Guests are perceived as experienced practitioners bringing actionable strategies.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Mike Guelcher: Building a Practice That Is Profitable AND Sellable on Your Own Terms
Q: What practical steps maximize value in the road to exit, and how do you tailor advice for different career stages?
Start with fundamentals: keep books clean, manage expenses prudently, avoid unnecessary discretionary costs, and build leadership so you can step back from daily operations; tailor strategies by career stage—from startup to mid-career to nearing retirement—focusing on governance, delegation, and aligned goals.
Mike Guelcher: Building a Practice That Is Profitable AND Sellable on Your Own Terms
Q: When should a doctor think about selling, especially mid‑career?
The short answer is not soon enough; selling is a process, not a single event, and early mindset shifts toward preparing for ownership transition over years yield better outcomes.
From Burnout to Building a Team of Travel Optometrists with Dr. Fred Cho
Q: How do you handle staffing challenges in remote care?
Focus on relationship-building, respect existing team workflows, introduce playfulness to foster cohesion, and maintain psychological safety to encourage experimentation and learning.
From Burnout to Building a Team of Travel Optometrists with Dr. Fred Cho
Q: What does a portfolio career look like for an optometrist?
It can include flexible clinical work, speaking, advisory roles, writing, and opportunities outside traditional practice, all tied together by a core clinical base and a passion-driven set of side projects.
From Burnout to Building a Team of Travel Optometrists with Dr. Fred Cho
Q: What was the most important thing that helped you build your empire?
Burnout pushed him to rethink his career path, leading to a focus on non-traditional roles like speaking, blogging, and consulting, which blossomed into a broader portfolio career and a team-based travel optometry model.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About Optometrists Building Empires

What is Optometrists Building Empires about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A show focused on building and leading optometry practices, featuring practice owners, leaders, and industry thinkers who share practical playbooks for empire-building in eye care. Episodes typically cover growth strategies, leadership development, staffing, marketing, reimbursement dynamics, and patient experience, with many guests recounting real-world journeys from single-location startups to multi-site enterprises. Notable themes include culture-first leadership, scalable systems, mentorship, and leveraging technology to differentiate independent practices. Listeners get actionable insights on acquisitions, private-pay transitions, branding, and sustainable profitability, with a clear emphasis on community impact and long-term successio... more

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How many listeners does Optometrists Building Empires get?

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Which podcasts are similar to Optometrists Building Empires?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Optometrists Building Empires:

1. The Optometry Success Podcast
2. EYE OWN A BUSINESS
3. 20/20 MONEY: The Business of Optometry
4. Optometry: The Ultimate O.D.
5. Power Hour Optometry

How many episodes of Optometrists Building Empires are there?

Optometrists Building Empires launched 2 years ago and published 109 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Optometrists Building Empires?

Recent guests on Optometrists Building Empires include:

1. Mike Guelcher
2. Dr. Fred Cho
3. Nick Lillie
4. Kevin Whaley Stefany
5. Gina Wesley
6. Mike Herrera
7. Bethany Fishbein
8. Rupe Hantzera

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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