If It Wasn't Hard, Everyone Would Do It

I achieved my lifelong dream to open a private practice in September of 2020. A week later, my mom had a heart attack, and on October 9, she died.

Losing my mother was devastating—she was my biggest cheerleader, encouraging me during life’s challenges and celebrating every victory. Without her daily encouragement and support, I didn’t know how I’d launch a brand-new practice, especially during a global pandemic.

As I navigated my grief and the stress of a new practice, one of my mother’s mantras echoed in my head: “If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it.” Opening a practice is hard, but I was determined to achieve my dream. Propelled by the years of my mom’s encouragement and the undying support of my family and staff, it wasn’t long before the practice was thriving.

I attribute the amount of success I’ve had so quickly in part to VSP. Years ago, a colleague told me how VSP and Premier Edge had helped him stay in business, so I knew how important that partnership was to my new practice. I quickly got to the Platinum level and the flow of new patients has remained steady since. Patients find us on the VSP website and come in because they know they can get more value from a Premier Edge practice. They see that we have a diverse range of frames and appreciate the savings they can get on the products they love. VSP and Premier Edge bring patients in the door so we get the chance to provide the thoughtful care that keeps them coming back.

About two years in, I had an epiphany that we were actually doing OK, and I could start thinking about new opportunities for the practice, like pediatrics and vision therapy. As the child of educators, spouse of an educator, and as a father, I have always been passionate about education and helping kids to achieve all they can. It was invigorating to think about providing a greater level of care specific to learning needs, and I’m working towards specializing in that area. To me, there is nothing more inspiring than changing a child’s life, and the idea of adding that specialty to the practice has reenergized me in many ways.

As Eye See It, my mother was right—if it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. The last few years have certainly been hard, but I’m so proud that we persevered and built a practice and a life my mom would just be ecstatic to see.