Starting an Opticians from Scratch: Passion, Determination and Getting It Right
Starting an opticians from scratch takes more than a consulting room, a frame display and the courage to put your name above the door. It takes a clear idea of the care you want to provide, the determination to keep improving and a business that supports the work you love.
In this episode of The Optician Show, I speak to dispensing optician, optometrist and Optician Awards Owner Practitioner finalist Stuart Humphrey. Four years after opening his independent practice, Stuart describes a working life built around personal service, clinical interests and genuine enjoyment of optics.
His story offers encouragement for anyone considering opening an independent optical practice. It also asks a useful question: what would your practice look like if you designed it around the things you believe matter most?
Listen to Garry Kousoulou’s full conversation with Stuart Humphrey on Spotify.
Starting from scratch does not mean starting without experience
Stuart brought decades of experience to his new venture. His background includes dispensing optics, lens consultancy, teaching, optometry and an earlier practice partnership. After that partnership ended, he tried locum work before deciding he wanted a practice of his own again.
The missing ingredient was continuity. He wanted to know his patients, understand their lives and see what happened after the examination. Watching children grow up and looking after familiar families were part of what made the profession rewarding.
There is an important distinction here for prospective owners. A new business may begin with an empty appointment book, but your professional experience still counts. The problems you have solved, relationships you have built and standards you have developed can shape a stronger starting point.
Determination starts with knowing why you want your own practice
Stuart’s route was demanding long before he opened his current practice. He returned to university to qualify as an optometrist while raising a young family. He describes treating his studies as a working day, then going home to family responsibilities.
That story matters because practice ownership also requires sustained effort when circumstances are inconvenient. Enthusiasm gets you moving; a clear purpose helps you continue through unfamiliar decisions, administrative work and difficult weeks.
Before choosing your colour scheme or ordering frames, write down what you want ownership to make possible. More continuity? Greater control over appointments? A particular clinical focus? A working week that suits your life? Those answers should influence your business model, staffing and marketing.
Build a practice you actually want to work in
“I have a really, really good job that I own.”
Stuart Humphrey, The Optician Show
This is one of the most revealing lines in the interview. Stuart describes success in terms of enjoying the work and owning the environment in which he does it. He is proud of the practice he has created and the people he looks after.
For someone starting an optical practice, that opens up a valuable planning exercise. Imagine an ordinary Tuesday. Who are you seeing? How long are appointments? Which tasks are yours? What happens when you need time off?
A practice closely associated with its owner can offer a distinctive experience. It also needs thoughtful planning around capacity and cover. Decide what a satisfying, sustainable working day looks like before building a business that depends on you doing everything.
Make personal care something patients can experience
“Personal service” appears on countless practice websites. Stuart’s interview makes it tangible. He talks about knowing patients beyond their prescriptions, understanding their interests and bringing that knowledge into their care.
His combined dispensing and optometry background also shapes the appointment. He is already thinking about the eventual spectacles during the examination. The conversation continues into dispensing, with the patient’s needs connecting the stages.
Every practice will organise its team differently. The transferable lesson is to preserve what the patient has told you. If someone explains that their glasses slip during work or that they struggle with a particular task, that information should reach the person helping them choose and fit their spectacles.
For optical marketing, these details give substance to your message. Show how your care works through everyday examples, clear explanations and patient stories shared with permission.
Passion and commercial reality have to work together
Stuart is refreshingly honest about an early assumption. He originally thought his practice would focus on clinical work without a substantial spectacle offering. He put out a small selection of frames, then discovered how important dispensing was to supporting the business.
“If I had not done so, the business wouldn’t have worked.”
Stuart Humphrey, The Optician Show
Anyone opening an independent opticians should pay attention to that admission. Getting things right includes recognising when your original plan needs changing. Clinical ambitions need a workable combination of fees, product income, costs and capacity.
As a planning exercise, map the patient journey alongside the income and resources involved. Consider examinations, dispensing, contact lenses, specialist appointments and ongoing care where appropriate. The purpose is to understand how the practice can keep delivering its standards.
Choose specialist services with purpose
Stuart discusses interests including orthokeratology, myopia management, semi-scleral lenses and glaucoma shared care. His enthusiasm is obvious. So is his willingness to recognise limits: when dry eye comes up, he explains that he already has plenty to contend with.
That is a useful example for a new owner surrounded by equipment demonstrations and potential services. Each addition needs appropriate competence, resources, time and a reason for patients to use it.
Your marketing should make the services you do provide understandable. Explain who an appointment may be suitable for, what happens during it and how to enquire. A focused explanation of a service you deliver well is more useful than a long list of technology with little context.
Use technology to protect time for patients
“What is holding you up? What stops you doing your job?”
Stuart Humphrey, The Optician Show
Stuart asks his secretary these questions when looking for improvements. It is a practical approach: start with the friction people experience, then consider what would help.
He describes online booking, digital administration and keeping patients informed about orders. These systems support the service around the appointment. A patient who understands when their spectacles are expected has less reason to telephone for an update.
For a practice starting from scratch, trace the route from first enquiry to collection. Identify where patients might become confused, where staff repeat information and where a useful update could prevent frustration. Build processes around those moments and review them as real patients begin using the practice.
Keep suppliers and systems manageable
Stuart recommends beginning with a small number of suppliers and developing close working relationships. He describes support from his chosen lens and frame suppliers, alongside his decision to send glazing work out.
His particular choices reflect his practice. The broader lesson is about understanding complexity. Every additional range, supplier and process takes attention, training and administration.
When planning your opening, ask what each choice contributes to patient care and the business. Consider reliability, support, turnaround, product knowledge and the practical work involved. A manageable operation gives you a better chance of delivering consistently while you establish yourself.
Aftercare is part of your marketing for opticians
In the interview, we discuss contacting patients after collection. I describe the “happy calls” we used to make; Stuart explains that he sends a follow-up email around a month later.
The timing differs, but the intention is shared: find out how the patient is getting on. Someone struggling with discomfort may need an adjustment yet hesitate to return. A thoughtful invitation gives them a route back.
When building your practice, make aftercare a defined responsibility. Decide who contacts patients, how concerns are recorded and what happens next. Your marketing promise becomes more credible when patients experience care beyond the initial sale.
Make your reputation visible without losing your personality
At the time of recording, Stuart reports being two five-star Google reviews away from 300 and having nearly 3,000 patients on his books. These are his reported figures, rather than independently audited results. He also explains that he responds to reviews.
Although he says he does no marketing, the conversation reveals activities that make his service visible: reviews, patient communication and a recognisable approach to care. My interpretation is that his reputation has become an important part of how people understand the practice.
A new owner can draw inspiration from that while planning deliberately for discovery. A clear website, accurate business information and helpful content give prospective patients ways to learn about you before they book.
Turn your practice’s strengths into a clear marketing message
Marketing for opticians begins with understanding why someone would choose your practice. Stuart’s story gives us specific answers: continuity, enthusiasm, personal attention and a practitioner who cares about the entire experience.
For your own launch, turn those strengths into useful content:
- Your story: explain why you are opening and what you want to bring to the community.
- Your patient journey: show what a first visit involves and how people can book.
- Your expertise: answer the questions patients ask about the services you provide.
- Your care: explain fitting, collection and the support available afterwards.
Give each page or post a clear next step. An inspiring introduction should lead somewhere useful, whether that is booking, asking a question or learning about an appointment.
Stay connected as an independent practice owner
Stuart also discusses working an evening hospital clinic and his involvement with his Local Optical Committee. He recognises how easily an independent practitioner can become isolated.
Your professional network deserves a place in your launch plan. Think about peers, clinical colleagues, suppliers and advisers who can help you question decisions and continue learning. Independence gives you responsibility for the direction of the practice; useful relationships help you carry it well.
Your first steps towards opening an independent opticians
Before turning inspiration into expenditure, give yourself a short, practical brief. Describe your intended patients, the services you can confidently deliver and the experience you want people to remember. Then identify the assumptions you still need to test.
- What would make someone choose your practice locally?
- How will patients discover you and book their first appointment?
- Which costs and responsibilities will continue during quieter weeks?
- How will you measure whether patients are happy with their care?
These questions turn a broad ambition into decisions you can work through. They also give your advisers and marketing partners something concrete to help you develop.
Start with conviction, then keep improving
What makes this episode inspiring is Stuart’s willingness to combine enjoyment with attention to detail. He talks warmly about patients and spectacles, while also discussing booking systems, supplier choices, finances and the tasks that slow people down.
If you are thinking of starting an opticians from scratch, take that combination seriously. Define the care you want to offer. Work through the commercial model. Make the patient journey clear. Then keep asking what could work better.
Listen to the full episode of The Optician Show with Stuart Humphrey.
Planning a launch or looking to communicate your practice’s strengths more clearly? Explore Loving Social Media or email Garry Kousoulou to discuss marketing for your optical practice.
About the guest: Stuart Humphrey
Stuart Humphrey is a dispensing optician and optometrist who describes opening his current independent practice four years before this interview. His experience includes lens consultancy, teaching and previous practice ownership. In the episode, he discusses his interest in personal patient care, specialist clinical work and efficient systems, and is introduced as an Optician Awards Owner Practitioner finalist.
About the host and author: Garry Kousoulou FBDO
Garry Kousoulou is a dispensing optician, founder of Loving Social Media and host of The Optician Show. He brings an optical background to conversations about patient experience, practice ownership and marketing for opticians. Through Loving Social Media, he helps businesses communicate their strengths online. Contact him at garry@lovingsocialmedia.com or call 020 3846 8888.
