Last month marked the 16-year mark since I became the owner of Jones And Co. Styling Opticians. If you were a fly on the wall at that time you would have been shocked at the chaotic state of the practice in the beginning. At that time the practice had all frames on display “like normal [...]

Michelin Star-winning chef Michael Caines said, “A chef without a restaurant is like an artist without a gallery.” I couldn’t agree more. Authenticity is something all customers look for because it gives them confidence in whatever they are buying, knowing it is the real deal. Today, you don’t have to look far to find so-called [...]

At a recent Talking Tuesday*, Gareth told us, in a funny way, of his recent repeat phone calls over the previous few days with a particularly determined salesperson of some description trying to get through to me. In the end, Gareth said, “Look, I don’t know how else to break this to you, but there [...]

It’s an important distinction to know that you always have control. Obviously there are many things you can’t control. But no matter how bad things are you always ultimately have control of two things. Tony Robbins says “You are always in control of two things: 1. What you focus on 2. How you are going [...]

In 2003 I was in living in Australia with friends from university. There were 7 of us – all optometrists – who decided to spend a year working for OPSM followed by travelling around Australia. I remember we finished up work in Melbourne just a few days before Christmas and we were about to start [...]

There are several things I have in common with my father-in-law. But business isn’t one of them. He thought I was “different” from the day I first turned up on his doorstep. Catherine and I had been dating for a few months, and I was invited to meet the family at Christmas. They live on [...]

Are you letting your business dictate your life? In this podcast, you’ll find out why independent optical practice owners should create a life plan before a business plan. Conor breaks down how designing your practice around your ideal life vision leads to greater clarity, freedom, and success in both life and business. You’ll also learn [...]

“Courage is being scared to death… and saddling up anyway” – John Wayne Think very carefully about WHO you want to fill your practice with. Dan Kennedy has a line he says, “most business owners’ idea of their ideal client is anyone with a wallet and a pulse.” If that’s you, you have some thinking [...]

I mentioned this term on a podcast recently. I want you to visualise it, memorise it, tattoo it on the inside of your eyelids if necessary. ‘Self­-operating practice’… It has a nice ring to it, don’t you think? I’ve always thought about my business in this way. Dig out a copy of The E-Myth by [...]

This year will be 16 years since I became the owner of Jones And Co. Styling Opticians. 16 years, a lot of hard work, and believe me, never a dull moment. Most practices by 16 years in are just stuck in the status quo. Incredibly, most businesses, within just a few short years of their [...]

In this short walking episode, recorded in the streets of New Orleans, Conor shares the 3 strategies that gave him more freedom from the day-to-day while building a stronger, more motivated team. This isn’t about hiring better people. It’s about creating the right systems—so your team knows what to do, how to do it, and [...]

Struggle goes hand in hand with success. Seinfeld makes the joke that life sucks no matter how much money you have (him being loaded): “Your life sucks. My life sucks… maybe not as much as yours, but still…” It’s funny because it’s true. Problems, challenges, struggles, drama; it’s all inevitable. No matter what stage your [...]

As the Premier League is very likely to wrap up this weekend if Liverpool can muster a win against Spurs, I remembered an interview with Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, that has stuck with me. In the interview, he was asked: How do you help your team to get over a blip (of losses)? Do [...]

Mark Twain said “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so:’ Being clear about what you DON’T KNOW, and embracing it, and being willing to find out, is one of the characteristics of the most successful businesses across all industries. Progress and [...]

When we’re talking about profits, or how much you make, or wealth, so much of it is down to your mindset. Your attitude towards money and your beliefs about money are either helping you or hurting you so it’s useful to examine those beliefs and change any that are holding you back. Your financial thermostat [...]

Last week in New Orleans, we brought together OSA members for a full-on few days — a staff workshop to start, then two jam-packed days of Mastermind. It was the kind of event that reminds you what this community is all about: sharing ideas, pushing forward, and celebrating each other’s wins…  

Performance Psychologist Jamil Qureshi is much sought after by those at the very top of their game in both sports and business and I’m not surprised. He said a lot of very important things during his sessions at the OSA Game of Success conference in Birmingham a few years ago. One thing he said that [...]

Is there a philosophy for success? I think so. In fact, I know so. If you are a true student of success and you obsessively study it like I have, you’d have to be blind not to see all the commonalities that create success in any person or business. There are a million different ways [...]

Poor Lacey fields lots of enquiries from practice owners who want to find out more about Optical Success Academy and she hears a lot from the practice owner who ‘knows it all.’ He has been there, done it, got the T-shirt and can tell us a thing or two. Thankfully I don’t take any of [...]

In the very early days of Amazon, Jeff Bezos would sit on the floor of his garage putting books in boxes. Today it’s a very different story. Whether you love or hate Amazon there are huge lessons that can be learned from studying one of the richest people in the world. There are very few [...]

The world (and your clients and your staff) judge you by what you do, not what you say. This is really important to understand as a leader, and when you do understand it, being an effective leader actually becomes easier. The path becomes clearer. Howard Schultz, founder of Starbucks has stepped down as CEO only [...]

On my last trip to the US I was in the hotel gym, a small room with a Peleton bike and a few weights and the above sign was staring me in the face. I loved it. It resonated with me and my philosophy of life. Let me tell you why! Finish what you start. [...]

I read an entertaining book recently by Formula One Team Principal Guenther Steiner. If you’re an F1 fan or you’ve watched Drive to Survive, I recommend the book – it’s laugh-out-loud funny purely by Guenther just being Guenther, and it’s a real behind the scenes look at the world of F1. Steiner is the team [...]

Being an attention-seeker has a bad name in the world. But I think society is wrong about this. “Society” is very confused and has got the wrong end of the stick about a lot of things, and therefore you should be on high alert for too much nonsense from societal norms drifting into your business [...]

Let’s talk about habits. Aristotle said: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” He’s talking about repetition. Like I always say about Sales Training, repetition is the mother of skill. This is obvious yet your brain will try to fool you into thinking the opposite. Your brain tells you [...]

Sir Clive Woodward is known for his remarkable contributions to rugby and sports management. As Head Coach, he led England to World Cup Victory in Australia, securing every major trophy along the way. After that he was the British Olympic Association’s Director of Sport for the Beijing and Vancouver Olympics as well as delivering Team [...]

What happens when you bring 40 ambitious independent practice owners together at the top of the Gherkin for two days of strategy, breakthroughs, and big thinking? See for yourself—here are some of the best moments from our first Mastermind of the year. If you want to be in the room for the next one, email [...]

I’ve been recommending the documentary ‘All or Nothing: Arsenal’ to OSA members and to my own team for the many hard-hitting lessons about leadership and teamship it delivers, it’s a couple of years old but its full of valuable lessons. It takes you behind the scenes of Arsenal football club during the 2021/22 Premier League [...]

For months now we have been knee-deep in problems at Jones And Co. The kind of problems that have always been there. The same problems that exist in your practice whether you know it or care to admit it or not. It’s just that as a team we’ve made a conscious effort to further refine [...]

At the start of this new year, as you set goals and make grand plans, I’m going to give you some advice that at first glance might not sound terribly motivating. For context, I have never claimed to be Mr Motivator. But I firmly believe that getting to the heart of any matter and discovering [...]

College basketball coach, the late Hal Nunnally, said “The four most important words in coaching are, ‘Shit, it ain’t working.’” He was leading a college basketball team. You’re leading a team in your practice. Same difference. Hal’s lesson is that if you want to lead, you must be able to see and adjust. Let’s talk [...]

I firmly believe our job as independent opticians is to deliver an effortless eyewear experience. So let me give you my definition of ‘effortless’… Our success as independent opticians is directly proportional to how effortless we can make things for our clients. Our job is to make the client’s life easier. The thought “How can [...]

A member recently asked my advice about starting to promote budget eyewear in their practice because of a couple of comments from clients about their eyewear being too expensive. My advice was that he was in danger of designing his practice for the wrong client. Every month at Jones And Co. we get the ‘too [...]

Entrepreneurs get a bad wrap. The general public often assume entrepreneurs are only interested in money. But that is not my experience both personally and from speaking with lots of successful and wealthy entrepreneurs. The most successful business owners are driven by something bigger than that. The money is a secondary thing. What drives me [...]

The late Jim Rohn was one of the biggest names in the field of business philosophy and success thinking. If you don’t know the name, he was an entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker. Jim is often quoted as saying something along the lines of “Don’t set a goal to be a millionaire just for the [...]

Most people are big into protecting their stuff. Think about this for a moment. For your possessions and property, you likely have insurance against damage or theft, security and alarm systems, locks and bolts, and you’ll avoid situations and locations that may put your stuff at risk. But when it comes to protecting your time, [...]

Seth Godin in his book Tribes says ‘the largest enemy of change isn’t a “No.” It’s a “Not yet.” He says “Not yet” forestalls change. “Not yet” maintains the status quo. “Not yet” kicks the can down the road and puts off the inevitable for a little while longer. When I was developing the Jones [...]

As optometrists and practice owners, we are constantly being tempted by all sorts of new technology both inside and outside of the exam room. And your life outside the practice has the same bombardment of new technology, apps, and gadgets. The bottom line is it’s a huge distraction to all business owners. Whatever happened to [...]

The old saying goes ‘Retail is detail.’ While the two words conveniently rhyme, the truth is no matter what the field, getting above-average results—and certainly reaching the upper echelons of the field—demands that everyone on the team, from the leader at the top to the front-line people who make it happen, must have a keen [...]

Yesterday I overheard a conversation of twenty-somethings who were talking about where one of their friends work. They were collectively raving about how “It’s such a cool office to work in. They have a Starbucks in the canteen. You get free food.” I didn’t catch where this friend of theirs worked but you couldn’t miss [...]

I came across this quote from Tim Ferris: “What we fear doing is usually what we most need to do.” Take a moment to reflect on that. Can you relate? I can. Recently, I hosted a mastermind meeting with a group of high-achieving practice owners. These are members of OSA who have already experienced significant [...]

People often associate meanings with words that are in the general vicinity of the correct definition of the word, but not quite the accurate meaning. For that reason, I find it helpful to keep a dictionary handy. The dictionary can provide clarity that is useful to you. Take the word ‘entrepreneur.’ What does it mean [...]

On this episode you’ll hear exactly how to deal with the “I can’t afford it right now” objection. You might find this controversial, but when a client tells you, they can’t afford it, don’t believe them. It’s your job to help them think it through, and then make a good decision, one way or the [...]

I can sense pretty quickly when talking with a practice owner whether or not they have the key ingredient for growth in their practice. It all starts with their mindset. And it’s easy to get an accurate understanding of someone’s mindset from what they say and what they do. Are they busy taking action or [...]

There is an excellent book you must read called ‘Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less’ by Greg McKeown. On the back-cover McKeown outlines the premise for the book: Have you ever found yourself stretched too thin at home or at work? Have you ever felt both overworked and underutilised? Do you ever feel busy but not [...]

  In this episode, Conor shares insights from the Jones And Co. trip to SILMO. If you’re looking to reignite your team’s energy and elevate your practice, Conor reveals seven powerful ways that attending industry events can transform your team’s passion and commitment. If you’re looking to create a more driven and enthusiastic team, you [...]

Resilience is the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties. It is toughness. Being an entrepreneurial practice owner requires toughness. Chances are when you look in the mirror you don’t see someone who could go six rounds with Mike Tyson. Even if some days you feel like you just have. I’m talking about mental toughness. To [...]

I’m just back, after an inspiring couple of days in Paris with the Jones And Co. and OSA team. I flew out on Saturday and they all met at 3.30am on Sunday morning at the airport, to fly out join me in Paris and landed back at Monday evening and it was non-stop, go-go-go while [...]

The world’s number one investor Warren Buffet and his partner Charlie Munger analyse the businesses they choose to invest in by thinking about moats. You know, the deep, wide ditch, filled with water, surrounding a castle as its first line of defence against attack. They only want to invest in businesses that have moats. Here’s [...]

Definitions matter. Otherwise we never know what the hell we are talking about. Better to describe exactly the nature or meaning of whatever you are talking about. Most people forget this. Multiple definitions exist by the way, so what matters is that you are clear with yourself about your definitions, and use them to guide [...]

John Maxwell, the leadership guru and author writes about ‘attitude tenacity’ that successful people have that allows them to get through adversity. Attitude tenacity only shows up during the difficult times. When things are going great, it’s easy to have a good attitude. But it’s when adversity and challenge come, that’s when your attitude becomes [...]

One of my early mentors when I first got into personal development used to say: Passion Fires Up The Committed. And It Fries The Uncommitted. I have seen this play out in my own business over the years and I see it come up in conversation with members. Staff issues is one of the biggest [...]

In his book, Stillness Is The Key, Ryan Holiday tells us we should slow down and think deeply. This is the perfect advice for setting you goals for the rest of the year. Starting new projects often gives a renewed sense of enthusiasm and excitement about the future and what is possible, but before running [...]

Discover how to transform your business by learning from the best in sports! In this lively episode, recorded live from the Paris Olympics, Conor shares key strategies from Sir Clive Woodward, the mastermind behind England’s Rugby World Cup win and Team GB’s success at the 2012 London Olympics. Explore the idea of living life in [...]

Years ago I trained my team, (specifically Kathryn and Carina, in the early days), to not bring me problems but instead bring me solutions to problems. After all, that’s why we hire people. To solve problems. There is a pervading issue in small businesses that the owner has to be the one to solve all [...]

Franklin D. Roosevelt wrote, “A smooth sea never made a skillful sailor.” It’s a simple but wise saying because it reminds us about the presence and importance of hardships in our life. Most people do everything they can to avoid hardship, discomfort, or pain, but there is a strange thing that happens when we try [...]

It’s like Conor always says, “Selling is serving”! Discover how to turn sales into a meaningful act of service! In this exciting episode, Conor shows how putting service first can boost customer interactions and increase sales. Conor gives you the secret to make every customer interaction a successful and meaningful one. Learn how the right [...]

Given the company’s size today, it can be hard to imagine that Starbucks was once a small retailer with a handful of locations that most people did not believe would grow beyond Seattle. Founder and CEO of Starbucks, Howard Schultz was inspired by his first experience of an espresso bar in Milan while on a [...]

What if the biggest thing holding you back is all in your head? In today’s episode of the Optical Entrepreneur Podcast, Conor is talking about the mental blocks that often stop independent optical practice owners, like you, from achieving their goals. Conor shares the details from his 15-year journey about taking risks and trying new [...]

When the founder of Lindberg, Henrik Lindberg was speaking at the OSA conference years ago, someone asked him what is the secret of the best practices he sees across the world and his answer was: “Service. Service. Service.” He didn’t say ‘good service’. He literally said ‘Service. Service. Service.’ The emphasis is totally different. Acceptable, [...]

When I was planning my first practice in 2004 I was clueless. But what saved me was the fact I was very aware of the fact of how little I knew about business and our industry. And so I set about rectifying that. I read trade journals and every optical magazine I could find. There [...]

The late Charlie Munger was known for saying, “All I want to know is where I’m going to die, so I never go there.” He was being more than just humorous. It was part of his business and investing philosophy. Essentially he was asking himself what things would kill the business and then making sure [...]

In this episode Conor chats with marketing guru Mark Palmer, the mastermind behind brands like Pret-a-Manger, Green & Black’s, and Union Hand-Roasted Coffee. Mark shares priceless tips on customer engagement and loyalty, uncovering why your customers keep coming back to you. Get practical strategies like using Facebook’s local targeting to maximize your marketing budget. Inspired [...]

This time next week I’ll be in Chicago ready to kick off our marketing workshop for OSA members from USA and Canada. It will be the second time we’ve hosted this workshop, we did a version for UK members in Ibiza a couple of weeks ago. Several members reported that they took the following day [...]

True business success and personal fulfilment only come from consistently stepping out of daily routines, investing in personal development, and being part of a community that supports and challenges you. In this episode, Conor tells you how to achieve growth in personal and professional areas by creating space for clarity and challenging the “too busy” [...]

Stressed out practice owners constantly talk about wanting to be more productive without ever stopping to think about what exactly ‘productive’ means. The best definition I’ve ever come across is Dan Kennedy’s in his Time Management for Entrepreneurs book: “Productivity is the deliberate, strategic, investment of your time, talent, intelligence, energy, resources and opportunities in [...]

In this episode, Conor and his special guests provide a proven blueprint to rapidly boost eyewear sales and expand your optometry practice, even in challenging economic times. What you’ll discover won’t just improve your practice—it will transform it, significantly increasing your income, regardless of the economic climate. Conor covers a ton of content in this [...]

Is it possible for an individual to achieve success without a good attitude? The answer is yes, but their attitude will determine how much (or how little) they enjoy the success.  Samuel Johnson, the eighteenth-century poet stated, “He who has so little knowledge of human nature as to seek happiness by changing anything but his [...]

In the kitchen of my grandmother’s house there hung a little sign on the wall above the sink stating Murphy’s Law: Nothing is as easy as it looks, Everything takes longer than you expect, And if anything can go wrong, it will, At the worst possible moment. My granny’s maiden name was Murphy, hence the [...]

In this episode, Conor breaks down how to connect with your ideal clients and implement a systematic approach for consistent outreach. Plus, don’t miss an exclusive look at our upcoming two-day workshop and mastermind meeting in Chicago. Conor goes deep into mastering marketing strategies that give you the tools to make your practice explode with [...]

Countless self-help books and business books have tried to find the patterns of behaviour that make people successful. The idea being if you know what successful people do repeatedly, you can model the same patterns of behaviour to become more successful yourself. Stephen Covey was probably the most famous of the success-by-pattern gurus. His book [...]

Team Principal, Toto Wolff, is regarded as one of the best team principals Formula One has ever seen. He is a self-admitted stickler for even the smallest details. When he first visited the team’s factory in Brackley, England, he walked into the lobby and sat down to wait for the team principal he would come [...]

This isn’t an easy place to be. I had a rude awakening in my first year in business during which I metamorphosed from a confident, knowledgeable, skilful optometrist into wet-behind the ears, inexperienced business owner who finds out daily something else he doesn’t know how to do. It’s hard going back to square one and [...]

From the very beginning, I labelled Optical Success Academy as ‘The Place for Optical Entrepreneurs.’ In case you missed it, there is depth in that little line, and it should serve as an important reminder wherever you see it. *Note, it is not the place for optical professionals, nor the place for optometrists, nor the [...]

We are currently in the throes of hiring a new dispensing optician for Jones And Co., and knowing that you may be dealing with hiring or firing decisions yourself right now, I thought this dispatch on the topic would be timely. At this point in my career, I’ve figured out the kind of person I [...]

The world is filled with grey. There is very little black and white. Jack Welch, the much-celebrated former CEO of GE, looked for people with a trait he called ‘edge’ – the courage to make tough yes-or-no decisions. Look, anyone can look at an issue from every angle. Smart people can get stuck in analysis [...]

Do you want to sell higher quality more premium eyewear in your practice but you’re afraid to because of your location or because you have a lot of NHS or vision plan patients? In this episode, Conor reveals his strategies for selling premium eyewear and how they can work even for practices with a high [...]

I think it was Jim Rohn who said ‘School is never out for the pro.’ If you’re a true professional you’re always learning, eyes and ears open for anything that is useful to you or will help you get better. Charlie Munger, Warren Buffet’s business partner, used to say never go to bed at night [...]

In his brilliant book ‘Drive’ Daniel Pink examines what factors are behind human motivation and what produces drive. He identifies the pursuit of mastery as a critical component to our drive but warns that only engagement can produce mastery. The fact is most people are not fully engaged in their work. The majority of practice [...]

Inc.com recently quoted Warren Buffet, one of the world’s most successful investors and currently the fifth wealthiest person in the world, on what is the best investment you can make: “The best thing you can do is to be exceptionally good at something…whatever abilities you have can’t be taken away from you. They can’t actually [...]

Sharing this podcast with your team could literally stop hundreds if not thousands of pounds walking out the door of your practice every single day. This session is so valuable for staff training and will show your team how to capture the missed sales opportunities that are happening in your practice every day. In this [...]

Shock News: I don’t have all the answers. Nor do I claim to. But what I do have is a well-honed ability to ask the right questions. It’s not about having all the answers. It IS about asking the right questions. Questions are a powerful thing. In a dispensing/selling situation I tell my team all [...]

In this episode of the podcast, we’re sharing a session from a recent 2-day staff training workshop in Manchester with you. This session is about trust-based selling, and how you and particularly your staff think about selling. This one is full of takeaways for your team that will help your staff increase their conversions and [...]

Research has shown that of all forms of human motivation the most effective one is progress. Why is that? Well I’m glad you asked… It’s because a small, concrete win creates momentum and affirms our faith in our further success. This is both simple and profound. You could say it’s common sense. Indeed it is [...]

On a masterclass call (on advanced client retention) I described a customer experience gone wrong at Jones And Co. where a client’s glasses had been ordered incorrectly without transitions, then delayed, and the client justifiably went beserk in the practice. I described the process Kathryn followed for handing the situation and averting disaster. If she [...]

In this episode of the podcast, Conor lets you into the secret to achieving more success in your practice, and it’s so simple! Stop trying to do everything yourself! He also reveals the one mistake – that 100% is happening in your practice, that is stopping you from selling sunglasses. This one mistake could be [...]

In an interview, talking about the transformation of fashion retailer N Brown, chief executive Angela Spindler shared one of her secrets for succeeding in her role. Namely “Do the right thing rather than trying to be liked.” It’s good advice for any business owner. The truth is you’re being negligent if you worry more about [...]

Let me share an email with you. We received this at Jones And Co. It reads: Hi there, I wish to find out more information about the Progear Optical OPT-1109 model, I understand that you have a trading account with the Norville Group who distributes this model. May I ask if this item is available [...]

How do you tackle the minefield of telling someone what they’re wearing doesn’t look good? Or worse, what they’re wearing is not making your business look good? Should you have a dress code for your staff? How would you enforce it? In the episode listen to a live snippet of a Q&A from our staff [...]

Remember The Apprentice TV show? It was better in the early seasons but always entertaining viewing and full of lessons. It was more useful as an example of what not to do than anything else. One classic task was to work as a team and source a variety of obscure items within a certain timescale. [...]

I’m re-reading Alex Ferguson’s book “Leading” at the minute and it’s so good. I’m recommending it to you… But first a warning. Before you think “I hate Manchester Utd and Alex Ferguson.” Or, “I hate football.” Or, “Seriously Conor, I run an opticians, not a premiership football team.” Well, I know all that. It’s exactly [...]

Most people are really confused. They lack clarity. As the Cat said to Alice, “If you don’t know where you want to get to, then it doesn’t matter which way you go.” Most people aren’t very clear about where they want to get to. They spend their days just reacting to circumstances. As a business [...]

I’m a fan of Paul Smith. There is a great Paul Smith documentary on Netflix which tells the story of how he got started in business and how he grew from 1 little shop in Nottingham to now over 300 shops worldwide and an annual revenue of around £200 Million. Paul Smith enjoys an almost [...]

This is a special episode of the podcast direct from Austin TX. Conor is bringing you some ‘Cowboy Common Sense’ and a few big lessons and principles, that if you follow them, you will get everything you’ve ever wanted from your business! This episode is full of tips on how to get inspired by what’s [...]

  Yesterday over lunch I heard a snippet of an interview on BBC Radio 6 Music with Tom Yorke, frontman of Radiohead. It is 20 years since they headlined Glastonbury and they’re still going strong. (I was a fan 20 years ago, but not so much these days.) In the interview, he was talking about [...]

There is a book called Fanocracy with the strapline ‘Turning Fans into Customers and Customers into Fans.’ Here’s the premise of the book:  “The pendulum has swung too far in the direction of superficial online communication at a time when people are hungry for true human connection. In a digital world where our lives are [...]

I hope this message finds you feeling festive! Before I sign off for the year I wanted to wish you and yours a very Happy Christmas and Happy New Year. I hope you take some time for recharging and reflecting and having a bit of laughter and fun. I also hope you show up to [...]

I came across this recently, sent a few years ago, from long-time member Shockat Patel who has been a part of OSA from year one, and has made huge strides with his business over those years. Shockat shared this snippet of an interview about Leicester goalkeeper (at the time) Kasper Schmeichel with me: “Kasper is [...]

John Dewey said, “We do not learn from experience … we learn from reflecting on experience.” At this time of year, it’s the perfect opportunity to slow down a little bit and truly reflect. Because you’re ambitious your tendency will lead towards diving straight into setting new goals and projects and targets for 2024. But before [...]