What does it take to grow a cold-start practice into a thriving multi-location empire? On this week’s episode of Optometrists Building Empires, host Ankit Patel sat down with Dr. Brian Samartino and Tyler Mills, co-founders of Premier Eye Associates, to uncover their journey from opening their first doors in 2014 to running three successful locations. From overcoming early cash flow challenges to building a strong culture that attracts top talent, Brian and Tyler share candid lessons learned, including both wins and failures, like a bold neuro lens trial that didn’t pan out. Whether you're thinking about scaling your practice or refining your operations, this episode is packed with practical wisdom. 

Takeaways:

• Start thinking like a big practice early. Even if you're just getting started, approach decisions with a growth mindset. Negotiate like a larger business and build scalable systems from day one.
• Don’t grow without a solid foundation. Before expanding, make sure you have clear SOPs, strong leadership, and the infrastructure to support multiple locations. Growth without structure leads to burnout.
• Invest in your culture. Define your core values and live them. A strong culture isn’t just good for morale, it helps attract and retain top-tier talent who believe in your mission.
• Define roles and stick to them. Use tools like EOS to clearly assign responsibilities and decision-making authority. It’ll minimize conflict and help your team move faster with confidence.
• Pilot everything before going wide. Whether it's a new treatment, software, or process, test it in one location first. Learn from the rollout, refine it, and scale only what works.
• Don’t be afraid to fail. Innovation comes with risk. Embrace failure as part of the growth process.

Quote of the Show:

• “ We want to develop leaders, we want to develop people who can be better interpersonally and at work.” 

Links:

• Brian’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-samartino-36ba221b7/  
• Tyler’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-mills-864389a0/  
• Company website: https://www.premiereyedoctors.com/  
• Brian’s Email: drbrian@premiereyedoctors.com 
• Tyler’s email: drtyler@premiereyedoctors.com 
• Simple Numbers, Straight Talk, Big Profits!: https://www.amazon.com/Simple-Numbers-Straight-Talk-Profits/dp/1608320561 

Ways to Tune In:

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5w1H9BBwRXvBSSkexePYxG 
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/optometrists-building-empires/id1762685070 
• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/689a039b-54ce-4f04-b641-66d8640d93d0 
• Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/optometrists-building-empires-5812208