WRITER Melanie Kell

As Eyecare Plus celebrates its 25th anniversary, board members reflect on the organisation’s impact on independent optometry and their own practices across Australia.

In an increasingly corporate-dominated optical landscape, maintaining independence as an optometry practice can be challenging. Yet for 25 years, Eyecare Plus has offered a viable alternative – a collaborative group where independent optometrists maintain their autonomy while benefiting from collective strength.

Founded by a small group of forwardthinking optometrists – including Nick Hansen, Tony Hanks, and Peter Rose – Eyecare Plus emerged from a desire to preserve the essence of localised eye care while providing the advantages typically associated with larger corporate entities. The group now represents a network of 120 independent practices across Australia, each maintaining their individual character while operating under a unified brand.

And, because Eyecare Plus operates as a licensed buying group with business and marketing support services, every dollar earned benefits its membership base.

THE FOUNDING VISION

For the founding members, the initial concept for Eyecare Plus was simple. “The vision was to set up a group of non-competing optometric practices that would support each other in terms of marketing and strategies,” Mr Hansen told mivision.

As the owner of one of Australia’s oldest optometry practices, dating back to the 1880s and located in Orange, central NSW, he said a lot of people asked, “Why would you do that?”.

“Even then, it just made sense: without marketing experience or a buying group enabling us to purchase more wisely to compete, the writing was on the wall.”

The intervening 25 years have proven the wisdom of this approach, as independent optometrists face mounting challenges from corporate competitors with substantial marketing budgets and purchasing power.

And that founding concept – to create a network of supportive, non-competing practices – has remained the cornerstone of Eyecare Plus’ identity. The territorial exclusivity each practice enjoys creates a uniquely collaborative environment that many members cite as their primary reason for joining and staying with the group.

STRENGTH IN COLLABORATION

All the other Eyecare Plus Board members mivision spoke to agreed that the collaborative environment is Eyecare Plus’ greatest strength. They say territorial protection eliminates competitive anxiety, encouraging members to discuss everything from frame selections to business metrics that would normally be considered proprietary information.

Optometrist Glenn Vessey, who joined Eyecare Plus about 15 years ago, explained, “It’s about the open sharing of ideas – I have learned so much through other Eyecare Plus members. I mean, you don’t normally get to sit and openly chat with people who are in exactly the same situation, facing the same difficulties and successes that you face as an independent optometrist.”

And, as a sole practice owner, he said the network is particularly valuable because, “I enjoy being part of a team, getting that support and suggestion of ideas”.

Lara Foster, who purchased a practice in Moss Vale in the Southern Highlands of NSW in 2010, echoed the sentiment. When exploring the possibility of joining Eyecare Plus she said, “I think that core missions of locals caring for locals and lifelong learning really resonated with me; particularly practising in a regional area. Having protected territories means that we are all free to share ideas and concepts with our peers”.

Optometrist Emma Slinger, who joined in 2013 after purchasing an established Eyecare Plus practice, said the openness is like nothing she has experienced elsewhere. “When I talked to other groups, I found people still talked, but not in as much detail. There was no ‘here’s the plan of exactly what I did’. But I can do that because there is no other Eyecare Plus practice that is in competition with me.”

MARKETING MUSCLE WITH INDIVIDUAL AUTONOMY

For independent practices, effective marketing often presents a significant challenge. Without the resources of corporate entities, getting the word out about services and offerings can be prohibitively expensive and time consuming.

As Mr Vessey explained, this is where the financial advantage of being part of Eyecare Plus comes into play. “Things that I couldn’t do as a small independent, we can do as a larger organisation under the umbrella of our brand. So, we have ongoing Catch-Up TV advertising, which is a fantastic campaign – there’s no way I could afford to do that.”

The group marketing efforts extend beyond television to include digital campaigns, social media, and other collective initiatives, including radio.

“In Brisbane, every once in a while, we get together with other Eyecare Plus practices to do radio advertising because again, we can do this as a common brand,” said Ms Slinger. “In a metropolitan area, radio advertising is too cost prohibitive on your own.”

That marketing support doesn’t come with the constraints often associated with corporate ownership. “There’s no one telling me what I have to say in my marketing or how I have to position my practice. There’s no one telling me what to put in my practice, so I can choose the products I sell,” Ms Slinger asserted. “I’ve got complete control over what my patients have access to.”

And perhaps of most value, said Eyecare Plus Board Chair and optical dispenser Martin Gregory, is that before investing in a marketing campaign, you can review the experiences of practices in the broader group that have gone before you.

“As a group, we get to test different marketing initiatives in different locations; so, we know programme A works best in city settings. Programme B works best in rural settings. If you’re not part of a bigger group like Eyecare Plus, you don’t have that luxury.

One example is the Buddy programme, which is Eyecare Plus’ second pair offer. Acknowledging that when this programme was introduced “a lot of members, including myself, were sceptical”, Mr Gregory said “we didn’t look at it as a marketing tool that would make the practice more profitable.”

“But once it was trialled in a few locations, we could see the upward trend in revenue and were able to convince more members that it was a good idea… the Buddy programme is still heavily used today because it has made such a difference.”

BUSINESS SUPPORT FOR CLINICAL MINDS

Eyecare Plus support extends beyond marketing to include day-to-day business development advice and services that many optometrists struggle with. This advice is provided by dedicated business development managers who see a lot of practices, have extensive experience, and are up to date on critical aspects of running a business, like human resources. As Ms Slinger observed, this saves both time and mental effort. “As an optometrist first, I wasn’t trained to be a business owner. Having that backup support allows us to spend more time with patients.”

This sentiment was echoed by Ms Foster who found “business support and the Eyecare Plus community the most valuable”.

Again, there’s no compulsion to use all or any of these services. “Eyecare Plus can advise you on how it should be done or they can do it all for you. It just depends on whether you want to pay them for the service or do it yourself, really,” explained Mr Gregory.

A COMMUNITY OF COLLEAGUES

Within this collegiate environment there are both informal and formal opportunities for professional development and personal support, Mr Vessey explained.

“We have a group called Eyecare Plus Connect where we meet every two or three months online, and we’ll have a topic. So, the topic might be recalls, and everyone contributes their experiences, ‘This is what works for me, this is how I go; this is what I do.’”

The concept is further extended with the Entrepreneurs’ Club, which is open to practice owners who want to try something new to grow their business.

“If you’ve got an idea that you want to put into your practice, you can apply and participate in the meetings throughout the year. Then at the end, we have a meeting where we all get together and we share how we implemented our business ideas and the outcomes,” Mr Vessey said.

But Eyecare Plus is not all about business. Over 25 years, Mr Hansen said many Eyecare Plus members have become his closest friends. “When we have our member meetings, you can see the relationships that have been built over many years… We call it family.”

Reflecting on how this sense of family has helped her to grow personally, Ms Slinger said, “I think it’s made me come out of my shell more because we have so many sharing opportunities… It’s made me become more open and more engaged. I’m not afraid to put myself out there.”

NAVIGATING TRANSITIONS AND CHANGE

For many members, Eyecare Plus has provided valuable continuity and support during critical transitions. For instance, when Ms Foster took over an established practice, one of the challenges was to build her personal reputation. “For a full decade it was ‘Tim’s practice and you can see Lara.’ It’s only recently become known as ‘Lara’s practice’. The Eyecare Plus branding helped with that transition.”

Ms Slinger, who purchased a practice that had changed hands several times, made a similar observation: “It had been owned by an Eyecare Plus member. It was then rebranded to EyeQ Optometrists, then it was bought by another person who turned it back to an Eyecare Plus, and that last owner was only there for 18 months. When I bought the practice, I didn’t want to have another change of ownership and then another change of brand; maintaining Eyecare Plus branding made sense.”

THE ECONOMIC EQUATION

While collaboration, support, and branding are compelling reasons to join an organisation such as Eyecare Plus, for many prospective members, the great unknown is the required financial commitment. But as Mr Vessey explained, it’s all about maximising the opportunities.

“If you use the preferred suppliers – and it’s not hard to have 75% of your purchases through preferred suppliers – our end of year loyalty bonuses will basically pay for your membership.”

Mr Hansen confirmed this view: “The savings in terms of purchases are quite significant. And that falls to the bottom line.”

LOOKING FORWARD: THE NEXT 25 YEARS

As Eyecare Plus celebrates its 25th anniversary, its role in supporting independent optometry seems more relevant than ever. And as Mr Hansen observed, the vision “hasn’t changed. It just becomes even more important”.

“With independent practices under more and more threat by the corporates in terms of not just their buying power and advertising power, but the fact that they’re actually purchasing a lot of independent practices, our position now in Eyecare Plus becomes even more important.”

Mr Gregory agrees that within an increasingly challenging environment, independent practitioners “need to be aligned with a group”. Furthermore, he said, groups like Eyecare Plus provide valuable opportunities for wholesalers because “it means you get in the door (of the member practices), you get to say hello to that owner… and if you want to run a marketing programme, you’re not having to do 120 different programmes with 120 different owners. You can do one programme and then it’s just up to the members to tick the box and say, ‘yes, I want to do it’.”

For Mr Vessey the future for Eyecare Plus must be focussed on “supporting independents to compete – not just remain independent – but to compete with the corporates, giving us the ability and the facilities to be able to match them on their level”.

For Ms Foster, it’s about creating exciting opportunities to improve eye care outcomes by connecting Eyecare Plus community members with similar interests.

“We often connect members who are looking to grow their practice in a particular area, for example connecting a practitioner who has an interest in intense pulsed light and dry eye with a member who has been established in that space.”

And, having joined the Board a year ago, Ms Slinger said the future of Eyecare Plus is all about “what’s going to be best for us; best for independent optometry”.

Her vision clearly articulates the group’s continued purpose: “Eyecare Plus is a group of local practices that are caring for their local communities with the best possible eye care that they can deliver… We’re about the individuals in the practice, whether that’s your staff or the people coming in, they become part of our family. Each practice is its own little family or community. And I think that’s a core part of being an Eyecare Plus member.”

Having helped Eyecare Plus to become this forward-thinking family of practice owners, I asked Nick Hansen whether he would have done anything differently in the creation and evolution of Eyecare Plus. His response was decisive, “Looking back, I wouldn’t change what we’ve done. We’ve created something that makes members more independent rather than less.”

From left: Eyecare Plus General Manager Philip Rose with Board members Glenn Vessey, Emma Slinger, Martin Gregory (Board Chair), Lara Foster, Nick Hansen and Business Development Manager, Ethan Nguyen.