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PODCAST

EYE OWN A BUSINESS

What does your ideal optometry practice look like? Eye Own a Business is your go-to resource, whether you’re an established owner or aspiring optometrist. Hosted by Dr. Steve Vargo, this podcast, powered by IDOC, offers expert insights to help you grow your practice, enhance patient care, and so much more.

business entrepreneurship

All Episodes

19:08

Why your satisfied patients aren’t referring you (and...

EYE OWN A BUSINESS ·

2026/04/07

In this episode, Dr. Steve Vargo tackles a frustration nearly every practice owner has experienced: your patients like you, your patient surveys are positive—and yet referrals just aren’t happening.Why is that? Drawing on behavioral science and real-world experience, Steve challenges a common assumption in healthcare: that satisfied patients naturally become advocates. The research tells a different story. Patient satisfaction alone does not drive referrals—trust does. And more specifically, it’s

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40:38

The Future of the Workforce: Why Your Next Hire Might...

EYE OWN A BUSINESS ·

2026/03/31

In this episode, Dr. Steve Vargo sits down with Cory Pinegar for a practical conversation about virtual assistants, remote staffing, and why more optometry practices are taking a serious look at hybrid teams.Steve and Cory unpack some of the biggest misconceptions doctors still have about virtual assistants—from concerns about communication and quality to fears about accountability, culture, and whether remote team members can truly feel like part of the practice. They also explore why virtual

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38:59

How to Stop Being the Bottleneck in Your Own Practice

EYE OWN A BUSINESS ·

2026/03/24

In this episode, Dr. Steve Vargo sits down with optometrist and consultant Dr. Larry Golson for a practical conversation about leadership, delegation, and one of the biggest hidden barriers to growth in private practice: the owner who can’t let go.Building on an earlier discussion about EOS—the Entrepreneurial Operating System introduced in Traction—Steve and Larry focus on one of its most powerful and misunderstood tools: the Accountability Chart. Together, they explore how a clear structure for

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37:48

How to Catch Expensive Tax Errors Before the IRS Does

EYE OWN A BUSINESS ·

2026/03/17

In this episode, Dr. Steve Vargo sits down with financial planner and repeat guest Adam Cmejla for a timely conversation about taxes, costly filing mistakes, and why practice owners need more than just a CPA who “gets it done.”Steve and Adam unpack a real-world example that started with a social media post: a doctor’s tax return included an $83,000 qualified business income deduction they likely didn’t qualify for—an error that could have created more than $30,000 in back taxes, plus penalties and

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23:57

Why Patients Don’t Follow Through (And What We’re...

EYE OWN A BUSINESS ·

2026/03/10

In this episode, Dr. Steve Vargo explores a frustrating experience nearly every doctor has faced: explaining a treatment plan clearly, receiving agreement from the patient—and then watching them never follow through.Why does this happen? Drawing on recent research he conducted on patient behavior and adherence, Steve unpacks the uncomfortable reality that patient “non-compliance” is rarely about patients simply not caring or not listening. In fact, the World Health Organization and behavioral

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34:27

If You’re Drowning in Staffing Issues, Listen to This

EYE OWN A BUSINESS ·

2026/03/03

In this episode, Dr. Steve Vargo is joined by repeat guest Ankit Patel—AI and remote staffing expert and founder of My Business Care Team—for a practical conversation about one word that matters more than ever right now: scalability.Steve and Ankit unpack why so many optometry practices feel stuck in a staffing trap—constant turnover, missed calls, overwhelmed teams, and owners carrying far more operational weight than they should. And they connect the dots to a hidden consequence most doctors

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49:00

The #1 Mistake Practice Owners Make: Hoping Growth...

EYE OWN A BUSINESS ·

2026/02/24

In this episode, Dr. Steve Vargo sits down with Australian host Michael Nasser for a candid conversation about the real reason so many practices plateau—even when the doctor is working harder than ever: a leadership gap no one trained you for.Steve breaks down the hidden difference between management (running the day-to-day) and leadership (creating direction, clarity, and momentum)—and why most practice problems don’t live in the exam room. They unpack what happens when goals are fuzzy,

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30:46

Dr. David Kading: How to Build an Invisible Team That...

EYE OWN A BUSINESS ·

2026/02/17

In this episode, Dr. Steve Vargo sits down with optometrist, author, and podcast host Dr. David Kading for an honest and timely conversation about burnout, staffing strain, and why the way we’ve been running practices may no longer be sustainable.Steve and David explore the concept of the “Invisible Team”—virtual professionals who work behind the scenes to reduce administrative overload, protect in-office staff, and restore the parts of practice ownership that many doctors feel they’ve lost. They

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42:20

Dr. Crystal Brimer: Why You’re Still “Dabbling” in...

EYE OWN A BUSINESS ·

2026/02/10

If you’ve ever felt confident diagnosing dry eye… but frustrated by inconsistent follow-through, stalled treatment plans, or patients who quietly disappear, this episode will feel like a reset.In this conversation, Dr. Steve Vargo sits down with Dr. Crystal Brimer, founder of Dry Eye Institute, to unpack why so many doctors stay stuck in “dabble mode” with dry eye—and what it actually takes to turn it into a meaningful, sustainable specialty. Dr. Brimer shares the mindset shift that changed

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37:33

Why Trying Harder is Holding Your Practice Back

EYE OWN A BUSINESS ·

2026/02/03

In this episode, Dr. Steve Vargo shares the full conversation from his recent guest appearance on Ankit Patel’s podcast, Optometrists Building Empires—a wide-ranging and deeply honest discussion about leadership, growth, and why so many practice owners feel stuck despite working harder than ever.Steve and Ankit explore the unseen challenges of practice ownership that no one talks about in school: the pressure to do everything yourself, the isolation that comes with leadership, and the quiet burnout

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22:37

What a National Championship Taught Me About Turning...

EYE OWN A BUSINESS ·

2026/01/27

In this episode, Dr. Steve Vargo reflects on a moment he never expected to witness as an Indiana University alum: watching IU football win a national championship after decades as one of the most historically losing programs in college football. What made the moment even more striking wasn’t just the win—it was how quickly the turnaround happened under new leadership.Using Indiana’s transformation under head coach Curt Cignetti as a real-world case study, Steve explores why struggling practices

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35:25

The moment I realized sales wasn’t the problem—I was

EYE OWN A BUSINESS ·

2026/01/20

In this episode, Dr. Steve Vargo shares the full conversation from his recent guest appearance on Adam Cmejla’s podcast, 2020 Money—a conversation that explores why so many healthcare professionals feel conflicted, uncomfortable, or even resistant to the idea of “sales,” despite spending their entire careers trying to influence outcomes that matter. Steve and Adam unpack how early experiences, subconscious narratives, and professional conditioning shape the way doctors communicate, prescribe, lead,

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36:55

Why You’re Working Too Much—and What Actually Lets...

EYE OWN A BUSINESS ·

2026/01/13

You didn’t start your practice to feel trapped inside it. Yet somewhere along the way, longer hours became normal. Days off felt stressful. And the idea of stepping away—even briefly—started to feel impossible. If you’ve ever thought, “If I’m not there, everything falls apart,” you’re not alone.In this episode of Eye Own a Business, Dr. Ruth Mannschreck shares a powerful story that began with a personal crisis—and led to a complete rethinking of how a practice can run. What started as a necessity

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21:15

How to Achieve Your 2026 Goals Without Burning Out or...

EYE OWN A BUSINESS ·

2026/01/06

You don’t need more motivation—you need a better system.If you’ve ever started the year feeling hopeful, only to wonder by March where your goals went, this episode is for you. Every January, you promise yourself this year will be different. You set goals with good intentions, real excitement, and a desire to grow. But then real life shows up—patients, staff issues, unexpected fires—and slowly, quietly, those goals fade into the background. Not because you don’t care. Not because you’re lazy. But

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47:57

The #1 mistake you make with dry eye: trying to...

EYE OWN A BUSINESS ·

2025/12/30

If you’ve ever watched a dry eye patient nod along… then disappear, stall, or come back unchanged, this episode will feel like a reset. Because the truth is: dry eye isn’t just “bad tears.” It’s stress, sleep, diet, inflammation, screens, habits—and a patient who’s overwhelmed by one more thing to do.In this conversation, ophthalmologist Dr. Laura Periman (the “Dry Eye Master”) shows you how to reorient patients without lecturing or shaming them. You’ll hear how she uses simple, memorable language

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48:51

RE-RELEASE: The Future of Optometry: What the Next...

EYE OWN A BUSINESS ·

2025/12/23

The future of optometry is evolving, and today’s new grads have different expectations, career goals, and challenges than ever before. In this episode, I sit down with Howard Purcell, OD, FAAO, President and CEO of New England College of Optometry, to discuss what the next generation of optometrists really wants—from practicing to the full extent of their licensure to navigating student debt and business ownership. We also explore the shifting dynamics between experienced ODs and new graduates, the

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34:19

Why Most Doctors Leave Thousands on the Table with...

EYE OWN A BUSINESS ·

2025/12/16

You might be leaving thousands of dollars on the table in contact lenses every year—and not even know it.If you’ve ever stared at your CL numbers and thought, “We’re busy… so why isn’t this more profitable?” this episode is for you. In this conversation, you’ll step into the shoes of a practice owner who stopped guessing and started treating contact lenses like a real profit engine. Dr. Justin Bazan didn’t do it by chasing every new brand or arguing over pennies per box—he did it by simplifying. He

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51:10

How to stop falling behind: the AI shift every OD...

EYE OWN A BUSINESS ·

2025/12/09

In this conversation with Dr. Brianna Rhue, you’ll step into a new way of thinking about your practice: not as a small business desperately trying to keep up with tech, but as a tech-enabled practice that happens to deliver incredible eye care. Instead of treating AI like a buzzword or a threat, you’ll see how it becomes the quiet engine behind smoother days, fewer bottlenecks, and more time with patients.Brianna doesn’t sugarcoat the reality: ODs who ignore this shift will feel more irrelevant

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31:33

The Hidden Opportunity in Your Exam Lane: Why...

EYE OWN A BUSINESS ·

2025/12/02

In this episode, you’ll step into one of the most overlooked opportunities in eye care—an opportunity that affects every patient over 40 and can quietly transform the way your practice grows.Dr. Amanda Nanasy shares a story most of us forget: presbyopia isn’t just a refractive change… it’s an emotional moment. It’s the instant a patient realizes their vision—and their identity—is shifting. And for many, it feels like a reminder that time is moving faster than they’d like. But inside that discomfort

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32:37

You’re Surrounded by Data—So Why Are You Ignoring It?...

EYE OWN A BUSINESS ·

2025/11/25

In this episode, you’ll step into a challenge almost every practice owner faces—but few want to admit: you’re surrounded by data… and still making decisions based on gut feel.Alongside Cathy Firman from GPN, you’ll walk through what happens when you stop guessing and start listening to what your practice is already trying to tell you—through revenue per exam, capture rate, staff performance, and the quiet leaks that add up over time. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by dashboards, unsure where to

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133 results

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