EYE OWN A BUSINESS
by IDOC
Latest episode
How to Get 10 Hours a Week Back With AI (And What to Do With Them)
How to Get 10 Hours a Week Back With AI (And What to Do With Them)
About this podcast
What does your dream optometry practice look like, and are you ready to make it a reality?
Whether you’re an established owner, an aspiring optometrist, or someone looking to grow within the field, Eye Own a Business is your go-to resource for building a thriving practice and a fulfilling career. Hosted by Dr. Steve Vargo, a former optometrist turned expert in practice management, this podcast offers invaluable insights to help you grow both your business and your patient care.
Each episode focuses on two essential pillars: elevating your practice’s operations and enhancing the patient experience. We understand that running an optometry practice requires more than just clinical expertise. It’s about mastering the art of leading a successful business that supports both your professional goals and your personal life. Dr. Vargo and his expert guests dive into topics such as managing a growing practice, fostering meaningful patient relationships, embracing new technologies, leading productive teams, and so much more.
Brought to you by IDOC, where we empower Independent Owners to live the practice of their dreams. Follow us to keep building the practice of your dreams!
Episodes
The newest 20 of 100 episodes
- How to Get 10 Hours a Week Back With AI (And What to Do With Them) · 32 min · Episode 162In this episode, Dr. Steve Vargo marks the release of his new book, Human-Centered AI: How Doctors Can Use AI to Reclaim Time, Restore Connection, and Love This Work Again, and…
- Why Price Is Rarely the Real Reason Patients Say No | Shareef Mahdavi · 44 min · Episode 161In this episode, Dr. Steve Vargo sits down with Shareef Mahdavi, author of Beyond Bedside Manner and a longtime patient experience strategist, for a conversation about the part…
- Why Most ODs Are Still Sitting Out Myopia Management (and How to Start) · 48 min · Episode 160In this episode, Dr. Steve Vargo sits down with Dr. James Loughman, professor of optometry, founder of the Centre for Eye Research Ireland, and CEO of Ocumetra, and Dr. Ece…
- Why Your Revenue Per Patient Is Stuck — and How One OD Nearly Tripled His · 48 min · Episode 159In this episode, Dr. Steve Vargo sits down with Dr. Zach Holland, owner of the Cornea and Contact Lens Institute of Minnesota, to unpack how a specialty practice grew its revenue…
- If Your Capture Rate Is Stuck Near 50%, Listen to This · 48 min · Episode 158In this episode, Dr. Steve Vargo sits down with Andrew Bruce, a licensed optician with master-level credentials in both ophthalmic optics and contact lenses, for a practical…
- How to Get People to Say Yes Without Sounding Like a Salesperson · 51 min · Episode 157In this episode, Dr. Steve Vargo tackles the challenge that quietly separates good practices from great ones: getting people to actually act on what you recommend. Inspired by…
- Capture Rate Starts in the Exam Room · 43 min · Episode 156In this episode, Dr. Steve Vargo sits down with Amie Robinson, ABOC, optical manager at Spring Hill Eyecare, to reframe one of the most overlooked moments in a patient's visit…
- Re-Release: Team Building: The Magic Wand to Creating a Multi-Million Dollar Practice · 40 min · Episode 155“You can make drama or you can make money, but you can’t make both. The thing that Zig (Ziglar) always said about building a team is that “together everyone achieves more”. I…
- The Top Mistake Killing Your Second Pair Sales (It's Not Price) · 37 min · Episode 154In this episode, Dr. Steve Vargo tackles a question that's easy to write off as an inventory problem but is actually a communication problem: why do most patients own five pairs…
- “I Like to Make Money” — The Optometrist Who Refuses to Apologize for It · 43 min · Episode 153In this episode, Dr. Steve Vargo sits down with Dr. Allan Panzer, OD, a Houston optometrist with 47 years in practice and owner of the Houston Dry Eye Clinic, for a wide-ranging…
- 5 Not-So-Obvious Habits of Practice Owners Who Actually Get Ahead · 29 min · Episode 152In this episode, Dr. Steve Vargo steps outside optometry to answer a question he's been chewing on for years: what actually separates practice owners who break through from the…
- How to Respond When a Patient Says 'ChatGPT Told Me This' · 22 min · Episode 151In this episode, Dr. Steve Vargo tackles a scenario more and more doctors are running into: a patient sits down and says, "I looked this up on ChatGPT." How do you respond…
- How to Stop Guessing and Start Building a Frame Buying System That Works · 45 min · Episode 150In this episode, Dr. Steve Vargo sits down with Susan Daly for a practical, no-nonsense conversation about one of the most guesswork-driven parts of running a practice: frame…
- You didn't hire the wrong person — you onboarded them wrong · 29 min · Episode 149In this episode, Dr. Steve Vargo tackles a problem that quietly costs practices their best hires: a great candidate on paper who, a few months in, becomes quiet, hesitant, and…
- Why Most Optometrists Are Thinking About AI All Wrong · 40 min · Episode 148In this episode, Dr. Steve Vargo sits down with Corey Pinegar, founder of Team, for a grounded conversation about what AI actually means for optometry practices in 2026—beyond…
- How to Become the Go-To Doctor in Your Town—Without Buying a Single Machine · 45 min · Episode 147In this episode, Dr. Steve Vargo sits down with Dr. Josh Davidson—known throughout the Gulf South as the go-to doctor for dry eye and scleral lenses—to unpack how he built one of…
- Re-Release: The Most Valuable Day of the Year: How Annual Retreats Are Transforming Practice Culture · 39 min · Episode 146In this episode, Dr. Vargo sits down with Dr. Elizabeth Roush, a practice owner from Northeast Indiana, to discuss the transformative impact of annual retreats on leadership…
- How to Turn Contact Lens Dropouts Into Your Best Patients · 38 min · Episode 145In this episode, Dr. Steve Vargo sits down with Dr. Shannon Joseph for a conversation about one of the most overlooked revenue opportunities in eye care — the contact lens…
- What If It's Not Burnout? The Three Diagnoses That Actually Explain How You're Feeling · 51 min · Episode 144In this episode, Dr. Steve Vargo sits down with Luke Mathers — optometrist, author, and stress resilience expert — for a conversation that challenges one of the most common…
- Why Half Your Patients Are Walking Out Without Buying Glasses · 44 min · Episode 143In this episode, Dr. Steve Vargo sits down with Chris Millet, Managing Director of Global Sales for Modern Optical, for an honest and timely conversation about what the data is…
