Dr. Haley Perry's Unconventional Path to Optometry Practice Ownership and the Power of AI
From Struggle to Success: Dr. Haley Perry's Unconventional Path to Optometry Practice Ownership and the Power of AI
In a candid conversation with Eric Levenhagen, Dr. Haley Perry of Elite Eye Care in Arden, North Carolina, shared her compelling journey into optometry practice ownership, the challenges she overcame, and her innovative embrace of artificial intelligence. Her story is a testament to resilience, strategic pivoting, and the transformative potential of modern tools.
Key Takeaways:
The Unconventional Path to Ownership: Dr. Perry's initial venture into practice ownership in 2011 involved acquiring a satellite clinic that was not well-suited for her style of practice. This led to a challenging period of trying to manage two practices simultaneously before making the difficult, but ultimately beneficial, decision to consolidate in 2016.
Embracing the "Pivot, Not Failure": Dr. Perry emphasizes the mental shift from viewing setbacks as failures to seeing them as pivots. Her experience of closing the initial practice, while personally challenging, was a necessary step toward her current success.
AI as a Business Partner: Beyond traditional marketing, Dr. Perry uses AI, specifically ChatGPT, as a powerful tool for strategic planning, personal development, business analysis, and goal setting. She highlights its ability to act as a "business partner and coach," aiding in vision casting for 1, 3, and 10-year growth plans.
Working ON the Business, Not Just IN It: A key driver for Dr. Perry's current success is her intentional shift from working in her practice to working on it. By leveraging AI to optimize schedules and processes, she has reduced her patient-facing days from three to two, allowing more time for administrative tasks and strategic growth.
The Importance of Delegation: Dr. Perry candidly discusses the challenge of entrusting responsibilities to others, particularly hiring an office manager and an associate doctor. These decisions, though initially daunting, were crucial in allowing her to step back from daily operational tasks and focus on the bigger picture.
Passion for Private Practice and AI: Dr. Perry is a strong advocate for independent optometry and is passionate about empowering other private practices to utilize AI. She believes that as large corporations increasingly adopt AI, independent practices must do the same to remain competitive and thrive.
Mentorship and the Shared Struggle: Dr. Perry advises aspiring practice owners not to compare their beginning to someone else's middle. She stresses that struggle is an inherent part of the journey and encourages finding mentors who can offer guidance and support, emphasizing that it's "going to be okay."
Interview Highlights:
"As doctors, we're very driven people, and we can, we dream of being a doctor, and then you set the goal of being a doctor, and you succeed at becoming, at doing that... And then all of a sudden you're going to call me a failure and I'm going to have to close something because I couldn't like make it work and you definitely have this mentality of like, I will grind."
"I started really heavily using, I mean, I started using it last year because I, I, I really think that it was, it was just a foreign concept to me before that. But, um, I realized that I could go to chat and use it for free. Um, so I started playing around with it and then I realized all of the different things that I could do with it."
"We are little mini CEOs of our practices. And so if we are not using AI to also help grow our practices, then we are going to fall behind where these big corporations are going to keep going further. So that's where I'm really passionate about it."
"I had an office manager when I started here when I purchased this practice and she was with me but left in 2020... I did, I ran this practice for two years without an office manager until one of my staff members was basically like, you need an office manager and if you don't let me do this, I'm leaving."
"It's easy to compare your beginning to somebody else's middle... I think the struggle is a part of the story. And so it's important to k
eep going. I can tell you how many times if I wanted to give up and quit and I just kept going and it's all been worth it."
Dr. Haley Perry's story offers a compelling narrative of navigating the complexities of practice ownership, embracing technological advancements, and the personal growth that accompanies challenges. Her insights into leveraging AI for strategic business development are particularly timely for independent optometrists looking to thrive in an evolving landscape.
Catch the full interview on YouTube or where you listen to podcasts.
Eric Levenhagen, CPA CTS is the only financial consultant who helps private practice optometrists improve the financial health of their practice with a simple, proven process called Financial Harmony which will reduce their taxes and increase their after-tax profits.
DISCLAIMER: The financial figures presented in this blog are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as financial advice. Actual results may vary depending on individual circumstances and market conditions. Readers are encouraged to consult with a qualified financial advisor or accountant before making any financial decisions based on the information provided in this blog.
