 Since 2008, Joy Gibb has been running Eyes of Joy, a mobile opticianry based in her hometown of Woods Cross, UT. Gibb travels to her patients, whom she considers friends, offering them personalized service in their homes or offices.
She spoke excitedly about the public’s perception of her self-run business and how it’s evolved in the short time since launching. She said, “When I first started this, people would kind of cock their heads, and go, ‘You do what? How does that work? Can you really have enough frames?’ They were really fairly skeptical at first, but now that I’ve done it for a little while, the response is, ‘I can’t believe how many frames you have, and I love the fact that you can do it at my convenience.’”
Who’s the Boss?
Gibb enjoys the flexibility that comes with her schedule—not only for herself, but for her patients as well. “I’m probably more accessible to the patient than a storefront operation,” she said. “I’ll go on Saturday morning at 10am, or I’ll go on Tuesday night at 7pm. I make it work for the patient.”
Being a one-woman operation also means that Gibb handles her own marketing. Fortunately, the Eyes of Joy marketing machine is one that almost runs itself at this point. “I’ve done the personal letters to patients, explaining what I do,” she said, “but I’ll tell you probably the best marketing that I have now [is word of mouth], because they’ve enjoyed the uniqueness of the experience, so they tell other people.”
Gibb shared a recent success story. “I did one woman’s glasses, and she told a coworker, so I went to this coworker’s house and did glasses for her and her daughter. Within the week, she tells me that she’s already told three or four people about what a cool experience it was and that she’s made recommendations to all these people.”
Takin’ It to the Streets
Most of her patients are local, but Gibb is willing to trek farther out for house calls. “I’ve probably driven at least an hour to see some really good patients,” she said. “I knew they were going to buy about eight pairs between the two of them, so to me it wasn’t a big deal to drive that far.” Even without a guaranteed sale, Gibb sees the value of going the distance. “I’m not devastated if they don’t buy something. I’ve planted a seed, and it’s fine.”
While the rising cost of fuel is an issue in general, it’s no more of an obstacle for Gibb than for any business. She said, “It’s just like any other storefront—they have to consider their cost of shipping from UPS or FedEx. It obviously factors in, but I can deduct my mileage as a business expense,” she said. Still, she does try to plan her stops economically. She explained her strategy: “If I can put three or four appointments together in the same area, I will do that,” she said. “Or I will map them out to start at one end of the county and go in this direction or that direction, so I’m not traipsing back and forth.”
As with any mobile business, personal safety is a factor that really has to be taken into consideration. While Gibb has little to no hesitation about visiting an established patient, or even a referral from a trusted contact, she maintains a conservative approach for visiting entirely new clients. She said, “I will schedule it at a time when I know my husband can go and wait in the car for me.”
Bumps in the Road
With more than two decades of experience under her belt, Gibb is no newbie to the optical field. She’s been in the industry since the mid-‘80s and worked for a retail opticianry for more than a decade prior to this endeavor. Still, getting a new business off the ground is a learning experience, particularly when it has a somewhat unconventional business model. She cited frame minimums from some companies as an occasional hurdle she has to overcome. “Maybe we need to go back to the mentality that any business is good business,” she said. “I’m going to go out and sell frames the same way the retail optical chains are selling frames, so what does it matter what the venue is?”
Being a small-business owner, Gibb has to keep up with her reps with a vigilance that large chains probably don’t have to worry about. “I don’t know if it’s because it’s my home, and they don’t feel comfortable with that, or they don’t think I’m serious, but they don’t necessarily come beating down my door.”
And while the recent economic downturn has reared its head for Eyes of Joy, it hasn’t been a game changer for Gibb. “I saw a little bit of a drop, just like everybody did, but I will tell you that the last two quarters, I’ve been back on track to where I was when I started, if not exceeding it,” she said. “I’m anticipating that this will be another really good year. If the last two quarters have been an indicator to me, I think we’re right back on track, and I think it’s growing. I’m optimistic.”
It’s Been a Joy Ride
Gibb points to the idea of embracing change as a key factor in her success. “It was totally scary at first,” she said. “I thought, ‘What am I thinking?’ But now that I’m three years into it, I’m loving it, and I’m thinking, ‘Why was that such a big deal?’”
These days, she is literally enjoying the ride. “I’ve always had a good connection to my patients, but I know them so much better now that I go to their homes and offices,” she said. “I’m a people person, so for me that’s fabulous.”
So what does the future hold for Eyes of Joy? Gibb said, “I’ve had a lot of people approach me and say, ‘Gosh, will you franchise and will you expand?’ Am I open to that? Absolutely, I am. But I’m also in the growing stages. I still need to make sure that the model is working the way I want it to work. I was at a serious advantage [getting started]. I had an established connection with a patient base. They trust me and I trust them.”
Rachel Bozek is a freelance writer who includes the optical field as one of her areas of expertise. Contact feedback@visioncareventure.com with comments and/or suggestions for future topics.
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