Optometry Scale Up

Thanh Mai and Tyler Mills
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Entrepreneurship

Plenty of resources can help you grow one location. Almost none tell you what comes next. Optometry Scale Up is an unscripted conversation between Dr. Thanh Mai and Dr. Tyler Mills, two optometrists who have each built multi-location practices and are still learning with every acquisition. No script and no polished playbook. Just what worked, what didn’t, and the dumb decisions they’d make differently. WHAT YOU’LL HEAR How to buy and add practices, from your first acquisition to your nextHiring the people who replace you, like controllers, managers and partners, and when to make those hiresHow to get through the stretch where you need help but can’t afford it yetScorecards, meetings and benchmarks that fit optometry, not generic business adviceThe MSO question, explained in plain languageThe truth about working less with a bigger businessHonest stories of wins, failures and lessons learnedGuests who share their own secret sauceWHO IT’S FOR Owners running one location and eyeing a second. Owners with several locations who feel the growing pains. Associates who want to own someday. And anyone in optometry who has heard “that’s just how it’s done” and wondered why. Hit follow so the next episode finds you.

Episodes

  1. 3d ago

    Rename It or Keep It? How to Brand an Acquired Practice

    In episode 2 of Optometry Scale Up, Dr. Thanh Mai and Dr. Tyler Mills take on a question every acquirer faces sooner or later: when you buy a practice, do you rename it, keep the name, or do something in between? They don't fully agree, and that's the point. The right answer depends on the brand equity you're buying. IN THIS EPISODE - The devil's advocate case: why renaming a 30-year-old practice can burn the goodwill you just paid for - Why patients can walk in feeling like you're "the bad guy" in the first year after a takeover - How Tyler went from "everything under one brand" to deciding case by case - Why chains that open from scratch brand differently than groups that buy existing practices - Co-branding: how "in partnership with" keeps the original owner and patients on board - Rip the band-aid off or leave it alone? Two big groups, two opposite playbooks - When to keep a second website alive, and how to check if anyone is even visiting it - Why one overarching brand makes content, brochures, billing and phones easier to scale - Duplicating vs. scaling: why five locations don't need five receptionists - The new term the hosts coin on air: the Optometry Services Organization (OSO) - Why one big location usually beats several small ones COMING UP ON THE SHOW The OSO deep dive, revenue per location and the metrics that only matter once you have multiple locations, EOS, deal making, seller financing, and the acquisitions that go wrong. If you own a practice, want to, or are about to acquire one, start here. Hit follow so the next episode finds you.

  2. 3d ago

    Bigger Business, Less Work: How to Scale Beyond One Location

    In the very first episode of Optometry Scale Up, Dr. Thanh Mai and Dr. Tyler Mills explain why they started this show, then get straight into the question most practice owners never get a straight answer to: how do you grow from one location to many without working yourself into the ground? No script. Just two optometrists who each opened a practice from scratch, grew it, and then started buying more. IN THIS EPISODE Why consultants can help you grow one location, but few know what comes nextThe myth that a bigger business means more work, and why both hosts say they work less now“The swamp”: the stretch between roughly $3 million and $5 million when you need help you can’t afford yetHow hiring an associate frees up your time and grows the practiceThe one constraint Thanh believes holds most smaller practices back (hint: it’s not what you think)The “thousand paper cuts” of doing jobs your staff could do for lessHow Thanh would reach a $3 million practice in a year or two, including seller financingTyler’s mindset shift: pick a much bigger goal and work backwardWhy you need a mentor or consultant who has actually walked the walkCOMING UP ON THE SHOW EOS, deal making, seller financing, phantom equity, executive hires, and the acquisitions that go wrong. If you own a practice, want to, or feel stuck between one location and the next, start here. Hit follow so the next episode finds you.

  • 2 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Plenty of resources can help you grow one location. Almost none tell you what comes next. Optometry Scale Up is an unscripted conversation between Dr. Thanh Mai and Dr. Tyler Mills, two optometrists who have each built multi-location practices and are still learning with every acquisition. No script and no polished playbook. Just what worked, what didn’t, and the dumb decisions they’d make differently. WHAT YOU’LL HEAR How to buy and add practices, from your first acquisition to your nextHiring the people who replace you, like controllers, managers and partners, and when to make those hiresHow to get through the stretch where you need help but can’t afford it yetScorecards, meetings and benchmarks that fit optometry, not generic business adviceThe MSO question, explained in plain languageThe truth about working less with a bigger businessHonest stories of wins, failures and lessons learnedGuests who share their own secret sauceWHO IT’S FOR Owners running one location and eyeing a second. Owners with several locations who feel the growing pains. Associates who want to own someday. And anyone in optometry who has heard “that’s just how it’s done” and wondered why. Hit follow so the next episode finds you.

Information

  • Creator
    Thanh Mai and Tyler Mills
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    2
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Thanh Mai and Tyler Mills
  • Show Website
    Optometry Scale Up