Make a few simple adjustments so that you can spread some holiday cheer this year! One of the major themes of this time of year is ‘spreading cheer’ which, in my opinion, is much more difficult today than it was years ago. Technology has made many of us, strangely, both more social and antisocial at the same time. It’s much easier to sit and chat online and text than it is to … [Read more...]
How the Grinch Stole Who-tometry
In his cave, just north of Who-ville, the Big Optical Grinch sat, with his newly-acquired lapdog, Max. Now, the Grinch hated all of the Whos down in Who-ville. But there was one thing that he did love, which was all of their lovely Who-money. He wasn’t sure what it was about it, but he wanted to get more of it. He knew that the biggest shopping day of the year was approaching, … [Read more...]
Cyber Security and Recent Incidents
Many optometrists and optometry students have reported receiving Chase Bank Amazon credit cards in the mail, even though they never applied for new credit cards from the bank or from Amazon. Many of these same people have received credit alerts on their accounts when they were contacted by credit reference agencies to alert them that there had been a failed attempt to open up … [Read more...]
A Few Thoughts on Seeking Advice
Forward - Sometimes when we need help, we turn to those around us, even if they aren’t any more qualified than us to answer a question. These people may be colleagues, ‘consultants’ with no real qualifications to consult, or whoever will listen. One wonders, are these help-seekers creating more problems for themselves when they do this? Or should they simply go find a … [Read more...]
Wild Wild OPT
The parts your business needs to look good. It’s amazing the time, money, and effort that some people will put into a costume. I’m not talking about the “I went to the store and bought this costume”. Oh no. I’m talking about the “I spent 40 hours just doing the filigree work on this necklace” type of costume. Most people, upon hearing the kind of effort people will put into … [Read more...]
Leisure Land
A roadmap of ideas to help you navigate the slower season As summer has set for another year and autumn has taken hold, there is certainly a lot ‘in the air’ these days. The weather is a bit cooler and crisp with the days getting shorter. Pumpkins are appearing on porches and in lattes. Leaves are beginning their final journey; ready to burst into spectacular colors and then … [Read more...]
HEAD to HEAD: Small Town vs Big Box
If football-themed movies have taught me anything, it’s that underdogs can come out on top most of the time. It doesn’t matter if it’s just a bunch of rag-tag kids going up against a group of hardened veterans - a lot of the time the little guy comes out on top. Being from Philadelphia, however, means that I am certainly grounded in the fact that, while things may work out … [Read more...]
Modern Logo
How modern is your logo? If there is one thing that symbolizes and represents something for your business and your brand identity for that business, it is your logo. Simply put, it is the one thing that can speak volumes (good and bad) without saying a single word. It works 24/7 as a silent salesperson. It never sleeps. It never rests. It is there for you and your customers … [Read more...]
Brand Identity
What's in your brand? An overview for considering a brand identity for your business What this is: This article is more about beginning a conversation about evaluating your brand and whether you need to think about and consider a brand identity. My goal with this article is simply to define what a brand identity is, what the core components are, and perhaps hit a few … [Read more...]
Letter from the Editor – Autumn 2016 Issue
How you look can be really, really important. Not just you as a person, but as a business as well. As you’ve (hopefully) noticed, here at OPT we tend to make sure the magazine looks as good as it can. We do that because we want you to actually, you know, read it. We don’t want it to get thrown away immediately, which is exactly what would happen if we filled this issue up with … [Read more...]