The Blueprint for Growing a Multi-Million-Dollar Optometry Practice with Dr. Kurt Steele

In this episode of 20/20 Money: The Business of Optometry, host Adam Shmela sits down with Dr. Kurt Steele, a multi-million-dollar optometry practice owner and author of 'We're Not Selling, We're Winning: The Simple Blueprint That Grew Our Practice from $280,000 to $4 Million.' The conversation centers on the foundational role of team culture, leadership, and strategic ownership in building a sustainable, independent optometry practice. Dr. Steele shares how prioritizing staff well-being—such as eliminating evening hours to preserve family time—led to higher engagement, lower turnover, and accelerated growth. He emphasizes that culture starts with the doctor and office manager, citing his decision to hire a part-time college student as office manager over a veteran administrator as a pivotal moment in transforming his practice’s culture. The discussion also tackles the growing influence of private equity in optometry, arguing that independent ownership preserves professional autonomy, community impact, and long-term practice value. Dr. Steele outlines a practical 7-30-90 strategic plan for implementing change in manageable phases, focusing on high-impact, low-effort wins first. He advocates for a mindset shift from 'admin days' to 'strategic days,' using data-driven KPIs to guide decisions, and shares his approach to succession planning through phased ownership transitions with future partners—proving that growth doesn’t require selling to private equity. The episode concludes with a powerful message: sustainable success comes not from chasing maximum exit value, but from building a practice that thrives independently, with a team that feels invested and a culture that endures.