Today we’d like to introduce you to Adam Black.
Adam, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’m originally from downstate Illinois. When it came time for optometry school, I decided it was time for an adventure and applied to schools in the four corners of the country. I distinctly remember jumping up and down with excitement when I received my acceptance letter from the University of California, Berkeley. In my profession, if Berkeley gives you a chance, you don’t refuse it. So, my adventure was well underway.
Four years of post-grad life in California was expensive, but amazing. When school was over though, it was time for the next adventure. I happily accepted a full-time job with a large group practice out in Colorado, moving from the ocean to the mountains. I worked with the company for nearly five years. Colorado was beautiful and I had formed many valuable friendships, but I found myself spending all of my vacation time and money on visiting Illinois. After all, my sisters had both started families, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain my position as “Cool Uncle Adam” from nearly a thousand miles away. A new adventure was on the horizon.
So, in 2010, I packed up my things and moved back closer to home. I’ve always liked Chicago, and it is within a few hours of my family downstate, so it was an easy decision to make. I quickly found a job at an optical chain, working in downtown Chicago and commuting from the north side. I was living the dream until something too good to be true fell into my lap.
Through my network, a colleague of mine knew of an opportunity and connected me directly with the president of a major optical lab looking for a doctor to lead a new venture in Chicago. The concept was quite appealing. I would hire and lead the doctors, and we would partner with this lab to provide an entirely new type of optical experience. I’d always wanted to own my own business so this was an exciting opportunity, but again, too good to be true.
It was pretty clear within about 6 months that the venture with the optical lab wasn’t working, so I started researching what it would take to open a practice on my own. After all, I had already developed a concept. I decided to sever ties with the optical lab and take the leap to private practice. In October of 2012, I opened my private practice, Couture Vision, in downtown Naperville.
Has it been a smooth road?
I’m a firm believer that nothing worth having is easy, and building a private practice is no different. First though, I think it may make sense to discuss the “too good to be true” partnership with the optical lab, because I learned a lot from that experience.
To make a partnership work, both sides have to be on the same page. This was true when we started with conversation. However, just after the contract was finalized (and possibly before the ink dried), the president of the lab was replaced with the CFO as the project lead. Suddenly this innovative project became all about the bottom line before it had a chance to grow. Quality product was replaced with inexpensive substitutions, necessary investments in equipment were put on hold indefinitely, and sacrifices were made to customer service. These changes on their side of the partnership significantly affected the way my doctors and I could interact with patients, and I was unwilling to allow the doctor/patient relationship to suffer. We satisfied our contract, but when it was time for renewal, it was easy to let it go.
Couture Vision is a completely different scenario. I would say working with the ever-changing world of insurance is our biggest challenge. Being a private practice, it’s not like we have some massive billing department available to handle this aspect of the business. The benefit details are not always straightforward, and often seem to require an advanced mathematics degree to perform some of the calculations they expect. Still, we work with most of the major insurance companies to try to be as accessible to patients as possible.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Couture Vision story. Tell us more about the business.
Couture Vision is a boutique optical and private practice in Naperville, IL. We offer a wide variety of familiar brand name frames like Givenchy, Fendi, Prada, Marc Jacobs, and Ray-ban, but some of our more popular lines are actually smaller, independent brands like Prodesign and Bevel. We have one of the largest selections to choose from within private practice, with over 1,000 ophthalmic and sunglass frames in stock.
Something that I am very proud of is that our frames are hand selected by our staff and constantly updated, so you will always have the newest options to choose from. Most of the frames we carry also come in multiple sizes and colors. If we don’t have what you’re looking for in stock, we are happy to order a frame for you to try on, at no obligation.
Pairing our frame selection with cutting edge lens technologies easily sets us apart. Our opticians are all fully trained to not only help select the right frame, but to offer lens technologies that are appropriate for a patient’s prescription and lifestyle. There is a lot to consider when creating the perfect pair of glasses, so much that the process can feel lengthy and intimidating.
Eyeglasses are a very personal extension of self, blending style with functionality, which deserves to be treated with the utmost respect. At Couture Vision, we understand that. It’s noticeable the moment you walk through the door. Don’t just take my word for it though, come find out for yourself!
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Industry outlook is a complicated topic to discuss. Between insurance changes, online vendors, and large optical chains, one would think private practice is in danger of extinction. I disagree, however.
Insurance changes will happen, but those changes will happen equally to optical chains and private practice. So far, by negotiating directly with frame and lens manufacturers, we have been able to remain competitively priced even in the world of insurance. In fact, much of the lens and service pricing is dictated by insurance plans anyway, so the pricing is identical regardless of where the patient chooses to get their exam or glasses. Considering our other strengths, I think insurance will ultimately work to our advantage.
I would consider online vendors and large optical chains to be in the same category. They generally sacrifice quality and customer service in exchange for volume. Are both of those types of business growing? Sure. Honestly though, I’m not worried about them because I don’t consider them direct competition. We do things differently here. If anything, patients being treated like part of an assembly-line in those settings makes them appreciate the experience here that much more.
Contact Info:
- Address: 232 S Washington St, Unit #3
Naperville, IL 60540 - Website: www.couture-vision.com
- Phone: 630-369-EYES (3937)
- Email: couture-vision@couture-vision.com
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/CoutureVision
- Yelp: www.yelp.com/biz/couture-vision-naperville
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