Dream Big, Baby

One of my favorite memories and where my optical dreams started was one Saturday morning in Santa Monica.

It was always quiet the first hour the office was open while the farmers market outside started setting up for all the locals to come get their fresh goodies. Richard (my manager at the time) and I would start organizing our jobs from the previous day while dreaming about “what if’s”. We started talking about what if we opened our own store, what it might take, where would be the best location. I would joke about convincing Richard to relocate with me to Sacramento. Over the next couple of years I started creating a game plan and slowly checked things I need to accomplish off my list.

Eight years later I had accomplished becoming a certified optician, relocating to Northern California, became a manager at a beautiful optometry office, become a Licensed Optician and launched my very own optical website! I’m going to tell you that none, absolutely none, of that was easy except the love and passion I have for the optical industry.

I didn’t pass the first time I took my ABO certification, or the second. I’m pretty sure I horribly failed the first and was so close the second time around, but it was my fault. I thought it would be easy because I made glasses all day long. I was rudely awakened when I clicked submit on the last question and a very dramatic FAIL was stamped across my screen. I couldn’t believe they didn’t even give me a day to think I passed. I did a devastated walk of shame past the front attendant who I knew, who knew I had failed not once, but twice. I grabbed my paper and rushed out embarrassed for the second time.

Over the next month I contemplated all the dreams I had created. All I wanted was my dang certification and I felt so defeated. After talking to my friends and family I decided, what the heck. I’m already in it to win it.

Here We Go, Round Three!

This time around I found a company called Laramy-K that was a game changer. I studied nonstop for six months. I walked back into the testing center and BAM! My last page was stamped with a very beautiful PASS. I was so incredibly proud that I finally did it. I was a Certified Optician. After that everything started to fall into place. I kept learning and growing as an optician. I kept creating and building my dreams. During our shut down I figured no time was better than to put everything I had into creating an online store where people could feel safe shopping from their own homes. I designed and launched Optician Company in February 2021!

My father is the one that taught me to be a dreamer and “dream big baby”.

If you want something bad enough you can make anything come true. Cheers to the next five years.