We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Courtney Avery , Ldo , Fnao , Ceo. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Courtney below.
Courtney, thank you so much for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re really interested in hearing about from you – being the only one in the room. So many of us find ourselves as the only woman in the room, the only immigrant or the only artist in the room, etc. Can you talk to us about how you have learned to be effective and successful in situations where you are the only one in the room like you?
The only way to survive in a field or business that deals with the general public especially the medical field you must be versatile. I have now been in the optical field for 22 years. When I first entered this field I was only 17 years old. Imagine a 17 year old minority young man coming to you and attempting to educate you on your eyes. Gaining patients trust was a challenge. I dealt with a lot of people who didn’t do business with me simply because they didn’t trust nor have confidence in me because I was young and a minority. This challenge fueled me tremendously and ignited a passion in me to want to be the best. It drove me to become a student of the field. I wanted to have the knowledge that was necessary to be able to prove to everyone clients and peers that not only did I belong, but was also one of the best. I began to study the Optical field and the business of the field. I went above and beyond when it came to certifications and credentials. Doing this not only gave me the knowledge but the confidence to sit across from anyone and be confident in my abilities. At this point I began to master communication skills which was the last piece of the puzzle. No matter how much knowledge you have if you can’t communicate it effectively you will never gain the trust of your clients. These skills alone have made me one of the top Opticians in the city and the only Optician dispensary owner in the city Memphis and surrounding areas.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am a Licensed Dispensing Optician with over 22 years of Optical experience and the owner of Clariti Eye Care in Collierville, TN. Clariti is a very special company. It was developed like a lot of businesses in the wake of the pandemic Covid 19. At this time I was the business market manager for LensCrafters. During the pandemic just like most businesses the optical business shut down. With being in the field so long my clientele was large and people were panicking but at the end of the day still needed vision care and eye wear. People were reaching out in distress needing service. As uncertain as things were I chose to take the risk and step up to provide for my community, so we started doing mobile services. In Tennessee it is a Licensed state, meaning that only licensed Opticians or Optometrist can dispense prescription eye wear. So we created Clariti Eye Care and started to service the city as the only mobile Optical dispensary in the city. Fast forward 3 years and now we have opened our first physical location in Collierville, TN. We pride ourselves on our brands selection , customer service and experience, convenience, product knowledge, and having the largest selection of designer frames in the city with still offering mobile services for the convenience of our patients.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Success takes talent and hard work but with me being a huge man of faith I also believe that God puts certain people along our journey who are designed to open doors that catapult us to our destiny. When i was 17 years old I was given an opportunity by Mrs. Kym Williams the owner of 2001 Vision Center that I will forever be grateful for. She took a chance on me and believed in me and laid the foundation of what you see today.
The qualities that I personally have that I believe allowed me to be successful #1 was drive. I always had a desire to be the best. I always had a competitive nature which pushed me to never settle. #2 was my work ethic, you have to be willing to out work your peers if you want to be great. Accomplishing these goals took long days and sleepless nights throughout the journey in order to be successful. #3 was my personality, whenever you work with the public you must have good people skills and be able to connect with your clients. Sometime you may only have a short amount of time to do this and you must be able to in that moment become family in order to gain trust and meet expectations.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
When you are a small business owner feeling overwhelmed is inevitable. There are certain things you must be able to do. Sometimes no matter how much is going on you have to take time for you, whether its 20 minutes playing your favorite game, or an hour at the gym, or listening o your favorite music at the spa, but just like your electronic devices need to recharge so do you. Mental health is critical when you have a large amount of responsibilities. You must also be able to delegate. As small business owners we want to have our hands on everything. One of the biggest traits of being a strong leader is training the people under you on your team. If you train and coach them properly you have to trust them to play their role so that your workload is not unhealthy or overwhelming. Lastly you have to find happiness in your investment. You must be able to get joy in your wins, big or small. This feeling of happiness is refreshing and will motivate you to give even when you may not feel like giving and drive you to wake up everyday with the passion and excitement of the next opportunity.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ClaritiEyeCare.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/claritieyecare/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClaritiEyeCare
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ClaritiEyecare
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ClaritiEyeCare
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/clariti-eyecare-memphis
Image Credits
Image credits per Marketality, marketing team for Clariti Eye Care
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
