Thrive with Confidence
Welcome to “Thrive with Confidence!” Listen to the Advisors from Acquios discuss the Alliance, a buying group that connects private practices with trusted vendors and expert support. We will feature discussion with our Vendor partners and Optometrist members, while we explore topics that will Empower Your Independence! If you would like to learn more about Acquios Alliance, please head to acquiosalliance.com or check out our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/acquiosalliance/. Our Theme Song is "On My Way" by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4163-on-my-wayLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Thrive with Confidence
Good Vision: The Sustainable Approach
Join us for a very special episode as Scott Cline sits down with Matt Gianino, Executive Director, with Good Vision!
Good Vision provides a sustainable approach to providing life saving vision care to communities around the world. They focus on how to implement vision care services and products on a long term basis so the people in these communities can continue to receive care long after the volunteers need to head home.
Listen to this episode to learn how Good Vision provides this care and how you can support!
For more information, please reach out to Matt Gianino at Matt.gianino@goodvision.org. You can also reach out to us at info@acquios.com to connect!
Check out their website, goodvisionusa.org!
Welcome to Thrive with Competence. This podcast provides insight into the Aquios Alliance, a buying group that connects private practices with trusted vendors and expert support. We will feature discussion with our vendor partners and optometrist members while we explore topics that will empower your independence.
SPEAKER_02:Hey everybody, and welcome to another edition of Thrive with Confidence. You know, if you're listening to this episode or any of our episodes, like us, you probably have a deep passion and understanding for vision care and the patients you serve. Most of us know that there's a desperate need for vision care, but we often fail to see that this need is outside of our four walls and the communities we care for. Well, this stops today, and in this episode, you're going to learn exactly how you can help. Right now, over 950 million people in the world live without basic vision care, including eyeglasses. But thanks to the efforts of Goodvision, this has changed to date for over one million of those people. Today I'm joined by Matt Janino, Executive Director of Good Vision, to tell us all about how they're making this happen. Matt, thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, Scott, what a pleasure and a warm introduction. Thanks so much for the invitation. I'm so glad to be here.
SPEAKER_02:Well, we are not only excited, but but proud to uh be working with such an amazing organization and everything that you're doing. I I want to start off before we dig into Good Vision itself. I I want the listeners to learn a little bit about you and your journey to Good Vision.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, yeah, sure, sure. Um, I have the uh great um fortune of having a 20-plus year career of working with organizations that are really just trying to make the world a better place. Um, been working in nonprofits and international development uh for most of my career, uh just trying to figure out how to do the good work that's happening in a better, more effective, more scalable way. And I actually um stumbled upon Good Vision. In fact, a year and a half ago, I didn't even know the organization existed. So I'm I'm relatively new to the organization, but when I found Good Vision, I was absolutely blown away. And um, and I continue to be blown away since my arrival. And I'll give you three just quick examples of how I've been so impressed by this organization. Um, one is that it's really in a in a really impactful way addressing a huge issue, as you mentioned earlier, 950 million people with preventable vision loss, right? So it's it's having an impact in a huge way on a really uh major uh international issue. Um, second is um from a value standpoint, they are approaching the solution in such a responsible, ethical, and sustainable way that I was just really blown away. And it had so many kind of parallels with my own personal values as well. And then third are the people. I work with some great people, Scott. I work with some of the most dedicated, uh kind, mission-oriented individuals I've ever worked with. And, you know, those three stars aligned, and and here I am, and I get to be a do some really fantastic work around the world doing um what many of your listeners do, which is you know, bringing vision care to people who need it.
SPEAKER_02:What a what a what a cool story, and and and I agree. What you you know, you get to you get to do something that uh uh all all of us you know stri strive to do on a daily basis, but on such a larger scale. And and and that leads me into my first question. Help help our listeners understand the scope of what you're dealing with. So how how big is the global vision crisis?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, it's it's pretty big. In fact, it is known as the number one unmet disability in the world. Full stop. Wow, right? So um I'll give you some context. Uh, we were talking about 950 million people. So it's like, you know, roughly one out of eight people in the world have some kind of vision loss that can be addressed. And in most cases, 80 to 90 percent of those cases can be fixed with a simple pair of glasses, right? But we're talking about communities around the world that have no access, and they don't have access because of one of two things. One, either there is no infrastructure in place, there's no vision care infrastructure in place in the surrounding area where they live, and or they don't have the resources to access that infrastructure. Okay, so we work in some of the poorest communities in the global south, in Asia, Africa, and South America, and we're working in regions where there's maybe one uh eye care professional for every half a million people, you know. So in comparison, in comparison, when you're looking at the US, there's about a ratio of about one eye care professional for every 8,000 people. Um, in sub-Saharan Africa, there are regions where there's one eye care professional for every million people. So that there simply isn't access, there isn't resources and infrastructure in place. We are laser focused at good vision on fixing that particular issue because it not only solves problems today, but it solves problems tomorrow, years from now as well. Because when we know when people have uh good visions, the sight that they need, that they're more likely to be successful at school, at work, be more successfully engaged in their communities, have a safer life, a longer life, uh, a more prosperous life.
SPEAKER_02:I know we're gonna get into this in in a little bit as to how good vision is doing this work, but it's it's it's amazing. And I and I love the fact that it's not just a you know a one and done. You guys are there, we're gonna toss some glasses at somebody and and and and then we're out, because you guys understand that there is a there there's a larger impact that you can have on these communities and these people's lives. So when we look at you know, vision's not just something you listed all of the things that that that it can impact, but uh I'm I'm sure for a lot of these these people and in the communities they work in, there's an economic impact uh of of of what's going on. So what is that impact of preventable vision loss?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, it's it's enormous. We know uh research has shown that uh individuals who can't see well um are far more likely to be stuck in cycles of poverty, right? So usually it's related to uh not having access to employment, not being able to retain employment, or not being to be as productive in that employment. Um I'll give you an example. There was a couple of studies done with workers in uh in the Far East, in Bangladesh and in India, where after receiving vision care, their productivity as farmers and other workers went up threefold, right? Uh 300%, uh, which is huge. Um there's stories and evidence and research that shows young kids who are not uh able to see the blackboard or can't read properly lose two to four months of education every year just because they don't have access to a single pair of glasses. So so the uh you know the real world implications of not having access are huge. Globally, when we talk about that 950 million people without access, it actually equates to about$411 billion in lost productivity every year. So it's the larger kind of global economic implications are huge. And the coolest thing about providing vision care to these communities, it has one of the highest ROIs of any health intervention there is around the world. For every dollar that's invested in vision care, there's about a$28 return. It's huge. On average, just to give your listeners some context, on average, most global health interventions have about a$6 return for every every dollar invested, which is very good. A 6X return, you sign me up. Like I would absolutely, I'd absolutely that's a great investment. Vision care is so much higher. Um, and by the way, it's super inexpensive. It is it the the solutions are in place. There are things that we know and have been proven over generations that can be implemented for very low cost and have this really transformative impact.
SPEAKER_02:I don't think we we once again, we don't think outside of our our of our four walls and and what what a true what what what a true impact that that that that that uh that lack of vision care is having on our I mean it just crazy, crazy big. Tell tell tell us about uh about productivity gains. So you know the the research that that you guys have have done about productivity gains and and and what do those numbers look like?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, so um I'll give you an example. There was a study done with uh tea workers in India. Um, and for those workers who received uh a simple uh and inexpensive pair of glasses for those who had a vision impairment, you know, like a five-dollar pair of glasses, their productivity increased by 32%, um, which is which is enormous. Um in Bangladesh, there was a similar study that was done where the productivity gains were uh roughly 38%. So it's it's really, really significant. And and and you know, even though the global vision care crisis costs about$411 billion globally each year in productivity, um, we know if we do the simple math of looking at the number of people that don't have access and what it costs the average person, the average intervention, it can be solved for about 25 billion. Um so this is a very solvable issue that if we can build uh a movement, if we can build a community that's concerned about this kind of issue, passionate about it, and is involved, this is something in our lifetime, Scott, you and I probably around the same age, can be solved in our lifetime. Um it just takes uh it just takes uh the the kind of commitment and the kind of network to uh to address it.
SPEAKER_02:And and and educating people that that this problem is even out there and and that they can help. And you know, I think when we look at it the the how how people can help, and we'll we'll get into that um as well later on, but I think it's it's important for people to know that this is a this is a long-term sustainable solution for for a very large problem. I, you know, i i if I if I want to do good, yeah, I can I can drop a drop a quarter in a bucket, I can you know grab some some canned food and and I can take it to a uh a food bank. All of these are great things. And I'm not saying that that I don't want to do those, but they're they're short-term solutions to a long-term problem. So let's talk about Good Vision's sustainable approach and and and how are you guys different from traditional aid or charity models?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I love this question. It's something I it's it's a part of what we do that I really like to tell the story around, Scott. Um so I'm gonna take a step back for a second. Historically, the humanitarian models, the charity-based models that have existed included a few different things. One is um is uh donating glasses from the developed world, from Europe and North America into the developing world. Um second is flying experts, optometrists, opticians from these areas to come in and volunteer and do wonderful work in these communities where it's needed. And third is um recycled glasses, you know, used glasses that people don't use anymore, their prescriptions change and whatever, and repurposing um those in areas where there's need. Um, so wonderful work, but I think to your point earlier, it only is kind of flash can work. It solves a problem very temporarily. And what happens is that when those resources go away, when that organization isn't actively donating glasses to that community or there aren't volunteers in place, there is a huge capacity gap. And what we do, and in the wisdom of the of the founders of Good Vision has designed, is a way to create sustainable capacity to provide high-quality vision care in the communities where they are needed. And I describe this as Good Vision takes a hyper-local approach. Um, and there's a few ways that we do this, and I think we do this relatively uniquely and really well. Um, one is that all the vision care that's provided in the communities that we serve is being provided by individuals that are hired, trained, and deployed in the communities, right? So it's not me. I'm I'm joining this uh podcast from the Boston area. It's not me here in the Boston area dictating um what and how and when and where services should be rendered in, say, Liberia in West Africa. We have teams on the ground from those communities who have been trained and who are deploying these resources uh in the communities that need it most and are figuring out the best way to design those strategies and community outreach. So that's one. Um second is they have they own the tools, the resources, and the training. Uh so they have all the equipment and resources they need to be successful and reach the communities that need it need it most. It's not us shipping stuff from the US and beyond. Um, third is, and this is probably one of the most uh interesting pieces of our model, is that our glasses are actually manufactured on-site in the communities that we serve that we serve. Um, and this does two things. One, it reduces the carbon footprint uh and the costs associated with complex supply chains and logistics of getting glasses from all over the world into, say, an area like uh the Amazon in Brazil. Um the glasses are being manufactured in those communities for really low cost. Our raw materials for the glasses that we that we manufacture and dispense are about a dollar. So super low cost, locally produced. And then what all of this means is when you have trained technicians, um, trained manufacturers, uh, teams and leadership in the community, we're creating jobs at the same time, right? So all of these uh jobs are very hard to come by in the communities that we that we focus on. Um, and they become highly valued professionals in those communities. So jobs is actually not even the right word. It's careers. They're becoming career vision care professionals, and um, and they're gonna be needed in that community today, tomorrow, a year from now, 10 years from now. So we really are taking the long lens approach as pun intended, right? In how this how this issue gets solved. Because we know if we flood markets with free glasses, that it disincentivizes anyone in that market to develop vision care infrastructure. Because how can how can someone how can an optician, say in Nairobi, compete with an NGO who's donating glasses? There's no business model that's going to do that effectively. So we're creating a sustainable model that we know is not only gonna be there now, but 10 years and long after, you know, I'm uh I'm gone.
SPEAKER_02:Such a beautiful thing. I've actually been a part of those um uh short-term solutions. And you feel good and you you you know you you fly back home and it's woo, you know, but then you don't think about you don't think about what happens tomorrow and a month from now and a year from now when we're gone. Because well, as we all know in in our in this industry, I mean, my just because I got a pair of glasses this year that might my what happens three years from now. You know, your your vision changes, and we we've we've almost set these communities up for more failure than we have for for good. And so I I I love how you guys are are making this a long-term solution for them.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and and and please uh please know that you know those kind of other models, those volunteer donation models, are important as well. Sure, sure. What we need to know is we need to ask ourselves exactly the question that you just said what happens after we leave, right? Have we created something that's going to be sustained? Have we contributed to something that can be sustained? I'll give you a very, very specific example. Vosh International is an unbelievable organization that does great volunteer work all over the world. And they recognized this issue uh in years past, and they've pivoted that to not only do they do the kinds of mission trips that you were describing where volunteers are being uh brought into you know some very under-resourced communities, but now they're now thinking about all right, when our volunteers are there, when we bring in experts, can we do the training and capacity building that the community needs? So organizations are understanding that shifts are necessary. And for me, I really have only two metrics. When I think about humanitarian work, I ask myself two things. And if depending on the answer of these two things, um, determines whether or not this is the right way to go or not. The first one is dependency. Does my contribution as a volunteer, as a donor, or whatever, increase or decrease dependency? Right? So if if you're you're increasing dependency on a model that requires, again, these resources come in from out of country and beyond, that is going to in the long run suppress the growth and development of that community. And the second the second question I ask myself is dignity. Does it increase and grow the dignity of the community of the population that I seek to serve? Yes or no? Right. So if I ask myself those two questions when I'm involved in you know uh humanitarian philanthropic work, I know that generally I got a good sense if it's going in the right direction or not. And I in and for Good Vision and the organization that I have the privilege of working for, we pass both of those uh tests really, really well.
SPEAKER_02:With flying colors, in in in my opinion. Uh so what what what kind of scale has Good Vision achieved so far?
SPEAKER_01:So we started in 2012. So we're 13 years into this thing, and we've grown a lot and we've learned a lot in that time. And and by the way, this hyperlocal model didn't come overnight. It took a lot of learning and understanding and communicating and listening. It took a ton of listening to get to the point that we are, that we, you know, that we find ourselves in today. Uh, but you know, I'm really excited to share that uh uh in September we reached our one millionth beneficiary, a one millionth patient. So in that 13 years, we've served over a million people. And by the way, this is this is only glasses dispensed. In terms of the number of eye screenings and other um and other services that we've rendered, it's much, much higher. But uh, in terms of the number of glasses that we've uh dispensed over over the last 13 years, we've reached a million people. Now that's pretty cool, right? Million people, there's not a lot of nonprofits that can have that kind of those kinds of numbers. But again, I I want to do two things. One, I want to reference back to something you said early in the podcast: 950 million. We're just scratching the surface. So it sounds like a lot. There's a lot more that we can do, and thankfully, our model is poised for even more significant growth. So for what we are able to do over 13 years, we're gonna accomplish in the next three. We're gonna get to our next million people just in three years. And then after that, I I wouldn't be surprised in years four and five, uh, we will be reaching a million people a year. That's the kind of growth trajectory we're on.
SPEAKER_02:And I, you know, you you shared that with me uh on a call that we were on a couple of weeks ago. And and I I my my I got goosebumps because um I don't know if you remember what I told you, but we're we're here. We're ready to help with that. And I think to be to be along on this ride with you is is so exciting to to get to our our our next million. So I you know, I saw recently. That Blair Wong won International Optician of the Year. Tell us about that recognition.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, Blair. Oh my gosh. So one of the things that Good Vision has done so well is invited rock stars into our network, into our community. And of them, Blair Wong is probably the captain of the optical industry rock stars. Blair's a member of our board. He's a veteran optician. He's a teacher, an advocate, a mentor. He's so many things to so many people. And he was nominated by the International Optician Association for International Optician of the Year. He went to Silmo in Paris back in October, and along with the other nominees, and found out that he won. And how amazing and deserving is it. If any of your listeners know who Blair is, and I would venture to guess, based on the number of people that come up to him when I'm out at optical industry events, and um and they gush. I mean, they're just huge fans of him and for right for all the right reasons. He's he's as a teacher, he's brought so many people into this industry. Um he's done so much great work here with good good vision as well. And um he's uh a well-deserved uh recipient of this award. And I I I'll add one other thing, and it's not something that he likes to emphasize, but he's the first individual to ever win this award um who experiences blindness. Um so he so he actually doesn't have um uh his uh vision any longer, unfortunately, but um but he still makes a huge impact uh on the work that we do. Um still teaching, still doing great, great work. Um, and uh it's such a such a great recognition. So we're we're just uh we're just on his coattails a little bit.
SPEAKER_02:So well the fact the fact that you guys uh can can be in the in the same the same league as somebody uh of of that nature. That's uh it's a pretty impressive thing to to know somebody like him.
SPEAKER_01:Well, you know, you know, the experience of vision loss, the experience of disability um is so critical to have as kind of part of our um our network because we really need to have that lived experience to fully understand what it is that we're doing and who we're doing it for. And and Blair provides a really important perspective when it comes to that.
SPEAKER_02:So I yeah, I I agree. You know, when we we talk, I've I've had this conversation quite a few times, uh well, re recently really, um, as as our practices you know look to to stand out and and be different, not only uh in the in the private practice world, but against the the the competition of of chains and online retailers, and you know, really it's it's it's something that we we have to get creative now, you know, with that. I mean it's it's a you know people everybody's got doctors and everybody's got eyewear and every you know we we've got great staff. And so how how do we continue to set ourselves apart? And and I think when we talk about values-driven partnerships and the ability to create such a competitive advantage to say this is how we are different, this is what we are doing, not only with our internal community, but our global community as well. Uh you you wrote an article called Beyond Charity. What did you mean by that?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. So um I think people often think of charity as, all right, I'm gonna, I'm going to write a check, I'm going to make a donation, I'm going to do my good deed, I'm going to get my tax benefit, and I'm going to move on. Um, nothing wrong with any of that. Um, but I think the optical industry, particularly the independent um retailers and organizations out there, have a really unique opportunity to take a step beyond that and become immersed uh in the kind of work that Good Vision uh does. Uh, there is so much opportunity out there to make a connection with an organization that has that kind of values alignment that you described in order to differentiate yourself, in order to tell a different augmented story, to elevate your brand in a really important way. And hey, listen, if it makes a difference in the lives of people who have don't have access, I have no problem with the fact that you know, partnering with a uh an organization like ours helps the bottom line. No problem with that whatsoever. Let's do it. Let's create, let's create some win-wins. But but uh consumer behavior is shifting, the marketplace is shifting. You know, it's this, like you were saying, this is becoming far more and more uncompetitive. There's more consolidation happening, there's buyouts happening, you know, small small organizations are competing with big national chains, international organizations in some cases, and and it's it's tricky. I don't think, and and you would know this much better than I would, um, as you as you and your team consult on best practice and how to support the success of independent uh retailers and shops, opticians and optometrists. Um, I'm not sure if there's a really a more compelling way that is underutilized right now for shops to uh to tell a different story and have stronger engagement with their customer base than partnering with an organization like Good Vision.
SPEAKER_02:I I I agree. I mean, it's there there needs to be a story behind what we're doing. And and if somebody doesn't have a story, then we we need to create one. And and and if if you if you started out however many years ago and and didn't have, let's start today. Start today by creating the story to say right now we we we made an a decision to to partner with with Good Vision and to make a difference in in people's lives and the and and their in their communities. You you you mentioned uh you know the the the uh consumer behavior, and and I'm curious how how do concern consumers actually behave or around a socially responsible business?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, there's been seismic shifts happening in the market. And this isn't necessarily uh optical industry specific, but uh generally what's been happening over the last 20 years or so is that people are becoming much more savvy consumers. Um, and in most cases, in fact, in over 70% of cases, people are making active consumer decisions based on whether or not the company is doing good in the world. Um and and that how do you how do you argue with that? In fact, um 90% of individuals, this is some research that was done a few years ago, will switch brands if um they find a company that provides the same kind of product and or service, um, but is also a responsible steward of resources and is giving back to the community. So and that can take in a lot of different shapes and forms, but um um this trend is only increasing. We're seeing increased rates of kind of responsible consumerism by uh millennials and young the younger generation. And this is a growing population within uh here in the US anyway. So there's a lot of lot of it's gonna be a lot of disposable income coming in with uh these young people as they get older. Um and if they're making decisions about where they're shop, be it based on whether or not the the company is is helping those under-resourced, historically under-resourced communities, that's gonna be a huge uh differentiator.
SPEAKER_02:You know, practices don't don't just fight against uh you know competition from a business standpoint, but they also you know fight against competition from an employee retention standpoint. I I have to imagine that there that there's a positive influence here um with employee retention. Well, let me ask you, Scott.
SPEAKER_01:You you work for Acvio, it's a great organization with a great great culture. What what's what's one of the things that keeps you around?
SPEAKER_02:It's the fact that uh, well, two things. It's it's the the people that I get to work with on uh every single day, and and it's the amazing work that we get to do for for our private practices and and and their teams. Um it's it's pretty pretty simple. I mean, we we get to help doctors make their dreams come true, keep their dreams alive, uh, and and straight on into enjoying the fruits of their labor once once that's done.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, you're talking about both uh values and emotional connection to your work, into the team that you get to do that work with. That's so important. Having a corporate social responsibility strategy is like it turbocharges the kind of thing that you just described, right? When teams rally around a cause, um, something that's greater than themselves, it it has a huge impact on employee retention. So studies have shown it costs like 1.5x every time you have staff turnover. So if you're if you're paying someone$50,000 a year to do X, um, it's gonna cost you$75,000 to replace that person. But we know, because research tells us, that anytime a company has a strong culture that's connected with social responsibility, it's up to about 50% increase in retention over a five-year period. So employees that are engaged um in organizations that have strong social responsibility agendas and cultures are uh 50% more likely to stay within your organization over five years. So that it's huge. It's huge. Um also just not only are they more likely to stick around, but they're more likely to be uh productive or higher productivity as well. Um there was a study that showed that uh employees engaged in work at organizations with social responsibility agendas and cultures are 17% higher productivity. Um so it's it's uh it's it's a big deal. Um, and it does impact the bottom line.
SPEAKER_02:People fight a lot harder when they know what they're fighting for. And so you know, you give you give them, you add something like this on top of just how special it is to do what we do every single day in our industry. And uh yeah, I I can't imagine how it wouldn't increase that retention.
SPEAKER_01:So many people are in jobs that are very transactional, right? I do this, I get compensated, right? It's very transactional, right? Uh, you know, I pull a lever and and this happens as a result. When you get involved in relationships as an employee um that go from being transactional to transformational, it's it's it's unbelievable uh what can happen. I mean, it it really is. I mean, this the sky is the limit. And and we're not even talking, we're just talking about internal. Um, the same goes for customers as well, right? When you have a relationship with uh your customers that um go from beyond transactional, where you where you're getting to know uh your patients and their families, that's that's one thing that the smaller shops and the smaller uh retailers have that the bigger shops don't is this connection with the community and a direct connection with their patients. That that is that is like gold. That is gold. And when you can have that connection that's also um embedded in the ways in which they are making the world a better place, um they're far more likely to stick around as customers long term.
SPEAKER_02:You you you hit the nail on the head, and something we talk about all of the time when we're working with with staffs, is is to, you know, how how how are you an experience maker, not an order taker? And and when when when we're when we're looking at this, you know, and being able to increase the experience for for a patient by being able to share a story like this is is super, super cool. You know, I I think there's there's a lot of really great things that we've talked about so far, but you know, is is this is this something that is just gonna um gonna blow over like like every other trend that we've seen, or or is is this something you feel is gonna stick around?
SPEAKER_01:Oh, I think this has a lot of staying power, and partly because of what I mentioned earlier with younger generations being even more savier than uh than my current generation. I'm a I'm a Gen Xer, um born in the early 70s. Um there's a shift happening, and yeah, it's going to be around in uh for the long term. I'll say this too. Um I think there's going to be more more interesting, engaging opportunities as well as publicly funded uh or publicly public funds continue to contract um and the need continues to grow. Um, you know, for instance, Africa is the youngest and fast growing continent on the planet. Um if if we don't get serious and if we don't scale the work that we're doing, and if we don't, you know, lock arms with partners in the corporate world, um, they're going to be huge issues. So yeah, I think people are gonna, I think this this momentum that we're building, this movement that we're building is only going to grow. And um the world needs it, but again, it's so solvable. It's so solvable.
SPEAKER_02:Well, I okay, so let's let's get into to how we do that. So you know, we we we've talked a lot about you know the organization and and what it's doing. And I'm I'm sure you know listeners by this point are are asking themselves, okay, how how can I get how can I get started doing that? So you know, I'm I'm I'm running a practice and I don't really have time for for complex programs or uh you know anything else on my plate, especially this time of year. So where do I start?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I love it. I love this question. Where do you start? And how can we be simple, concrete, and impactful? Um, I'd say the first thing for any of your listeners that are in leadership positions, start by having a conversation with your team, right? Talk about what's important to uh to you as an organization, to you as your as a culture, um, and uh reach consensus around making an organizational commitment to X, to doing, to doing something that is a strong alignment with your with your brand and your values and your mission. Um so start with that conversation with your team. That's what I would say first. Second is um things are tough. You know, I know I I talk to folks uh you know frequently and I hear you know concerns like margins and tariffs um and private equity and you know so though there are a lot of headwinds right in the industry. Um, and it's eating into margins. I absolutely understand that. So what I would recommend is after you've had that conversation, you've reached consensus, uh allocate one percent, one percent of your profits. I'm not not anything significant, nothing that's going to make a huge difference um in you know at the end of the day, but prioritize one percent. Say, okay, one percent we're gonna put aside and we're going to focus it on something that's important to us, that's meaningful to us, that makes the world a better place. Um, and then the third thing is is do a little bit of research. There are a lot of organizations out there like Good Vision that are doing good work around the world. Do a little bit of research, figure out which ones at least preliminarily look like there might be some alignment, reach out and start a conversation. Um, I think you're gonna find that the that opportunities are super accessible, that there are organizations that are gonna be more than willing to partner with you and create uh, you know, you know, some kind of win-win situation. So um I I don't think it's good, I don't think it takes a lot. Good Vision is actually really well positioned for this right now. We're in the in the process of launching a brand new kind of turnkey social responsibility model we call the Frame the Future Alliance. Um it's gonna be we're gonna be launching uh early in 2026. Um it's a great way for small to medium-sized practices to be involved in something meaningful that's going to change the lives of people in the developing world.
SPEAKER_02:Sounds to me like it's pretty simple to get to get things going.
SPEAKER_01:It's not as hard as as people think. You know, it's really about taking that first step. Once you engage your staff with around the question, like, hey, we want to do good. What do you guys think? What are what are some ideas? Um, and once you start that conversation, I think you're gonna find that your teams, your employees um are going to get excited and they're gonna give you ideas and opinions, and you know they're gonna they're gonna stay late to have that conversation and they're going to contribute in meaningful ways, they're gonna do the research, they're gonna make a make the call or make the send out the email, they're going to do this. And and you know, I think you know, after you you take these steps, you know, the question that you really want to ask yourself is would you do this thing? Would you do it if no one even knew about it? And if the answer is yes, then you're on the right path, right? Right. It's uh it you know, I'm not saying keep it in, you know, keep it you know, cloistered in in secret. That's not what I'm saying. But if it were to be secret, would you still do it? Right? Would it be providing that thing to you and your team that's meaningful and purposeful? If the answer is yes, then you're on the right path.
SPEAKER_02:Well, it's it's I mean, it's the old adage of of you know, do do do good even when no one's watching. And and I think that that's uh that's a a great way to think about that. So, okay, uh that we we've talked about the you know, the the 1%. All right, this is easy. I can say this, I can allocate that money, not not not a hard thing. But I think that that people would want to, or a lot of practices would want to involve their their their patients because they want the they want people to see this and they want to get even more help with that. So, how how do people involve their patients without it making it feel like I'm consistently asking for donations?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, that's a it's a great question. Um, first and foremost, I would say um I would venture to guess that a majority of your patients are already wondering about this. They're looking for clues, they're looking for signs, they're looking for something on the website, they're looking for something in the signage at the front door, they're looking for something that's communicated to them at time of checkout. Consumers are becoming more savvy, they're cueing into the kind of the signs of whether or not the company that I'm doing business with is doing something in this area. So, so for me, it's it's um my recommendation is absolutely don't make this a secret. Celebrate it. Celebrate this, you know, this, you know, again, one conversation, one percent, one meaningful partner, right? If you do the three ones, I think you're gonna do really well. And then and then um, and then work that story of that partnership in your customer engagement. So, for instance, if you have a a newsletter that goes out once a month that talks about things that are going on in your shop, new offerings, new technology, new features, new bells and whistles, tell this story as well. Hey, did you guys know that not only are we serving our community here, say in Boston, but we're actually working really hard to have an impact in other places around the world where vision care doesn't exist. So that is a really compelling story to tell that you have a lot of different uh mediums and channels that you can leverage. Heck, social media. Um, you can talk this up via social media and people absolutely will respond. And the nice thing about what we're doing here at Good Vision is we're actually creating a lot of the uh material, the content, the the photos, the video that can really help in that storytelling. So when you partner with an organization like Good Vision, we can be a huge asset in figuring out how best to tell the story to to their audience, to their customers.
SPEAKER_02:That's that's awesome. I you know, I think that that right now, you know, people have have have gotten a really cool opportunity to to hear uh uh about Goodvision, hear about the work that they're doing, and and I'm sure people probably still have a ton of questions uh uh uh about the the you know what it's all about. But I think that they the big question a lot of people are asking is So this resonates with me and and uh but but what what do I do today? So how would you answer that question?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, awesome. If you're in the least the least bit curious, right? Maybe not prepared to to make a big decision, but if you're in the least bit curious, I would say two things. One, you can reach out to me directly. Uh I make myself pretty accessible. You can email me. Is it okay to share my email on a podcast? Please, please, yeah. It's matt.genino at goodvision.org. So matt.g-i-a-n-in-no at goodvision.org. Reach out to me. Let me know what you're trying to do, and I'm happy to have that conversation with you. Um, also check out our website on goodvisionusa.org. It has a whole host of information in there, not just about what we're doing, but about the global vision care crisis. If you're trying to educate yourself a little bit more about the experience of millions and people and millions of people around the world, it's a great resource uh to go to to not only get the information, the hard facts, and the data, but hear the stories. We have a fantastic network. Um, by the way, we have like 500 and over 530 employees across the 11 countries in which we we work in right now. And they're constantly sending me stories and photos and things. Oh, did you guys hear about this one time? We we uh we just had this this eye camp in this community, and um, this is a great story. Um, Scott, I'll jump in. Um, we were doing eye screenings down in Paraguay um in a community that actually lives sadly, lives um in a landfill. Um, and they live off of the landfill. They try to find what they can to live off of um cell repurpose and whatnot. Uh so it's an extremely poor community in Paraguay. And we were doing eye screenings one uh down there uh at one point, and um we actually discovered our technician discovered an underlying health issue through the eye screening, um, actually a cancerous tumor. And because of this eye screening that this person would never have had otherwise, we were able to get them to emergency treatment and surgery and save his life. So um it's just you know, it's stories like that that you can you can be a part of as a practitioner, as a as a as a retailer, um, as an optometrist, um, in really meaningful ways. So check out our website, reach out to me, happy to answer any questions you have and kind of steer you in the right direction. I think there's something there that I think will resonate with some of your listeners.
SPEAKER_02:I can tell you, everybody listening that that that Matt is absolutely phenomenal to work with. Uh, he will always make time to share more about Goodvision and and what they're doing. And and uh everybody always knows that they can also reach out to us at info at Aquiosalliance.com. That's info at A-C-U-I-O-S-A-L-L-I-A-N-C-E dot com. We'll be happy to get you in touch with Matt as well. Um, thank you, Matt. You've been so generous with your time today. This has been fantastic to once again talk and and really educate others uh about Goodvision and the amazing work that you guys are doing. So thank you for that.
SPEAKER_01:Well, you you're welcome. I'm glad to be here. It's you know, again, telling the Goodvision story is one of the great joys in the work that I get to do. Um, and you know, figuring out how do we continue to build this community because uh it's exciting, impactful work that I'm a part of. And uh I feel really selfish if I don't share it. So I, you know, I want to bring other people on board because it's it's a really fantastic opportunity. So really grateful to you, Scott, and to the team uh for bringing me on today. We had an awesome conversation. We've probably covered a lot of ground and maybe answered some questions, but I'm sure other questions are popping up. Um I'm happy to happy to answer them whenever anyone wants to reach out.
SPEAKER_02:Look, look, look forward to that. And I look forward to it to a bright future and and and hitting uh you know a million after a million after a million right alongside you. So thank you again for taking the time. Thanks for being an Aquios Alliance vendor partner. Um, thank you for being a corporate um social responsibility partner, and uh, we we look forward to talking to you again soon.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, I hope so. Thanks so much, Scott. I appreciate it. Have an awesome day.