In June, Jessica Cameron, OD, FAAO, will celebrate her first anniversary since opening her practice Cameron’s Vision in 2024. It’s been a busy year as a business owner, a mother and still as an employee, as she builds up her own business. Dr. Cameron reflects back with Women In Optometry on the experience of a cold start and advice she would give to others.
START SMALL AND SIMPLE
In 2022, Dr. Cameron moved with her husband and young baby, back to her home town of Fort Myers, Florida, where she grew up. She found a job and began her search for a location of her own right around the same time that Ft. Myers and Cape Coral were hit hard by Hurricane Ian. The cost for spaces as well as construction skyrocketed. Dr. Cameron came close to securing an empty box in a shopping plaza with a Publix. “It was a big gamble to build out a space that I didn’t own,” she says. “I was about to sign that lease, but I didn’t feel comfortable and it didn’t feel right.”
They targeted a smaller space going forward and found one in a professional complex in Cape Coral. Dr. Cameron describes the space as her humble beginning at just 880 square feet, which has everything she needs including exam lane, special testing room, optical and work room. “I look forward to expanding in the future, but this small location is a good start!” In the future Dr. Cameron wants to build from the ground up.
PICK A STATEMENT PIECE
The former podiatrist’s office was in rough shape but the rooms were the right size, which made most of the built out costs cosmetic. Simple renovation of the exam lanes to painting, replacing AC and changing the floors and doors. The dimensions of the space allowed her to keep her renovation affordable.
One of the most striking parts of the office design is a large curved wall running through the center of the space, covered in a mosaic tile design. It was an investment piece, and it’s one that everyone notices. “I get so many compliments on that wall,” she says. She’s thankful for her family’s hard work, putting in nights, weekends to finish the final touches. She also worked with a private general contractor, Superior Professional Restoration LLC. The optical design team at Eye Designs are phenomenal, she says. They helped her from the beginning when her first space fell through to the final optical design.
FIND A DIFFERENTIATOR
Dr. Cameron fell into love with low vision work by chance; she started her career at the University of Florida after a VA residency and was assigned to lead the Low Vision Ocular Disease Clinic at Department of Ophthalmology. “I was dealing with challenging cases from the get-go,” she recalls. “I learned over time; one year of sweating, a few years figuring it out and then I became the specialist.”
Dr. Cameron says that low vision services are often overlooked in private practice due to perceived profitability issues, but she is committed to providing this essential care and is the only office in the area to offer it.
She’s also dedicated to standing out by providing thorough eye health education. Her office is equipped with advanced imaging technology, including a slit lamp that streams 4K video, allowing her to educate patients about their conditions in real-time. “I show every patient if they are healthy, or if they are not, it’s helpful for patients to understand their disease.”
MAKE TIME FOR OUTREACH
Getting out in the community has been essential as a cold start owner. Dr. Cameron appreciates the friends and family who got her started, but she’s making her name known by speaking whenever she can within the local library system and county hospital. She is also connecting with 50+ communities and lecturing in their activity centers.
DELEGATE WHEN POSSIBLE
Dr. Cameron continues to wear many hats as her own accountant and office manager in addition to the role as doctor, but she recently hired her second staff member to help alleviate some of the workload.
One staff investment she encourages others to make is to hire someone specifically for marketing. “I thought I could do it and tried for six months, but I had little energy and creativity at the end of the day,” she says. Passing on this task has helped her social media presence and interaction and enhanced her digital communications with patients.
As a mom who works between two offices six days a week, Dr. Cameron says she strives to keep her energy level high with an active lifestyle. Yet there are some days, she says, “when momma has had enough,” she adds, laughing, particularly when dealing with the struggle of getting into insurance panels in her area. She remains determined to establish her practice and its reputation, and she’s been pleased with the feedback to her eye care experience. She’s already receiving many referrals for her low vision services, and patients are widely receptive to the care.
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