Diva of the week – Hannah Cho, OD

The featured Diva for this week is Dr. Hannah Cho. Read the full feature below to learn how Hannah is leading the fight to protect independent optometry by offering business solutions to optometrists who want to own a private practice.

1. Tell us a little bit about you

I’m a mother of two beautiful daughters, ages 8 and 5. I’m a proud advocate of private optometry and have dedicated my career to helping other optometrists own their own practices. Anything that helps optometrists take ownership in optometry and further optometry, I’m in!

I have a very strong addiction to boba and drink a cup almost everyday.

2. What made you decide to become an Optometrist?

I remember during 6th grade I went from being at the top of my class to struggling. At one point, I was asked about something on the chalkboard (yes, chalkboard) and I couldn’t answer because I didn’t see anything on it.

My mom got me my first pair of glasses and that was one of the most memorable moments in my life because I saw leaves on trees for the first time. That, coupled with my intense passion for helping the underserved and a strong affinity to business made optometry the ideal career for me.

I don’t regret it for a moment!

3. What Optometry school did you go to?

Southern California College of Optometry at Marshall B. Ketchum University

4. Where do you currently practice?

At present I am the CEO at FLOE PPM, a company that helps other optometrists build a thriving private practice.

5. Do you offer any specialty services in your practice?

I specialize in opening up practices cold with other optometrists that partner with me. They handle patient care while I cover and manage all the business side.

6. Name 1 to 3 hurdles you faced in your career and how did you overcome them?

The first hurdle I faced was in my last year of optometry school. I was pregnant all throughout 4th year and had severe complications with my first daughter’s birth. Upon graduating, I opened a practice cold in the super saturated city of Irvine. Despite all obstacles I grew it to a successful practice that far exceeded my (and other’s) expectations; thank you God!

The second hurdle was trying to figure out how to grow private practices. I’ve been watching private optometry being squeezed out by many different competitors for the past several years and I felt very strongly that something had to be done to protect optometry and to offer an option for optometrists who wanted to own a practice. That’s where FLOE (For The Love of Eyes) PPM (Private Practice Management) came into existence.

The whole purpose is to offer an alternative for optometrists who are interested in opening a practice but are hesitant because of the overwhelming business side. When you partner with FLOE PPM, you are able to focus on doing what you do best, which is patient care; while we manage the business for you.

We are currently looking to partner with optometrists who are interested in opening private practices. Currently we are only looking in California but are planning to expand in the next year to other states.

If you are interested, please email me at [email protected]. I’ll be more than happy to set up a meeting and give you more details about this amazing opportunity.

7. If you could go back to when you were a student, what advice would you give yourself?

Don’t stress about it. I’d also ask myself this… In 5 years will you still worry about it? It the answer is no, then I’d tell my self don’t sweat it.

I have a pretty type-A personality and whenever there is uncertainty, my natural tendency is to stress out and try to find a solution to put my mind at ease. Although I still struggle with this, I’m trying to pray about everything instead. And it works for me.

8. Do you have a product or side business you’d like us to include in your feature?

I’ve been opening up practices cold with other optometrists who partner with me. They handle patient care while I cover and manage the business side. I found that this is the ideal setup for optometrists who are interested in being an owner but don’t want to have to stress about the business side and can focus solely on providing the best patient care.

If you’re planning on opening a practice in the next 5 years, I think it would be a good idea for you to reach out to local practices (or FLOE PPM) to start that conversation so you can plan your future.

How to contact Dr. Hannah Cho

To contact Hannah, you can click on her social media profile links below or email her at [email protected]:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/FLOEppm

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/drhannahcho

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClrUH03DRZ9I8Cq-YvoB50w