Optometry Diva of the week – Samantha Love, OD

In our quest to fulfill our mission to Empower, Connect, and Promote the success of women ODs, we have created this weekly feature to promote our amazing members across the country. Their stories will inspire you to dream big and reach higher!

The featured Diva for this week is Dr. Samantha Love. Samantha is from Fort Pierce, FL. She graduated from the Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago, IL. She currently owns a private practice and is married with 7 kids. Read the full feature below to learn her secret on how to have it all!

1. Tell us a little bit about you

“I am from Fort Pierce, FL. I attended Southern University in Baton Rouge, LA, then I ventured off to Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago, IL. I lived in Georgia and owned 2 Walmart locations prior to relocating back to Florida. I am married with 7 kids.”

2. What made you decide to become an Optometrist?

“In high school, I had extremely bad eye pain while in chemistry class and I had to leave school. Later that day I was seen by an eye care professional (not sure if OD or MD) and the male doctor placed a drop in my eye and shined a blue light in my eye and my eye felt better. I thought that it was so cool that everything looked greenish.”

“Later on that year, I had my first eye exam for contacts and I realized that neither doctor was female. I figured that it is not hard to do the 1 or 2 things. The field of eyecare became an easy choice for me because there were not a lot of females, it looked very easy, and every doctor said that they would do it all over again.”

3. What Optometry school did you go to?

“Illinois College of Optometry”

4. Where do you currently practice?

“Clermont Family Eyecare in Clermont, FL”

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

“I am beginning to develop a niche in corneal refractive therapy and dry eye.”

6. Name 1 to 3 hurdles you faced as a private practice owner and how did you overcome them?

“Finding the right staff was an issue for me. I initiated a non-paid working interview so that the current staff has the opportunity to work with the person and see if they are a great fit. I pay according to production; if you make me more money, then that will reflect in your paycheck. If you are stagnant then your income potential will be stagnant.”

“Another issue was balancing work and home. I decided to leave work at work and home at home. I developed charts and time schedules to stay more organized. If there was an issue then I delegated it to staff.”

“The last hurdle that I faced was being too lax and too friendly all the time. I distanced myself from hanging out with staff unless it was for team-building purposes. I wanted to be respected as their boss and not a hang-out friend which is very important when running a business.”

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

“Don’t be afraid to go into private practice early. Don’t worry about the student debt because you will be able to pay it off. Purchase disability insurance as soon as you start working and start investing for retirement with automatic deductions from check #1”.

How to contact Dr. Samantha Love

To contact Samantha, click her social media profile links below or visit her website at  clermontfamilyeyecare.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/samantha.hair.1

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clermonteyedoc

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-love-43209a232/

Do you want to be featured in the Optometry Divas publication?

The Diva of the Week Feature is reserved exclusively for our Elite members. This promotional feature will give you marketing exposure as an expert in the eye care industry, create credibility for your patients, employers, and colleagues, and expand your digital footprint. You can be featured too by becoming a member. Click HERE to join today!