Photos courtesy of Daryn Brown
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Fresh rebrand and marketing brought patients—and profits—back
March 2, 2026
Stephanie Yoshimura, OD, and Rebecca Kennedy, OD, were colleagues for nearly 15 years before they were business partners. They worked together at an ophthalmology office, and they frequently talked about the idea of starting a practice of their own. They had considered a few opportunities, but they didn’t work out.
Then, Dr. Yoshimura got a message from the owner of a local 40-year-old practice. He wanted to know if she was interested in purchasing the office. “We decided to go for it,” Dr. Yoshimura recalls. “We had been out of school and practicing for 20 years—it was now or never.”
MAKING ESTABLISHED PRACTICE THEIR OWN
In 2022, Dr. Yoshimura and Dr. Kennedy bought the established practice in Citrus Heights, California, and renamed it Visionary Optometric. While it wasn’t a cold start, it needed a lot of work. “It was a fixer. Everything needed an update,” Dr. Yoshimura says. They made cosmetic updates, added new computers and frame styles as well as implemented an electronic health record system.
The practice’s branding and signage also needed a refresh. “We tried some of it on our own, but it just wasn’t going anywhere,” Dr. Yoshimura says. “It was overwhelming creating a plan for external and internal office marketing materials including signage as well as direct mail and social marketing campaigns.” When she saw recommendations to work with ADO Practice Solutions and DONE4YOU Marketing on the Facebook group, ODs on Facebook, she decided to check it out.
A REFRESHING REBRAND
The doctors were grateful to find a strong connection with Daryn Brown, account manager. “We really like Daryn. She knows who we are, our personalities and the care we want to give to our patients,” Dr. Yoshimura says. They wanted to showcase their mission to provide personalized care, unique to each patient.
Her assistance has been invaluable in taking their ideas, working out the logistics and making a marketing plan. Ongoing support keeps social media fresh, and the office also leans for help for special events like trunk shows. “Daryn guided us through, step by step, making the process manageable as we concentrated on patient care,” says Dr. Kennedy.
SETTING AND REACHING GOALS
One major initiative was communicating with and capturing patients who saw the previous owner of the practice. “We wanted to get patients back in the office when they weren’t sure where to go. Then when they see us, they experience our comprehensive care and are very happy.”
Direct mail and targeted demographics has also been helpful in bringing new patients to the practice. Their promotional direct mail messaging focused on the optical has been successful, leading to a 36% increase in annual revenue. Their capture rate remains high at 66%.
The new signage represents their new name and brand and is capturing the attention of people passing by. “Several new patients commented that they hadn’t realized there was an optometry practice in their neighborhood until we improved the external signage,” Dr. Kennedy says. “The internal and external signage has improved the overall appearance of the practice.”
MARKETING PLAN DELIVERS
With a cohesive new appearance and marketing plan, Visionary Optometric continues to grow as they build their reputation in the community. This year, marketing efforts have helped increase the total number of exams and new patient visits.
The data details their success. In 2025, they saw a 36% increase in their total revenue over 2024—that’s an additional $145,757. They have increased their total number of exams by 18.8%, and their average revenue per exam is also up 5%.
The doctors look forward to the continued relationship, and they are focusing on new goals for 2026. “Now that potential patients can find us, we would like to draw in younger families and professionals to the practice,” says Dr. Kennedy.
ADDED BONUS: A TRUSTED LAB
Visionary Optometric also works with Walman Optical for its lab services. When they had to switch labs to meet different insurance demands, Walman Optical stood out amongst the competition. “Walman Lab’s attention to detail has reduced the number of jobs our office has to return,” says Dr. Kennedy. “This small detail has reduced our job turnaround time and benefited our patients.”
Visionary Optometric’s remake percentage with Walman Optical is about half the industry average for remakes. This helps keep costs down, but also helps increase patient satisfaction and profitability. And across the board, their optical numbers are on the rise with an impressive 80% jump in second-pair sales and 177% increase of sunglasses sold.
The practice also has a dedicated customer service rep working with their practice live and in-person at their dedicated Walman Optical lab. “This really helps with immediate check-ins on projects at the lab where we can have visual and physical hands-on service for the practice,” she adds. The rep also keeps them informed on new products coming into the market, guiding the staff with training on best practices.
Read another article on working with ADO Practice Solutions and DONE4YOU Marketing.
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Stephanie Yoshimura, OD, and Rebecca Kennedy, OD, are the owners of Visionary Optometric in Citrus Heights, Calif. |
