Expanding Your Practice

A Smart Path to Practice Growth for New and Established ODs

Busy Setting Offers Opportunity for Growth

By Syed Ali, OD, and Urvi Patel, OD

When we reflect on the two decades we’ve spent as Costco leaseholders, what stands out to us is just how much this setting has allowed us to grow. It’s impacted our work as doctors and also as small business owners and as a family. We run our practices together while raising our twins. It was important to us to practice in a setting where we can focus on patient care and build a flexible schedule.

TAP INTO HIGH-VOLUME SETTING

Costco offers a unique setting when you are just getting started. There are thousands of customers walking right by the office each day—the potential for patients is huge. After nearly 20 years, we are running two practices in Costco warehouses. We oversee an incredible team of doctors. Our goals as optometrists have always focused on delivering high quality, accessible and affordable care while forging long-term patient relationships and constantly improving our clinical skills.

As Costco leaseholders, we get to live those values every day. The unique blend of independence and high patient volume means we see a wide range of cases. We see everything from routine vision correction to serious health issues like glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration. It keeps us learning, collaborating and, most importantly, making a real difference for our patients. We invest in advanced technologies like OCT, OCT-A, ERG testing and myopia control, all tailored to the needs of our local population.

GROWTH BRINGS STABILITY

Financially, the model has brought tremendous growth and security, too. Our Santa Maria location, after expanding to three exam lanes, saw double digit growth for the year after the remodel. We’re grateful to our patients, who refer their family and friends, as well as our professional network of referring doctors. That growth offers us stability while letting us reinvest in technology, our staff and community initiatives. That’s a win for our doctors, our staff and our patients.

VALUES ALIGNED

We discovered the Costco model by chance when Dr. Patel covered a doctor’s maternity leave. Immediately, she noticed how much patients valued the care they received there with genuine loyalty. That community connection was appealing, and it opened the doors to our future opportunity. When the opportunity came to open our own lease in a new Costco warehouse, we took it and never looked back.

The freedom Costco affords us is invaluable. It never interferes with our clinical independence but always offers logistical support when needed. Over these years, we have truly become the doctors we aspired to be.

Syed Ali, OD, and Urvi Patel, OD, are the owners of Costco leaseholder practices in San Luis Obispo, California, and Santa Maria, California.

Room To Grow, Even For Established Practices

Photo courtesy of Dr. Kaplan

By Dawn Kaplan, OD

While established practices can often hit a growth plateau or struggle to gain new patients, that hasn’t been the case as a Costco leaseholder. The consistent flow of loyal Costco members ensures my schedule is always full, even after 25 years. That volume has translated directly to steady practice growth—typically at least a 5 percent increase in both patient count and profitability every year, sometimes even higher.

GROW WITH CONFIDENCE

Today, the Costco brand is a household name in the Midwest. But when Costco came to the region 25 years ago, the company had trouble finding doctors to take the leases. I took a chance on two of their first four stores, and I found success. There was an opportunity to grow in each location: one was brand new, and the other had been open a few years but not run successfully by the leaseholder.

One example of growth potential that stands out was when I decided to move from an extremely busy original Costco warehouse to a new one much closer to home. That new location was brand new vs. the original, which had already been open 10 years.

I knew from experience that the Costco model would allow it to grow quickly. Today, 15 years later, that once-new warehouse is very successful. It rivals the original. It’s proof that with commitment and Costco’s built-in advantages, growth and profitability are there for any doctor willing to put in the work.

AN APPEALING SETTING

From a clinical perspective, what really distinguishes the Costco sublease is the independence and flexibility I enjoy. I shape the practice entirely around my vision. About 10 years ago, I began accepting Medicare, and over the past three years have expanded to most major medical plans.

This let me build a more medically focused practice, especially as I serve a large senior population, while still covering routine exams for all ages. I can bring in any technology I choose to achieve these goals. If there’s new equipment available through Costco leasing programs, I can take advantage of it, or simply purchase what works best for my needs and goals.

Costco has provided a setting where it’s been a pleasure to work and expand not only my career, but the careers of the doctors I’ve worked with.

As I ran two busy Costco practices during a period of rapid Costco expansion in the Midwest, I hired many doctors. Many of these docs went on to take Costco leases of their own as new stores opened, and they’ve built very successful practices. I was happy for them, but I kept needing to hire new doctors!

Now 25 years later, I’m still in close contact with these doctors. These long-standing relationships, maintained through regular conversations by phone or in person, continue to spark shared ideas and insights that benefit all of us.

REACHING GOALS, TOGETHER

Ultimately, being a Costco leaseholder has allowed me to achieve every career goal I set out to reach, on my own terms. I have a large, satisfied patient base and a collaborative team. It also offers the opportunity to achieve a favorable work-life balance

If you’re looking for a financially secure, autonomous and rewarding way to practice optometry, I can confidently say this path will deliver it—year after year, just as it has for me.

Dawn Kaplan, OD, is the owner of Costco leaseholder practices in Lake Zurich, Illinois and Mettawa, Illinois. To contact her: dawn.kaplan.od@gmail.com

Photo courtesy of Dr. Chu

Practice Model Offers Opportunity for New Graduate

By Sunshine Chu, OD

I became the optometry leaseholder at Costco South Loop in March 2023, but in many ways, Costco has always been part of my life. Growing up, my family often shopped at Costco. I admired the company’s values of quality, service and community. Becoming part of the Costco Optical family allows me to combine the profession I love with a brand I have always trusted.

OPPORTUNITY AS A NEW DOCTOR

I always dreamed of running my own practice, as I come from a family of small business owners. When the sublease opportunity opened up, I was nervous. I was only two years out of school and had never written a business plan. I mapped out what I believed would create an excellent patient experience and committed to executing it. Costco was willing to give a new doctor the chance to build her own practice.

Costco manages the retail optical side, while I oversee the optometry clinic. This structure allows my team and me to put all our energy into clinical care and efficiency. It also meant I could get started without having to build demand from scratch or rely on a heavy marketing spend, thanks to a consistent membership base. The model creates a clear division of roles so each side can focus on what it does best, with the patient at the center.

Today, I spend a lot of time hiring and training staff, refining workflows, managing scheduling and building a patient-first culture. I’ve had to develop management skills quickly, and it’s been a rich learning experience. The practice has continued to grow year over year, proof that this model can be a strong path for new graduates who want to step into ownership early.

OFFERING ACCESSIBILITY

One of my top priorities has always been accessibility. I want to be a trusted doctor our community can turn to. Our South Loop clinic is open seven days a week, often the only office in the neighborhood with a doctor available on Sundays. We also serve a highly diverse community, so I have made it a priority to build a bilingual team. Every staff member speaks at least one language in addition to English, most commonly Chinese or Spanish. This ensures that patients can communicate comfortably and feel at home from the moment they walk in.

In “routine” visits, we have identified retinal tears, detachments or sight-threatening diabetic changes requiring same-day retina care. These experiences reinforce why vigilance and accessibility are so critical. One case that stands out was a patient who came in on a Sunday. He had recently stopped taking his blood pressure medication. His fundus photos revealed flame hemorrhages and disc edema. Recognizing the signs of hypertensive emergency, I sent him safely to the ER, likely preventing a much worse outcome.

MODEL HELPS YOU GROW

Thanks to Costco’s reputation, I do not rely on traditional advertising. Instead, we grow through patient satisfaction and word of mouth. Repeat patients who bring family and friends are my favorite metric of success. To sustain that growth, I track analytics carefully, following the trends and preparing for busier and slower times. We keep schedules running smoothly with proper staffing.

I’m in charge of my own practice. I make all hiring decisions, invest in technology and design scheduling systems that work best for my patients. A few of the students who worked with us have since been accepted into or are applying to optometry school. It’s rewarding to play a role as a mentor and support the next generation of ODs.

I’m thankful to Costco leadership, as well, for their guidance as a new OD. Costco’s Professional Services team liaises with the optometrists within the Costco model and advocates for ODs internally and with insurance companies/vision plans. That mentorship is valuable to recent graduates on this journey.

Partnering with Costco has been the perfect fit for me. For optometrists seeking a balance of independence, professional fulfillment and sustainable business growth, I believe the Costco leaseholder model is one of the best opportunities available. It has allowed me to achieve my dream of owning a practice while staying true to the values that first drew me to Costco years ago.