How to Buy an Optometry Practice: Step by Step

Buying an optometry practice is the dream for many professionals in the eye care industry, offering the potential for high-profit margins, a developed patient base, and career satisfaction. If you’re an optometrist or an optician considering purchasing an optometry practice, you’ve come to the right place. This guide outlines the steps, advantages, and key considerations for becoming a successful practice owner.

At Weave, we provide comprehensive software solutions designed to encourage growth, high cash flows, and excellent patient experiences through streamlined internal and external processes. Our optometry software supports everything from communication to payment collection, making transitions and ongoing management easier for new practice owners.

Advantages of Buying an Established Optometry Practice

The benefits of purchasing an existing optometry practice include:

• Fully developed infrastructure and equipment: An established practice comes with the necessary equipment, from exam chairs to advanced eye exam tools. This infrastructure ensures you can hit the ground running.
• Instant cash flow: Acquiring an optometry practice with an existing patient base allows you to start generating revenue immediately, easing the burden of debt repayment and initial operating costs.
• Experienced staff in place: Many established practices have experienced staff, including opticians and support personnel, who know the workflows and patient needs, reducing the time and cost associated with recruitment and onboarding.
• Developed patient base and reputation: Established practices come with a built-in reputation in the community, a loyal patient base, and performance metrics, helping you assess the future success of the practice in its current market.

Steps for Buying an Optometry Practice

1. Assess Your Financial Readiness

Buying an optometry practice is a significant financial decision. As a potential buyer, you need to evaluate your current financial situation and long-term goals. Consider working with a financial advisor who can help you navigate the complexities of business valuation, interest rates, and financing options.

2. Determine Your Ideal Location

Choose a location that aligns with your lifestyle and business goals. This decision requires a thorough analysis of the local market, including competition, operating costs, and the availability of staff such as optometrists and opticians.

3. Identify the Type of Optometry Practice

There are many types of optometry practices, such as those specializing in sports vision, pediatrics, or senior care. Define what your future private practice will focus on and the patient demographics you want to serve.

4. Conduct Due Diligence

Before finalizing the purchase, it’s essential to conduct thorough due diligence. Review the practice’s financial statements, tax returns, and debts. Investigate the condition of equipment, the building lease terms, and existing employee contracts. Understanding the practice’s reputation and patient satisfaction metrics can also help you gauge potential success post-transition.

5. Secure Financing

Most buyers rely on bank loans or Small Business Administration (SBA) funding to finance their purchase. It’s important to understand the interest rates and terms associated with these loans, and how they will affect your long-term financial health.

Conducting Due Diligence 

Due diligence is a necessary step before purchasing any business as it ensures that all financial, legal, and operational aspects of the transaction align with your vision. Once you’ve found a practice you’re interested in purchasing and can agree on basic terms with the seller’s practice broker, due diligence will be your next step. 

Your team of lawyers and accountants can help you through this process, though in general, you should review the following items:

• The practice’s external and internal appearance: Consider the parking lot, external signage, building material conditions, nearby roadways, access to popular destinations, surrounding businesses, and the overall neighborhood. On the inside, examine the layout, how patients will flow through, how well the AC and heaters function, and any required renovations. 
• All equipment conditions: Review and examine all major equipment to determine what you will need to purchase or replace. 
• The practice financial statements: Previous revenue and financial statements can provide a more accurate practice valuation. 
• Previous tax returns: Your advisor can help you examine tax returns to ensure that the business has a clean slate with the IRS. 
• Debts: You need to understand the practice’s existing debts before purchasing, so be sure to research all lines of credit in advance. 
• Supplier relationships: If you wish to continue using the same suppliers, meet with each one to establish terms.  
• Employee relationships: Consult existing employees to determine which ones wish to stay after the purchase and under what circumstances or terms. 
• Employment agreements: Staff members may expect to retain their existing salaries, benefits, or other agreements. 
• Lease terms: If the building is under a lease, you need to examine the lease terms from the building owner to understand your responsibilities, payment requirements, and terms.  
• Insurance and licensing information: Medical practices require specific insurance and licensing. Verify that the building and staff members have the required credentials. 
• The practice’s reputation: Regardless of its owner, the practice’s local reputation will impact its success rate. Research reviews online or speak with other practices in the area to ensure that you’re buying a well-renowned practice. 
• Purchase terms: You must carefully review all purchase terms with your legal team and accountant to ensure that you understand your financial commitment and timeline. Be sure to negotiate any issues you locate rather than agreeing to them on the spot.

Financing Your Purchase

Before making an offer or funding your purchase, you need to assemble a team of professionals who will support your legal and financial best interests. Consider hiring a business transaction attorney who can review all documents, a Certified Public Account (CPA) to guide you through setting up the finances for your business (like profit and loss sheets, statements, etc.), a lender to finance the purchase, and a trusted advisor for additional support. 

The primary types of funding you can consider for your optometry practice investment include the following:

• Personal savings
• Investments from friends or family members
• Investments from individuals or companies
• Government funding for small start-ups
• Bank loans

When applying, securing, and negotiating funding on a business loan, research the lenders first and shop around to find your best options. Prospective buyers should keep in mind that certain loans will require collateral in the form of tangible assets. Read terms carefully and consider whether or not you’re willing to place an asset at risk. 

Closing the Deal

After securing funding, you can move on to closing, which involves more due diligence and legalities. A few of the top legal documents and processes you should complete with your legal team include the following:

• A Letter of Intent 
• A Non-Compete Agreement  
• Confirmatory due diligence 
  • The Purchase Agreement 
  • Financing terms
  • Lease Terms with your landlord
  • An Employment Agreement if the seller intends to continue working at the practice
  • A Purchasing Entity
• Pre-closing steps
  • Purchasing insurance and licensing
  • Establishing bank accounts
  • Creating an HR team
• Closing
  • The Bill of Sale
  • A Security Agreement
  • A Promissory Note (if held by the seller)
  • An Assignment and Assumption Agreement
  • A Settlement Statement 
  • An Assignment and Assumption of Lease
  • An Escrow Agreement
  • All Bank documents

Optometry Practice Brokers and Selling a Practice

For prospective buyers and current practice owners alike, working with an optometry practice broker can make the process smoother and more efficient. A broker can help with both buying and selling an optometry practice by providing expert guidance on practice valuation, identifying qualified buyers, and negotiating favorable terms.

Benefits of Using an Optometry Practice Broker:

• Accurate Practice Valuation: Brokers help ensure that the business valuation reflects the practice’s true worth, considering factors such as patient base, equipment, revenue streams, and market competition.
• Access to Potential Buyers and Sellers: Brokers have extensive networks and can connect buyers with practice owners looking to sell, streamlining the transaction process.
• Negotiation and Contract Support: Brokers are experts in navigating complex negotiations, ensuring that terms benefit both the buyer and seller.

If you’re looking to sell your optometry practice, a broker can help position your business for a successful sale by highlighting its strengths and market potential. Selling an established practice can be a rewarding way to transition out of private practice, while ensuring your patients and staff are well-cared for during and after the transition.

Managing Your New Optometry Practice

Once the deal is closed, your success as a new practice owner will depend on how well you manage and grow the business. Focus on improving the patient experience, building strong relationships with your patient base, and leveraging technology, like Weave’s optometry management software, to streamline processes such as patient communication, scheduling, and payment collections.

Key areas to focus on include:

• Hiring or retraining personnel: An optometry practice cannot succeed without highly trained, experienced, and motivated staff. You can either hire new members or train who you have to fulfill upgraded roles, like offering continuing education to an associate optometrist.
• Improving marketing and branding: After your new practice changes ownership, you should refresh its branding and marketing efforts to let patients know they can expect an enhanced experience. 
• Implementing time-saving tech: Successful client experiences involve fast wait times, easy communication, dedicated providers, and in-depth care experiences. You can provide this level of patient care by implementing comprehensive Optometry Management Software, like Weave. With Weave, you can automate your email marketing, payment collections, patient scheduling,  and more all at once, with the opportunity to support multi-location management and team communication if you choose to buy an additional practice. 

• Building relationships with clients: At a private optometry practice, patients expect a level of relationship-building with their providers. Be sure to foster this connection after the practice transition. 
• Managing finances: As your business collects and uses funds, you need to manage all accounts according to the financial advice you gained during the purchase process. 
• Setting goals: Now is the best time to consider business plan objectives for the practice. What do you want the revenue to be by the end of the year? How many new patients do you want to attract, or do you want to increase your average ratings?

Buying an optometry clinic takes time and many steps, but follow this guide and you’ll be well on your way. Also, don’t forget to schedule a demo to see Weave in action or call us at 833-572-2139 with any questions.