August 11, 2025

Lessons from the (former) President of TSO: cooperative strategies to counter PE disruption and empower private practice ownership with John Marvin

1 hour 14 minutes

My guest today is John Marvin, former President of TSO (Texas State Optical). John joins me to talk about two intertwined issues reshaping private-practice optometry: the accelerating influence of private equity and the growing challenge of recruiting—and retaining—enough ODs to meet patient demand. We explore the cultural and financial trade-offs of PE consolidation, the shifting career aspirations of new graduates, and practical ways independent practices can protect their culture, stay competitive, and thrive.

As a reminder, you can get all the information discussed in today’s conversation by visiting our website at integratedpwm.com and clicking on the Learning Center. While there, be sure to subscribe to our monthly “planning life on purpose” newsletter that’s filled with tips and ideas to help you plan your best life, on purpose. You can also set up a Triage conversation to learn a little bit more about how we serve in the capacity of a personal and professional CFO: helping OD practice owners around the country reduce their tax bill, proactively manage cash flow, and make prudent investment decisions both in and out of their practice to ultimately help them live their best life on purpose. If you’re interested in learning more about the 20/20 Money Financial Success Masterclass, a course & platform that we created to help ODs become “brilliant at the financial basics,” or are interested in learning more about how OD Masterminds creates space for real conversations, real accountability, and real growth, please check out the link in the show notes of this episode to learn more.

And with that introduction, I hope you enjoy my conversation with John Marvin.

Resources:

20/20 Money Ultimate Financial Success Masterclass

OD Mastermind Interest Form

20/20 Money Episode #297 – Thoughts and opinions on the state & future of private practice optometry from the president of a $110 million optometry organization: a conversation with John Marvin, President of Texas State Optical

20/20 Money #336 – My “Frankenstein:” how I would assemble the perfect optometry practice

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For past episodes of 20/20 Money with full companion show notes, please check out our episode archive here!

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