Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Konstantin Tokarev. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Konstantin, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a time you helped a customer really get an amazing result through their work with you.

There re so many; it’s hard to chose.

Not too long ago a man came to see our optometrist for an eye exam and came out with a new eyeglasses prescription. He requested for 2 pairs of glasses to be made. He was over 40 and a really high myope with some astigmatism and presbyopia. He asked for 2 pairs of glasses with progressive lenses(Multifocal lenses without any lines that correct vision at multiple distances): one for his work and one for other everyday activities. I asked him what he did for work and he explained that he is in front of computers all the time and how uncomfortable his progressive glasses make him due to his multiple large screens. I explained to him that there were other options for environments like his and offered near environment lenses I had in-mind for one of his glasses while thinking:” How come no one ever told him about this option?” The lenses would allow him to see everything on his screens, closer reading distance and beyond the screens up to 10 feet, pretty much everything around the office which means that he won’t have to take them off for the entire work day. He was surprised and got excited that there might be some light…. I later found out that these and many other near environment progressive lenses were not available in his high powers, so I started digging. If there is a saying- those who look will always find, then it’s true. He was so eager and hopeful to try the glasses on when he came to pick them up. His reaction was worth a million bucks and definitely the time spent. He was so grateful and happy; reached out to me a few days later to thank me again. I think I may have changed his life for the better a little bit:) That feels great!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I use to work for an employer selling food and beverages to restaurants and grocery stores. I invested a lot of time and myself into what I did. There was never a time when I felt that the return on investment was there so I’ve decided to try something else. A couple of my friends were in the optical industry so I quit my job and started working with them, learning different aspects of the business. Once I felt I knew enough, I started looking for small optical stores for sale and spaces for lease around the city and found French Optical in Korea Town. It was owned by a Korean gentleman who was looking to retire. I cleaned out my savings and the retirement accounts and together with my brother in March of 2017 we bought the store. My brother was not in the business and was in it just to help with financials.

French Optical is now a one stop shop for anything related to eyecare and eyewear. We offer all kinds of eye exams and procedures, contact lens evaluations and training. Optometrists are on site 6 days a week. I am very lucky to have found amazing doctors as well as human beings. They are extremely thorough during even the most basic eye exam with refraction. Our doctors are very patient, courteous, and compassionate. They will answer all your questions without rushing you out.

This store is as much of an an eye doctor’s office as it is an optical boutique. With over three thousand optical frames and sunglasses in stock, our stylists will surely find that perfect frame for anyone who is looking to be them selves or reinvent their image entirely. Our licensed opticians, with access to all of the leading lens brands in the world will find the perfect lens to fit in that perfect frame for any occasion: every day use, work, or sports.

We guarantee satisfaction and will never allow anyone to get stuck with something that does not work for them or they changed their mind about. We provide warranty for accidental damage to the lenses for 2 years at no additional cost. All inhouse repairs and adjustments are free of charge. We help anyway we can.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

I think all it takes to grow is actually caring. The good word of mouth will spread.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

There was only one way to fund this. As I mentioned before I cleaned out my savings and 401k to do this.. Believe me it was not much. I am not a gambler but I went all in; go big or go home. I was so confident that this will work out that I dedicated all of my time to search. Actually this was the most stressful period of time in my life. It took longer than expected and having no income during the search I was half way through the funding covering my living expenses. Thankfully I found what I was looking for.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://frenchoptical.com