BUSINESS STRATEGIES

Dealing with Difficult Situations

How to be a kick-a$$ female entrepreneur, Part 4

Tanya N. Gill, O.D.

hello, I’m Tanya Gill, O.D. I started this column because I wanted to share my journey from optometrist to entrepreneur. When you’re in school, you learn how to be a doctor, but not necessarily how to run a business.

By definition alone, an entrepreneur is “a person who organizes and operates a business or businesses, taking on greater-than-normal financial risks in order to do so.”

Today you may be popping champagne because your practice just hit a financial milestone. Congrats! Tomorrow you may be scrubbing the bathroom floor because a patient’s kid did a no-no. Drats!

Well, this is entrepreneurship. It’s the best thing in the entire world, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. In this series I want to share what makes this journey worthwhile—and how I continue to create my dream practice every day.

A few months ago I had to deal with a very stressful, difficult professional situation. It got me thinking about how many similar situations I’ve been in and survived—and with my head held high.

Today I’m going to discuss three strategies for dealing with difficult situations in business.

I may also need retail therapy. I may also order that extra drink. But all in all, I got this.

Difficult situation? Pick up the phone and call a fellow #girlboss for feedback.

1. Own Those Accomplishments.

When I purchased Oakland Vision Center in 2007, I knew nothing about running a business nor what a CEO of a company should be doing. Fast forward almost 10 years, and I’ve done fairly well for myself.

When I’m deep in the weeds of a difficult situation, writing down a list of accomplishments helps me find my center. Here’s my list:

I grew Oakland Vision Center into a million-dollar practice in seven years



I traveled the United States as a speaker for Allergan for eight years



I entered America’s Finest Optical Retailer in 2015 and won first place



I always wanted to invent something and did it with We Love Eyes in 2014

The list serves as a poignant reminder that I can accomplish almost anything when I set my mind to it. And when I’m deep in the weeds, my list reminds me of where I’m heading—and where I keep my weed whacker.

2. Accept That Failure Will Happen.

Back in ‘07 when I purchased my business, I was so incredibly scared to put myself in a position to fail. I was scared to make changes.

From business card fonts to how we sold contact lenses—I was afraid that my ideas would fail and it would cost more money and effort to fix it in the long run. So, for years, I just went along with status quo.

They say hindsight is 20/20—and they are so right! After about a dozen palm-to-face moments where I wish I had “done it sooner,” I am no longer that person from 2007.

Fast forward to today. I am not afraid of change. I now love change. I am not afraid to fail.

In fact, I embrace failure because failing means I’m shaking things up. I am learning and fine-tuning the task at hand to make it better and better.

3. Game Plan with Another Female Entrepreneur.

No one understands the female entrepreneur like another female entrepreneur. When I’m in a difficult situation, my gut instinct is to dive into survival mode. Am I overreacting? What did I do wrong? How should I apologize?

That’s when my fellow #girlboss steps in. One phone call and I am no longer in survival mode, but rather game plan mode.

She reminds me of who I am and what I stand for. Often, she’s been in a very similar difficult situation and shares her insight. She helps me find my voice again. Why are they reacting this way? How do I fix this? What should I say?

Some fixes take days. Some take months. But nonetheless, it always feels great having the support and wits of another kick-a$$ female entrepreneur along the way.

—Tanya N. Gill, O.D.

Tanya N. Gill, O.D., is the owner of Oakland Vision Center Optometry in Oakland, CA. Dr. Gill is obsessed with ocular surface disease, kick-a$$ female entrepreneurship, never saying never, eating vegetables daily, and brightly colored sneaker pumps. She lives in Oakland with her husband and is the founder of We Love Eyes, a company that makes natural, non-toxic cleansing products for the eyes.