EB Shares the Mic.

EB’s new #EBSharetheMic series is a social endeavor that passes the microphone to two industry icons for an engaging convo, moderated by EB editor-in-chief Erinn Morgan.

In this series, we pull several of the most compelling ideas and actionable strategies from the livestream broadcast to run in the pages of EB.

For this #EBSharetheMic, Opticians Association of America (OAA) president Dibby Bartlett sits down with Johnna Dukes, owner/optician of Optique in Spirit Lake, IA, (and incoming OAA president), to reveal the Covid-19 pandemic’s real effects.

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Click to watch the full #EBSharetheMic livestream session right here.

Dibby Bartlett: Do you remember when you realized the pandemic was really going to have an effect on your business?

Johnna Dukes: I do. I remember the day and the time. It was March 16. It was a Monday. Right around noon, we were getting all this information in a short time. It just felt like the world stopped. I feel like most people know where they were when 9/11 hit, and I feel like a lot of people know where they were when they realized the gravitas of the pandemic.

Bartlett: You and I spoke not long after that. We’ve been friends for years, and I heard something in your voice that day that I never heard before.

Dukes: Let’s be real. It was straight-up terror. Really and truly, I just felt the weight of the world on me.

I have employees. I felt very responsible, you know, just really trying to make sure they’re provided for, and, not only that, but uncertain about the future of the business. There was so much uncertainty. My husband and I are both business owners, and so neither of us knew professionally or personally what the future held and, wow, that was the most afraid I’ve ever been.

Bartlett: What actions did you take to help your business?

Dukes: Dibby, I have to thank you immensely for being such a guiding light. Talking with other opticians was a guideline for me—and asking, “What’s working for you? How are you doing? How are you dealing with this?”

In talking with others, we started to put together plans, and with each plan that came forward, we became a little more comfortable—my employees, myself, and our clients—and little by little, change was implemented. We figured out how to social distance. We did as much business outside as we could. We essentially switched everything over to appointment only, no more walk-ins.

Bartlett: When did you feel like you could finally breathe again?

Dukes: I think right around that late-June-early-July timeframe last year, when the American Optometric Association said we could start doing routine exams again.

When we started seeing routine exams, when we were starting to do more normalized things, when some of those PPP programs started rolling out…we got to work and, honestly, the phone was ringing.

Just having those things happening made me feel like, okay, this isn’t permanent. That’s when I started to pull myself together and think about what business would be like eventually—and how we would get there.

Bartlett: Will there be long-term effects on your business philosophy moving forward?

Dukes: Absolutely. I don’t think I’m ever going to feel okay with carrying debt again in a business. You know, even now when I make a big frame order, I pause for a bit. It’s those little things that are still in the back of your head, and you try to be real about it, but you come out of these things changed.

Bartlett: As OAA president and vice president/incoming president, our role is to represent opticians in the U.S. After surviving the last year, what would you say to opticians out there now?

Dukes: Really and truly, to opticians, owners, anyone in the field—I see you. I feel you. We just did a really tough thing. This field is going to come back stronger, and I believe it already is. So, take a minute, and take care of you, because this industry needs you. Your patients need you.