Today, there are approximately 31.7 million small businesses in the U.S.—99.9% of all businesses in the country, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. According to a U.S. Chamber of Commerce/Small Business Index Survey completed in the end of October 2021, 26% of small business owners said that “revenue” was the biggest challenge they face coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic era. A full 21% of these business owners cited “inflation costs” as their biggest challenge.

According to a recent Goldman Sachs survey, 87% of those small businesses currently hiring are finding it difficult to recruit qualified candidates for open positions—and 97% said this challenge was also hurting their bottom line.

While these surveys focus on the U.S., this problem is truly global. Case in point: During my family’s recent vacation stopover at a hotel in Hallstatt, Austria, the hotel owner just recruited two workers from Nepal, who had arrived after a 24-hour flight and jumped right into working a shift.

So it seems that the global business environment and the economy are still struggling to get back to some semblance of normalcy in the post-pandemic phase.

In this issue, we aim to take a sharp focus on delivering key intel and strategies—plus some inspiring fashion trend directions—to help give you business a leg up. In our Amplify Your Bricks feature, starting on page 60, we serve up seven intelligent strategies to capitalize on your eyecare business’s inherent strengths and exploit online Rx eyewear competitors’ vulnerabilities to be best positioned to gain ground in today’s market even as inflation concerns intensify.

In our FrameBuyer section + Fall22 Fashion Feature starting on page 45, we outline the top eyewear fashion + color trends of the season to inspire your patients and customers.

Headed to Vision Expo West? Get tuned into info on the best education, events, and apres-show adventures to partake in during your stay in Las Vegas in our big Vision Expo West Guide starting on page 69.

And there’s much, much more in the pages ahead. We wish you a successful road ahead in business and we hope you enjoy the issue!

Erinn Morgan,
Editor-in-Chief + Editorial Director
Director of Social Media, PentaVision