People, Technology, and Strategy.
Three pillars that shaped how Dr. Solomon Gould built a scalable medical model, developed high-performing teams, and grew without sacrificing patient experience.
In this week’s episode of Power Hour, Eugene sits down with Dr. Solomon Gould, Sr. Director of Eye Care at Pearle Vision, and a leader whose career spans nearly every side of optometry: private practice ownership, consulting, corporate environments, and large-scale operational growth. He shares how to scale your practice without becoming the bottleneck, burning out the team, or losing what made your practice successful in the first place.
At one point in his career, Solomon simultaneously owned practices in four different states, built through a mix of two acquisitions and six cold starts; all fully independent. And in this conversation, he shares what that experience taught him: the wins, the mistakes, the operational challenges, and the leadership realities that come with scaling beyond a single location or state.
People: Building a Team That Can Scale with You
Growth doesn’t break because of ideas; it breaks without having the right people implementing.
In this episode, he talks candidly about why some team members grow with a practice and others don’t, and how misaligned expectations can quickly become a bottleneck.
You’ll hear how Solomon approached building a performance culture without forcing change overnight, why bringing people along with a vision matters more than mandates, and what it really takes to lead when you’re no longer physically present in every location. This is especially valuable for owners who feel stuck as the decision-maker for everything, and want to build a team that can operate without constant oversight.
Technology: Using the Medical Model as a Growth Lever
A central theme of this conversation is how Solomon used a medical optometry model not just to increase revenue per patient, but to fundamentally change the economics and scalability of his practices.
He breaks down how medical care impacts margins, capital investments, payer mix, and patient experience, and why technology decisions must be made intentionally and in the right order. You’ll learn why sequencing matters so much when transitioning toward medical optometry, and how the wrong tech investments at the wrong time can slow growth instead of accelerating it.
He offers a practical view for anyone considering medical services, new equipment, or a more data-driven operating model.
Strategy: Scaling Without Becoming the Bottleneck
Owning and operating practices in four states forced Solomon to think differently about leadership, structure, and decision-making. In this episode, he shares how strategy became the difference between sustainable growth and constant firefighting.
You’ll hear how Solomon evaluated acquisitions versus cold starts, how he monitored performance across geographically dispersed practices, and how he aligned people and technology around a clear strategic framework. He also explains how he avoided becoming the bottleneck as the organization grew, and what owners should think about if they want their practice to run better without them by offering a clear blueprint for thinking about growth at any scale.
Key Takeaways
- How to Build a Scalable Team Culture: What Solomon learned about hiring, leadership, and building a performance-driven culture that grows with the business.
- Why the Medical Model Changes Everything: How medical optometry impacts margins, patient experience, capex decisions, and long-term practice economics.
- The Importance of Sequencing: Why making the right changes in the wrong order can stall growth; and how to structure the transition intelligently.
- How to Scale Without Becoming the Bottleneck: What happens when the owner becomes the operational choke point, and how Solomon learned to remove himself from the center of every decision.
- Cold Starts vs Acquisitions: The real trade-offs between building from scratch versus buying, and what the implications from either option.
- People, Technology, and Strategy as a Growth Framework: How these three pillars tie together into a model that helps practices expand sustainably, even across multiple locations.
In This Episode
- 00:00 Introduction
- 02:00 The Growth Framework
- 09:50 Leading Teams Without Forcing Change
- 12:35 The Real Economics Behind Growth
- 15:25 EBITDA Growth, Revenue Lift, and Profit Expansion
- 20:00 CapEx and Technology Sequencing
- 29:45 Scaling Lessons
- 30:45 Hitting $1M in Revenue in Under a Year
- 32:45 Staying Clinical While Managing Multiple States
- 47:15 Dashboards, Cadence, and Control
- 49:20 The Three Pillars Revisited
- 50:00 Final Takeaways
Contact Information
Connect with Dr. Solomon Gould
Dr. Solomon Gould, OD, MBA is a 4th-generation optometrist, practice owner, consultant, speaker, and author with deep experience in both private practice and strategic growth. He has owned and operated multiple thriving optometric practices and, over more than 14 years of consulting experience, has helped heighten over 40 practices and large-scale private equity-backed firms in the ophthalmic industry to their fullest potential.
He is also a recognized professional speaker and thought leader in optometry practice management, known for bringing practical insight, analytical rigor, and engaging delivery to topics including growth strategy, performance culture, KPIs, and operational excellence.
- Website: https://www.pearlevision.com/en-us/
Connect with Eugene Shatsman
- Website: https://www.eugeneshatsman.com/