I started out in this industry because I needed a job but I stayed in this industry because I discovered I truly enjoyed helping people, and I was good at it. I genuinely cared if my customers were happy with their purchase, my priority was and is their complete satisfaction. I understand how important it is to feel good in your eyewear, they are a representation of yourself that everyone can see, I am committed to providing that to my customers, regardless of financial status or mobility. The most rewarding part of providing quality care to my customers is the rapport and relationship I build with them. They leave confident that I provided them with their best eyewear options tailored to their needs not just what provided the best profit.  I started to realize that my industry priority was shifting and customer care was becoming less of a priority compared to dollar value.  Eyecare has become less about the care and service and more about the dollar figure associated with that care.  In my opinion this needs to change, you can sell eyewear with a conscience and still make a profit and I believe I can make that happen.   I believe everyone has the right to see the world clearly and Orenda Eyecare was conceived to help them do just that.

I watched seniors having to work around a family members schedule or make arrangements for community buses to even come in to look at glasses.  Most of these cases ended in the customer feeling they needed to rush and often ended up paying more than necessary because they were not given the time they needed to make a confident choice.  Limited income and mobility often require this particular demographic to either forgo proper eyecare or pay beyond their means, sometimes it can even be the choice between proper nutrition or eyecare.  Throughout my years in this industry, I have seen it time and time again.  I believed things could be different.  I believed that eyecare can be both profitable for the business and financially feasible to the customer, it did not need to be one or the other.  I found myself missing the stage of my career where the best part of my day was connecting with my customers.  So, I decided to make a change myself.

I saw a need that I knew I could fill.  Rather than these people having to come to get their eyewear, why can't their eyewear options come to them.  I spent the next year researching frame and lens companies, comparing cost to retail and found suppliers and brands that aligned with my idea of providing quality eyewear to everyone, regardless of financial status or mobility. I was finally able to get back to what I loved, helping people....then Covid hit.

 I currently serve the Central Alberta region with my base of operations in the small town of Didsbury.  I am set up to direct bill to most major insurance companies including the Seniors Benefit Plan through Alberta Health Care, often keeping my clients within their insurance range with very little out of pocket expense.  Having no physical location or employees and outsourcing all of my lab work reduces my costs and enables me to provide a quality product at a reasonable price while still making a profit. In order to continue to serve my customers, I need to expand my inventory and delivery system. I am currently operating with a very small inventory and tools in order to keep costs low.  I would like to expand my operation and increase my inventory to a wider range product to better serve my customers.   I need to increase my ability to perform eyeglass maintenance and repair so require tools to accommodate that. The most exciting innovation is the plan to add the additional service of providing refractions on site to further improve my service.  In order to do this, I need to purchase the equipment and vehicle to house the operation.