2025 wasn't business as usual in optometry M&A.

Fewer buyers, more deal scrutiny, softer multiples, and a growing number of practice owners asking the same question: "Is my practice worth what I think it's worth?"

That's why this episode is perfectly timed for the start of 2026.

Eugene is joined by Anne Kavanagh (Founder & Managing Director) and Jason Preator (Managing Partner) from Kavanagh Consulting, two people who have seen more optometry practice transactions than almost anyone in the industry over the last decade. Their perspective is based on real deals, real outcomes, and patterns that repeat year after year.

Anne and Jason explain how the buyer landscape has evolved, who is actively acquiring practices right now, and how buyers are evaluating risk, structure, and long-term profitability.

Going from one location to two sounds exciting… until it's not.

The truth is, scaling a practice brings on a completely different level of complexity than just more patients or an increase in revenue; it's new operational pressure points, and a whole new set of problems that don't show up until you're already in motion.

In this listener-requested episode of Power Hour, host Eugene Shatsman speaks with two highly qualified professionals (Dr. Susan Lake, Optometrist at Eyecare Specialties, and Kevin Whaley-Stefany, Business Consultant at Autograph Eye LLC) who actually built and scaled multiple practices, and what it takes to succeed and scale in today's market.