Up, Up & Away!

J.Neville Opticians

When you’ve been in a business for long enough, there are only a few options. One is to carry on, another is to try and get some hold or shares in the company, or the next is to open on your own

For dispensing optician Jan Neville, it was the latter. Having spent 19 years helping to build up a large opticians business in the centre of town, Jan decided to start again – but this time with his own name above the door.

J.Neville Opticians offers a service “that’s city centre like, but in a suburb”. Out of courtesy to his former employer, Jan decided to relocate outside of the city centre and opened in Whittlesey. While he doesn’t object to the lower rent rates, he is aware of the potential disadvantages of his location:

I think people expect an opticians in a suburb to have fuddy- duddy fashion and everything else. But it isn’t. I stock Oakley, Ray Ban, Versace and I always have. And once people come through the door they realise that. But it also means people have got to travel, and some people do think, well why would I go to Whittlesey? I offer a good service, and probably better than city centre price, but people have to be prepared to travel for that

With 4,500 names on the book, and regular customers from as far afield as Oundle, it seems Jan has overcome this particular hurdle. However it wasn’t always so, Jan laughs: “I remember no one came in the door on the first week, and I thought, well what am I doing wrong here? But we were having a sign put up, which cost us £1,700, and they were out there blocking the front of the building so no one came in!”

Despite this early hiccup, Jan has steadily built up his business over seven years and believes his success is ultimately a result of how he treats his customers.

My business is completely and utterly built on trust and recommendation. It might sound corny, but if you treat people well, and you’re honest with them, they’ll come back. I’ve always said that, and it hasn’t changed. I’ll stay after work to repair some specs or you know, put those little nose pads on. I do all those little things for free and I always have. But you would be surprised how much it’s appreciated, because the next time a customer wants some specs they’ll come to you. Or they’ll bring their mum or their brother. And that’s one of the most refreshing things, having people come in because of a recommendation

Of course, even with a loyal customer base the nature of Jan’s profession means he will most likely only see clients once a year at most, and perhaps even less if he’s done his job right. So it’s important to continually attract new customers, particularly during a recession when people are making less frequent visits anyway:

This climate makes you aware that anything could happen at any time. It’s only a thin line that we all work on – money comes in and goes out. And if something didn’t come in for weeks, you can see why people get in trouble. The supermarkets and the big chains have such power of advertising that you’ve got to keep yourself small and fresh. And actually, I have no end of people coming to me because they’ve been disillusioned with the bigger companies and they like the personal touch that we offer

Jan made the decision early on to cater to a wide market, offering popular designer brands like Oakley, alongside deals like two pairs of specs for £80. He also deliberately seeks to distinguish himself by offering more bespoke avant-garde designs from international brands such as Anne et Valentin, Jono Hennessy and Martin & Martin.

People will probably tell you that’s not necessarily a good idea, and that you’re better to find a niche, but this is a small market town that has a mix of people from wealthy farmers to people on benefits. And actually, you’d be surprised how many people that may not have a lot income feel that they want a slightly better frame because it’s on their nose every day, and I would never want to restrict people. The designer names probably do scare some people away, but really, anyone should be able to come in here and leave reasonably happy from a financial standpoint

After seven years, Jan feels he has finally learnt how to manage a happy work-life balance, but admits owning your own business means you never completely switch off.

You’re always thinking about it. You know, you’ll go home and you’re doing your books, or you’re out and about thinking, oh that’s a nice window display… Sometimes you have a serene surface that everybody sees and underneath you’re running around like an idiot!

But overall, Jan thinks he’s finally learnt to take things in his stride and reveals if things continued at the same rate for the next 10-15 years he could retire a happy man.

Contact Information

18 Broad Street
Whittlesey
PE7 1HA

01733 208578

https://www.jnevilleopticians.com