How to Find a Buyer for Your Optometry Practice

This is a question we hear almost as often as questions about value. Once the idea of selling becomes real, even quietly, the next thought usually follows.

Who would actually buy my optometry practice?

For many optometry practice owners, this question feels tricky. They are often unsure what an ideal buyer really looks like. Is it an associate, a private buyer or a corporate group? While the answer is different for every owner, one thing is consistent. Most practice owners have clear values when it comes to who they want to sell to.

They want someone who will continue their legacy. Someone who will care for patients the way they always have. Someone who will treat their staff with respect and stability. The definition of an ideal buyer may differ from one owner to another, but those underlying concerns are almost always present.

You have spent your career focused on patient care, supporting your team and managing the practice day to day. Finding a buyer is not something you were trained for and it is not something most owners ever expected to navigate.

What makes it harder is that most owners are not looking for just any buyer. They are looking for the right buyer. Someone who respects what they have built, treats the team well and gives them confidence that the practice will remain in good hands. At the same time, they want an outcome that feels fair financially. Balancing those two priorities is where many owners begin to feel stuck.

Today, we are going to give you clarity about the steps you would need to take to find and choose the right buyer for your optometry practice. 

Start by Understanding What You Want From a Buyer

One of the first conversations we have with practice owners is not about buyers at all. It is about priorities. Before talking about offers or timelines, it helps to slow down and think about what you actually want from the transition.

Some owners tell us very clearly that they want continuity and they want their staff protected and their patients to feel comfortable after ownership changes. Others are more focused on timing or financial certainty. Some want to step away completely, while others want to remain involved part time for a few years.

None of these goals are wrong. The challenge usually appears when owners begin looking for buyers without being clear on what matters most to them. When priorities are not defined, every option can feel uncertain.

We have seen owners seriously consider offers that looked strong on paper but did not sit well once they thought about their team or their role after the sale. We have also seen owners walk away from good opportunities simply because they had not clarified their goals and felt unsure how to evaluate what was in front of them.

When you take time to understand what you want from the transition, buyer conversations change. You stop reacting emotionally to numbers or timelines and start evaluating options with intention. That clarity makes it easier to recognize the right fit when it appears and to step away confidently when it does not.

Understanding the Different Types of Buyers

There is no single type of buyer in optometry. Buyers fall into different categories, and each option comes with its own opportunities and tradeoffs. Understanding these differences early helps owners approach the process with more clarity and fewer assumptions.

Private buyers often include associates, local optometrists, or small regional groups. These buyers usually place a high value on culture and continuity. They want the practice to feel familiar for patients and staff, and they often appreciate guidance from the selling owner during the transition. In many cases, these relationships feel personal because they are built on existing trust.

We have worked with owners who chose to sell to long time associates because preserving the culture mattered more to them than speed. In those situations, the transition often felt smoother emotionally. Even though the process sometimes took longer, owners felt comfortable knowing their team and patients were in familiar hands.

Corporate buyers are different. They often move faster and bring financial backing and established processes. For some owners, this brings relief. Administrative responsibilities shift away, systems are standardized, and the sale process feels more structured and predictable.

For other owners, corporate buyers raise questions about autonomy and long term culture. They may wonder how decisions will be made or how the practice will feel after the transition. Neither response is right or wrong. What matters is understanding how this type of buyer aligns with your goals and expectations.

Problems usually arise when owners assume one type of buyer is automatically better than another. The best buyer is not defined by size or speed. It is defined by fit. The right buyer is the one that aligns with your priorities, your timeline and your comfort level with the transition.

Why Preparation Attracts Better Buyers

One of the biggest misconceptions practice owners have is that buyers appear first and preparation happens later. In reality, it often works the other way around. Buyers are drawn to practices that feel stable, understandable, and well run. Clear financials, consistent performance and reduced owner dependence make it easier for buyers to move forward with confidence.

We have seen practices struggle to attract serious buyers not because the practice was weak, but because it was unclear. Financial information was difficult to interpret. Too much relied on the owner. Important systems lived in the owner’s head rather than being documented. Buyers hesitated not because they disliked the practice but because they could not clearly see how it would function after ownership changed.

A few months ago, we worked with an optometry practice owner  who was thinking about selling but knew his practice needed better structure. Before speaking seriously with buyers, he focused on preparation. He reviewed his booking system and realized patients were experiencing friction when scheduling appointments. He upgraded the system to make booking easier and more consistent.

He also spent time reviewing his Google profile and patient feedback to understand where frustrations were showing up. That feedback helped guide improvements in scheduling flow, communication and even lab processes. These were not dramatic changes but they made the practice easier to understand and easier to operate.

When buyers eventually reviewed his practice, something interesting happened. Even though other practices in the area had stronger locations, buyers prioritized his clinic. They felt confident that the systems in place would continue working even without the owner managing every detail. The practice felt organized. The numbers made sense. The operations were clear.

In contrast, we have seen practices where everything lived in the owner’s head. Financials were not clearly explained. Processes were informal. Buyers struggled to picture how the practice would run under new ownership and that uncertainty affected interest and offers.

Finding a buyer is rarely about marketing the practice loudly. It is about making the practice easy to understand and easy to take over. Preparation signals professionalism. It tells buyers that the practice has been managed intentionally and that the transition will be smoother for everyone involved.

Timing Shapes the Buyer Pool More Than Owners Expect

Timing affects who shows interest and how much leverage you have in buyer conversations. Owners who start exploring options early are able to have discussions without pressure. They can listen, compare paths, and walk away if something does not feel right. That freedom changes the tone of every conversation and often leads to better outcomes.

We often see owners wait until they feel burned out or ready to leave before starting these discussions. By that point, urgency creeps in. Choices feel narrower. Decisions feel heavier because everything suddenly feels time sensitive.

Just after the New Year break, we had a call with an optometry practice owner who shared a moment many owners can relate to. He had spent the holidays with family and friends and that was something he rarely allowed himself to do during the year. Stepping away from the practice for even a short time gave him space to think differently.

During that time, he realized how long he had been operating on constant responsibility. Showing up every day, handling problems and putting the practice first had become automatic. The break did not make him dislike the practice but it helped him see that he wanted more balance moving forward.

The important part of that conversation was timing. He was not burned out. The practice was performing well because he reached out early, the conversation was not about rushing toward a sale. It was about exploring options. Understanding what buyers might look like. Considering how much involvement he wanted long term.

That early awareness gave him control. He could prepare intentionally rather than react emotionally. He had time to strengthen systems, clarify priorities and approach buyer conversations with confidence instead of urgency.

Starting early does not mean committing to a sale. It means giving yourself options. And options create confidence. When owners feel confident, they make better decisions for themselves, their teams, and their practices.

Final Thoughts

At DVMElite, our role is not to push owners toward a specific buyer or a specific outcome but our goal is to help you see the full picture so you can make decisions with clarity and confidence. We work with owners to slow the process down before it ever speeds up and that starts with understanding your goals, preparing the practice thoughtfully and walking through what different buyer paths actually look like in real situations. Not in theory but based on what we see owners experience every day.

When buyer conversations begin, this preparation makes a meaningful difference. Owners who understand their priorities and options tend to feel informed rather than reactive. They are able to ask better questions, recognize good fit, and step away from opportunities that do not align with what they want.

In many cases, the biggest value we provide is space to think clearly. Finding the right buyer is not about moving quickly. It is about choosing well. Speed without clarity often leads to regret. Clarity creates confidence.

We consistently hear from practice owners that a single conversation helped them organize their thoughts and see the situation differently. Many owners tell us they walked away with a clearer sense of direction even if they were not ready to sell right away. That clarity often becomes the foundation for better decisions later.

If you have questions or doubts about your next steps, we encourage you to book a complimentary consulting call with one of our transition experts.