Is Now the Right Time to Sell Your Optometry Practice?

Understanding the Right Time to Sell Your Optometry Practice

Selling your optometry practice is not an easy decision. First, it requires coming to terms with the idea of stepping away after years of service. Second and this is where most owners feel stuck, it raises the question of timing.

When is the right time to sell?

For owners nearing retirement, this question often surfaces again and again over the years. You may find yourself asking whether now is the right time to sell and retire or whether it makes more sense to keep working for another year or two. There is no single moment when the answer feels obvious.

We understand why this is difficult. You have spent years building your practice. You enjoy the work, you care deeply about your patients and ownership has become part of your daily routine. Breaking away from that routine does not feel simple even when the idea of slowing down feels appealing.

At the same time, many owners are paying closer attention to what is happening around them. Over the past several years, corporate groups and private buyers have become increasingly active in acquiring optometry practices. As a result, another question often comes up.

Is this the right year to sell and maximize the value of my practice?

That question is not driven by pressure. It is driven by awareness. Owners want to understand whether waiting helps or hurts them and whether current conditions align with their long term plans.

What we want to help you do is step back from the noise and look at timing more clearly. Not just from a market perspective but from a personal and practical one. When those pieces come together then the question of timing becomes easier to navigate.

Why Finding the Right Time to Sell is a Difficult Decision 

One of the reasons timing feels so confusing is because there is rarely a single clear signal that says now is the moment to sell. Most owners are waiting for certainty but certainty almost never arrives in a clean or obvious way. The practice may still be performing well. Patients keep coming and revenue looks stable. From the outside nothing feels urgent while internally though something has shifted. Decision making takes more effort. Staffing challenges feel heavier than they used to. You may notice that you are thinking more often about what life could look like with less responsibility.

Many owners assume that feeling this way means they are burned out. In reality, it often means priorities are changing. That change does not automatically mean you should sell right away but it does mean it is time to start paying attention. Timing is less about waiting for the perfect moment and more about recognizing when preparation should begin.

Market Conditions Matter, But They Are Only One Piece

It is impossible to talk about timing without mentioning the market. Over the past several years, optometry practices have seen increased interest from corporate groups and well funded private buyers. That activity has made many owners wonder whether this window will stay open or eventually slow down.

Market conditions do matter. Buyer demand, interest rates and access to capital all influence how optometry practices are valued and how quickly deals move. Strong demand can create more options and sometimes better terms.

However, market timing alone should not drive the decision. We have seen owners rush to sell because they were afraid of missing the window and only to feel regret later because they were not personally ready. We have also seen owners wait too long, assuming the market would always be there and then feel pressured when circumstances changed.

The strongest outcomes usually happen when market conditions and personal readiness align. When the practice is performing well and the owner feels mentally ready to explore options, timing becomes much easier to manage.

Your Practice Performance Plays a Bigger Role Than You Think

Another important factor in timing is how your practice is performing right now. Practices tend to achieve stronger outcomes when they are sold from a position of stability rather than decline.

Owners sometimes wait until they feel exhausted or overwhelmed before thinking seriously about selling. By that point, performance may have dipped. Systems may feel strained. Energy is lower. Those factors can limit options and affect value.

Starting the conversation while the practice is still healthy gives you leverage. It allows you to make improvements intentionally, strengthen systems and reduce owner dependence without pressure. Even modest changes made over time can have a meaningful impact on how buyers view the practice.

This does not mean you need to list the practice immediately. It means you give yourself room to prepare while you still have control.

The Difference Between Exploring and Committing

One of the biggest misunderstandings we see is the belief that thinking about selling means you are already on the path to selling. That assumption alone keeps many owners stuck for years. Exploring timing is not a commitment. It is not a promise to sell. It is simply a way to understand where you stand today. When owners explore early they gain information not pressure. They learn what their practice could sell for right now. They begin to see which parts of the business are supporting value and which areas may need attention. They also discover what small changes could improve their position if they decide to wait.

This kind of exploration creates space to think clearly,  ask questions without urgency and  imagine different outcomes without feeling boxed into one.

Owners who start these conversations early often tell us they feel calmer afterward. Not because they made a decision but because the unknown became known. They stopped guessing. They stopped carrying the question silently. Planning replaced worrying and that shift alone makes the process feel lighter.

When owners wait until they feel forced to decide the experience is very different. Everything feels heavier because time feels limited. Conversations feel rushed. Options feel narrower. Instead of choosing deliberately, owners feel like they are reacting to circumstances. That is usually when regret shows up later.

Exploring gives you control and committing comes later and only if and when it feels right.

How to Know When It Might Be Time to Lean In

There is no single checklist that applies to every optometry practice owner. Still there are common signals we hear again and again when owners begin leaning toward these conversations.

Some owners notice they are thinking more about life after ownership even though they still enjoy practicing. Others feel less motivated to make long term operational changes that once excited them. Some want more flexibility with their time and responsibilities. Others find themselves curious about value and buyer options instead of avoiding the topic altogether.

These signs do not mean you must sell now. They do not even mean you should sell soon. What they suggest is that something has shifted. That shift is worth paying attention to.

Leaning in simply means allowing yourself to explore the question instead of pushing it away. It means gathering information so the decision feels grounded rather than emotional. For many owners this step alone brings relief because the question is no longer sitting unanswered in the background.

Final Thoughts

Deciding whether now is the right time to sell your optometry practice is not a question that demands an immediate answer. For most owners, it is a question that shows up slowly and then stays in the background and resurface during quieter moments or periods of reflection.

What matters is not finding a perfect moment. What matters is understanding where you are today. When owners take the time to explore timing early, they give themselves options. Options create calm. Calm leads to better decisions.

Selling does not start with a transaction. It starts with awareness. Awareness of your goals. Awareness of how the practice is performing. Awareness of what you want the next chapter of your life to look like. When those pieces become clearer, timing stops feeling like pressure and starts feeling like a choice.

You do not need to rush. You also do not need to carry the question alone. Sometimes talking it through with someone who understands optometry practice ownership is enough to bring clarity. Not to force a decision but to help you feel more grounded about whatever comes next. That sense of clarity is often the most valuable outcome of all.