Nathan Bonilla-Warford, better known as “Dr. Nate” among patients, friends … and Twitterbuddies (but more on that in just a bit) opened his business, Bright Eyes Family Vision Care, in 2006 in Westchase. The family-friendly neighborhood in Tampa is ideal for Bright Eyes, which focuses on family vision care, with a big emphasis on eye care for children and even infants.

Now, about the Twitter stuff, business people especially should listen up. Dr. Nate is a great role model for business owners on how to effectively use social media to market their business. On Facebook and Twitter, Dr. Nate has established himself as THE vision care expert among the Tampa Bay social media world. More than 1,000 people follow him on Twitter@BrightEyesTampa; on Facebook, Bright Eyes Tampa has almost 150 fans. Dr. Nate has even been known to help quite a few neighboring businesses get on board in the social media world. “Get involved with social media as early as possible,” Dr. Nate tells other entrepreneurs. “We have really made connections and strengthened Bright Eyes via the Bright Eyes News blog, Facebook, and Twitter.”

We pried him away from Twitter for a few minutes ….

How did you decide to start your own business?
I wanted to provide specialty vision care (vision therapy and corneal reshaping), and to do that I needed to own my own optometry practice. It just is not feasible to provide these type of personal one-on-one services in a corporate environment. I was nervous about going into business at first, because we are given almost no business training at all in optometry school, but now I love it and I couldn’t imagine being employed again!

What’s been the most rewarding aspect?
The satisfaction of knowing that I am helping people is very rewarding. Working with children who hated school and had difficulty reading to solve their vision problems and then seeing them afterward with straight A’s and a smile on their face is awesome! This type of work is very demanding, but I enjoy it so much. I form wonderful relationships with the families that I see as patients.

What’s been the toughest?
The toughest aspect is balancing family time and business time. Fortunately, I love my job and I could spend 100 hours a week working, but I have a 2 month old son and a 2 year old daughter and they are wonderful, too. It is hard to find time to do everything, especially in the beginning, when money is very tight.

Advice for other wanna-be entrepreneurs
First, people say owning your own business is hard work, but I look at it slightly differently. It is easy to own your own business. But it is very hard to do it well and to keep everything as good as you know it can possibly be: customer service, staff training, up-to-date products and services, and technology. You have to constantly work on all of it and not let anything slip.

Second, get involved with social media as early as possible. We have really made connections and strengthened Bright Eyes via the blog, Facebook, and Twitter. It should be part of your marketing plan from day one.

Favorite things about your particular neighborhood
My practice is located in Westchase. Because my specialty is infant and children’s vision, I love that Westchase has a very strong family-friendly ethic. I also like that there are many small business owners who are trying to work together to support our businesses, via the Westchase Area Business Association.

Do you think the recession is over?
I think that we’ve turned the corner, but we still have a long way to go. I talk to my patients every day about the US economy and their personal economy. People are starting to feel better, but so many people have lost their jobs or been transferred to position they don’t really want and they are really frustrated. But there is a lot more hope than there was 6 months ago.

Nathan Bonilla-Warford, O.D., F.A.A.O.
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
10108 Montague St., Tampa, FL 33626
P (813)792-0637 F(813)792-0657
http://www.brighteyestampa.com
http://brighteyesnews.com/

What’s been the most rewarding aspect?
Knowing that it’s mine or ours, my hubby helps me a great deal.  Very satisfying!

Advice for other wanna-be entrepreneurs:
It’s all about relationships and customer service! Don’t let these two things fall to the side.  And, Don’t be a ninny about social networking.

Favorite things about your particular neighborhood:
I love St. Petersburg!  I especially love the area in which my studio is located, 4th Street and the surrounding area.  The businesses are great!  So much to offer the residents and it’s only getting better every day!

Do you think the recession is over?
No, but I think it’s turning.  So many businesses are opening and renovating right now.  You see it all over St. Pete.  4th Street, Central Ave.  I love it!

If you weren’t doing what you’re doing now, career-wise, what would you be doing?
Who knows.  Still working with animals somehow or wine or both.  And photography would still be a great passion.

A quote I live by:  “Find life experiences and swallow them whole. travel. meet many people. go down some dead ends and explore dark alleys. try everything. exhaust yourself in the glorious pursuit of life.”   -Lawrence K. Fish.

Tanya Sharkey Photography
tanyasharkey.com
tailscollection.com
2720 4th Street North
St. Petersburg, FL 33704
727-424-0236

Five years ago they opened Backyard Getaway, a pond installation / maintenance / supply shop, and they say they can’t imagine doing anything else. “We get to add beauty and tranquility to our customers’ lives,” Lisa say. “We don’t call it a business. We call it a lifestyle.”

The Burns live, work and play in Bradenton. They love the beach, the weather, the people. And they really love their home! They’ve been there 20 years (and in the area more than 25). “All the neighbors know each other and are willing to lend a helping hand when needed,” Lisa says. We caught up with them recently.

How did you decide to start your own business?
We started in the water garden hobby about 13 years ago with a very small pond that grew to 5,000 gallons in a year’s time.

Dave worked as a drywall contractor and I managed a Hallmark when we were first married. The companies he worked for didn’t seem to care for the customers. Dave always felt it was important to offer quality at a reasonable price.

We decided that we would like the independence of owning our own business so that I could be home with our kids when they were small & he could provide his skills to homeowners at a reasonable price.

What’s been the most rewarding aspect?
Our customers. If we hadn’t started this business, we wouldn’t have met so many wonderful people. Our customers are our family. We even started our own “club,” called the Backyard Friends where we have monthly get-togethers. We also do free classes & charity work as well. Our last fundraiser we raised money for Dan Nolan Middle School to install a water feature in their butterfly garden.

What’s been the toughest?
I’d have to say learning to adjust to the economy. We ran a brick & mortar retail store for almost 5 years & decided a few months ago that if we wanted our business to grow we would need to take it in a new direction. Our service business is our main focus so we closed the retail & now offer online sales, mail order & local delivery of pond supplies & equipment. That left us more time to devote to our customers & events.

Advice for other wanna-be entrepreneurs …
I’m not sure if we qualify to give advice, but I would say follow your heart and although a good business plan is very important, it is more important to know when something isn’t working that you can change it. Learn to adapt.

Do you think the recession is over?
I don’t know about the recession being over for most, but for us we are still feeling it. What we offer to our customers is basically a luxury, not a necessity.

________________________________

Backyard Getaway
Your Complete Pond Source & More…
Let us create your perfect backyard getaway!
941-752-POND (7663)
www.backyardgetaway.net
backyardgetaway@verizon.net

Your “Local Shopper” is Ester, also the owner of Local Shops 1, a proud sponsor of Sticks of Fire.  LocalShops1 encourages you to support your local independent businesses when you can. The businesses mentioned in this column have NOT paid for this, and membership at LS1 is NOT required for a profile in this space.