John D. Marvin's Leadership at Texas State Optical

Hey there, folks. Welcome to this episode of the Strategy and Leadership Podcast.

My guest today, we were chatting in the pre-room and he's like, how long have you been doing this for? How many episodes do you have? It's over 300 episodes, about eight years. And the whole spirit of the show and the reason for why I wanted to do a podcast was to have just amazing people who are experts in their field, who have been doing the work, who've been contributors, who just don't even think about it as a job. They think about it as a purpose.

And I think that the spirit of that is embodied with my guest today, John D. Marvin. He has been the CEO and president of Texas State Optical, uh, grown the business to a really great place, uh, is just in the place where to contribute to other people. And that's why he wanted to be on the podcast. I'm super grateful for that. Um, I don't think I can say anything else, John Marvin, John D. Marvin, thanks for being here. I'm just so grateful to have you on the show today.

Thank you, Anthony. I appreciate the invitation and I'm glad to be here. Excellent. So, of course, tell us a little bit about you. Tell us about Texas State Optical. It's been a ride to grow it to where it's been.

Why don't you tell us a little bit about the impact you're having in Texas? Well, the company was started in 1936, so it's been around. Next year will be 90 years. And it was started in a small southeast part of Texas. It was small at the time. It's now much larger, but called Beaumont, Texas, and started by four brothers out of Chicago. And they came down at the beginning of the beginning of the beginning of the early 30s because of economic opportunity.

There had been a big oil discovery in the area. And so the economy was growing and they came down and started an optometry practice. And things went so well that they called back home to their other brothers and said, come on down. And so they came down and they started this company. And it really was unique at the time because they built it up to over 300 locations in the late 50s, early 60s, all over New Mexico, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, and, of course, Texas.

And it was one of the first, if not the first, retail optical chains of its time. And so it grew and continued to have great success, like I said, into the late 50s, early 60s. And then the Texas Optometry Board decided that they didn't like the idea that these four brothers owned over 300 locations, so they passed a law and changed the Optometry Act to restrict ownership to no more than three locations.

And that's the way it stands today. And so after a lengthy legal battle that the Rogers brothers, the four brothers, lost, they were required to divest themselves of these locations. And they sold it. It was a kind of a modified franchise, if you would, at that time. And then later, they sold the entire company. And it went through a series of succession, a series of owners up until the 80s.

And when an owner and all of the new owners that took over were just really challenged, had difficult times operating it because it wasn't really a franchise and it wasn't really corporate owned. There was kind of this quasi-model and difficult to operate. So eventually, I got involved in the early 90s through performing consumer research for them. I had a marketing management, marketing strategy, and consumer research firm in Houston, small boutique operation.

But I got hired by them to do about a two-year study. And as a result of that, formed a relationship with the franchisees and eventually was asked by the franchisees if I would help negotiate the acquisition of the company from the franchisor, which I did in the late 90s and took over in 2000 as president of the new company. And um we started kind of fixing it up they they asked me if i'd come on,

as the new president. And I was willing to do so and kind of shut down the other activity that I had with other clients because I saw this as a great fixer-upper. It had gone through about 20 years of just abuse by different corporate owners.

And I thought, what a great opportunity this would be to kind of rejuvenate this classic brand in Texas. And that iconic nature of it still holds. I run into people all the time, especially if they're over 50, who tell me that their parents got them their first pair of glasses at a Texas State Optical. So it was pretty cool, that function. So I started and we grew the organization by about 82, 83 locations. from startups.

They're all brand new startups and young optometrists wanting to own their own practice. And we help them. We turned the company into a brand licensed company as opposed to a franchise. And so we really have no operational control over the individual locations. But through guidance and best practices and kind of consultative relationship with those offices, we've doubled the size. At the time we acquired, the average revenue was about $580,000. Today, it's $1.2 million, and we have $180,000.

At one point we had 129. Now we're down to about 75. I can get into the reason for that if you'd like. Can I ask a question? Like I said, we could probably talk for hours because it's not only a cool brand, an amazing story. I find it interesting. And I think I understand some of the listeners here. You know, they're in different stages of their life. You might be a CEO now, but in John's case, you know, you might become a CEO.

By accident um and then that's just like where your life trajectory takes you and i find it interesting just about how the licensing and the structure and the flow and the evolution of of this brand that if you're starting up a business you might have no idea where that trajectory goes and for these brothers you know they grew it huge legal battle shifts and turns i want to take it to where we're at now and the work that you've done over the past 20 years especially post integration.

It sounds like there's a component of managing and there's a component of leading because for them to be successful in this model you don't have operational control so they have to like want to listen to you how what was it like leading that organization what was it like supporting this partnership uh and for the folks that like kind of bought into what the brand stands for and how did you do that successfully well i've

made the comparison it's like leading a church in the fact that it's a volunteer organization um these guys don't have to do anything that i say other than they can't misuse the the brand that we're licensing to them but in terms of operations they don't have to. So you've got to lead through influence and influencing them so that they understand what's in their own best interest. And, you know, that's really kind of pure leadership anyway.

Authoritarian leadership is not really leadership. Someone does what you tell them to do because they have to, then you may have the facade of leadership, but you certainly don't have any loyalty and you don't really have any following. And so it's important that recognizing kind of the core fundamentals of what that means to influence people and lead in that way is critical. And it starts with understanding what's most important to them and how I can help them achieve that.

Did you find that that comes naturally, like as a person who wants to, you know, be a contributor and be a support? Or was that kind of learned over the 25 years being put into the seed and practicing it with like a growing followership? Because the followership grew over time. And so I don't know if it has the same challenges as it would. Well, I didn't show up in the beginning with the knowledge that I have today.

Um and and some of that i'm a real big believer that the learning is always in the doing, and so you you learn a little bit and you do it and by doing it you learn a little bit more and you do that and over a period of time of repetition of that and and being in a mindset set of continual learning and continually wanting to grow and be better, then you experience that. I think the worst thing anybody can do, even myself at this point in my career, is to think that I've arrived at some place.

One, half of the pleasure and enjoyment you get out of it is in the journey of it, in the experience of it, and the learning that goes with that. I knew the fundamentals of people do things for their own self-interest. I mean, that's just nature of man.

And so if I'm going to try to help somebody accomplish something, then i need to know what that is and that's pretty fundamental i knew that the difficulties in that, i didn't appreciate probably to the extent that i could have and the variability in that we can have four people optometrists in their own practices and have four different reasons they're doing it and four different things they want out of it.

And just like my children, if I treat them all the same, I'm not understanding those things that make them special, make them different, and certainly know how to better motivate and help them achieve what it is they want out of it. So, you know, understanding those nuanced aspects of it, things that I learned over time, but. Um, the fundamentals of human nature, I kind of understood and do largely from some books I read early in my career.

So, well, what I think is, um, at least I pulled from what you shared is you sometimes want it to go fast. You want it to go simple. You want it to be streamlined as a, as a manager, as CEO, a parent. And then as you go through it, you recognize the complexities.

The nuance, the like value of a personalized approach so that not only so you can be successful because you've learned what isn't successful when you try to do it one size fits all, but just like recognize you're just so much more effective. Like everything is done better for this type of work when it's tailored to that person, because it could be so wildly different that, um, it presents its challenges.

And then you're ultimately like not who you want to be as a leader, which again, you know, it's learned forwards and reflected on backwards. And now you're at a place in your career, um, where you're saying, Hey, you know, here's what I wish I did right or better the last time. Um, any other thoughts, um, for owners?

So let's say owners are thinking about, you know, building a business that lasts, building a business that, um, you know, it contributes and has a big impact, um, you know, thoughts or considerations, I guess, from the brand lens versus the individual lens without saying this is TSO saying this. Well, you know, everybody that starts a business creates a brand. And for the most part, for a sole proprietor or a small business, privately owned.

Hardware store or restaurant, that brand centers around the experience that people have in interacting with that business. That becomes the essence of the brand. It doesn't need necessarily a catchy name. I had a friend one time who's another marketing person define a brand in a way that I think is compelling. And that is a brand is an idea that creates a preference.

And I think the execution of that idea, the consistent execution of that idea in creating a preference for that experience over competitive offerings is what really establishes and defines that brand. And we've all got those in our lives. I mean, dry cleaners, restaurants, auto mechanics. We have businesses that, because of the experience we've had with them, they have created this idea of themselves.

And in our choosing, we have decided that we prefer that experience over experiences offered by their competitors. Scaling that up on a regional or national level is really what we've come to associate with a brand we think of these apple and you know united airlines or um hilton hotels we think of these national brands but really in the essence of them they're all the same they're all an idea.

That creates a preference. I mean, I'm rarely speechless, but that was one I really, really like that. Because I think people think of brands and images and what it represents, but doesn't, might not correlate how it has an action or a decision making feature to it one way or the other. You know, so I just appreciate that. It's a great way to think about it for all levels there.

You know again we could talk for a long time as we think of your career and you think of the lessons that you know when it's to send the elevator back down or i wrote a book called i wish i knew there are things that i wish i knew you know you've got an audience from all over the world anything else that you want to kind of bestow on people in terms of uh consideration thoughts reflections um on your career your life as a leader

and recognizing that you're going to have a lot more to give us in the future. Cause I said, Hey, you know, retiring soon. And I'm not retiring. I got, I got lots of, you know, I got lots to do still. Uh, and I love that. Anything else that you want to share with our audience? I think that there's a couple of things. One is I think that I would really encourage, and I just had a discussion with my, uh, grandson who just graduated from high school.

So I, I sat him down and I said, here's some things I would suggest yes, you do. Now, I wish I had done them then when I was your age. I wish someone would have sold me these things at your age. And one is to sit down and spend some time with yourself and figure out what you believe your core purpose is. What is it you really want your life to be about and, and write that down and you're going to change it.

Um, I started doing this when I hit 50 and I was about 50 years of age at the suggestion of others. And, um, I wrote it down and what I wrote down when I was 50. It doesn't even look close to what it, I mean, it's close, but it's a variation. Over time, I fine-tuned it. I've thought more about it, and I've drilled down on it. I've actually simplified it. You know, my first statement was like three paragraphs, and now it's about three sentences.

And I think that with time and experience, you're able to get that clarity of what your purpose really is. And so that's one thing I would really recommend. The other is I learned from Benjamin Franklin, who developed a set of 13 virtues. And what I translate those in is to my core values. And these are things that I believe, and are non-negotiables for me.

And I would sit down, I ended up with seven. but I would recommend people sit down and really think about what they believe their life is to be built upon in terms of values. Things that you believe so strongly in that you would not negotiate those.

And then lastly, I'll leave you with this. The advice I would give is start. So everyone feels like before I get started, I've got to learn more. Before I get started, I, we can't have children because we've got to save more money. I can't get married because I've got to get the right job first. Just start, decide to move your life forward. And you will find, especially as you, this tendency to want to understand everything before you get started. It is in the doing that you have the learning.

And so getting started, there's a statement that says you don't have to be great to get started, but you do have to start to be great. And so I would suggest to people, and certainly I gave this advice to my son, my grandson, decide what it is you want and then start and move towards that. And by doing that, you will learn more about it. You'll move quicker. You'll move faster. and you'll get there much younger than what most people do.

Awesome. I love that. I just picture, I know somebody, man, you get there much younger, you'll like feel and look younger, but you mean you'll get there faster and do it. So, John, it's been such a pleasure.

Thank you for your generosity. I don't know if that's one of your core values, but I felt like it would have been. And so I just appreciate you. Thanks for just giving it to us today. I wish you nothing but the most success and happiness for your work, for your life, for your health, for your family. I know that's super important to you. Just thanks for being here today. It was really a pleasure. Thank you, Anthony. It was my pleasure to be with you.

Folks, my guest today, John D. Marvin, the president, CEO, Texas State Optical, since 1936, building a brand. And the brand makes you make a decision one way. You know, you have to start. So you might as well move towards where you want to go and who you want to be. And if you do it now, you'll get there faster, younger, hopefully better looking.

Who knows uh if we could all be so lucky folks thanks for joining me on today's episode of the strategy and leadership podcast thank you john d marvin my guest today i go out do something great be a contribution if that's what you want to be that's what you want to do share this podcast with somebody if you want to support us like subscribe do the thing help us get into the hands of more people because that's what it's about i appreciate you being here appreciate

you watching listening i'll see you next time.