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Wendy Buchanan
Honoured as the trailblazing entrepreneur For Women in Canadian Optical, Wendy Buchanan is the founder and creative force behind Perceptions Eyewear Inc.: a one-of-a-kind mobile eyewear boutique in Toronto, Canada. Wendy offers personal Eyewear Styling appointments right at client’s home/office. Recognized as the Eyewear Image Expert, Wendy is an Image Consultant, Licensed Optician and Educator sharing her program, Be Spectacular™ globally.
www.perceptionseyewear.com, www.bespectacular.com
Check out our live interview on Business Mentorship; Keepin’ It Real
Staying FOCUSED ! Wendy Buchanan
- Contributed By: Wendy Buchanan
Tell us a little something about your business...
25 years ago, I was bored with my chosen career as a Licensed Optician working for the big box stores and decided I simply could not fit the same frames over and over everyday. I kept my eyes open for new opportunities eventually training as a Image Consultant. Always loving fashion, I was excited with the process of dressing people and began to orchestrate my exit strategy from the Optical business. In 1997, I launched a personal styling company helping clients curate a wardrobe of clothing, accessories and handbags. Once I had a look put together, we realized that the eyewear they were wearing was “all wrong” for their new look. The material, style, colour and shapes were not in sync with their clothing style and personality.
When was your lightbulb moment?
Noticing that the glasses were not well matched and listening to my clients advice, I sourced unique eyewear from around the world and started to offer Eyewear Styling Consultations to my services. In a very short time all of my referral business came from the clients wearing the cool eyeglasses. I pivoted quickly, combining my optical and image training and changed my focus from styling wardrobes to styling “wardrobes of eyewear”, creating Perceptions Eyewear Inc., a mobile eyewear boutique. A one-of-a-kind service styling eyewear to complement clothing style & accessories, facial features, business image & personality. And of course, I custom make prescription lenses so everyone can SEE as good as they LOOK!
What are your three words of advice?
Listen to your gut! When I made decisions that went against my intuition, it usually resulted in failure. Surround yourself with strategic alliances that you can trust! This is especially important as this is the lesson that I learned the hard way. Immediately trusting and allowing someone into my business circle who in the end was involved strictly for personal gain. This relationship also brought down other alliances in the process. Be careful who you surround yourself with. Listen to your mentors! Be humble enough to listen and implement the advice your mentors give. Having people who “have your back” is essential when you are an entrepreneur.
Three words of advice...
Believe in Yourself
Honoured as the trailblazing entrepreneur For Women in Canadian Optical, Wendy Buchanan is the founder and creative force behind Perceptions Eyewear Inc.: a one-of-a-kind mobile eyewear boutique in Toronto, Canada. Wendy offers personal Eyewear Styling appointments right at client’s home/office. Recognized as the Eyewear Image Expert, Wendy is an Image Consultant, Licensed Optician and Educator sharing her program, Be Spectacular™ globally.
www.perceptionseyewear.com, www.bespectacular.com
Check out our live interview on Business Mentorship; Keepin’ It Real
“May your legacy create a footprint of success for the next person who steps into your shoes”
