![\"Power](\"https:\/\/wyseminds.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Doug.jpg\")
<\/b><\/p>\nBe prepared to work at your relationships<\/b><\/p>\n
Doug Perkins knows exactly what it takes to form the perfect partnership. After all, the Welsh-born optometrist and entrepreneur \u2013 and co-founder of Specsavers Optical Group \u2013 has been working with his wife, Mary, for more than 50 years. Aside from marital harmony, Doug is convinced that the most important aspect of professional togetherness is how you think about the future.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s important to be on the same page for growth,\u201d he says. \u201cYou want to have a shared path in terms of how you view that growth and what you\u2019re really looking for is those suppliers, alliances or partnerships that get up in the morning with the same spirit as you. Choosing who you work with is vital.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Welcome to the family\u2026<\/b><\/p>\n For Doug, finding a common purpose has always been about knowing what values were important<\/span> to both him and Mary and in the case of Specsavers, family identity was key.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe sought kindred spirits above everything else. We knew what we stood for, the difference we wanted to make and we knew we were in for the long term. We needed to find those that had a similar outlook, so when we first started out we sought family-style organisations<\/span> who shared a similar long-term outlook and were open to working in partnership on a mission they also believed in. Finding these shared values reassured us we would work well together.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s all about the vision<\/b><\/p>\n Of course, sometimes it takes time to identify what you want and need to move forward. And you can\u2019t beat good, old reliable SWOT and PEST analysis, as old fashioned as they may seem, to see the gaps and the opportunities that suit you best.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI have always worked with a five-year vision. In the early days it wasn\u2019t necessarily written down, but I carried it around with me all my life. Being able to predict our customers\u2019 needs in 5 years time was key to staying agile..\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAt the beginning when Specsavers was growing rapidly, my vision was always with me. I knew why I was taking every step and who I wanted to work with on it. Having a plan gives you a constant reminder of where you are going \u2013 so when you are looking for the right people you are not just searching for the here and now, but for the future.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But how do you know if your potential partners are in fact the <\/b>right<\/i><\/b> people?<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Again, it\u2019s about knowing \u2013 and living by \u2013 your own values; if you do, finding those who share your vision and beliefs becomes easier. After that, it\u2019s a matter of staying agile without losing your ideals.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou need to answer the question of why you are seeking support and how you are looking for it to support the growth of your business. We knew our vision would be best delivered with other like-minded people who were customer facing\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBy all means investigate. But, as I\u2019ve been known to say many times: you don\u2019t need a weather forecast when you go to the North Pole. Don\u2019t overcrowd your research with stuff that doesn\u2019t matter; instead, understand whether the direction of collaboration will bring value to your future or that of your customers. Try to ask yourself \u2013 honestly \u2013 why you seek the collaboration that you do; it\u2019s all about asking the right questions. These can change as the companies grow but you should be able to stay agile and resilient thanks to your unity.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Move with the times<\/b><\/p>\n Doug and Mary have built Specsavers around joint-venture partnerships, but they have discovered that to remain resilient, you must also be flexible.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cFind a way to work with people before you formally commit. Specsavers grew rapidly through partnerships, creating value for money with professional care, but crucially sharing the responsibilities and successes equally.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s important to understand if both parties want to be together. You may make mistakes \u2013 we undertook trials our customers never saw \u2013 and in the early days you can find out that your partners are in fact on a different journey. And this is why you should continually assess everybody in your ecosystem and don\u2019t be afraid to change your mind.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n No one said it was going to be easy\u2026<\/b><\/p>\n Doug\u2019s wealth of experience across the decades shines through in his final piece of advice, learnt not through luck but hard work and determination.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou have put a lot of time and effort into getting you to where your organisation is now and you need the same energy and commitment to the next big idea. Don\u2019t think there are easy options or look for similar models that look like the least effort. Collaboration requires total commitment and dedicated resources. However, retaining shared purpose and value means it will be smoother and more joyful. There are <\/span>so many<\/span><\/i> opportunities out there so get stuck in and enjoy!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Be prepared to work at your relationships Doug Perkins knows exactly what it takes to form the perfect partnership. After all, the Welsh-born optometrist and entrepreneur \u2013 and co-founder of Specsavers Optical Group \u2013 has been working with his wife, Mary, for more than 50 years. Aside from marital harmony, Doug is convinced that the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3774,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[124,129,126,123,119,120],"class_list":["post-3771","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories","tag-alliances","tag-doug-perkins","tag-partnerships","tag-specsavers","tag-values","tag-vision"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wyseminds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3771","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wyseminds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wyseminds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wyseminds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wyseminds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3771"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wyseminds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3771\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3773,"href":"https:\/\/wyseminds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3771\/revisions\/3773"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wyseminds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3774"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wyseminds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3771"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wyseminds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3771"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wyseminds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3771"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}