Georgia
Digital technology is lifting up small businesses in Georgia
84%
of small businesses are empowered by digital tools
Digitally-Empowered Small Businesses
882,900
1,375,829
Digitally-Empowered Small Business Employees
LIFT News
March 23, 2020
COVID-19 Policy Briefings
Stay up to date on the latest COVID-19 related policy updates with these daily briefings from the Connected Commerce Council.
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March 23, 2020
Surviving Coronavirus by the Connected Commerce Council
The spread of coronavirus has understandably left many on edge—and many small business owners wondering what, if anything, they should be doing. What can they do...
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January 9, 2020
Supporting Main Street Through Access to Digital Tools
Starting and running a small business is easier and less expensive than ever before. Digital tools and services have made once expensive business operations like...
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Digitally Empowered Small Businesses in Georgia
The Eye Center
The Eye Center’s Digital Vision
The Eye Center, Conyers, GA
Website
Located in the Atlanta suburbs, The Eye Center has been serving the vision needs of patients in Georgia and beyond for two decades. The business opened as a Pearle Vision franchise but has been operating independently since 2014 -- a transformation boosted by online tools.The center’s services include diagnosing and managing diabetic eye disease, glaucoma, macular degeneration, dry eye, astigmatism, and many other eye conditions. The facility also prescribes Ortho-K lenses to correct eyesight without surgery and hard-to-fit contact lenses.Special lenses that counteract migraines are particularly popular. Patients learn about that option through online communities, blogs, and other organic Internet traffic, and they travel to The Eye Center from other states to be fitted for glasses.“These are patients who have had migraine symptoms for many years and had many different treatments,” said owner Dr. David Grosswald. “But we’re giving them relief with some of these new medical therapies.”A digital presence has been key to the center’s success since separating from Pearle Vision. When The Eye Center went solo, the team exploited powerful but inexpensive digital capabilities to compensate for the corporate marketing support they lost.The Eye Center is active on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. The team also hands out postcards to solicit patient reviews via Google and Yelp, enhancing the company’s reputation.With a team of three doctors and 18 employees, The Eye Center generates $4 million in revenue. Grosswald attributes the company’s growth to a dedicated staff, loyal patients and constant innovation that changes patients’ lives.He is eager to expand the business, and he sees more video testimonials like those produced for the website and YouTube as an essential marketing tool to that end. “We’ve been changing lives for 20 years, and we want to tell people about it,” Grosswald said.He just hopes the government doesn’t get in the way by enacting onerous technology industry regulations that filter down to small businesses like his. “It’s not just my livelihood at stake. It’s the livelihood of my employees and their families.”
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