Shery Abbassi

I attribute my success to resilience, intuition, and genuinely caring about people. I have never believed that success is simply about selling a product or building a business. It is about understanding people, recognizing what they need—even when they don’t know how to express it—and making them feel seen.

I have also learned to trust myself. I built my business from the ground up, often having to figure things out as I went, and I learned that some of the greatest opportunities come from having the courage to keep moving forward when the path isn’t clear.

Most importantly, I believe people can feel when you truly care. The relationships I built with my clients were never just business relationships.

I wanted every person who walked through my door to leave feeling more confident, more understood, and a little better about themselves than when they arrived.

The best career advice I’ve ever received is to never lose sight of who you are while building something. Skills can be learned, businesses can change, and circumstances can shift, but your character, your integrity and the way you treat people are what stay with you.

I’ve learned that you don’t have to become harder to become successful. You can be strong, compassionate and ambitious at the same time.

I’ve also learned that sometimes the path you planned isn’t the path you’re meant to take. When life forces you to start over, you haven’t lost everything you’ve built—you take your experience, your resilience and everything you’ve learned with you. Then you build again.

Learn every part of the business you can, and never underestimate the value of knowing how to do the work yourself. I started at the front desk and worked my way through management, optical dispensing and eventually business ownership. Every role taught me something that became valuable later.

Don’t be afraid to be ambitious, and don’t feel that you have to become someone you’re not to succeed. You can be knowledgeable and confident while still being compassionate. You can be a leader without losing your heart.

Build genuine relationships, pay attention to the details other people overlook, and keep learning. The optical industry sits at the intersection of healthcare, fashion, craftsmanship and technology, so there is always another skill to develop.

And perhaps most importantly, trust yourself.

There will always be people who have an opinion about what you should do or how you should do it. Listen, learn, but ultimately have the courage to recognize your own value and make your own decisions.

One of the biggest challenges in optical today is maintaining the human connection in an increasingly digital and highly commoditized industry.

Consumers have more choices than ever, and online retailers have made eyewear easier to purchase, but convenience doesn’t replace expertise or the experience of having someone truly understand you. I see that as one of the industry’s greatest opportunities. Independent optical businesses have the ability to offer something that large chains and online retailers often cannot: personal relationships, highly curated products, craftsmanship and expertise.

There is also an exciting opportunity in the growing appreciation for independent eyewear. People are increasingly looking for pieces that feel distinctive rather than mass-produced, and they want products with a story, quality and individuality behind them.

I believe the future of optical will belong to businesses that can successfully combine technology and convenience with something technology cannot replicate—the human experience. A pair of glasses may be a medical necessity, but it can also be one of the most personal things someone wears. Helping people find that intersection of function, confidence and self-expression is what makes this industry so meaningful to me.

The values that matter most to me are integrity, compassion, authenticity, resilience and treating people with genuine kindness.

I believe in doing the right thing even when no one is watching, keeping my word, and treating every person with dignity and respect. In my work, I value the relationships I build just as much as the business itself. I want people to feel heard, understood and valued—not judged or treated like a transaction.

I also value authenticity. I believe people are at their best when they feel comfortable being exactly who they are, and that belief has shaped the way I work with every client. Whether I’m helping someone choose a pair of glasses or simply encouraging them to see their own beauty, I want them to leave feeling more confident in themselves.

Finally, I value resilience. Life doesn’t always unfold the way we expect, but I’ve learned that difficult chapters don’t have to determine the rest of our story. I believe in getting back up, learning from what we’ve been through, and continuing to move forward without allowing adversity to take away our ability to love, create and care for others.