Pics of Jim Mullan taken 24th November

Business Column Questions

€¢ Who are you?

My name is Jim Mullan, owner of QM Eye.

€¢ What does your business do?

I've decided to open at this most challenging time in Scotland as I believe people are looking for a fresh approach to eye care and eyewear and are keen to visit somewhere you will see the same friendly, familiar faces in a relaxed environment where the emphasis is on the individual and their needs. A place where we will get to know our patients well and they will feel comfortable just to drop in and say hello.

€¢ Where are you based?

QM Eye is a local independent opticians at 104 Queen Margaret Drive,G20 8NZ, sandwiched between, in my opinion, two of the best coffee shops in the west end(Smile and North Star).Location choice was easy as I live just around the corner and had been looking for an opportunity in the area for some time. Byres Road is busy but has less local style businesses, whereas Queen Margaret Drive is just getting better and better with a great mix of smaller specialised outlets, ideally suited to where we want to be.

€¢ How did you get started?

Getting started was less planned than I would have like as the unit became available at short notice and I had to move quickly to secure it. Once secured my wife, Heather, and I designed the layout to accommodate one full sized consultation room and a smaller room to give the option for a second consultation room as the business grows. The design and shop fitting was carried out by myself and my brother Brian who designed and laid the reclaimed parquet floor which gives the shop much of its character. By doing most of the work ourselves the process took much longer but allowed us to control the costs and meant we could alter and tweak our ideas as we went along which in the end produced a finish that we love and has received praise from most people who have visited us so far. The biggest outlay has been in the state of the art equipment and the spectacle frames some of which we sourced and some of which suppliers came to us because they liked our look. I think we have achieved a great range to suit most tastes.

€¢ What is your background?

I am an optometrist with over 20 years experience having worked in both the multiple and independent sector.

€¢ What is your top tip?

My top tip to anyone starting out would be to plan as far ahead as circumstances allow.

€¢ How long has your business been running?

We have been up and running since the end of October and so far things have been positive.

€¢ What was your biggest mistake/or what would you do differently?

If asked what I would differently, I would say I should have done it years ago!

€¢ Where do you plan your business to be in five years time?

In 5 years time I would hope to be running a successful patient orientated business which is an important part of the local community and not obsessed by number crunching and box ticking as so many larger businesses seem to be today, a place where people keep coming back, and their friends and family too.

€¢ Contact Details (your contact details in case someone wants to reach you) (must answer)

We can be found on facebook - www.facebook.com/pages/QM-Eye-Opticians/322286787949664?fref=ts

Our shop is based at 104 Queen Margaret Drive, Glasgow.

Phone number: 0141 946 6892

Hannah Rodger

Reporter

Herald and Times Group

200 Renfield Street

Glasgow

G2 3QB

0141 302 7072

07926185825

@hannahwrites01