New Optician & Frame Rep Magazine

October 17, 2021

Reps and Opticians Working Together (ROWT)

The backstory:

One idea and a blossoming friendship turned into a waterfall of brainstorming when Mikki who is a frame rep, and Chelsea, who is the owner of her own online independent frame company met on Instagram in late winter 2020.

Mikki began her career transition from Certified Ophthalmic Assistant to Territory Sales Frame Rep in July 2020 with no background in sales, just a love for eyes. Coming into a new career in the middle of a pandemic was challenging. She knew she needed to get herself out there and make herself known in order to be heard and that is why she started her Instagram page @gypsyeyegal. She began networking with like minded individuals who were in optical as well, and found an entire online community dedicated to eye health and eyewear! When she met Chelsea they struck it off immediately. She began bouncing ideas off of her and asking questions about the optician side of things and they quickly became close friends.

One day while in the field, Mikki spent an entire drive wracking her brain with ideas of ways to get people past the “sales stigma” that haunts reps every single day. How can we break down the walls that have been built over years of cheesy sales lines and burned bridges so we can all work in harmony and help one another?

The idea:

“ROWT” was born, but what would it be exactly? The initial thought was to create a website but after speaking with a web developer and researching everything that is out there, Mikki knew she wanted something more than your average blog or website. She pitched more ideas to Chelsea and they came up with “ROWT After Dark” a video chat once a month where they discuss work in a chill low-key environment. They are still finding their footing in the video podcast world and struggled with creating a format and vision of where to take it. Mikki had always dreamed of being a part of something bigger so she thought why not create a magazine and each time they do a podcast they can model the video topics from the people who are behind the articles! Although the podcast idea is still in the works, Chelsea and Mikki have created an interactive community on Instagram to further connect with their followers and address topics that reps & opticians often struggle with in their everyday life.

“ROWT’s main purpose is to provide a space for creatives like myself and Chelsea to be heard. There are so many talented reps, opticians, doctors, administrators, and technicians that deserve to have an outlet to write about the things they believe in and are passionate about. To advocate for those who feel like their voices are not heard is MY passion.”
– Mikki Collins

Get involved:

ROWT is accepting article submissions from opticians, optical shops, bloggers, independent frame companies, reps, and entrepreneurs at this time. Please email your submission idea to
ROWTmagazine@yahoo.com