Meet Heather Eisner, Chief Operating Officer
How has the current environment affected your work?
Our business literally changed overnight. As a global eyewear brand, we ship our product directly to consumers but also to boutiques, department stores, opticians, and doctors’ offices around the world. With virtually every country on some level of lockdown, a huge part of our business came to a grinding halt. On top of that, we had to close our retail stores and set up 80% of our team to work from home. All while trying to figure out how to continue filling essential Rx orders for our accounts and customers. A business plan that we spent months creating basically got flipped on its head and we had to create a new one in less than 48 hours. Our new focus centers around Ecommerce and Social Media, two channels that we (luckily) invested in quite heavily in the past year.
Have you introduced any new routines or rituals since staying home?
When this all started, I felt a lot of pressure to maintain certain routines and do things a certain way. My daughter is 5 years old and was midway through TK when schools shut down. All of a sudden we became responsible for her education on top of trying to adapt to an entirely different way of living and working. Once I let go of that idea that everything had to be perfect, things got a lot easier and I started to enjoy our new way of life. So now instead of rushing out of the house at 7am, we have leisurely breakfasts and watch birds. My husband and I take turns working, parenting, and teaching. Once I’m done with work, I usually go for a walk which is something I used to rarely do. And then we come together for happy hour in our backyard. We listen to music, play catch, have some drinks and snacks, and check on the veggies we planted. After our daughter goes to bed, my husband and I have gotten really into playing Unstable Unicorns. It’s a ridiculous game that fully takes your mind off of things!
What's the best piece of advice you've received and/or can give during this time?
Take it one day at a time. It’s so helpful just to create a plan for the day and not worry about anything else. Focus on making today the best day ever!
What are you cooking?
We’ve actually been doing a lot of takeout because we feel it’s important to support our local restaurants and bars. But with more time than ever on our hands, my husband and I made fresh pasta this weekend. It was fun, therapeutic, and delicious! I love the simplicity of Italian cooking and the artistry of making pasta by hand.
What are you wearing?
I had Lasik surgery a year before I started working for GLCO. Now I almost wish I hadn’t because GLCO made me fall in love with eyewear! Eyewear is the perfect blend of fashion and engineering. It’s a highly personal statement because it’s on your face. But it’s also a necessity both for vision correction and eye protection. Our frames are by far the best looking and most comfortable frames I’ve ever worn. Even though I don’t need prescription lenses anymore, I live in blue light filter lenses. I spend a lot of time in front of the computer. Right now I’m wearing Mr. Leight Coopers C in Tobacco with Blue Light Filter Lenses.
What is the silver lining in this?
Professionally, this situation has created a challenge that we can all grow from. I’m super motivated by the opportunity to change the way we do business. I’m also so grateful for our team and how understanding and adaptable everyone has been. I know it hasn’t been easy. Personally, this has forced me to slow down. Not having to travel or be anywhere opens up a lot more time for me to do all the things I normally don’t have time for. And I’m able to be more present with my family because I’m not running off to whatever is next.
