Meet Jimmie Davison | Owner and Chief Technology Officer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jimmie Davison and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jimmie, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I have always had that “Entrepreneurial spirit” from a young age, but after graduating as a Mechanical Engineer and then working most of my career in Project Management, I didn’t have the conduit to start a business. But, my wife being an optometrist provided that channel for me. Being in private practice for over 11 years, we have worked close together to have a successful practice in Smyrna, Georgia. But, in working with her, I was able to understand her field and couple that with my technology background. By understanding the retail side of her business and being able to pilot the software solution in our office for over a year, I started Paradeyem (pronounced “paradigm” Software.)

What should our readers know about your business?
My business is called Paradeyem (pronounced paradigm) Software. It is an optometry based software platform that is a product of my background in technology coupled with my experiences gained working alongside my wife in our practice, Brilliant Eyes Vision Center. Being in the private optometry eye care industry is a challenge due to the many forces that seem to work against the business daily. As a private practice, we deal with competition on multiple fronts, insurance providers that seem to work against the actual doctor provider and overall a changing landscape of the typical patient and eyeglass buyer.
It is these challenges that allow the software to fill many gaps.. In our experiences in our practice, we have dealt with patients wanting more options, dealing with high staff turnover as well as low margins due to the costs of doing business in the industry. From that, we decided to develop a software that would tackle all of these issues and more. It provides eyeglasses in a good, better, best format for ALL patients that walk through our door. Additionally, we do the math for the optical employees within the software. Thus it reduces the time spent calculating fees and presents the patient with a clean good, better and best option to choose from. We have created an easy to use interface that comes second to none in its space.

We started out with a spreadsheet as a pilot in our office and evolved it into a software platform that has seen major enhancements over its life.

In its early days, our goal was to see if the patients would accept our transition from selling glasses a-la-carte to moving to a packaging model. Also, how would our staff adopt the model? Early on, we had some successes and failures. The successes were where it mattered most. Our patients adapted to our model seamlessly and our revenue and margin increased steadily. From the failure standpoint, the staff sometimes had difficulty transforming their way of thinking in selling glasses. But, because our brand is about a paradigm shift in selling glasses, we have always stressed a change in the way employees and doctors think about optical retail….This is where we are unique. We offer not only a software platform, but also a methodology and consulting for optical retail sales.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love the city of Atlanta. I am someone who grew up traveling quite a bit due to my father being in the Navy. But, we settled in Atlanta right around high school and I ended up going to college here at Georgia Tech. After a short stay in Detroit, Michigan, post college, I found myself back in Atlanta. With that, over the years, I have been able to really explore the city. Atlanta just has so much to see. Showing one of my friends a good time would consist of a lot of food, some history and nightlife for sure.

Where do I start? I think for breakfast, Egg Harbor Cafe would be my choice as a starting point and for an out-of-towner, Waffle House at least 1 day in the week.
Atlanta has so many restaurants to choose from so it would be hard to narrow down go to spots even for a week. But, definitely Two-Urban Licks, LIttle Alley Steak House and you have to visit the Varsity….just to say you have been there. If you come to Atlanta, the Varsity has to be on the itinerary.

I am a live music fan and I love going to the Blue Martini in Buckhead. It is an adult atmosphere with live music in a contemporary bar setting. They play lots of 80s and 90s music that anyone who loves music can recognize. In addition, a stop at the Glenn Hotel has a similar vibe but in an outdoor rooftop setting.
From a sightseeing standpoint, the Georgia Aquarium is truly one-of-a -kind experience. The World of Coke is a must see as Atlanta is synonymous with Coca Cola. It provides such a detailed history of how Coca Cola came to be. Another sight that really defines Atlanta is the MLK memorial including his childhood home.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My wife, Dr. Janelle Davison, is definitely in need of a shoutout. Being my partner in marriage (and business), she has provided the inspiration and the conduit for my business. She is definitely a motivating factor in everything in my life. When we met almost 20 years ago, I knew she was a unique individual. Not everyone has the drive and the will to push through adversity and challenges in the way that I have seen her. This is what keeps me. As her partner, just seeing her manage her interactions with patients everyday, being the mother of our children, the eldest of her siblings and the mentor to so many young women always motivates me. And, with her being an optometrist an entrepreneur, she provided the pathway for me to create a software for the optometry industry. Without her, this wouldn’t be possible.

Website: www.paradeyem.com

Instagram: paradeyem

Other: www.bookparadeyem.com