Build for a Real Person: Vik Malhi on Going Independent

Vik Malhi trained as a dispensing optician before qualifying as an optometrist. Then he designed his own frame brand. Then he opened two practices in Birmingham. None of it happened inside a corporate structure, and none of it was accidental. We asked him three questions.

Why did you choose to stay/go independent?

I never wanted corporate, and I never wanted a franchise. I always wanted my own. Direct Vision was that. Built it from the ground up on my own terms. I trained as a dispensing optician before qualifying as an optometrist, so I understood lenses and eyes at a level most people don't. J.HYDE was the natural next step. Suppose you understand optics that deeply, frames become the obvious territory to move into. So I built those too.

What does your practice offer that a corporate chain simply can't?

We control our own supply chain. We design our own frames, partner exclusively with Zeiss, and deliberately craft every client experience. Chains optimise for throughput. We optimise for the individual. There's a specific client who walks in knowing exactly what they want but hasn't found anyone who can deliver it. That's who we're here for. You won't find that level of specificity in a corporate setting.

What's one thing you'd tell another optician thinking about going independent?

Know your client before you know anything else. I built J.HYDE around myself. I appreciate fine things, I care about how I present, and I wanted a brand that reflected that. Turns out there are a lot of people like me who just hadn't been spoken to properly by an eyewear brand. When you design for a real person with real taste, it shows. Pick that person, build for them completely, and don't apologise for not being for everyone.

Build for a real person with real taste. Don't apologise for not being for everyone. That's not a niche strategy — it's the only strategy available to an independent that actually works in the long term. Vik's practice is at jhyde.co.uk.

If you've been building expertise inside a corporate structure and you recognise yourself in what Vik describes — the drive to own it, to design it, to build something that reflects who you actually are — the path exists. More optical professionals than ever are making the move. The question is whether you're ready to start that conversation.

The path exists. This is where it starts.
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