“No Such Thing as Can’t”: Dr. Lisa Adams on Her Rise from St. Croix to National Optical Franchise Owner

Young women who are aspiring to careers in healthcare or as an entrepreneur “should be prepared to work hard,” said Dr. Lisa Adams-Mahepath, co-owner of Sterling Optical, a national chain of retail opticians.

Dr. Adams, born and raised on St. Croix, sat down with host Laura Forbes as part of her “Live with Laura” Women's History Month special programming. She discussed her life and business, sharing insights into her success – as an optometrist, successful business owner, and family woman.

“In 1997 my husband and I purchased the retail chain Sterling Optical, and it happens to be the oldest optical retail in the United States,” said Dr. Adams. With that purchase, Dr. Adams became the first local optometrist to practice in the Virgin Islands. She is also the first to open a branch of a national retail franchise in the territory, and the first local woman to serve on the Board of Optometric Examiners in the Virgin Islands.

A year after the first Sterling Optical location in the territory opened on St. Croix, a second branch was launched on St. Thomas. A few years after that, the couple branched out into Puerto Rico, establishing a foothold on that island for Cohen Fashion Optical.

As Dr. Adams told Laura, running a successful business venture does not come easy. Monday through Saturday, her day begins at 6:30 a.m. By 8:30, she's at the office, with her first patient scheduled for 9 a.m. After her last patient at 4:30 p.m., Dr. Adams must still complete paperwork and catch up on phone calls. “I don't leave the office until about maybe 6:30, so it's 10, 12 hour days Monday through Saturday,” she disclosed.