Enterprising Moin Valli has a clear vision for his business.

The managing director of the Valli Group of optician practices has enjoyed signal success with his venture to date. Now he is charting the next stage of development for the business, which he and wife Rachel started less than eight years ago.

His efforts have already received recognition. Moin was named Young Business Person of the Year in the 2012 Examiner Business Awards and later this month will find out if he is among the winners in the 2013 Optician Awards.

Moin, 35, always had ambition, even as a youngster growing up in Bolton. "I came from a working class background," he says. "I was one of seven children. It was very loving family, but I understood early on the importance of education, of going to university or college and ‘doing something’. My older siblings were all bright and went to college. They set out the path.

"I was bright academically and did well at school and college. While I was at college, I started thinking about going into medicine. But the hours of a junior doctor did not appeal and studying to be a GP or consultant would have involved many years of study. My A-levels were all science-related, so I decided to study optometry. It was the best decision I could have made."

Moin completed his three-year degree at Aston University in Birmingham. To raise cash while at college, he bought and sold home computers. That same spirit of enterprise saw him buying and selling laptops to help pay his way through university.

In 2001, he set up a recruitment agency specialising in the optometry field, providing locums for the high street optician chains. In 2005, after several years working as a locum, he decided he wanted to run his own practice.

Moin and Rachel – whom he married in 2004 – set up Valli Group in 2005 by acquiring Hampshire Opticians’ three practices in Lockwood, Honley and Meltham.

In 2006, they added Openshaw Opticians in Cleckheaton and in 2009 Optim-Eyes Opticians in Mytholmroyd. In 2011, Moin acquired S D Haigh Opticians in Almondbury and this year added Mamtora Opticians in Hebden Bridge.

Starting from three practices, turnover of £350,000 and eight staff in 2005, the group now has seven practices, 25 staff and turnover into seven figures.

The model was to buy small, established practices in local communities and invest in technology and refurbishment.

It meant Moin had the best of all worlds. "I enjoy the clinical side, working as an optometrist," he says. "But I also like relating to the customers and running a business."

Valli Group also plays a role in the communities in which its practices are based – offering to visit elderly and disabled patients in their own homes if they are unable to visit their local practices.

Moin gives talks at local schools and community groups to raise the awareness of eye health – while the group offers help to sufferers of dyslexia and visual stress, which enhances their ability to read.

"We aim to provide a relaxed atmosphere with a ‘coffee culture’ feel to things," he says. "We also pride ourselves on being highly technological and have a constant investment in new technology."

Moin is now looking at three practices to add to the portfolio, but says: "It will all depend on whether or not they fit our profile. It is a bit like buying a house! Location is very important and community is very important. Our whole ethos is about supporting our communities."

As well as expanding the number of practices, Moin plans to launch a website this summer specialising in providing safety eyewear for sportsmen and women such as cyclists and golfers. "It is new territory for us and very exciting," he says. "There is a lot of potential to having an e-commerce business."

Says Moin: "The community aspect is very important. We have a number of patients who are unable to get to us, so we visit them. We also have good relationships with local GPs and hospitals."

Valli Group is also making inroads into the corporate eye care market and hopes shortly to be able to announce a number of partnerships with firms, including a "significant" Huddersfield employer where the group will provide eye care services for staff.

Moin is keen to raise awareness about eye health in schools and how the group’s work to tackle dyslexia and visual stress is gaining momentum. "One in 10 school children are said to be affected by dyslexia or visual stress," he says. "It can still be a problem for people once they go to university. New technology allows us to prescribe specially-tinted lenses which can help improve reading ability and concentration."

Heading a busy group and co-ordinating plans for expansion make great demands on Moin’s time.

"I used to be a full-time clinician and managed the business in the evenings," he says. "Now I spend more time ‘on’ the business than ‘in’ the business and I am a clinician about 40% or 50% of the time. I didn’t want to lose the clinical side, which I still enjoy. It keeps me in touch with our patients and the technological changes.

"I can see work on the business taking up 75% to 80% of my time. Part of the challenge is having the structures in place so that as we expand, I have a good group of people with me. We have always invested in our staff. I strongly believe in creating a fun and hard-working environment because a cohesive team always produces the best results.

"We have put our managers on leadership and management training and I have made out a list of the things I shouldn’t be doing any more because the management team are taking on those tasks."

Delegating also allows Moin to look to the future. "I am looking to double the number of practices we have in the next three years," he says. "We have already extended into Calderdale and there is the possibility of going more into north Kirklees or Bradford, Leeds and Sheffield.

"I also aim to diversify into other health-related areas – perhaps care homes or pharmacies. In 10 years time, the group will be one which represents more than just optometry services."

Moin is quick to acknowledge Rachel’s part in the success story and her responsibility for business development. "She is a thinker and we complement each other very well," he says.

Moin Valli

Role: Managing director and optometrist
Age: 35
Family: Married to Rachel with son Eisaa, four, and daughter Laila, two
Car: Audi S5
Holidays: We have just returned from Egypt and will visit Portugal this summer
First job: Working in a sock factory as a teenager at £1 an hour
Best thing about job:  The variety of work and being “the ideas man”. Taking an idea and making it happen is what I enjoy the most
Worst thing about job:  The worst thing about being an optometrist is the NHS paperwork!
Business tip: Don’t be afraid to make decisions. I have made some “good” bad decisions – because I have learned from them.

Valli Group

Work: Eyecare specialist
Site: Based at Lockwood
Employees: 25
Phone: 01484 533730
Email: info@valliopticians .co.uk
Web: www.valliopticians .co.uk