When I decided to feature my friend, former EOS client and WPO colleague Julie Allinson, Founder and President of eyebobs, I knew I was in for a laugh. Never one to disappoint, Julie did have a few of her famous one-liners but also opened up about growing eyebobs, selling part of the business, and now letting go after a new CEO has stepped in.
“Julie’s signature style and sense of humor are the cornerstones of eyebobs, an eyeglasses company that caters to the “irreverent and slightly jaded,” which embodies Julie’s approach to life. She and her husband Paul founded the company in 2001 and they’ve nurtured it through growth, popularity and partial sale to private equity investors. Now that she is no longer CEO, Julie is learning to let go while imagining a bigger vision for eyebobs (pun intended). When asked to name her favorite business book, Julie recommends Small Giants: Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big by Bo Burlingham. The title also describes Julie’s leadership style, and she is now focused on maintaining that greatness while also growing into something big.”