Life is a Beautiful Struggle. The ups and downs of your retail store

Do you remember the day you decided to open your retail store? You had such specific dreams and passions of where your store would be and the impact you were going to have in the community. This could have been 25 years ago or you could be a brand new retailer looking to live the dream of a happy, balanced, successful retailer store owner.

You knew what you wanted and nothing was going to get in your way! Now you are living your dream but may be asking yourself what you could be doing to increase sales, drive more traffic to your store, or even take the risk of broadening your product mix. (You know spending money in order to make money…so scary!)

The fact of the matter is there is not one formula for success. You will ride ups and downs in your business just like we all do. Like a diet, what works for you won’t necessarily work for someone else. I recommend these 5 tips to create more ups than downs in your business.

1. Educate yourself: Attend a seminar, class or meeting on business in general. Don’t spend all your time researching and learning products that you think will sell. Instead think bigger and make sure you are comprehensively working all angles of your business model. This energy keeps you moving forward.

2. Loosen your Grip: As a small business owner you have your hand in every aspect of your store. I encourage you to empower a star employee or hire someone to take over certain aspects of the business. They may be able to bring your business to levels you never dreamed.

3. Trust your Gut: I am a fan of this in both business and personally! If something doesn’t feel right whether it be an employee, business expense, or product line. Always listen to your gut!

4. Cheer on your Competition: Don’t be threatened by other local stores. You are better because you are YOU and your store brings a different spin to your community others can’t compare. Never talk badly about competition and remember you all have the same job so be a support for each other and you won’t feel so alone.

5. Say Cheese: Wake up each morning and don’t forget to leave the house with a smile. As a local store owner your smile (or lack there of) lets people know how business is going. Always, always smile even when you are having a down month! Perception is key to the up swing.

Success is about the journey and we learn as we go.

“Asked what his secret was for lasting so long and being so successful as the president of Yale University, Dr. James R. Angell explained: “Grow antennae, not horns.” Dr. James Rowland Angell