CLE Contact Lenses

Folks, it’s completely true, the economy is getting better. Even though all that we hear are the horrible stories on the news, magazines, online and in the newspapers (those of us that still actually read the newspapers!), that this company is chapter 11, this company is out of business, this company just laid off 500 workers, the stock market went down x amount of points, housing prices are going lower, you name it the headlines are out there every day.

My headline that The Economy IS Getting Better is true, but it is not true for all of us…. It’s true for those of us that are moving ahead, ignoring the headlines, living our lives, adapting our businesses, making ourselves invaluable at work, and mostly just forging ahead with confidence that we will make the economy better. When you do that, guess what happens….it does! The economy gets better and those of us that have been just forging ahead are now multiple steps ahead of those that were sitting and wallowing about how difficult things are and how bad they are. By no means am I kicking anyone while they’re down, yes there are some tough things going on out there. With that said, it is important to keep in mind for every business that missteps another steps or is quietly started and takes the business, and employees from the defunct company.

If anything, Now is one of the greatest times to forge ahead and push yourself and your business ahead of the pack, not just by a necks length but by miles. It’s actually a great time to start an expansion plan or open a new business or new business line as you can find incredible deals on leases and subleases, and you can also find great locations that were never available up until now (don’t wait too long) and don’t catch yourself saying “I will look when things really get better out there, by that time it will be too late, the deals will be far & few between and those juicy locations will now be taken by someone that had a similar idea, but had the courage to act!

As important as everything I mentioned above is, be sure to be positive and have confidence. Do not blame things on the economy or the past, look at the present and plan for the even better times ahead. Did you know these are the times that great fortunes are made? When the masses are hiding and cowering in fear, the true entrepreneur – ventures out into the “dark” and takes a calculated risk. The entrepreneur – takes advantage of incredible leases, incredible deals being offered by suppliers and he/she feeds our insatiable appetite for the new, fresh, exciting, fun.

So what can you do to be one of the bold entrepreneurs who will use these times to start a new business, build an existing business ?:

Shake it up a bit, if you have a retail store, make sure you re-arrange your displays a little bit, put some new lighting in, freshen everything up by adding some new paint or new floors, get some new updated interior and exterior signage (if your landlord and/or town allow it), get some new brochures and posters for your store, and absolutely update or add on an e-commerce website. Have a grand re-opening and offer some giveaways or some great deals, have free coffee and donuts or brownies and be proactive about it. Don’t do this once, try to do it once a month or once every other month. Make sure your shelves are nicely stocked and full with merchandise (nobody likes to buy from a store where the shelves are bare, unless perhaps it’s a going out of business sale. You need to build excitement again, make people want to shop at your location, make them feel excited and confident about spending money, confident that the product and service they are buying is worth more than what they are paying!

I leave off with these words of advice my father once told me that “whether you think you will be successful or you think you will fail, you are right”

So how will you… go out and get yours ?

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