The Never-Ending Quest

Retail is never an accomplishment, it is an ongoing process.

To me, there is never a sale, a month, or a year that I can hold up and say, "Look what I did!" No sooner does the sale, month, or year close than the next quest presents itself. Oh, there are milestones, times when you get a little ahead, or victories here and there. But there's no time to reflect on it, because the heartbeat of retail has to keep pumping. Rent will still be due, payroll will come up, and even in the most cash-positive businesses, you have to think, plan, and prepare for the next sale. If you don't, things will change, like taking your hands of the steering wheel. There is no autopilot in retail. The market shifts, new channels open up, new products and procedures become available, and it affects the way your business runs.

Oh, there are those who still do everything 1980s-style. But I know that our store would not have survived without the changes we've made. We HAD to sell on ebay, participate in Shopatron, and create a website. The financial tools we've added--a new checking account and credit card processor, remote check deposit, etc.--were crucial to our cashflow. Even our YouTube channel, facebook pages, and cafepress shop are important parts of our marketing efforts, even though there is little they documentably add to the bottom line.

One of my big frustrations, in fact, is that right now the day-to-day of the business consumes too much of my time. Not that I'm whining for a day off (oh, I'd use one if it were possible, but not right now). I want more time to explore these new options, create new designs, find new tools. Instead, I work as fast as I can to crank through repairs, answer lesson inquiries, and track down obscure items at suppliers. All necessary, of course. But once I had the luxury of having others on staff to do those tasks so I could plan and chart our course. Now, I shoot from the hip. Granted, I can do repairs faster (I'm in every day, all day), and I'm the best point-person for the lesson program and several sales departments. I don't mind doing it. It just keeps me from doing the things that only I can do. I can't delegate that creative, questing part of the job without removing my character and vision as well. To have someone else do it is like agreeing to an arranged marriage. It could work out. It could be horrible. But it denies serendipity, vision, and removes the value of personal choice. Even if it worked, it wouldn't really be me.

So I'll do the questing in the in-between moments. the rest of the time, I have to turn the gears to make things work. Here I go again.