Being an owner in any business or organization is not easy. If it were, everybody would be doing it. The fact is, it is not easy running a gift shop, but there are strategies you can employ that can make it easier and certainly more successful.
As management guru Peter Drucker once said, “If you’re not in business to make money and have fun, then what the hell are you doing it for?”
Whether you are the owner or a manager of your gift shop, you get to experience “the good, the bad and the ugly.” What I mean is there will be good days when everything goes well in your shop. All of your employees show up for work, the sun shines all day long, and you sell more product in one day than any other day that month. Needless to say, your customers are happy and you even receive a few compliments on your business. Life is good!
"The mark of a successful gift shop owner or manager is that they realize the biggest room in the world is the ‘room for self improvement."
The reality of life is that there will be “bad days” when problems come knocking. Every gift shop owner knows the angst of experiencing the “ugly days.” That’s when all hell breaks loose. Everything that could go wrong does go wrong. For example, two of your employees don’t show up for work, someone breaks an item in your store and blames you, or your electrical power goes out. I’m sure you have your own examples. These are the days you would gladly sell your “nice little shop” to the first person that would offer you half of what it’s worth.
What can you do to get and maintain a positive mindset? First, let’s determine what a positive mindset is. Some phrases that can help are:
- Look for the best in each situation you experience
- Be realistically optimistic
- Look for the solution and not wallowing in the problem
- Ask “What went wrong?” rather than, “Who is wrong?” Also,“What can we learn from this?”
Is your mindset negative or positive? People with a negative mindset have a system that works very well — to keep their attitudes negative.
Even if you possess a positive mindset, it could still use some tweaking or maybe even an overhaul. The mark of a successful gift shop owner or manager is that they realize the biggest room in the world is the “room for self-improvement.” They realize they can always get better, and as they improve so do their employees and their business.
What’s your mindset? It’s your choice. Email me for a list of helpful tips that can keep your attitude positive.
