I was looking back at some posts over the past 3 years, and realizing how much we have changed in the way we think and prioritize.
As the owner of a retail store, this has been a terrifying three years. I don't think that should come as a surprise to anyone who understands what it means to be "all in."
Last fall, I had to make a decision to "go" or "no go" with the shop when it came time to choose new inventory.
I placed orders and honestly, I hoped for the best. Hope isn't a great business strategy to rely on, but on the other hand, having no inventory would have also led to the eventual closing of the store as sales would undoubtedly continue to drop, especially with sale pricing.
Did I mention I despise sales? To me the "sale" word has been another word for "money out of pocket." Because it is. When goods are sold on sale, it's essentially a business loss.
But I tried to think about the term "sale" in another way. I tried to look at it as another word for freedom from the past three years, three years which I do not want to relive over and over again every time I see those shoes. And freedom is something I can get excited about.
The other thing that I did was take a look at the where my sales where coming from and where they were going. I learned that 70% of sales in 2022 were generated through my online store, as well as social media accounts, and were delivered outside of the city, province and even country.
This was eye opening to me, because it showed me that my efforts over the past three years of trying to keep my business in business through the online / by appointment approach are working.
This confirms that what we practice is what we become. Collectively consumers have learned to shop online, from their homes, and rarely do they venture out, even in their own city. This also confirms that the old way of doing retail (having an open door for random walk ins) is a thing of the past.
So my decision was to go forward and continue building my business model of online shopping, supported by a unique high service by appointment boutique experience.
