It dawned on me that I’ve never asked you the most important question of all.

How will you measure success?

Whenever I work one-on-one with another retailer, that is usually one of the first questions. If I don’t know what measuring stick you’re using to decide if you are successful, I can’t help lead you there.

Will it be profit? Will it be increased sales? Will it be increased customer counts? Will it be larger transactions? Will it be positive cash flow?

Are you preparing your business for future stability, short-term gains, or to sell it to someone else?

All of those are realistic goals, but the path to each is not necessarily the same. Knowing the answer helps you point your ship in the right direction. The only wrong answer is, “I don’t know.”

How will you measure success? Write it down. Post it where you can see it. Put it in your planner, on your calendar, anywhere you look daily. Then start doing what you need to do to get there.

-Phil