Choose Success

They say we are in a recession, or is it a depression, or maybe an economic catastrophe? The world is tumbling around us, or so the media would have us believe.

Whatever the media wants to call it, I see signs every day that maybe that just isn’t so for everyone.

For example, we opened our comic book store in December, and although the sales aren’t what I wish they were, we are all getting paid, and we are holding our own. Sure, we’ve had to get more creative with our advertising choices, but a little creativity never hurt anyone. Plus, I am finding that our creativity is paying off more than the traditional methods of advertising! And every day, I encounter people thanking us for opening our store.

Next to us, the dog grooming place went out of business in the past couple of weeks, and a few doors down, the computer technician has decided to work out of his house, rather than having the overhead. And yet, Basha’s, the large grocery store in the same complex as us, is expanding and remodeling.

Just up the road, my partner and I recently visited a new wine bar. It opened on the day after Thanksgiving, and rather than struggling, they are seeing an increase in clientele daily!

I was talking with a gentleman today who recently decided to close his office as an alternative healing practitioner and instead, work from his house, mostly so he could pursue his passion in real estate and real estate investing. He sees the opportunities that are out there at this time and wants to capitalize on them.

Nouveau Riche, the company for which I sell real estate investment education, had its best month ever in December 2008, and I, myself, just saw an increase in my commission possibilities.

My friend, Suzanne, just got involved in a new multi-level marketing program. She sells body wraps that helps to de-tox bodies and also takes inches off in just one session. In just a few short weeks, she has 17 folks under her, and is reaping huge profits AND having a blast!

What are the factors that cause one business to go under and another to thrive? What makes the difference?

I suspect that there are a few factors. One is attitude. Are we giving IN to the media’s hype? Are we then contributing to prolonging the fear? Or are we striding forward confidently, knowing we have done our homework and are prepared to meet both the challenges AND the successes? Have we built in safeguards to protect in the lean times? Are we having FUN?

This leads us to another factor: planning. I cannot overemphasize the importance of planning. It doesn’t mean your plan isn’t subject to change, but having a plan helps to keep you focused and on track. The plan can be as simple or complex that you would like, but write it down. Invariably, writing it down makes a difference.

Another factor is anticipation and expectation. Are you expecting to have less business, or are you anticipating more? At the comic book store, we celebrate our new customers. Every day we hear, “I didn’t know you were here.” We remind them to tell others that we, are, indeed, here, and we stubbornly plan to stay for awhile!

In the long run, we can decide how we let these times affect us; how we apply the lessons and how we appreciate the blessings and where we go from here.