The Business Quest - March 21, 2013

"First say to yourself what you would be: then do what you have to do." - Epictetus

At FL Crooks & Co, we want to be a place where you can take part in that grand adventure of shopping. We want to provide you with an element of unpredictability as well as delightful surprise when you walk through our doors. We want to educate and inform you. We want to entertain you and make you smile. We want to inspire you and help you realize your dreams. We want to help you become more energized and turn up the vibration of your life! How can we do this?

In a recent issue of Men's Wearhouse, Danny Paul discusses seven critical traits many successful retailers possess. Paul is the founder of Retail Communities and is a retail consulting specialist.

Let's apply these traits to the actual FL Crooks & Co retail clothing establishment:

1). Have Passion.

Passion helps to motivate us. Take the passion challenge. Step inside our store and see if the styles and colors of the emerging season help you leave the winter doldrums far behind. Along with the inventory, the staff will serve you with sincerity and a genuine willingness to help.

2). Be a good decision maker.

Fashion retail seems to be changing ever faster. We do our best to be decisive and sift through the myriad of fashion options available today.

3). Communicate the vision of the business.

We want to provide you with substance and style at the best price. That simple.

4). Be a good teacher.

To be a good teacher requires good listening skills. We make it a priority to listen to what you have to say.

5). Don't assume you see your business with clarity.

Again, we need and value your input. We are open to suggestions to how we can improve and grow better and stonger.

6). A good retailer must possess sound character.

Honesty is paramount. We want to earn your loyalty through our character and integrity.

7). Be a risk taker.

We are always trying new avenues - in clothing lines, in manners of presentation, and in methods of communication.

Joseph Epstein wrote an article for the Wall Street Journal entitled "In Praise of Shopkeepers". He comments on the challenges and worth of a shopkeeper:

"England is a nation of shopkeepers," remarked Napoleon, unconsciously quoting Adam Smith and suggesting that they, the English, as mere shopkeepers, were unfit to fight the French. Well, we know how the shopkeepers fared at a place called Waterloo. No great surprise, really. Considerable courage and perseverance are required to start and keep a good shop running."

Epstein goes on to point out that:

"Running a good shop is a service to one's community. A nation of shopkeepers, far from being the put-down Napoleon thought, sounds more and more like an ideal to which a healthy country ought to aspire."

We at FL Crooks & Co aspire to be a useful and helpful business while striving to provide the greatest level of service and product possible. We want to provide our community with a vibrant business to meet the desires and dreams of our valued customers, and we will work hard to bring it to pass. We want to make our customers love us as much as we love you.

Renovate, Invigorate, Inspire! - March 5, 2013

Renovate, Invigorate, Inspire!

 

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a small step."

- Lao Tzu

 

The weather outside still looks, feels, and smells like winter, but step inside FL Crooks & Co for a taste of the long-awaited season of Spring! Especially check out the mid-section of the women's division where extensive renovations were made last summer. The dark wood in this area was removed along with the built-in horizontal bars. Marbelized slat walls are in place now along with silver fixtures set off with contemporary track lighting.

 

Women's division manager, Darla, states that the space "looks more light and open. People can now see the whole entire outfit complete with accessories. It has much better visual appeal." Delicious Spring, in abundant and glorious color, is bursting from the clothing on display.

 

Just like our buildings and businesses can benefit from renovation work, our lives can benefit from a bit of work and small changes. I just finished reading The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson. Olson promotes turning simple disciplines into what can become massive successes. The slight edge philosphy is all about "simple steps and their compounded effect over time". Olson examines how simple, single, easy-to-do activities can, day in and day out, have a phenomenal impact on 5 areas of our lives:

 

- Your Health

- Your Personal Development

- Your Relationships

- Your Finances

- Your Career

 

The longer we make positive choices every day, the more accumulated success will impact our lives in each of these areas. Continuous improvement and refinement can come with having the discipline to do the little things consitently with a good attitude over a long period of time. It's about making easy, simple choices consistently.

 

Here are a few ideas from a recent Oprah magazine entitled "Small Changes, Big Results".

1). Eat an apple

2). Brush your teeth with your other hand

3). Drink filtered coffee

4). Power up your walk

5). Have a few walnuts

6). Time major decisions

7). When you learn something, say it out loud

8). Wake up with a plan

9). Practice the phrase, "I forgive you"

10). Chew gum

11). Purge toxic possessions

12). Stand on the balls of your feet

13). Add umami to your diet

14). Take 10 minutes for daydreaming

 

Ralph Waldo Emerson once stated, "The law of nature is, Do the thing, and you shall have the power." There's no time like now to renovate, invigorate and inspire. It's in the little things. Spring into action with little steps that can lead to big accomplishments for you.

 

 

In closing, Archbishop Desmond Tutu said it well, "Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world!"