I’d rank my consignment shop as a 6 at the most. (Here’s the choices.) Choosing a 6 means I agree with this statement:
There’s still plenty I mean to do, but my shop’s okay.
It also means I disagree wi
th everything higher, from I’m proud of how far I’ve come to I have the absolute best resale shop. (Note to all: I passed my shop on to another over 12 years ago, when I started doing this full-time. Well, actually, I was supposed to be retiring young, but this business gets in your blood and here I am, still thinking, learning, breathing secondhand all these years later.)
So how do I dare to make a whole family of web sites talking about the topic of Professional Resale Shopkeeping? To promote and sell with pride a manual, a whole series of booklets boastfully called Solutions for Small Businesses, and even have the nerve to suggest that you “take Kate to lunch“?
Well, just because I rate my shop a six. There’s still plenty I mean to do.
There’s always room for improvement. There’s so much that I meant to do that I never ever could have gotten it done, and the same would probably hold true today. That’s why I try, at TGtbT.com, at HowToConsign.com, and (soon I promise!) at TheResaleGuru.com, to tell you all what I would have done…and to urge you to make your choices, set your priorities, and decide which “plenty” will be the most rewarding for you.
Because, after all, it’s true. Your business is all about you. If it doesn’t please you, all the profit in the world won’t be enough to make going to work a pleasure. What would be the sense in working at something you didn’t enjoy? That’s not why you became self-employed, with all the attendant worries involved in flying without a corporate net (such as they are, but that’s another blog entry!)
And my viewpoint on life is: I need to have plenty more in front of me to do. Guess that’s why retirement didn’t take, in my case. I invite you all to join me on the never-ending search for better, nicer, easier…and more profitable…ways to run your consignment shop, operate your resale shop, oversee your thrift shop. There are challenges to be met, hills to climb, and boy, the journey is one that compares to nothing else on earth. Helping neighbors make and save money, caring for the planet’s resources, adding value to everything you select, seeing your community up close and personal: that makes a (professional) life worth living.
I hope you agree with me.
[…] See where I’d rank myself. […]
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Thank you, Kate, for reminding us that this is IMPORTANT work that we do and that we don’t just sell used stuff. We do add value to our communities.
One of our customers stopped by last week just to tell me “thank you” for making her feel so good about herself. She was wearing an Ann Taylor coat and shoes that she bought at our store, and she absolutely glowed with self confidence. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the look on her face.
At the end of the day, maybe my store will never be a ’10’, but I’ll be able to say that I created a business that made a difference.
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Kate,
I really like your post above. The funny thing is, I hadn’t seen the list of rankings on your blog when I answered the thread on sharing. Even if I had, I probably would still have ranked it the same as a 5 for now. I do think my shop is ok, but I think there is way more for me to do, so I couldn’t even justify the 6 for me right now. 🙂 And even though I feel like Debbie Downer, I still absolutely love my store and can’t imagine doing anything else ever again. I see that as very hopeful for my future.
Thank you for all you do. I truly appreciate it.
Sincerely,
Julie
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