Well, its no secret that the summer months are considered by most in retail to be the lean months so here we are well under way. So far, at least through June, it looks like we will still have our doors open for the fall and consequent holiday season which is an encouragement. But it is not nearly enough just to lay in a fetal position and wait for the holidays, action is more essential now than ever during the year (I am preaching mostly to myself here). I just read an article in the current issue of "Success" magazine that compared success to chopping down a really large tree. It said, metaphorically, that if you go out into the Forrest every week and take 5 strong swings with an ax at the largest tree, eventually it will come down. Now despite the sad mental image of a proud old tree being brought down, the metaphor works for me. It says to me, make a plan to do at a minimum 5 key things every week that promotes, strengthens and moves my business forward, eventually the break through will come as a cumulative result, just don't quit, don't give up and throw in the towel, unless its one of your really, really dirty, stained, old, ragged holes all in it bar towels, then maybe throw that in the recycle bin and make one of your steps this week to go all out and buy a few new ones so that the new customers don't have to wonder if you wiped out the portafilter you used to make their cafe americano with that disgusting towel. I have only been "officially" in the biz for 5 years or so, and I clearly remember having the attitude that there was this one big, mythical, mystical "thing" that I needed to have happen that would break my business wide open and success would come flooding in unstoppable. But I realize now that success is not a singular big "thing" that tips the balance but rather a cumulative bunch of little things, like grains of sand in a bag. One by itself is something but just barely, however throw several shovels full of very small grains into the bag and now it has substance. OK, back to the 5 key, stratigis things/actions. What would you submit as your immediate "5 things", or if you can't come up with 5 at the moment what would your 3 be or even 1?? Please share.