I mentioned yesterday about how the new year brings with it a clean slate.
There's a whole bunch of advice around what to analyze for last year. I'll get into some of it later.
But for now, what's your gut reaction telling you about last year?
Try to ignore the overall world issues for a moment.
Did your store struggle against the odds and end up doing okay? Has it been a long fight, one that's still going? Did everything fall apart and now you're salvaging the pieces?
Rate your overall feeling about how your store did: Good, Bad, Neutral. Write it down.
Having that in your pocket will be useful to counter potential bias while you're planning (e.g. rose color glasses VS doom-n-gloom)
Knowing your gut reaction right now will help figuring out what to do this year. The biggest help will be from knowing any bias it could be throwing your way.
Eric Davis