Remember that girl called Goldilocks?
And how she broke into the house of the Three Bears?
And how she ate their porridge, sat in their chairs, and slept on their beds? 
All while the three bears felt that their little home in the forest was safe and secure while they went into the woods for a picnic that day.

Well, that’s what has happened to many business owners.
Something has eaten your porridge, rocked in your  chairs, and rustled those
sheets while it slept in your bed — all while you felt you were secure enough that you could relax and go into the woods for a picnic while your business took care of itself.

And suddenly you arrived home to find the doors unlocked, the bed unmade, and the porridge all gone.  “Woe is me!” you moan, as you wring your hands.  “What is a hard working business person to do?”

I’ve read posts on the gift basket bulletin boards both from people starting a business and from those who have been in business for years.  They ask, “What can we do to rescue our businesses in this economy?  What techniques are working for the rest of you. ”  Tell me, Tell me quick so that I can do it do, they seem to say. 

Businesses are closing daily while others are in dire need of  resisutation.  But you’re looking for the wrong Goldilocks.

• It’s not the economy.  People are still spending money on “feel good” gifts. 
• It’s not the lack of customers.  They’re still there, waiting to buy.
• It’s not the industry.  As a whole, it is as strong as ever and will remain whole even if your business doesn’t.

The answer is easy.  Take a few moments, step into your bathroom, and look into the mirror.  You’ll see the answer staring you in the face.  Ask that person that you see looking back at you, “Are you taking advantage of every resource out there to keep your business growing and thriving in today’s world?”

Then step back, think a few moments, and listen to the answer swirling around in your head.

I believe that the strength and the backbone of any industry, including the gift and gift basket industry, rests with the educational offerings, resources, and information shared with each other.  The world is changing.  The gift industry is changing.  That’s not news.  It has been changing from the time it first began.  There are always new ways to attract customers, new technology to embrace, new ways to keep our customers coming back, and new ways to motivate employees.  There are always new products, new techniques, and new resources. 

So let me ask you the question:  What did you learn today?  What resource did you take advantage of? What new technique did you try?  What idea did you put into practice? 

And don’t say, “How can I do that?  There aren’t any resources!  I’m all alone.”

It’s not a question of a lack of resources.  There are at least five gift basket related bulletin boards available for your use — all frequented by many experienced in past recessions that can help guide you through the maze.  At least two of these are free.  The others either require a subscription to our national trade magazine or a membership in a gift basket directory, or a membership fee to use the board.  The advantage that the private boards have over the free open-to-the-public boards is that those with knowledge to share are more willing to share if they show what they are sharing isn’t going to show up in the search engines.

Are you taking advantage of the other resources?  Rave Reviews, the only trade publication for our industry, isn’t free.  GiftBasketNetwork is the leading directory, for the least cost and the most benefits, for driving traffic to your website.  You can operate your business on a shoestring but you can’t grow it without spending some money on important resources.

Are you learning everything you can about changes in the industry and in technology?   Some of you are while others are stretched out on the grass sleeping away the afternoon while Goldilocks trashes your house.  In the forum, available on GiftRetailersNetwork, a few weeks ago, I offfered a FREE copy of an ebook about how to increase traffic to your website with search engine optimization.  Out of over 100 members, six were awake enough to take advantage of this free resource.  And, no, it is no longer available for free.  Like many things, if you snooze, you lose.

So look in that mirror and place the responsibility, for making sure that your business continues to grow and thrive, where it belongs.  Today, and at the end of each day, ask the face that is staring back at you, “What did you learn today?”