Main Street and the World

Main Street and the World

If you drive down Main Street in any town, every few feet there’s a sign for a business. Nails and Spa, Hunan Place, Vitamin Experience, Best Bagels, Debbie’s Dance Studio. Every single one of those signs represents the pursuit of a dream. Someone said, “I can do that.” Think bigger! How about Walgreen’s and Best Buy? How did they start? As one small store? That became two? And then four and then more? They also started with someone saying, “I can do that.”

But if they’re succeeding, and if they’ve been there for years, and if they’re growing, I assure you it isn’t just because they had a wish and a dream. They also had a plan. They had to have a plan for funding, from a bank or a family member or a partner. They had to have a plan for pricing and following the market. They had to have a plan for a location and their financials and the way they’d promote themselves.

I’ve seen so many businesses open in one location that it’s like a revolving door. What did they do wrong? How did they let people know they were there? How did they decide on the demographic that wanted their products or services? Did they guess or did they plan.

There’s a quote rumbling around the business world: Success is not a wish. $ucce$$ is a plan.

They next time you ride down Main Street, or travel the world, look around and see the empty stores that have “For Rent” signs. They’re the businesses that may not have had a plan. And the others? The ones that thrive? Stop in and ask them how they did it. They’d probably be proud to tell you.