Coming Back From Disaster

Bad things will happen. You can't avoid it. If it's enough of a disaster, you may have to decide what direction to go next.  One of our local restaurants closed once for a leaky roof only to have a fire do significant damage a few months later. I was happy to see an article in the newspaper about the owner's decision to use this as an opportunity to revamp his business and start over.

The original restaurant he opened was a buffet style place with Americanized Chinese food. Because the building was kind of run-down when they first opened, it always seemed kind of depressing.  After the fire, the owner renovated the inside and the outside. It now has a sleek, modern look that gets your attention. The menu has also changed. Authentic Chinese food and all-you-can-eat sushi will certainly draw a new crowd of diners.


I am sharing this story to illustrate how to turn a negative into a positive.  That restaurant wouldn't have changed (not anytime soon, anyway) if it hadn't experienced disaster. They were in desperate need of change, but they couldn't see it. They were comfortable keeping on the same path.  Most likely, business would have dropped off gradually and the restaurant would have gone out of business.

You don't have to wait for a big disaster to make some changes.  I remember looking at our business logo at one point and realizing that it didn't have the look or feel I wanted. Sales probably weren't lost to an outdated looking logo, but coming up with a better logo re-energized me and helped with promoting our shop.

• No money to buy new supplies?  Look at what you have and be creative about making things out of the supplies on hand.  Sometimes you can get supplies from people who are destashing (getting rid of their supply stash) or trade supplies with others. 

• Sales stagnant?  Here's your opportunity to scrutinize your shop and see what you could update. Rewrite item descriptions, take new photos, change the names you've given to products, etc. I'm guilty of renewing expired items without looking them over carefully. Try looking at it like a brand new product you're listing.

What disaster will you prevent this week?