Hi, it’s Bob Negen. And in this episode of Real Retail TV, I’m going to share with you what I consider one of the most important lessons in all of business. It’s something I had to learn myself. And it’s a lesson that I have shared with dozens and dozens of retailers just like you. And every time I share it,

You are not your business. That is the lesson for today. You may know my story. You may not. When I was 23 years old, I started a retail business, a kite store. And I knew nothing about business. I knew nothing about retail. Shoot, I knew nothing about kites.

But I started it. You know, I was young and dumb and poor and ready to go. And I started it. It didn’t take me long to realize I didn’t know what I was doing. But I still desperately wanted to be successful. I still desperately wanted to make it happen. I still desperately wanted that dream to come true. And so I worked, and I worked. And I tried, and I tried. But it wasn’t going as fast as I needed it to go.

And all of that stress and all of that pressure that I put on myself kept getting wound tighter and tighter and tighter. You see, what I was doing and what I see so many independent retailers do is equate my success as a retailer, as a business owner, with my value, my worth as a person. And that’s what I’m here to tell you. You are not your business.

If you’re successful, wonderful. That doesn’t make you a better person. If you are not successful, no problem. It doesn’t make you a worse person. Understand that first and foremost, you are a husband or a wife. You are a son or a daughter. You are a sister or a brother. You are a friend. You are a person that matters no matter what is happening in your store. And never, ever, ever forget that. You matter no matter what is happening in your store.

And so often, we get caught up in the value of our business and the value of ourselves. And I just want to tell you when you start feeling that way, stop it. Recognize you are not your business, that this thing that you’re doing is just part of your journey through life, that even if your business doesn’t make it, you have been successful because you have tried it.

So many people want to have a store but don’t have the courage to do it. You did it. And if you’re not successful, don’t worry about what other people say. You did it. You tried it. You are not your business.

Of course, I want you to be successful. Everybody here at WhizBang! Retail Training, our mission is to do everything we can to help you be successful. But your success and your value as a person does not depend on your success as a retailer because you are not your business.

I hope you enjoyed this episode of Real Retail TV. It’s one of the most important lessons I believe every retailer needs to know and needs to know earlier in their career rather than later. So if you enjoyed what you heard here, you know, I would encourage you to go to whizbangtraining.com. Sign up for our tip of the week. There’s a lot more of this where that comes from.