New year, new goals! It’s officially 2015, and if you’re like most people, you likely thought of making a few resolutions for an upcoming year of success.
As an independent retailer, you’ll also be looking for ways to improve your business. Here are 5 New Year’s Business Resolutions to make 2015 your best one yet.
1) Be unique. While it can seem like a difficult task to differentiate yourself between other paint and decorating retailers, it’s one of the most important things you can do to ensure traffic, sales and revenue. Whether you strive to have a distinctive and unique social media voice, a reputation for having the friendliest staff in town or a number of unique brands and products at your store, being unlike the competitors will keep you ahead of the game in 2015.
2) Get online. Speaking of social media, if you haven’t made accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram yet, 2015 is definitely the year to start. Not only can you get the word out about your business, but you can also advertise sales, promotions and have the opportunity 
to interact with your customers.
3) Be the best boss in town. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again – your business is only as good as your employees. By providing your staff members with friendly management, perks, benefits and an overall positive work environment, their performance will be top notch. Since they’re the ones who spend most of the time with your customers, you’ll notice an increase in sales when your employees are doing their best work. They’ll be happy to work hard for a boss who values them and treats them with respect.
4) Provide better service. Excellent customer service is one of the best and easiest ways to ensure you’ll have a successful business and an amazing year. Most people would rather pay extra for a product and receive incredible service from the staff than pay less and get no help at all. And remember to always walk the walk – employees are more likely to be extra friendly with customers when they see you doing it too.
5) Love your business. It’s easy to tell when someone has a passion for what they’re doing, and that love shines through to whoever you’re dealing with customers or employees. Not only does passion make it easier to come to work in the morning, but it motivates you to keep learning about upcoming trends, brands, styles, tips and anything that will help your business grow, remain fresh and, most importantly, succeed.
