JUNE NIBJ: SANDPOINT CHAMBER: What is within our control
Mickey Quinn
There are a lot of things we all would like to have more control over: the weather, our elected officials, customer preferences, and whatever else you have on your wish list. As individuals, there are only three things over which we have complete control: our thoughts, our feelings, and our actions. In business, especially as a business owner, you have a great deal of influence. You get to decide what products and services you will offer, how you will price, and deliver them. You have influence over who you hire, and who you will retain, on your team, but you don’t have complete control of any of these things. There are always external, mitigating factors that will impact your decisions on the products and services you sell. New tariffs, government regulations, and availability can impact your decisions. You want the best skilled and the brightest employees, but attracting and retaining qualified staff is challenging.
In my past business experience in the retail industry, I always found it interesting when a Store Manager would explain why they had a bad sales day based on bad weather: “No one was out shopping because of the rain/snow/hail/etc.” Good weather was often used as an excuse too: “It was such a beautiful day! Everyone was enjoying the beach/lake/park rather than shopping.” In my role at the Chamber, I am hearing some talk about the impact of lack of Canadian visitors. Business was definitely impacted during COVID and the border closure. Now we are seeing a decrease of Canadian visitors due to politics and shifting cultural sentiment. In both instances, local businesses had, and have, no control or even influence over the decrease in traffic from Canada.
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