I recently bought a new house and it has everything I’ve ever wanted—and more. A view, a good size lot, a basement and even spiral staircases. As I toured the home with my realtor—who has been looking for a space like this for a few years for me—my eyes were focused like a cat hunting prey. Everything looked great. It was clean, organized and well laid out, so I bought it.

Since the owner was moving out of the country I made on offer on some of the furnishings and to my surprise, they accepted and said I could have it all. That’s where the fun began. They gave me a very fast 3-week close, said they would get rid of any clutter, and handed over the keys.

As I opened the door on the first day, the house was still clean and organized like the first day I saw it. I was impressed until I opened the first drawer in the kitchen — it was full, as was the next one and the next one after. Not with a few forks and knives, but with the previous owner’s entire life. This went on from room to room, filled with towels, clothes, and a long list of odd items (e.g. nearly 100 twist ties from the grocery store).

It’s been 3 weeks now and I just brought the first few pieces of my furniture over to the house. I filled 6 large trashcans, an 18-foot enclosed trailer for charity, and a 26-foot truck for storage just to get their left belongings out of here.

I’m not complaining; it was a great lesson in observation for me. What I didn’t see has caused the delays in the transition. These are the things that can make the selling of your business or the buying of another a real headache.

When was the last time you went through not just your inventory, but the drawers, files, and closets in your space and gotten rid of extraneous junk? This, in my opinion, is an important part to keeping business running smoothly, and getting ready for the future sale or passing on of your company. Dedicate a few hours of each week to tying up loose ends, clearing out that junk drawer, and simplifying the extraneous. In the end, you’ll thank yourself.

Happy Cleaning and Retailing-
Moe Lastfogel
moe@retailobserver.com

​By Moe Lastfogel
Director of Sales and Marketing for The Retail Observer

The weather, the economy, and our day-to-day lives are in constant change. If it weren’t for change, our lives might become mundane, boring, and gray. Change creates opportunities to craft the lives we want, and we can make changes to our personal and work habits to bring organization and harmony to our lives.

A few years ago, I announced the birth of a grandchild, and as of 3 months ago, another addition to our family arrived. Little Belle brings our family's grandchild count to 4. As I look at the changes in my life, grandchildren have been the most joyous and profound to-date. To make more room for them at Grandpa’s house, I am in the process of buying a larger house and property- another big change. In preparing for the move, I am evaluating my personal belongings— and what stays and what goes can be a daunting decision.

It’s the same in our businesses. We have the opportunity to choose what should stay and what should go in the product mix we sell or specify, where we run our business, and who we work with.

Have you ever asked, “Is this (product or process) working for me?” “What changes can I make to improve this?” or “What the heck am I doing?” I think most of us have, and frequently, those decisions are challenging.

Over the next few weeks, I will be asking (and hopefully answering) these questions, taking some time to enjoy what I already have, evaluating what I want/need changed in my life, and then implementing these changes.

It's a great time time for me to make some productive changes— is it time for you?

Happy Retailing,
Moe Lastfogel
moe@retailobserver.com