NOT HEARING THE WARNING SIGNS

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

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Moe Lastfogel

Recently, I found myself fighting a nasty cold, and as always, expected it to be over in a day or two. No need to see a doctor, no drugs; just some rest and hydration. Boy, was I wrong. I woke up on the third day with absolutely no hearing in my left ear!

A friend told me that it was temporary as it had happened to her and her husband a few weeks earlier so I didn’t do anything about it. Again my mistake. Day 5 came and I finally went to urgent care since my 2 day cold was lasting a bit too long and my hearing had not returned. I was then sent to see a specialist, and after 6 weeks of doctors visits, an MRI, blood work and lots of prayer, I was told that I had lost 98% of my hearing in that ear and it would never come back.

Why am I sharing something so personal with you? Not for sympathy, but so you will hopefully learn from my mistake. Instead of listening to the signs my body was telling me and seeking out medical advice sooner than later, I acted like it was no big deal and waited for it to just go away on its own. The issue with my ear, like problems with your business won’t always just go away.

If you start to see issues in your business, don’t wait; acknowledge there’s something wrong, seek out a solution or get professional advice before it gets worse or before its too late. Leaning on the support of your buying group and the programs they offer is a great place to start. You can also ask for help from other members in your group who’ve experienced similar challenges, or you can go right to the experts that partner with your group who are there to help you solve these problems.

Whatever you do, don’t let your business go one day without the proper care it needs to survive and thrive.

Happy Retailing, 

Moe Lastfogel 
moe@retailobserver.com

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