need to be there.  Get my drift?
 
In the last few years I made sure to be at some of the bigger trade shows and pet social media expos.  If your business is in the pet industry and you want to continue to grow you have to get your butts off of social media, get out of your store, shop, office or home and GET OUT THERE!
 
Even if the bigger shows are out of reach – you need to network, meet new people, plan for it. So one of your goals could be planning your budget for 2014 and figuring out what you absolutely want to be at and what you need to be at in order to grow your business – even if that is maintaining the newest pet product inventory, learning the newest platform to launch your website, whatever.  You need to budget, plan and do.
 
So this year so far I am slated to be at: NYC Pet Fashion Show, Agility Trials in NYC, Dog Writers Association Dinner, Westminster, and our NYC Re-tails & Sales Expo on Feb. 19 (plug!).  And that is just in two weeks of February.  End of February beginning of March I will be at Long Island Pet Expo, mid-March is Global Pet Expo in Florida, booked.  And another trip in Florida in April for the Top2Top pet conference.  July is Super Zoo in Vegas and then BarkWorld in Atlanta in October.
 
That’s not including all the other events on LI, NYC, NJ & CT I am planning on going to. I have a ton of other stuff going on that are in the works, but since I take the time to really map out my year, they seem much less stressful, daunting, and are even fun planning. You know I love the pet industry!
 
So what to take away from this crazy, fun, furry life we lead and have a pawesome 2014?
#1 take the time to plan ahead
#2 take the time to budget for your need to be at and nice to be at events
#3 get out there, no more excuses!
#4 have fun with your business, enjoy it while your running it – otherwise why are you doing it?
#5 embrace the challenges your business brings you.  It’s that old 80/20 rule, 80% of skiing down that double diamond slope is FEAR.  FEAR holds you at the top with your heart pounding in your chest, the tips of your skis hang slightly over the edge of that insanely steep slope. People fly by you like it’s nothing going 500 miles per hour straight down…and then you think about your options…walk down – which you will more than likely get injured, stay up there and freeze to death, or wait that’s right YOU KNOW how to ski already (your 20% skill!), take that double diamond biatch of a slope down and ENJOY the ride! It’s a total rush and when you accomplish it or that business goal you will be so STOKED, and you will think what’s next?
What’s next baby!
Use your FEAR that you have with your business or next big goal and use that FEAR as gasoline to fuel your fire to accomplish that major goal you are thinking about. On the other side, you will say – what the heck was I sooooo worried about?  I kicked that slope’s ass! Plan your Goals, achieve, get out there and celebrate! You can do it, I so believe in you. :)]]>