FROM THE EDITOR: Happy (Belated) New Year

Hey everyone!

It’s been a long time since I’ve written an editor’s note here on RetailMinded.com, but it’s not because I don’t want to. As you know… the days are busy, nights are long and time seems to somehow fade away. But here we are… finally… and I want to begin by wishing you each a very Happy New Year! It may be 29 days in already, but really this belated New Year’s wish is coming at the perfect time. Have you settled into 2014 meeting the immediate goals you have set for yourself? Are you on track in accomplishing your big picture plans? Whatever it is you have set your mind to in 2014, I hope you are on your way there!

As January nearly passes us and February approaches, I can’t help but reflect on all the things I have done in only four weeks in 2014. To start, I turned in my manuscript to McGraw-Hill within the first week of the month. I’m so excited to be debuting my first book later this year, and can’t wait to share it with my Retail Minded audience. It was a true labor of love to create, and what a way to kick start the New Year!

Next, I traveled to Anaheim, California to speak at the Craft & Hobby Association’s MEGA SHOW. What a crowd that was! I absolutely loved speaking to this dynamic group of retailers and could not have asked for a more beautiful place to get away from the cold, cold days of my beloved Chicago home. A quick trip back to Chicago gave me just enough time to spend with my kiddos before heading off to Pierre, South Dakota. I was honored to be the keynote speaker at South Dakota’s Retailer Association 2014 Retail Bootcamp. Their diverse crowd of retailers ranged from folks who sell fireworks to cattle ranchers to quilt shop owners. As I always say, there is never a dull moment in retail and this eclectic crowd of retailers proved just that!

Settling back into my offices, I am now busy working on some fun projects for the remainder of 2014. We have a lot of exciting things to look forward to, including the upcoming Independent Retailer Conference at the ASD Show in Las Vegas. Not only will this be the first time we are bringing Retail Minded’s Independent Retailer Conference to the floors of a trade show, but we are doing so in great company with companies that include Shopify, SnapRetail, Vend POS, Constant Contact, ShoppinPal and many more! These retail supporters and leaders in their respective retail fields will be taking the show floor stage to share insight on how to strengthen your retail business success, as well as welcoming ASD Show attendees to get to know more about how they can help in our retail expert and sponsor space. I can’t wait to share pictures and details of this once it’s happening… but even more fun would be if you attended! Registration is FREE for retailers, you simply need to sign up here. An added bonus? You get to discover the ASD Show and shop their 2700K plus vendors for your store!

Next up on our 2014 is our flagship Independent Retailer Conference taking place in New York City on April 14, 2014. We have an amazing line up of speakers (check them out here) and will be hosting it at the beautiful Scholastic Auditorium for the second year in a row, being welcomed by the New York State Retail Council. SnapRetail, Vend POS and some other amazing companies will also be onsite to help support our intimate crowd of 300. Speaking of crowds… tickets are now available. If you want one, be sure to secure yours here.

And oh yeah… did I mention the super talented, super smart, super fun and super retail experts duo Kizer & Bender are keynoting BOTH of these events? Just another reason 2014 is off to a great start!

There’s so much to look forward to in 2014, I can’t possibly share it all in this one little note. But I’ll do my best to keep you posted with more editor’s notes and lots of event updates. For a full calendar of where we’ll be in the year ahead, check it out here. And as always, follow me on Twitter (my fav, @RetailMinded) and Facebook.

Finally, the year would not be off to a great start without some healthy competition to keep things spirited and energized. With this in mind, I hope you will join Retail Minded’s FREE Retail Challenge that we are hosting all year long to help inspire, educate and increase visibility and sales of retailers world wide. It’s free, it’s fun and it even has it’s own private Facebook group. Curious? Check it out here! 

On a much different note… 2014 is bound to introduce my family to some new realities. My son has recently been diagnosed with alopecia universalis – which basically means he has lost all his hair for no known reason and will 99.9% be bald for his entire life. Let’s just say this isn’t the type of news you want to hear, but we’re grateful it isn’t life threatening or physically disabling. Meanwhile, my mother continues to fight a very rare cancer (appendix) and begins radiation next week. I share this not to cry you a river… we have lots of those, ha… but instead to let you know that I “get it” when I talk to retailers and they tell me how hard it is to “do it all” and “keep up”. I’m an entrepreneur myself and everyday is a journey… both professionally and personally. Fortunately, we don’t have to do this alone. We can do this together! So my goal for 2014? For us all to lean on each other just a little bit more to get things done. Stay in touch, talk to me, and share your thoughts, ask questions and let us know what Retail Minded can do to help!

Here’s wishing you a happy, healthy and prosperous 2014!

Best,

Nicole Leinbach Reyhle 

Photo Details: Attendees of the Craft & Hobby Association’s Education Day joined Retail Minded’s Nicole L. Reyhle for a 3 hour Lunch & Learn session on “E-Commerce Made Simple”. Special thanks to Shopify for their fantastic support in providing trusted education about e-commerce for our attendees!