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We love to talk about the “road to brick and mortar” and how it’s loooong and usually exciting and sometimes scary, and how the end goal is almost always the much-anticipated yet anticlimactic opening day.
But that long and hairy road is also a really important opportunity to make 1000% sure you really, really want to do this. Because opening a brick and mortar location for your business will fundamentally change your life, and it’ll do it in ways that you might not really want.
When you take your business into brick and mortar, the thing you do (or make) is not your primary activity anymore. Are you a genius cupcake baker? Sign a lease, and now you’re a retailer. Are you a mind-bendingly talented yoga instructor? Sign a lease, and now you’re a retailer. Being a retailer means having employees, a Verizon bill, and a toilet to plunge…all of which don’t care if you’re busy baking cupcakes or downward dogging.
Retail leases mean retail hours, so your time is no longer yours…it belongs to your customers. The commitment to be open to the public means that you can’t decide that you’re not feeling it on a Tuesday, and you can’t decide to close the third weekend in October for your cousin’s wedding in the Catskills.
And last but certainly not least, a brick and mortar location is really just a stage for you to perform your craft. Whatever is affecting your energy or vibe has to take a back seat to the retail reality that your customers expect a certain show when they walk in your doors. Catatonic from reading the news? The show must go on! Super hangover from taco Tuesday? The show must go on! No matter what YOU feel like, you’ve got to put on your happy face and make some sales so you can pay that rent.
These realities are not good or bad — they just ARE, and you need to know these things as you weigh the growth opportunities for your business against your personal and professional goals and priorities.
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