WEEK 4
3 weeks passed | 49 weeks remain
Jan 26 – Monday
MANAGEMENT: Take each employee out for a meal to ask: How’s your job? How’s your life? What do you need from me this year?
OPERATIONS: Attach an up-to-date emergency contact list near the main phone. Make sure staff has numbers in their cellphones.
MERCHANDISING: Vintage Valentine’s cards make killer case props. Hit eBay for an hour or so. Find the quirky ones, the charming ones, the ones with real personality. Your cases shouldn’t look like the greeting card aisle at Walgreens.
FEATURED DATE: It’s Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day. Lock the office door and spend 10 minutes popping. You’ve earned it.
MORE DATES: National Spouses Day, National Green Juice Day, National Peanut Brittle Day, International Customs Day, International Environmental Education Day, Dundee Day.
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Jan 27 – Tuesday
STAFF: Survey staff anonymously about what would make them recommend working here. Act on one suggestion within two weeks.
INVENTORY: Print aged inventory report before lunch. Circle everything over 12 months old – it’s costing you 20% extra just sitting there.
MORE DATES: National Chocolate Cake Day, Thomas Crapper Day, National Plan for Vacation Day, National Geographic Day, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Speak Up and Succeed Day, Community Manager Appreciation Day, Better Business Communication Day, Punch the Clock Day, Up-Helly-Aa (Scotland).
Jan 28 – Wednesday
CUSTOMER RELATIONS: Call three past bridal customers this week and invite them to your next event, sale, or trunk show. Yesterday’s bride can turn into today’s big buyer — but only if you ask.
PLANNING: List three expenses you could cut tomorrow. Keep list visible for tough times that always come eventually.
MORE DATES: International LEGO Day, National Blueberry Pancake Day, National Kazoo Day, Data Privacy Day, National Daisy Day, National Pediatrician Day, Pop Art Day, Christa McAuliffe Day, Global Community Engagement Day.
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Jan 29 – Thursday
MARKETING: Email men two weeks before Valentine’s Day with three specific gift suggestions under $500. They desperately need the guidance and deadline reminder.
WELL-BEING: Returns and resizing season is over. Make a conscious effort to enjoy the quieter pace.
FINANCES: Plan your charity budget now. Let staff vote on community allocations.
MORE DATES: National Puzzle Day, National Corn Chip Day, National Carnation Day, Curmudgeons Day, Freethinkers Day.
Jan 30 – Friday
CULTURE: Institute one stupid ritual. Friday smoothies, birthday karaoke — something that makes your place memorable.
STAFF: Calculate the lifetime dollar value of every customer (average annual purchase × 20 years). Post it where all employees can see to emphasize clienteling importance.
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FEATURED DATE: As positive-thinking guru Dale Carnegie noted, people rarely succeed unless they are having fun. That goes double for retail: Who wants to shop where the staff are all so serious and somber? Mark Fun at Work Day by rolling out a ceremony to celebrate big sales or a fun new spiff: Offer to be the most successful salesperson’s “Slave for a Day.” And don’t forget to tell customers how much fun you had serving them.
MORE DATES: Fun at Work Day, National Croissant Day, National Draw A Dinosaur Day, National Escape Day, National Inane Answering Message Day, Yodel For Your Neighbors Day.
Jan 31 – Saturday
SHOP: Raise repair prices to reflect metals prices, wages, and the money you’ve been leaving on the table. No one will complain. (Remember: it’s better to raise your prices a few percent each year rather than having a noticeably large increase every five years.)
SHOP: Install a live feed of your bench. Customers love watching stone setting, fabrication, and engraving in real time. It’s also a great teaching tool.
MORE DATES: National Hot Chocolate Day, Eat Brussels Sprouts Day, Inspire Your Heart with Art Day, International Zebra Day, National Backwards Day, National Big Wig Day, Gorilla Suit Day, Hug An Economist Day, Brandy Alexander Day, Scotch Tape Day, Hell Is Freezing Over Day.
Feb 1 – Sunday
ADVERTISING: Review last year’s advertising performance and finalize your plan for this year. Can you try a new agent, channel, or message? Include at least one marketing experiment.
STRATEGY: Set long-term business goals, then break them into quarterly, monthly, weekly, and daily action steps.
FEATURED DATE: Tonight marks the 68th annual Grammy Awards and 2026’s second major event on the style-watching calendar. Share your thoughts on the artists and their accessories on social media. (Anybody brave enough to livestream themself watching the Grammys?)
FEATURED DATE: It’s Change Your Password Day. You’re not using a password manager yet? If so, it’s a matter of when, not if, you’ll be hacked.
FEATURED DATE: Finally, National Serpent Day is a great day to feature your sinuous snake jewelry.
MORE DATES: National Dark Chocolate Day, National Texas Day, National Serpent Day, National Freedom Day, Car Insurance Day, G.I. Joe Day, Robinson Crusoe Day.
