A WHOLE MONTH HAS PASSED in the new year, and you may already be wondering what happened to those big, bold, bodacious New Year’s resolutions you made with such conviction.
It would be easy to shrug and say, “Oh well, I didn’t get off to the start I hoped for.” I’d challenge you to reframe that thinking. Only one month has passed. We still have eleven ahead of us — plenty of time to make meaningful progress on the list that once excited you.
This is a perfect moment to revisit those goals, not to abandon them, but to break them down. Research shows that small, intentional and consistent changes are far more likely to drive sustainable results than sweeping all-or-nothing efforts.
Take inventory management, for example. Instead of declaring, “I’m going to eliminate all of my aged inventory this year,” try something more manageable: “I will make decisions on six aged items every week.” Those decisions might include stock balancing, marking items down, placing them in a clearance case, offering a short-term cash spiff, or even upcycling them into new designs.
The question then becomes: What would the results look like after one month? Or better yet, after a full quarter of that small, intentional discipline? Reduced aged inventory, improved cash flow, and renewed energy around stagnant merchandise, and all without overwhelm.
The same approach applies to financial goals. Rather than setting a broad target like “I’m going to reduce operating expenses by $300,000 this year,” break it into specific, actionable tasks. For instance, commit to sourcing three competitive quotes for your jeweler’s block insurance this month. We’ve seen retailers uncover savings of $10,000 or more simply by doing this one exercise. Or consider your credit card processing fees; when was the last time you shopped those rates?
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Another example for jewelry retailers: instead of vowing to “improve sales performance,” start with one intentional shift such as reviewing close rates weekly with your sales team or role-playing one clienteling scenario per week during a morning huddle. Small adjustments like these can quietly but powerfully improve results over time.
Big goals don’t disappear because January didn’t go as planned. They evolve. The path to lasting success both personally and professionally is paved with small, intentional actions repeated consistently. Start small, stay focused, and allow the compounding effect of thoughtful decisions to do the heavy lifting.
