On Ants & Eleanor Roosevelt
By Wanda Jankowski, Editor-in-Chief

Former Presidential First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt, wrote in You Learn By Living, “We do not have to become heroes overnight. Just a step at a time, meeting each thing that comes up...discovering we have the strength to stare it down.”

A friend of mine put it another way: “Be like an ant. Carry one leaf at a time and even if it takes many trips, it will all arrive safely with you intact.”

Another year has just bitten the dust and many of us might be impatient and frustrated waiting for this great recession to pass.

The passage of time can work against you if it’s squandered or ignored. But it can lead to positive change if you make the most of it. Time allows circumstances to develop, ideas to be thought through and the results of actions to be assessed.

In our industry, January is a great time because it brings new markets with fresh product ideas for viewing. Included in this issue are previews of some of what is offered during New York Home Textiles Week and the Atlanta Market at AmericasMart.

Now might be the time for you to think about addressing technology issues. Our “For Retailers Only” deals with the benefits and challenges of using online social networks to promote your business.

The movement toward “green” products may have slowed down in the minds of consumers who are more concerned with affordability, but it isn’t going away. So take some time to review our options in eco-friendly and socially responsible products featured in “Responsible Retailing.”

The rug sector is indicative of most of the other home furnishings categories in that suppliers are addressing business challenges in the same perseverant way they always have. The rug SMART Report is titled “Business As Usual” to reflect the fact that success has a better chance of happening if you take advantage of time passing by forging ahead thoughtfully with new business plans one step at a time.
So heed Eleanor Roosevelt’s words and emulate the noble ant’s technique. Patiently take advantage of the time that needs to pass for the economy to rebound by building your strengths one thoughtful action at a time.

Happy New Year!