Beware those who want you to fail

There are people who have left the newsagency channel yet remain interested and sometimes and criticise newsagents and their suppliers. Some of them come across with the attitude of I failed so you must fail too.

There are others i the channel who have adopted a path different to yours yet seek to talk down success you may report as it challenges their own narrative.

I think it is important to ignore these folks, for your own peace of mind and for the benefit of your business.

Those who have left the channel are done with the channel, they have walked away, closed their businesses, sold their businesses or quit their newsagency supplier jobs. We should wish them all the best and encourage them to turn their back for whatever is next for them.

The obsession of some about the channel they left is sad to see. It is dangerous too as there are some who do listen to them, and their businesses suffer as a consequence.

Those still in the channel but following a different path to yours should watch their path as that is more important to them than how you might be going along your path.

The newsagency channel and retail are changing at a rapid pace, faster than any time I can recall in my years of engagement with the channel and retail. That faster pace makes the opinions of those who have left and those not evolving sufficiently irrelevant. This is what I say ignore them.

Attention is best spent on what we each of us see in front of us, in the context of our businesses. There is plenty to see. Online and offline. And, I expect the pace of change to keep increasing, for the future.

Online is fascinating is that its horizon is far wider than the narrow path we see as the proprietor of a physical store.

What we sell and how we sell it has fundamentally changed, forever. In just the last six months there has been a seismic shift that engaged newsagents are seeing and embracing.

Be wary of those who talk you down and talk engaged newsagents down. Their negative talk will not serve you well. Rather it is likely aimed at you joining them in their pity party.