Author: mark

I am a Director of newsXpress, a marketing group for newsagents keen for a bright future. You can reach me on +61 418 321 338 or mark[at]towersystems.com.au

Thanks for buying your Christmas cards at your local Aussie newsagency this year

When you choose to buy your Christmas cards from your local newsagent, you’re not just sending festive wishes; you’re also supporting Australian jobs and strengthening your community.

Here’s why:

  • Aussie Made: Many Christmas cards sold at local newsagents are proudly Australian-made. By purchasing these cards, you’re directly supporting local designers, printers, and other businesses.
  • A Local Touch: Your local newsagent is a cornerstone of your community. By shopping there, you’re helping to keep local jobs and supporting other local businesses, creating a stronger, more vibrant community.
  • Giving Back: Many newsagents offer a range of charity cards, allowing you to support important causes like the McGrath Foundation, Beyond Blue, and the RSPCA while spreading joy.
  • Endless Choices: With a wide variety of designs and messages, you’re sure to find the perfect card for everyone on your list.
  • The Perfect Pair: Many newsagents offer small gifts to accompany your cards, including unique Australian-made products.
  • Easy Shopping: Your local newsagent offers a convenient shopping experience, saving you time and stress during the busy holiday season.

By choosing to shop local, you’re making a real difference. So, this Christmas, let’s spread some cheer and support our local businesses.

Remember: Every purchase you make at your local newsagent helps to sustain local jobs and contributes to a thriving community.

Have a wonderful Christmas.

Small business retail advice: blaming others may not be a solution

If you find yourself blaming others or external factors for situations you could have influenced, you may have a victim mentality.

It’s easy to blame others and forgive ourselves. However, this doesn’t benefit you or your business.

Blaming others for situations you could have controlled holds you back. It prevents you from learning and improving.

Wallowing in self-pity can be harmful. It can lead to a desire for the comfort of failure and the right to blame anyone but yourself.

We’ve encountered many small business owners with a victim mentality. They miss out on opportunities by spending their time blaming others.

If you notice yourself blaming others for business situations, consider seeking professional help. While you can break the cycle yourself, a professional can help you understand why and provide strategies to identify and address it.

If professional help isn’t appealing, meditation can help you find calm and stillness, reducing the influence of negative victimhood thoughts.

We are not not a psychologists or therapists. We recommend starting with a professional. However, here are some things we’ve done to focus on our role and the positive:

  • Display reminders of success: Keep photos and other reminders of your successes on a noticeboard, at your desk, or somewhere in your business. Look at them regularly.
  • Celebrate failures: Own your failures, such as a failed product, ineffective ad, or unprofitable business initiative. Learn from them.
  • Exert control: If you see something negatively impacting your business, take ownership and address it early.
  • Trust your intuition: If you sense something is wrong, address it immediately instead of waiting for it to become a problem.
  • Say no: If you don’t want to do something, politely decline.
  • Make informed decisions: Research, learn, and strive to be smarter in your decision-making.
  • Expand your perspective: Victims may perceive limited control over their world. Look beyond your immediate circumstances and find ways to expand your influence.
  • Foster accountability: Create a workplace culture where mistakes and poor decisions are acknowledged and learned from.

Blaming others for situations within your control doesn’t help you or your business. It may provide temporary relief but ultimately achieves nothing.

Mental health and small business retailers

Balancing the demands of a small business with personal life is a constant challenge, and often lonely. For many newsagents in 2024, this balancing act has become even more complex due to economic situations, new competition, and shifting supplier dynamics.

Too often, changes are forced on newsagents without care as to the personal impact.

Sadly, some people find the weight of these pressures unbearable. Recently, our Australian newsagency channel lost colleague who chose a tragic path. The pain their loss has no doubt caused loved ones and colleagues will be felt for a long time.

We are not alone in life, no matter how challenging the situation. If you or someone you know is feeling overwhelmed, please reach out. We know form health carer professionals that talking about suicide with someone may reduce the risk.

Signs of distress can be subtle, they can be a cry for help. If you notice changes in someone’s behaviour, such as withdrawal, increased irritability, or a sudden decline in performance, talk and offer support. A simple conversation can offer comfort and understanding.

Remember, you are not alone. If you are struggling, please reach out to a mental health professional or a crisis hotline, please talk with someone.

Here are resources that can help:

  • Lifeline has an excellent 24 hours help line 13 11 14.
  • Beyond Blue also offers a 24 hour counselling service: 1300 22 4636.
  • In Victoria, the Suicide Line is a 24 hour service: Call 1300 651 251.

Let’s all of us in our channel work harder to create a supportive community where everyone feels valued and heard.

We feel for the family and colleagues of the newsagent who recently felt they had no path forward.

newsXpress helps newsagents run enjoyable and successful businesses

Let’s start with what we are not. newsXpress is not a franchise, not a group that forces things on you, not a cookie-cutter type business.

Every newsXpress member business is unique, which we love.

We help newsXpress members make more money, and make their businesses more valuable.

What we do for each newsXpress member depends on their situation and what they want from us. Every business is different. Every business owner has different needs.

While all newsXpress members have access to our preferred suppliers, network wide connected websites, seasonal collateral, digital assets and networking opportunities, it is in our personal, business-specific, help where value can be found for plenty of newsXpress members.

We assess your business data as we prefer to offer advice based on evidence. Often when we do this we discover opportunities missed, low hanging fruit to be picked.

The approach is whole of business, considering location, product mix, financial resources, people resources and what you want and need from the business.

While we have members who prefer to do this work for themselves, we have others who appreciate a more engaged approach.

How much or little newsXpress members and our head office team members work together is entirely under control of each newsXpress member.

Nothing is required or mandatory.

When it comes to in-store retail though, we help you with the everyday:

  • Buy price. We help you buy better.
  • Stock turn. We help you sell products sooner.
  • We help you reduce the cost of theft.
  • We help you cast your business differently, to help improve shopper stickiness.
  • New traffic. We help you attract people not shopping with you today.
  • We help you tame them.

We help you make things happen by being actively engaged.

Enjoying your business helps you make better decisions. It also helps those with you in the business make better business decisions.

Through our newsXpress community you have friends you can have a laugh with, and folks you can trust to decompress with.

In our Zoom meetings and other contact points we, together, have a laugh.

We nurture your resilience and, sometimes, help you find enjoyment when it may not have been obvious.

It really comes back to why you are in business. The answer to this varies. Understanding it is key to the enjoyment you feel and achieve.