Crafting Your Perfect Workday: The Best Job Blueprint for Footwear Retailers

Do you ever feel drained at work or stuck in a routine that doesn’t align with your strengths? It doesn’t have to be this way. In this episode of The Footwear Retailer Podcast, Pete Mohr introduces the Best Job Blueprint, a strategic tool designed to help you align your work with your strengths, passions, and goals.

Learn how to:

→ Define your dream role and ideal workday.
→ Align your tasks with what energizes you.
→ Identify and reduce draining tasks.
→ Empower your team to take on responsibilities.
→ Create a fulfilling and productive role that works for you.

Pete shares five critical questions that every footwear retailer and business owner should ask themselves to design a role that fuels them both personally and professionally. Whether you’re managing one store or planning an expansion, this framework is a game changer.

Ready to take back control of your workday?

👉 Download the Best Job Blueprint here: simplifyingentrepreneurship.com/bestjob

Connect with Pete:
Website: simplifyingentrepreneurship.com
LinkedIn: Pete Mohr
Facebook: Simplifying Entrepreneurship

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Join the Conversation:
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→ Share this episode with a fellow store owner who’s looking to realign their workday!

 P.S. Feeling stuck in a role that drains you? Reply to this email, and I’ll share how the Best Job Blueprint can help you create a workday that energizes and fulfills you. 

PLUS: Whenever you're ready, here are 3 ways I can help you move from the Operator’s seat to the Owner’s seat in your business:

1. Take the Value Builder Assessment to better understand the areas of your business that add the most value to your business - Click Here

2. Uncover your Kolbe. Whether just for you, or for your full team, better understand leadership strengths and ways you can advance your People - Click Here.

3. Listen my other podcast Business Owner Breakthrough podcast as well for quick tools and tips - Click Here

Transcript

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Have you ever had a day where you leave work feeling completely drained, mentally and physically, maybe emotionally, and you're not even sure why? What about the opposite? Those rare days where everything just seems to click and you're in your zone and you head home energized, almost buzzing with excitement about what you've accomplished? What if I told you that those great days aren't random? That there's a way to intentionally design your role and your tasks and even your mindset to create a more aligned, high energy days with fewer draining ones? That's what today's episode is all about. It's using a framework called the Best Job Blueprint that I came up with a few years ago to help you feel more effective, more efficient, and actually enjoy the work that you do. Because when you're in alignment, you don't just get more done, you're going to feel better doing it. It's less stress, more energy, and it's the kind of fulfillment that makes your work, life balance truly work for you. And that's the most important thing as a business owner or manager of your footwear store. Right? We need to get in that zone where we're most efficient, we like what we do, and even on top of that, it gets even more beneficial when you share it with the rest of your team as well. If you'd like, you can get a copy of my little exercise here called the Best job blueprint at simplifyingentrepreneurship.com forward/, best job. We'll have it in the link in the show notes as well, so you don't have to remember that. All right now as you're listening, but by the end of the episode, you'll have a clear understanding of how to sketch out your role, reduce those soul crushing days and create the alignment that you need to thrive, both personally and professionally for you and your shoe store. Let's start with a question. What would your perfect workday look like? Not just the tasks that you do, but where you'd be, who you'd be with, and even the feeling of who you'd carry it through with right now. If it feels tough to answer, you're not alone. Most of us get caught up in the daily grind and we forget to stop and think about the kind of work that we actually want to be doing. That's where the Best Job Blueprint comes in. It's really a strategic tool designed to help you define your dream role in your footwear store. It's not just a piece of paper, it's A guide to aligning your work with your strengths, your passions, and your goals. And what's great about it is that it forces you to pause and really think about these five critical questions. What do I want to do? Is number one. It's all about the tasks and responsibilities that energize you and bring you the best. As the shoe store owner, shouldn't you be actually doing the work within your shoe store that you want to do and have other people do the work that you don't want to do? But often we get brought into doing all of these work things, all of these things around the store that we don't necessarily want to do, but maybe we're good at it, or maybe it's just these areas where we haven't had the chance to train other people or to work through accountabilities in that structure. But let's get this out now. What is it that you want to do on this, the next piece? Why do I want to do it? Because purpose drives us. It's the why behind what you do that gives the meaning and fuels the motivation. Right? Right. Where do I want to do it? Environment matters more than we often realize. Do you thrive in the buzz of the team setting or maybe quiet of your own office space? Do you need to be by a window? Whatever the case may be, then when do I want to do it? Because timing is everything, and some of us are morning people. Others hit their stride in the afternoon or maybe even late at night. Understanding your natural rhythm really helps you maximize your potential. And then, with whom do I want to do it? The people around you. Whether it's clients or colleagues or your team, it can amplify or drain your energy. We all know dealing with a bad person on the other side of things or someone we don't want to work with, makes those days go by in a long fashion, drawn out, mentally and physically draining. So who do you want to best work with? Because when you take the time to answer these questions, you're not just filling out a worksheet. You're laying the groundwork for clarity, confidence and alignment in your professional life and at your shoe store. Right? The beauty of the best job blueprint is that it puts you in the driver's seat. You deserve it. You're the owner. Instead of reacting to the demands of your day, you're designing a role that fuels you both mentally, physically, and emotionally. And here's the kicker. Once you have the clarity, the decisions you make, whether it's about what to delegate, what to prioritize or even how to plan your work week, they become a whole lot easier. So start reflecting on those five questions and think about where you are right now in your work and life and where you'd like to be. Let's bring this best job blueprint to life by applying it to your world as a footwear retailer. I'm in your shoes, pun intended. I run two shoe Topia stores as well and coaching other retailers. So I spend about a day, day and a half a week with the shoe stores and the rest of the time coaching others. But running two Shootopia stores and coaching other retailers, I know the sheer volume of tasks that you're juggling. You got to manage inventory, you got to hire staff, running promotions, trying to balance the ever present demands of in store and online sales. It's really easy to feel like you're spinning plates while you're walking on a tightrope down that big top, underneath the walls, underneath the roof and inside the walls of your store. But here's the thing, if you're trying to do everything, you're going to burn out. And the things that you're truly great at, the ones that make your business thrive, can slip through the cracks. And that's my worry, right? That's where the best job blueprint's a game changer. So let's revisit those five questions and dig down a little bit deeper and let's look at them specifically lens of owning and running a shoe store. Number one was what do I want to do? And as a retailer, this might mean focusing on tasks that you're passionate about. For me, I love interacting with my customers, my team and my suppliers. I like building connections and being what I call front stage. I'm less interested in the backstage work of the shoe store. I mean, I've got to be involved and interested to on a dashboard level, but I don't want the detail level of what's going on backstage. What's that one part of the job that really lights you up? Maybe it's buying inventory, maybe it's digging into the finances, maybe it's mentoring your team or new store development or potentially departmental development or new brand alignment. Whatever it is unique to you. Understand what it is and why it lights your fire because the next one is why do I want to do it. It's not just about ticking the boxes or getting through your to do list, putting out the daily fires. It's about finding joy in what you do every day for the shoe store. If you love working the sales floor Your why might be the satisfaction of matching a customer with their perfect pair of shoes. If you thrive in inventory management, maybe it's the pride in knowing that your shelves are stocked thoughtfully with never out of stock product. You've got your open to buy ready, everything is set, and your store's unique vibe is humming because of the inventory that you have in there. Whatever it is, it's unique to you, and that's okay. Spend more time doing what it is that you love, right? And that's your why. When you connect your tasks to a deeper purpose, it turns work into something more meaningful. Knowing your why really keeps you motivated even when the daily grind gets tough. It's what makes this business personal and fulfilling. And when you're clear on your why, it becomes your North Star. Yes, it has to fit into the rest of the stuff of your business. You're the owner or the manager as you're listening here. But you know, it's carving out those pieces of the areas of your personal time that you're spending to drive the business. And how much time are you spending in that area? The next piece we talked about was where do I want to do it? Because it could mean being on the floor with your customers, being behind the scenes, crafting the strategy, even working remotely on your E commerce growth. Who's to say? One of the things. I'll give you a prime example. I really don't bring a computer to work anymore. For the most part when I'm in my stores, I'm either working with my clients, I'm working with my team, or I'm working with my suppliers. And all of the computer work that I do, I do at my home office. I prefer to work here. I find I'm more effective. I'm in more in focus time. So whether that's the case for you or could be the case for you, you might say I could never do it. Well, I used to think I could never do it too until I started. But at the same time, maybe you have an office, maybe you don't have an office. Maybe you feel that working in the back stockroom is dark and dingy and you don't feel motivated, so you need to be by a window. Whatever the case is, start thinking a little bit outside of the box as to where you might want to work because you can think about mapping out the areas of where you want to do this work and aligning them with your calendar. Which brings us to the next one. When do I want to do it? Because do you thrive during the Busy afternoons at the store. Or maybe you do your best work like me in the early morning before the doors even open. Whatever it is, it's unique to you. But aligning your role with your natural energy peaks can boost productivity and really can boost satisfaction for you too. One of my coaches along the way, his name is Ari Meisel, really a productivity master, power master thinker, came up with an app that you can download on your phone. It's called Peak time and it really helps you better understand your rhythm for whether you're better in the morning, better in the afternoon, better in the evening. But when you do this, it helps you map out those hours where you can get three times as much done or maybe five times as much done in a short period than you could maybe at the other times of less productivity. The idea here is to protect those hours so that you can enjoy more free time and be more efficient in your peak time. Right? We want to be more efficient to get more stuff done when we are in peak mode so that we can enjoy the rest of the time and not always feel like our lights on and we have to be working. With whom do I want to do it? Is the next question. It's big. Who are the team members, the vendors, even the customers who make your work enjoyable? Are there people on your team who can step up and take the tasks that drain you so you can focus on what you love? When you align all of your answers to these questions with the day to day operations of the store, you'll start to see a shift not just in your business, but in how you feel at the end of the day. So many small business owners I talk to in retail and outside of retail say, I'm drained, I'm burned, I'm, you know, and it's mainly because they haven't set this stuff out. They haven't given it much thought. They're just working because that's the way they've always worked before. It's time to make some small changes that are going to make a change in your life. And when you do that, you're going to make a change in your business too. You'll spend less time on the tasks that wear you down, more time doing the things that energize you and move your store forward. So now that we've broken down the core questions of the best job blueprint, let's look at how this all comes together in real life. Because let's face it, concepts are great, but seeing how they play out makes them even more powerful. So let Me watch through an example, picture this and you probably know somebody in this situation. John owns a successful shoe store in a busy suburban area and for years been dreaming of expansion, maybe opening another store, maybe two other stores across town or even in the next city over. But he just can't seem to take that leap. Why? Well, it's probably because John's making all of the decisions in his current store and can't see the way and the path to get out of it. He's the one choosing which brands to carry, managing the schedules, deciding what promotions to run, hiring all the people he's exhausted in the idea of doubling his workload and doing this for two or three more stores with the second or third store feels virtually impossible. So what happens? He doesn't. And that's unfortunate if that's the dream, right? And if John, let's say sat down with the best job blueprint, answered these key questions, what do I actually want to do? Why do I want to do it? Where do I want to do my best work? When do I feel most productive? And who energizes me? And through this exercise, he realizes that his real passion lies in curating unique products and building relationships with vendors, not in handling the day to day operations. Well, that's when he decides to hire a general manager to take over operations. And with that right person in place, John feels confident enough to move forward in opening another store, working in his unique ability so that opening a second store doesn't seem such a big deal. He's doing what he loves, scaling his business that he's been thinking about for years and in a way that feels sustainable. Let's talk about another example. I'll call it example number two. This one might hit close to home for anyone listening who feels stuck and overwhelmed. Maybe you're at the point where you're wondering if this business is even worth it anymore. Let me tell you, those feelings are a sign that it's time to revisit your alignment. Take 15 minutes. Map out your best job blueprint. Pinpoint where things are out of sync. Are you spending too much time on the tasks that you hate? Are you working during the hours that don't match your energy? Or are you surrounded by people, team members, vendors, maybe even customers that don't align with you and what you want to be doing? This exercise really helps you get clear in your strategy of next steps. And it's not going to, you're not going to change it overnight. It takes time, but the exercise actually helps you see the gaps and Gives you a clear starting point of where you can start to make the changes. And here's a pro tip. Make it a habit to revisit your best job blueprint periodically. Maybe every quarter, maybe once a year. Just like inventory needs regular counts and adjustments, so does your role in the business, in leading the business, Right? Checking in with yourself ensures you're staying aligned with what fuels you. And if you're not fueled as a leader, it's hard to get everybody else fueled as well. When you're in alignment, everything flows better. Your energy, your creativity, and yes, your bottom line, too. When you're out of alignment, that's when burnout creeps in. People see it. Your team sees it as well. They know you're being run ragged. And you know, one of the things that I often say is that decisions need to be made at the lowest possible level of your organization, and your team actually wants to make decisions for you. The goal here is to reduce those burnout days and replace them with days where you leave work energized and fulfilled. And by the way, your team does, too. So we've explored the best job blueprint here, broken down some of those key questions, and looked at real life applications. But now comes the most important part. Taking action. Because a blueprint's just a piece of paper, as you probably are well aware, and until you start building something with it. So here's what I want you to do. Download the best job blueprint@simplifyingentrepreneurship.com bestjob and again, that will be in the show notes. Then sit down. Just schedule 30 minutes of your time, or maybe even 15 minutes just to get those key points down. To fill it all out. Block it off in your calendar like you would with any other meeting with a vendor or a key employee. Right? During that time, go somewhere quiet, away from the distractions, and start thinking about your answers. Remember, this isn't just a quick exercise. It's a way to align your work with your life so you can feel more fulfilled and energized. Second, I want you to look at what's not aligned right now. Once you've filled out your blueprint, ask yourself, where's this biggest gap that I want to work on and what am I currently doing and how do I need to make the changes? Maybe it's that you're spending too much time stuck down in the weeds. Or maybe it's that you're working during hours that drain you instead of energize you. Maybe it's that you've realized you're not spending enough time on what truly matters to you, like growing your business or mentoring your team. Third, commit to one small change this week. It all starts with small change. You don't have to overhaul the entire business or life here in just one day. Just focus on one thing. Maybe you decide to delegate one task you dread or block off a couple of hours to work on strategy instead of putting out fires. Small, consistent changes lead to big results over time. And finally, get your team involved. The best job blueprint isn't just for you. It can be a game changer for your team, too. Imagine if one of your key employees were working in alignment with their strengths and passions. They'd be more productive, more engaged, and more fun to work with. Share the blueprint with them, encourage them to fill it out. Then have a conversation about how you can align their roles with their talents. And you not always are going to have perfect alignment, but the goal is make some alignment so things do get better. And you can be in the back of your mind thinking about how you can make it better and better along the way. Not only for you, but for them. Because if their life is good, your life will be even better. Remember, it's not about creating a perfect day every day because it's not realistic. It's about tipping the balance so that most of your days feel aligned with what lights you up. The more aligned you are, the better you lead and the more your business will thrive. So here's your challenge. Fill out the best job blueprint, make one change and let me know how it goes. Drop me a line or send me a dm. I'd love to hear about your progress. And who knows, your story might inspire another retailer to make the leap towards alignment too. If you or someone you know might be a good fit for the podcast, please reach out to me. I'm looking for successful retailers who are looking to continue their growth, as well as the people and businesses who can help them along their journey. So all of those suppliers that help our industry do even better are the people that we're looking to interview here on the Footwear Retailer Podcast. All right, that's it for today, folks. Keep working towards alignment and keep building your dream role. Now go and make it a great day.