A short time ago a retail store closed in a nearby city. Shame on her. With the economy then continuing its strong upswing, it was obvious the labor market would continue to be tight. Based on her remarks to the media, it would appear that her expectation the new mall would drive her out of business became a self-fulfilling prophesy. Equally interesting was the fact that merchants adjacent to her business were posturing for the opportunity to expand into her vacated space.
Competition is part of the American way of life.
This means survival of the fittest, not the biggest. She had adequate time to survey her customers to determine what needs they had that the mall outlets could not provide. She could also have created a stronger incentive package for her employees. It takes courage to make significant departures from past ways of doing business in the past, just to retain loyal customers and staff in the future. However, that is what real entrepreneurship is all about.