Getting more and taking care of yourself and your family appears to be the order of business.

This recession has changed much. Business is harder to come by. Consumers are more price-conscious and are shopping more stores.

In sports, no team can win without a strong bench – the quality of its substitute players. No business can perpetuate itself either without a strong bench, i.e., competent employees ready to fill vacant leadership and other positions.

If you have read my column over the years, you know that I’m a pretty positive and optimistic person.

This year’s recipient of the World Floor Covering Association’s Gold Standard Award for excellence in retailing, Cincinnati-based The Rug Gallery, “stood out from the crowd” of entries, according to D. Christopher Davis, the WFCA’s president and ceo.

As much as it’s been talked about, many flooring retailers really don’t understand or know their customer.

As I began to prepare this column, I knew I wanted to continue focusing on the efficacy of using the 2010 WFCA Financial Report for identifying areas in a floor covering business to improve.

You’ve made it through the recession and you are still here. Are you feeling good? Lucky?

Recently I have written about the importance of being focused on what you want.

When hurricanes are threatening, every meteorologist seems to use the phrase hunker down. I think that is what many retailers have done and are doing in this current economic time.