Establishing a retail business takes substantial work, as owners develop a business idea and company strategy, build inventory, develop a customer base, market and advertise their business, and plan for the future. All of these steps require hard work, patience, quality employees, investment capital, and equipment and other assets.

In the last few decades, there has been a staggering increase in safety improvements, resulting in safer homes, vehicles, baby gear, product packaging, food production, construction, toys, tools, and more. Although we live in a much more safety-conscious world, the reality is that accidents still happen at home and on the road. Accidents that occur in our lifetime are often minor ones, but there is always the possibility of a major accident that can cause devastation physically, emotionally and financially.

New Year's Resolutions are often made on an individual level, such as improving health, better time management, or reaching financial goals. However, business owners and entrepreneurs can benefit greatly by creating resolutions or goals for their business in 2014.  This proactive process gives owners an opportunity to take stock of the current health of the company, set financial, sales or growth goals, and also reflect on past successes or mistakes to learn from them for the future.

As a new year begins, many people begin making personal resolutions that often involve changing some aspect of their life, such as losing weight, spending more time with family, starting an exercise program, reading more books or watching less TV. Developing proactive personal resolutions for a new year can make a significant impact on both your short-term and long-term health, so it's important to make these resolutions realistic, attainable and goal-oriented.