This is something every Mum will relate to… Getting my kids to eat fruit and vegetables used to be an issue. There was always one or two pieces they said they didn’t like and would refuse to eat - often this would result in a tantrum because I wanted them to eat it, and they didn’t want to.

My Mum makes amazing roasts, often with 6 or 7 different vegetables on the plate. To avoid tantrums, I would give my kids a choice. They could pick one vegetable to leave off the plate, so long as they ate everything else. This was a win-win. My kids felt in control of what they ate because they could leave something off. I was happy because we didn’t have tantrums and my kids were still eating vegetables.

I do the same with a fruit platter. I give them a minimum number of pieces of fruit, often based on how big the pieces are, and they can choose which pieces to eat.

You can do the same with choices for your customers.

For example, if they come to you looking for cloth nappies, you can offer them a choice of different brands, colours, sizes or styles. This way your customers can choose the one that suits their needs - and from your shop.

Sometimes, choices can be overwhelming. I don’t give my kids 50 different types of fruit to choose from on a platter, usually there’s only 4 or 5 different types at most.

It may be tempting to put up every colour you have at once, for example, however you may be better to offer a slightly smaller range so you can change it from time to time. You are still giving your customers a choice, and giving them the option to come back later because your range is constantly changing.