There's a large thread in one of my favorite forums about a new program. Most of questions are about how to get maximum spillover.

Spillover!

Well smack my wrist and call me shorty. I thought we were marketers, small business owners, entrepreneurs.

Where are men and women who take responsibility for their own success?

Where are shouts of "If it's to be, it's up to me!"

Whatever happened to rolling up your sleeves, rolling in mud and getting sweaty.

I didn't hear anyone talking about thrill of game. How they were so excited their blood was pumping.

Retail fashion is a notoriously fickle business, with yesterday's hot trends marked down today like so many Pokemon toys. But for years, Gap had been impervious to fashion ups and downs by being favorite supplier of favorite clothes of Baby Boomers: Denim jeans, khaki trousers and basic shirts.

But as Boomers hit middle age, Gap made decision to go after youth market. Gone were comfortable fit jeans its customers loved, replaced by hip huggers and belly shirts that could not be worn by someone carrying 20 years of cellulite. And that was beginning of their troubles.

As owner of a home business, I found this puzzling. After all, Gap had always identified youth market as its own and was just carrying out course it set for itself back in 1969, when it was a single store in San Francisco. But as their young customers grew, so did chain, resulting in a clientele that stayed loyal for 30 years. By shifting gears to appeal to *today's* teenagers, they alienated millions of loyal customers who moved on to discounters like Target (which manages to evoke an image of "cheap chic") and newer outlets like J.Jill and Chicco, which proudly display relax-fit clothes that are stylish, comfortable and hide a multitude of middle-aged sins.

In meantime, young people Gap so desperately courted could not get over their image of chain as a place frequented by their parents. These kids flock to their own trendy stores like Hot Topic, and had little interest in what Gap had to offer. It was a "lose-lose" all way around.

The lesson for home business owners is a reminder that it's never safe to *assume* you know what your customers want. Research is an essential tool in your business, no matter what its size, and it doesn't have to be elaborate or expensive. Those of you doing business online have access to several methods, including some tools you may already have but are not using for this purpose.