Entitlement can be a disastrous thing for retailers facing increasing competition and struggling to compete. The future belongs to those who are willing to change, who are tired of playing defense, and who are willing and able to aggressively engage with customers and transform their lives.

That was the message from Mike Cosentino, owner of Big Peach Running Co., a seven-store running retailer based in Atlanta at the IBD Summit in Monterey in April.

He was speaking to an audience of bicycle retailers interested in hearing from a successful and growing retailer in a somewhat similar industry that is being challenged by on-line competition such as amazon.com and zappos.com.

Cosentino didn’t hesitate to share his views that the first step for retailers is to dump old attitudes and take a fresh look at what it means to be a retailer today.

“The local market is not yours,” Cosentino told the…