The Gray Cat Blog
A comprehensive collection of blogs designed to assist small business owners and multi-unit operators.
Recently, I appeared on the John Lofstock podcast where we discussed retail basics.
While I like to chase the shiny penny on occasion, there is no substitute for simple blocking and tackling to...
I am amazed, that generally, less than twenty percent of the audience actually created a Grand Opening celebration at their store. A store owner spends upwards of $250,000 or more to build a store...
Establishing a Franchise Advisory Council (FAC) as a formal communications system to ensure franchisees input with regard to store marketing and operations is a natural stepping-stone for a growing...
When I started Gray Cat Enterprises in 2004, I was living in Chicago and for the first couple of years, all of my clients were based in Illinois. This was fine at the time, since I had a...
I am living proof that by using LinkedIn, you can create a broader network of working professionals to foster relationships with and begin to build up an impenetrable circle of contacts that are...
Over the years, I have been fortunate to have held some pretty nice corporate roles. I was the National Marketing Director of Little Caesars back in their high-growth years; a VP of five...
About a decade ago I began to publish a blog focused mainly on improving processes within small business. Many of these blogs are derived from having worked many years in larger organizations and...
Change has been with us throughout time, but the worldwide pandemic seemed to put change on hyperdrive. Every timeline became compressed and long-term trends seemingly happened overnight....
If you think about some of the most successful brands in America, they are well-defined in in attributes that support the vision, mission, and values of the brand. These attributes are often...
Organic growth by a retailer is an exciting time for the company. Reinvesting earnings into the expansion of their branded stores through new construction communicates that a) business has been...
Most sports teams-especially the smaller, local teams-will have a variety of sponsorship packages that are available. Depending on your budget, it can determine the extent of your sponsorship....
We have all experienced it. The dreaded process of spending hours upon hours creating a strategic business plan that maps out the goals of the organization. We develop the targets and create lofty...
