The Gray Cat Blog
A comprehensive collection of blogs designed to assist small business owners and multi-unit operators.
The winds of change can happen suddenly.
One of the worst days of my life was learning that my mother had a stroke at the age of 58. I was 23 at the time and was hardly prepared for a shock to my fam...
Nobody saw this coming. Â
Just two months ago, we were in our eleventh year of an economic expansion; unemployment was at a 50-year old low; and March Madness was right around the corner. Then the b...
Gift cards continue to grow leaps and bounds allowing retailers that have implemented a program for their stores to reap vast benefits. In fact, total spending on gift cards in 2023 is expected to sur...
The fight for share-of-customer by retail stores to effectively capture sales has never been fiercer. Retail stores that sit back and wait for their business to improve will have a very long road to r...
Well, we didn’t see that coming!Â
How many of us would have predicted that for the better part of two years, the entire planet has had their professional lives turned upside down due to the COVID-19 ...
Conducting a diagnostic store assessment is an excellent way to gain opportunistic perspectives for your location.  Walking through and evaluating your store – from the eyes of the customer – can prov...
Try These Calendar Management Tips
It seems that with every passing year, time management becomes harder and harder to get your arms around. With new ways to communicate seemingly appearing daily, t...
Who are we?
That is a question I hear all the time from companies that are trying to better communicate to their customers. All too often, companies have grown in spite of the fact of not really know...
The art of understanding your business from a financial perspective is a critical step for any entrepreneur. Knowing your business – financially – will provide the business owner the avenue for achiev...
In-store marketing is a critical and oft-overlooked marketing strategy for any size retailer. Successful retailers make their customer feel welcome and comfortable in their store, building repeat busi...
For the multiunit operator, managing a retail real estate portfolio is tricky business. Keeping winning stores in tip-top condition – both physically and financially – is the key to long-term success....
So, “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!”
The key to group sales is to market your store and products as a turnkey solution for a large gathering. Finding key groups in which your products are rel...
