The Gray Cat Blog
A comprehensive collection of blogs designed to assist small business owners and multi-unit operators.
Labor management is perhaps one of the most fundamental aspects of running a profitable business. Servicing the customer with too few people on staff and sales will be negatively impacted as...
Upon opening their first store, many single-store operators come to an often premature conclusion that they are going to franchise. While this may be a noble end-game goal, what is often missing...
Eureka! A new product is born!
Created in your kitchen or the garage, it is your dream, your vision. It’s your baby. Now what? How does one go about selling the product through the retail...
“Merchandising, merchandising, where the real money from the movie is made. Spaceballs the T-shirt. Spaceballs the lunchbox. Spaceballs the coloring book. Spaceballs… the flamethrower!...
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...
As you have probably gathered from reading my other articles, I am a firm believer in planning for success. Whether it is operational excellence, de-branding a store or outlining your procedures...
Real estate site selection can be a complex web of evaluating store attributes within a potential store trade area. The process utilizes both a science and an art to the overall...
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...
There comes a time in every multi-unit retailer’s business cycle that they want to launch a new product that requires a reconfiguration to their store. I am not talking about a...
It was the situation that everyone dreads. Out of the blue, the anxiety-filled request was made – the CEO had summoned me to his office. Thoughts raced through my head – mostly bad...
Recently, I had a terrific session with one of my clients on business planning. I have written articles before on the importance of business planning, but this session resonated with me. What was...
“It’s the most wonderful time of the year…..”
Ah yes…..the annual business planning cycle is upon us.
The time of the year to huddle all of your business colleagues...
