The Gray Cat Blog
A comprehensive collection of blogs designed to assist small business owners and multi-unit operators.
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 from ...
Foodservice operators have long wrestled with the challenge of balancing the demand for increased menu options by customers with that of menu simplification. While a focus on systems and procedures at...
As more and more consumers are craving healthier, locally sourced, and convenient foodservice options, convenience stores are in a race against time to capture this demographic or run the risk of beco...
Recently, I appeared on the Jada Willis Experience where we discussed the challenges of managing multiple teams concurrently.
Here is a short clip.
We select our store locations. We select our staff. We select the merchandise to carry; and along those lines, we select our vendors. Selecting the correct vendors – in addition to managing these vend...
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Are you a cat herder?
Back in my corporate days in one of my roles, I led several concurrent teams (five to be exact) that quite candidly had very little connectivity to one another. From the fa...
One of the most significant changes in the labor market over the last decade is the notion of free agency within the marketplace. Gone are the days of staying with one company for the duration of your...
One of the most successful local store marketing (LSM) tactics to build into your daily operations is a sampling strategy for your products. If your retail establishment is foodservice, your customers...
About once a month, I get an email or phone call from a colleague that is transitioning from their corporate role into entrepreneurship. I generally give the advice along the lines of developing orig...
“I am putting myself to the fullest possible use, which is all I think that any conscious entity can ever hope to do.” – From the HAL 9000 computer, 2001: A Space Odyssey
When it comes to technology ...
Change is a big deal.Â
As you start to think about the upcoming year, planning for your annual merchandising and promotional schedule should be in place. For the multi-store operator, identifying the key initiatives for eac...
