The Gray Cat Blog

Whether you are attending your first industry convention or are a seasoned veteran of trade shows and conferences, one truth remains constant: success begins long before you arrive at the event.

I...

Opening a new retail location is one of the most exciting milestones in business. Months—or even years—of planning, investment, construction, merchandising, and staffing finally come together as yo...

Throughout my life and career, I have been fortunate to benefit from the guidance of exceptional mentors. They challenged me, encouraged me, expanded my thinking, and helped shape both my profession...

In today’s highly competitive retail environment, success requires more than simply opening the doors each morning and hoping customers show up. Consumers have more choices than ever before, and th...

The workforce has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past two decades. Gone are the days when most professionals spent an entire career with a single employer. Today’s labor market is far mo...

During one of my Interim Executive Management stints, I inherited a team of 35 that was in desperate need of effective leadership.

One of the first things I did apart from speaking with the team dire...

In this podcast episode with Arif Moriya, we discuss the challenge of entrepreneurs and leaving their corporate careers.

 As the year gains momentum, there is no better time to evaluate one of the most valuable assets you possess: your time. More specifically, it’s time to take a hard look at how you manage your calenda...

For multi-unit operators, growth is often driven by one critical factor: site selection. The challenge, however, is that evaluating new locations can quickly become a complicated and time-consuming pr...

Convenience store operators continue to expand aggressively into foodservice as they search for higher-margin categories capable of offsetting shrinking profits in traditional areas such as fuel, toba...

It sure seems simple but it is amazing how few people follow up when asked.

In this podcast episode with Dilan Abeya, we discuss the "basics" of business.

The convenience store industry has evolved dramatically over the past decade. While traditional categories such as cigarettes and packaged beverages once dominated profitability, today’s competitiv...