The Gray Cat Blog
A comprehensive collection of blogs designed to assist small business owners and multi-unit operators.
When it comes to managing a profitable operation, knowing your key financial drivers of the store is paramount. Developing a “Four-Wall Analysis” is a helpful tool to better understanding both revenue...
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 channel? Se...
“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! Kids love it. A...
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 and p...
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 raze-and-rebuild, but r...
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 thoughts, mind you ...
Whether this is your first industry convention or you are a seasoned pro, I am a firm believer that establishing a well-thought out plan in advance of attending an industry convention is key for optim...
Growing your enterprise can usually be accomplished following two paths: a) organic growth – the process of building your overall portfolio of stores through the development of ground-up store build o...
“The human brain starts working the moment you are born and never stops until you stand up to speak in public.”
– George Jessel
What is it about public speaking that drives people nuts? Many studies...
The debate has gone on for many years–should you implement an existing branded foodservice program or are you better off developing your own unique proprietary brand?  This answer is yes to both! Ther...
Evaluating new sites for the multi-unit operator can be a daunting task.  The operator is constantly chasing a number of potential opportunities only to have a few select sites come to fruition.  Comp...
One of the most interesting activities that I have been involved with regarding branding is called a Semantic Differential exercise. It is important to delineate salient attributes that form the brand...
