The Gray Cat Blog
A comprehensive collection of blogs designed to assist small business owners and multi-unit operators.
The movie industry has been doing this for years. Â With a screenplay in hand, a movie production house pulls together a team of production specialists including grips, gaffers, boom operators, etc. t...
Raise your hand if you had the word “pandemic” in your strategic plans – and like that, the world quickly changed. While convenience stores were spared total closure during the lockdowns and volumes w...
“The nice thing about not planning is that failure comes as a complete surprise rather than being preceded by a period of worry and depression.”  — John Harvey-Jones
If you get in a car in Chicago wi...
Developing a working relationship with influential, local charities in your trade area not only establishes your community commitment as a business owner, but can also provide an effective way to link...
Self-service kiosks continue to be a growing trend in retailing and is expected to accelerate over the years. This exploding industry has launched retailers to develop their own kiosk strategy in orde...
Managing a retail store is tough work.
Between operations, merchandising, marketing and facility upkeep, retail business owners have their hands full. Managing the details of retail is the difference...
“You can’t manage what you don’t measure.”
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are a vital resource to managing your business. Each selected KPI can be your bellwether indicator for all departments and...
It is your responsibility to create news about your store – don’t wait for others to do this for you. Being proactive with the l...
All too often, store operators – after their grand opening – sit back and wait for the phone to ring or a customer to wander into the store. Slowly, over time, their store sales begin a long erosion. ...
Your goal is to create a buzz in the community that your store is now open and ready for business. Successful grand openings attract enough new customers to your retail establishment, with the goal of...
Raise your hand if you included the word “pandemic” in your 2020 business plan. Yeah, me either. I went from traveling 200,000 miles in 2019, to not getting on a plane for 18 months. Today, my busi...
