The Gray Cat Blog
A comprehensive collection of blogs designed to assist small business owners and multi-unit operators.
The conversation usually starts like this:
“So, do you know your customer?”
“Of course, I know my customers, most by name”
“Great, let’s communicate to them that you have a sale this weekend”
“[cr...
“It’s not what you know, it’s who you know”.
This adage held true in your first job search and still holds true today in business. Building and fostering long-term business relationships not only ena...
Ah, the glamour of business travel.
The security lines, the $14 airport beers, the ongoing game of “how much can I stuff in an overhead bin”, all for the privilege of boarding a bus with wings. Well,...
Like every other team, though, we were challenged with raising funds to help offset the team expenses for equipment, uniforms and the like. Most teams seemed to sell candy bars or other simple items l...
I admit I like technology. I was one of the first adopters to laptops, mobile phones and social media. I remember joining LinkedIn when it had 2 million users – not the 700+ million like it does today...
“… And then one day you find, ten years have got behind you. No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun… ” – Gilmour, Mason, Waters, Wright
What is the quickest way to reduce stress and...
“Badges? We ain’t got no badges. We don’t need no badges! I don’t have to show you any stinkin’ badges!” – – from The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
As a small business owner, you may wonder why one wo...
Recently, I celebrated my nineteen-year anniversary as a management consultant. It has always been a life-long dream of mine to be on my own and in 2004 I realized that goal. I had spent some twenty y...
“Oh, what a tangled web do parents weave, when they think that their children are naive.” – Ogden Nash
Children have been marketed to for years. Retail industry titans have recognized that targeting ...
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...
