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...
“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...
“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...
Come on, admit it. You wish you were a better networker. Fear not, it is time to unleash your inner networker.
Networking is one part art and one part discipline and while there is more than one way ...
In honor of “Emily the Cat” (the original gray cat from which the company name was created), Gray Cat Enterprises (along with new puppy, Bogey, in picture) makes its annual holiday donation to two non...
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...
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...
