The Gray Cat Blog
A comprehensive collection of blogs designed to assist small business owners and multi-unit operators.
In business, it is essential to know the path just traveled. Most organizations take a look back at the preceding 1-2 months to evaluate their financial results and attempt to make rhyme or reason of ...
One of the greatest benefits of being a sole proprietor is that I can wield tremendous influence over my schedule and thus, add balance to my life. Gone are the days of “punching a clock” where I am ...
Recently, I appeared on the John Lofstock podcast where we discussed retail basics.
While I like to chase the shiny penny on occasion, there is no substitute for simple blocking and tackling to creat...
I am amazed, that generally, less than twenty percent of the audience actually created a Grand Opening celebration at their store. A store owner spends upwards of $250,000 or more to build a store and...
Establishing a Franchise Advisory Council (FAC) as a formal communications system to ensure franchisees input with regard to store marketing and operations is a natural stepping-stone for a growing fr...
When I started Gray Cat Enterprises in 2004, I was living in Chicago and for the first couple of years, all of my clients were based in Illinois. This was fine at the time, since I had a boatload of ...
I am living proof that by using LinkedIn, you can create a broader network of working professionals to foster relationships with and begin to build up an impenetrable circle of contacts that are exclu...
Over the years, I have been fortunate to have held some pretty nice corporate roles. I was the National Marketing Director of Little Caesars back in their high-growth years; a VP of five divisions fo...
About a decade ago I began to publish a blog focused mainly on improving processes within small business. Many of these blogs are derived from having worked many years in larger organizations and atte...
Change has been with us throughout time, but the worldwide pandemic seemed to put change on hyperdrive. Every timeline became compressed and long-term trends seemingly happened overnight. It was and...
If you think about some of the most successful brands in America, they are well-defined in in attributes that support the vision, mission, and values of the brand. These attributes are often referred...
Organic growth by a retailer is an exciting time for the company. Reinvesting earnings into the expansion of their branded stores through new construction communicates that a) business has been good; ...
