The Gray Cat Blog
A comprehensive collection of blogs designed to assist small business owners and multi-unit operators.
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...
Recently, I had a terrific session with one of my clients on business planning. I have written articles before on the importance of business planning, but this session resonated with me. What was...
“It’s the most wonderful time of the year…..”
Ah yes…..the annual business planning cycle is upon us.
The time of the year to huddle all of your business colleagues...
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...
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...
“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...
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...
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...
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...
Operational excellence is a retail buzzword that often gets glossed over. Retailers talk the talk, but often miss on walking the walk. Operational excellence has a singular focus: the customer. The...
Last week, I sat through a meeting with one of my clients where we discussed the infamous question of “who are we?” that faces every retailer. As retailers grow – both in store...
The concept of vertically integrating your brand message is clearly not new. Companies for years have embraced the concept that if you are going to communicate a brand message, it is best to...
