Are you looking for a way to start some commotion on a slow day in the store? Ever notice how customers always seem to come in when you are busy and putting out stock in the store? If customers walk by the front window and nothing is going on, they don’t feel the urge [...]
All kinds of people crave attention. If you give people lots of attention, praise, pats, undivided focus, and warm fuzzy feelings for doing good stuff, they are less likely to do bad stuff. In other words, catch them doing something right Stephen Covey, the author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective [...]
One Step at a Time Kris Kringle taught me a lesson when I was little. This lesson has stayed with me all my life. In the cartoon 1970’s cartoon movie “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” Kris Kringle teaches the Winter Warlock that you can do things that you think are impossible. You must [...]
It is easy to get caught up in the day-to-day struggles, the busyness, the never-ending to-do’s of an independent store owner, and forget how truly important you are. It’s easy to feel insignificant. That is why you need to remember the ripple effect. The positive effort and passionate energy that you put [...]
Did you see the VeggieTales movie “Jonah”? My favorite character was a little caterpillar who had some issues. He would listen to positive self-talk recordings as he slept. The recording would say that he was a very skilled metal worker. It was something he did not believe about himself, so he tried to [...]
One of the most stressful and "un-fun" parts about being a store owner is feeling alone, even when you're surrounded by employees and customers. There's a phrase that Bob Negen, with WhizBang! Training, coined to describe this situation - business lonely. This tip of the week comes from the WhizBang! Training archives. I have combined my thoughts [...]
As a business owner, many of us feel like our business is our baby. It is like one of our children to us; we have a profound love for our store(s). Back in 2008, when sales took a downturn, I realized that the advice I gave to my daughters was what I needed [...]
Get rid of that stale, dead inventory, and plan your future purchasing through Gross Margin Formula! Have you ever asked yourself, "If business is so great, then why am I not making any money?" Maybe your accountant or tax return says you are making a profit, but it's not reflected in your bank account. This [...]
Calculate your Turn Rate and plan your inventory for the rest of the year! Are you asking yourself, "How Much Inventory Should I have on hand Right Now to Make My Sales Goals?" Well, to fix this problem, you need to know your Turn Rate! Your greatest source of increased cash flow comes from increasing [...]
So, you are open to public walk-in traffic or making plans to open your store. Have you thought through all of the aspects of your “new normal”? Here are some key things to put on your to-do list. After speaking with hundreds of retail stores across the country over the last month here is [...]
