Most people that know me know that I like to get involved in the details and one area that I really like to dissect is a profit & loss (P&L) statement. In my opinion, this is where many people miss opportunities to “count the pennies” that add up to the real dollars. In addition, when…
Developing a Strategic Business Plan
I have been putting together business plans for over 30 years and it is clear to me that the strength of its core rests solely on being able to execute the plan. Each year I approach business planning as an opportunity, rather than a burden. I would rather invest the time up front mapping out…
Re-Energizing Your Customer Base
One of the questions I ask audiences when I deliver presentations on retail marketing is “How many did a grand opening celebration for your store?” I am generally amazed that usually only one in five attendees raise their hands. With all the investment that was done in the physical location, it was a missed opportunity…
Developing a Store of the Future
Change is inevitable. We change where we live, we change relationships, and we change our jobs. Change has been with us throughout time, but the worldwide pandemic seemed to send change into hyperdrive. Every timeline became compressed and long-term trends seemingly happened overnight. It was, and still is, shifting paradigms at an accelerated pace. So…
How To Achieve Balance as a Leader
It can be hard to find balance as a c-store executive leader but focusing on a few key areas can help improve your well-being and energy, giving you more stamina and inspiration on and off the job. One of the greatest benefits I find in being a sole proprietor is that I can wield tremendous…
The Many Steps to a Successful Foodservice Program
As more and more consumers are craving healthier, locally sourced and convenient foodservice options, convenience stores are in a race against time to capture this demographic or run the risk of becoming obsolete. Gone are the days of simply relying on standard convenience store products to optimize profitable. The consumer is demanding more. But retailers…
What Will 2023 Mean for Your Business?
Raise your hand if you included the word “pandemic” in your 2020 business plan. Yeah, me neither. I went from traveling 200,000 miles in 2019, to not getting on a plane for 18 months. Today, my business is conducted via Zoom or Microsoft Teams and an occasional monthly business trip. Quite the change. Bye-bye Delta…
How to Expand into Mult-Unit Operations
Every retail operator starts with that first single store. The management hones their operational skills; develops a “how-to-go-to-market” strategy; and hopefully finds success for years to come. Then they wonder if they could replicate this success in a second location? A third? Or more? How do they make that happen and what are the key…
New Training Portal Helps C-Stores Better Manage Locations
“The nice thing about not planning is that failure comes as a complete surprise rather than being preceded by a period of worry and depression.” — John Harvey-Jones Truer words have never been spoken. Honing your skills in a multi-faceted retail environment is important but adding the myriad of COVID-19 challenges and mastering business acumen…
How Should Independent C-Store Operators Approach Project Management?
“The nice thing about not planning is that failure comes as a complete surprise rather than being preceded by a period of worry and depression.” — John Harvey-Jones If you get in a car in Chicago with the intent of driving to Los Angeles, the GPS rarely plots the California portion of the map while…