Welcome 2012!!

Wow …. This year has started out with a BANG for me …

I sold the retail business I started 8 years ago, moved across country and am getting ready to focus full time on helping other small retailers flourish and grow.

I know, I know … that is a GIANT statement but I know it is not only possible but completely expected if you work with a skilled retail consultant.       I can say this because I lived every emotion and problem — fear, joy, thrill, fun, and terror — in my life as a retailer.   And it wasn’t until I hired my consultant that I felt like I could step off the roller coaster of emotion.

I opened my store in 2004 and of course like most pig headed entrepreneurs … I thought I had it all figured out … I mean I did my research, had an accountant, put together an Open to Buy Spreadsheet and headed off to market.       Well … so much for all my planning … I very quickly realized that I was overbuying and by a fairly large amount.    But I was new and of course attached to all the beautiful things I was buying and so I didn’t want to mark them down THAT MUCH ….. and we can all figure out what that means … by the time I got through a few seasons … I had soooooooooo much crap in my basement and I was flat BROKE!!!!

I finally had enough smarts to have a giant clearance sale and got rid of a good chunk of my old merchandise but by then I was gun shy and went completely the other direction and was afraid to buy anything and was under bought for another couple seasons.     I was a GIANT HOT MESS!!

But then along came my retail fairy godmother!!!!!!!!!!    But you know us retailers … super stubborn so even though I knew what I was doing wasn’t working … I almost didn’t hire her!!      Luckily for me I did because it completely changed my life in more ways than I could have ever imagined.

Within 6 months I went from being broke (and I mean every day, all day long broke) to having a noticeably improved cash flow,  my margins were up considerably, my expenses were under control and my business was growing again.

I believe in how much this can help your retail business because I know firsthand that it DOES WORK!!   I’m not trying to get you to buy into something that I don’t know for a proven fact can help (if you need help) or even greatly improve an already solid business.     What retailer doesn’t need/want more cash and profits?  These things give you as a retailer the flexibility to enjoy time away from the business and to spend less time stressing about the day to day operations.

And I’m not the only one who will tell you this … talk to any of the hundreds of clients that work with affiliates of Management One (including all of us here at Project Retail) and they will confirm everything I’ve just said !!       What do you have to loose??    Not a lot …. And the upside is there is A TON to gain!!

I’m super duper crazy excited about this new chapter in my life as I love retail and want to be able to stay in the world with other retailers and help them grow and thrive —  small business is the backbone of this country and we need our small retailers to be STRONG and PROSPEROUS !!