How To Save Your Ass(ets)
Your Balance Sheet Assets may be losing value. But your business needn't.
Every retail operation has three, very distinct, kinds of assets. All three are currently under "siege" in this economy. And all three add (or subtract) from the total value (yes, equity) in your business. Here are the three kinds of assets: The Balance Sheet Assets; The Other Tangible Assets; and The Intangible Assets. Now, here's what you, the Owner, must do to protect and enhance all of them.
What Retailers MUST Do To Survive
Like it or not, survival of your store is the owner's #1 responsibility.
Owners are challenged like never before, and cash is even more valuable than ever. Here are the steps you must follow: 1) Conserve cash; 2) Raise cash; 3) Find more cash; 4) Start with #1 again! This webinar will present specific - and innovative - ideas for how to accomplish each of these four. Unprecedented times require unprecedented boldness.
The Retail Wheel of Survival
Find and steer the cause-effect, cause-effect in your business; don't let it steer you!
There's no manual or formula for saving a retail business, especially in this economic spiral. However, this webinar will identify the controllable variables you can - and must - focus on and how they are intertwined (that's the key!) Then, how to decide for yourself "What to do? Why? And How?"
Bank Negotiations? A Piece of Cake!
Given that no banker will actually get to know your business, perhaps YOU need to know his! Or at least his language. And it's not that tough! Talking 'bankeresse' is the place to start. And remembering the Five 'Cs'. Then, projecting your business plans in the form bankers appreciate is easy and can be very effective. Learn how here!
The Indispensable Owner's Dashboard
Some how, some way every retailer MUST regularly have supplied to them the five "dials" for monitoring progress of the business. Would you drive a car without a gas gauge? Without a speedometer? Without low battery or oil gauges? Heck No! Then why would you be comfortable driving your retail operation (probably your financial estate) without these five gauges on a dashboard? Oh yes; sales is not one of them.
"Profit: If It's Not Cash, What Is It? And Where'd It Go?"
In order to satisfy the I.R.S., every business has a financial statement in one form or another. Much to the surprise of most retailers, the minimum number of parts of a financial statement is two. One is the P & L or Income Statement; the other part answers all those questions about profits and losses. Every owner feels more empowered when they actually can see where their profits went....or should have gone!
Every Owner's Dilemma: "Fund My Family Or My Store?"
As we all know, there's just so much money that even a very healthy store can throw off. Then, if a retail operation is only modestly successful, and/or has seasonal downturns, what gets funded: Our kitchen remodel at home or the vendors who we need for reorders and their newest products? Ooops. This is the reason every owner must manage the cash flow of "interdependence" very carefully. And be able to teach it to spouses.
"Is My Store Failing...or, Am I Failing My Store?!"
This session will include a chart showing the three stages of dealer decline. Each stage has eight components and attendees will recognize the trends (that have affected OTHER retailers and dealers, not them, hopefully). But retailing is all about adjustments. And this webinar will focus on making those adjustments as soon as signs of decline show up. Like catching a cold; a few precautions early may prevent serious illness.
"Sure I Get Financial Statements. But What Good Are They Really?!"
After this session, attendees will better read, respect and use their financial statements without a dime of extra expense. Learning two key ratios may, some day, save their business! Then, seeing how financial statements can be easily projected, attendees will feel somewhat empowered!
"I Must Grow My Business, But How?"
There are (only) four ways to grow. It's best for you to know the characteristics of each one and their relative risks. Then, using a tool from The ROI called "The Nine-Stepper", any retail dealer can intelligently and more safely grow, expand, acquire or merge as fast as they desire.
"My Biggest Problem Is Controlling Inventory. Do You Have Suggestions?"
There are inventory productivity "tools" you probably have heard of. Turnover, stock-to-sales, GMROI, Open-to-Buy, etc. These and others will be taught, and, frankly, hammered home! As inventory probably represents 70-90% of your total assets, constant inventory control is paramount to success...and sleeping nights!
"How Do I Get More Cash Out of My Business?"
That's every owner's wish. And some owners do it better than others. Based on a three-part Cash Flow Planner, this session will pull cash-impact pieces from each of the first three webinars. With all the pressures owners face daily, including family needs, losing track of cash flow is understandable. But VERY dangerous, as you know. Or hasn't your family mentioned it?
Projecting the Income Statement
A quick review of the components of the Income Statement will include the four(!!) names used for it. Then the major Owner-use of The Income Statement will be illustrated: Projecting it. Finally, a simple Trend Form will be described whereby Owners can create two columns next to their Income Statement; one for their projection and the other for last year, always with % of sales added.
Gross Margin Management
Everyone watches Gross Margin, both dollars and its percent of sales. And well they should. However, Gross Margin is (only) what is left over after Cost of Goods Sold is calculated and subtracted from Sales. Therefore, Owners must be aware of and manage the three components of COGS or their Gross Margin will not be managed at all. Details of COGS will be illustrated.
The Four (Financial) Wheels Under Every Retail Business
To be in financial control of a retail store, the Owner(s) must manage the "four wheels under their car": Profits, Debt, Inventory and Cash. To routinely and quickly do that, Owners must keep track and project at least four key ratios: Debt-to-Worth, Current, Inventory Turnover and GMROI (Gross Margin Return on Inventory Investment).
How/Whether/When to Grow the Business
It's probably not wise to sell your $300K house and buy a $600K house without determining how you will make the much larger mortgage payments. In the same fashion, Owners contemplating the addition of a store or two or three would benefit by using The ROI's Nine-Step projection tool which will be taught in this webinar. The classic question: "Is bigger better or is better better?"
"Open-to-Buy" (Merchandise Buying Planning)
Practically every retailer has heard of Open-to-Buy. And yet, 80% of retailers are over-bought in merchandise some or all of the time. Higher initial markups and exciting trade shows may contribute to this cash-draining situation. Therein rests the need for "Open-to-Buy", or a budget for buying merchandise. Its four-part formula, its use of turnover and its built-in discipline will be taught in this webinar. Then, The ROI's free, online OTB Calculator™ will be demonstrated.
Markdowns and Clearance
"It's not a good buy unless it's a good sell." This old retail adage has several Owner responsibilities built into it. One of those is the art of flushing out the less-than-hot merchandise. The "art" has an assortment of tools and techniques and some of those will be described in this webinar. Others, hopefully, will be contributed on-line by the attendees. Good tips are limitless!
GMROI
Gross Margin Return On Inventory (Investment) is the Number One measurement Owners should be focusing on to control their inventory levels, merchandise mix and resulting Cash Flow. GMROI should be a major feature of Inventory management, POS systems and certainly Buyer bonuses. In this webinar GMROI will be taught and attendees will be challenged to submit answers to What-if..? numbers. And, The ROI's online GMROI Calculator will be demonstrated
Cash Flow
Retail Owners should NEVER be without their up-to-date Cash Flow projection. Essentially no management decision should be made without considering how it will impact Cash Flow. (Well, what to order for lunch is OK.) Sales, margins, expenses, inventory, advertising, etc. etc. are all perpetual entries into the Three-Part Cash Flow. In this webinar attendees will be shown a Speedy Form for Cash Control. It may appear elementary, but it's far better than running out of cash! Then, The ROI's online Cash Flow Calculator will be demonstrated.