Lessons from Zingerman’s We all aspire to build a business that provides great service — but Zingerman’s Deli in Ann Arbor, Michigan has made it their mission to create a corporate culture based on service, and to share their methods for achieving this goal with the world. Partners Paul Saginaw and Art Weinzweig oversee the… Read More


EVery Door Direct mail Most small businesses draw the majority of their customers from the geographic area closest to them.  How can you make sure that everyone in your neighborhood knows about your store, and receives information about special events and offers?  In the early years of our business we went door to door, hanging… Read More


Not open 24 hours a day? Good! Not only does it mean that you have a life, but it also means that your shop has the opportunity open outside of its regular store hours for private sales events.  In an era where people value unusual experiences, the exclusivity of a shopping opportunity not available to… Read More


Successful retailing is all about having what your customers want today, and predicting what they will want tomorrow.  But at the same time, you can’t know where your business is going without knowing where it has come from.  Your shop’s history matters, whether you’ve been in business just a few months — or, like us,… Read More


Your shop undoubtedly sells lots of different items, because a wide variety increases your chance of having something that each customer will want.  But every so often it can be fun to pick one product — preferable a new discovery for your store — and to really do all you can to promote it. The… Read More


Retail didn’t make the top of the list of the Best Jobs in America, I’m afraid.  In fact when ranked in an article by Eve Tahmincioglu for msnbc.com, no positions in bricks and mortar stores were listed at all — but being an employee of an online business was #1!  This was a ranking based… Read More


Building up your inventory for the holiday season, remodeling, expanding — all good reasons for your business to need additional capital after you’ve already got it up and running.  But in today’s economy it can be particularly challenging to find a source for funding, especially if you want to avoid using credit cards that carry… Read More


“Halloween is now the #2 decorating holiday in America!” more than one sales rep has exclaimed.  While I will admit that Halloween decorating has trended up in the past decade, I usually counter that in the US we really only have two major decorating holidays: Christmas and Halloween.  But I will admit that in the… Read More


The Top Five Reasons A drum roll, please. Here are the top five reasons for…using a top five list!Whether in your e-mail marketing or social media postings, top five (or six, eight or ten) lists make for fun reading and are a great way to convey concise bits of news. And here are my top… Read More


What are your shop’s signature colors?  Studies show that using one or two colors consistently in your branding will significantly increase consumer recognition.  You may take it for granted that your daily deliveries from UPS will be made in a brown truck, and by a delivery person wearing brown — but when you see a… Read More