We hope you enjoy it. If you do, please share it with your friends.

Let us know what you think about it!

Best,

Dan Jablons
Retail Smart Guys
www.retailsmartguys.com
Cell: 818-720-2585
Fax: 818-897-7223

Retail Smart Guys has been asked by the Downtown Center Business Improvement District to do a seminar on retailing. The purpose of the seminar is to help local retail businesses improve.

Yeah, the recession is over – maybe. Unemployment is still too high, there is talk of another financial disaster on commercial loans, spending is up but not enough.

So if you are a retailer and would like some free advice on how to do that, including a pretty comprehensive study of your business and how to improve it, come to the seminar. Look at this flyer for more info:

http://www.retailsmartguys.com/RSGSeminar.pdf

As always, feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Best,

Dan Jablons
Retail Smart Guys
www.retailsmartguys.com
email: dan@retailsmartguys.com
Cell: 818-720-2585

I was recently interviewed by The Friedman Group, who wanted to know more about Social Networking (which is something we help our clients with, for free, as part of our planning process).

Check out the link below. I hope it helps!

http://email.tailorednews.com/TMsubscribe.net/ViewOnline.aspx?u=IJjLfNFkyD8x

Best,

Dan Jablons
Retail Smart Guys
www.retailsmartguys.com

Hal invited us to take a tour of downtown LA that he does monthly. I signed up because I realized that although I have been living in Los Angeles for 13 years, I know precious little about downtown LA.

Well let me tell you, the tour is absolutely amazing, and something that everyone must do. As a business owner, I was fascinated by all the different stories of businesses that saw success in the downtown area, how they made their deals, and what we (as business owners and entrepreneurs) can learn from all of that. It was inspiring to learn about downtown, not only from a historical perspective, but also from the perspective of what is possible there. The potential for growth, success, and just plain good business is overwhelming and exciting, all at the same time.

Other members of the tour and I were absolutely blown away by Hal’s depth of knowledge of Downtown LA. While walking through the tour, a fellow traveler and I wondered how Hal was able to remember all of those stories, facts, and figures? How did he keep track of all the possibilities and activities in downtown LA? Hal Bastian is a walking encyclopedia of downtown, and his passion and drive are infectious. I wish I had taped the tour so that I could replay and remember all the wonderful stories of the buildings, businesses, and people that he shared. At some point soon, I want to do that tour again. And I’ve never said that about any other tour, anywhere in the world!

I am now an ambassador for downtown LA. I’m already thinking of clients that can and should open stores on 7th Street, and more ways to help build that area. I do see the potential there. I want to help.

If you are in LA, I highly encourage you to take this tour. It’s so much fun, so fascinating, and if you are a retailer, you might find yourself thinking about how you could make it work to open a cool store down there. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

For more information, check out: http://downtownla.com/2_03_businessWalkingTours.asp

Best,
Dan Jablons
Retail Smart Guys
www.retailsmartguys.com

The person I was working with was in tears.  Too many bills, not enough sales, and their retail business was in great danger.  This person was in a constant state of unbridled worry, sleepless nights, and economic torture.  I suppose we’ve all been through that to some degree or another, and I really just wanted to help that person through this disaster.

It got me thinking about the causes of such stress and worry.  Granted, sales have been down (although they are picking up in some areas), and times are definitely tougher now than they have been.  I suppose there are some people who can just naturally handle the stress better than others, or who can simply shake off the bad news.  But that doesn’t really help the people who need help, who are stressed out and need relief.

That’s when it hit me.  It’s a pretty simple solution, amazingly enough.

Worry and stress happen because of uncertainty.  If you are uncertain that you’ll survive, or how you’ll survive, you will worry because the path to success, freedom, and happier times is not visible to you.  As such, everything you look at becomes a problem, everyone you talk to makes you crazy, and life is just unlivable.  Pretty awful.

So what’s the answer?  The antedote to worry and stress is a solid plan, which followed step-by-step would lead you out of the mess you are in, into success.  Simple, right? 

The hard part is coming up with the plan, and I believe that it is a rare individual that can do it alone.  Consider this analogy: if you are lost in the woods, you’d need someone who can see where you are, relative to the main road, to help you find your way out.  You might find your own way out, but you’ll wander those dark scary woods alone for a long time before you make it out, and that’s IF you can make it out.

I’ve actually seen this work by applying it to myself.  If I find myself worried about an action plan, a client, or any other area, I call in the experts.  They help me see what I cannot see.  They help me to know what I don’t know, what I cannot figure out on my own, etc.  It plainly, simply, works.

So if you are a retailer and you are struggling, or are worried or stressed out, get a plan.  Contact me for help.

Best,

Dan Jablons
Retail Smart Guys
Web: http://www.retailsmartguys.com
Email: dan@retailsmartguys.com
Cell: 818-720-2585
Fax: 818-897-7223

There are a few definite downsides to consignment goods that retailers should be aware of:
- Sure, you can send the goods back, but that means you are paying double freight for stuff that didn’t sell.
- What is the cost to you to have your staff (or yourself) pack up these goods?
- What about accounting?  This definitely adds time to any accounting that you do to keep your books straight (not to mention your POS system!)
- Moving goods in and out this way can confuse your customer. A retail store has no better marketing than having the right goods at the right time. 

We do recommend consigment goods when you are learning about a new line that is untested, or if you are having very difficult cash flow scenarios.  Of course, difficult cash flow scenarios typically come from either buying too much inventory in the wrong classifications, or too much inventory in general, and that’s what solid open to buy planning prevents (OK, a not-so-subtle hint, but I do believe in that strongly, so I had to stick that in there.)

The recession isn’t over yet, so these kinds of issues must be carefully studied to ensure positive cash flow and success.

Dan Jablons
Retail Smart Guys
www.retailsmartguys.com
dan@retailsmartguys.com
cell: 818-720-2585

WRITING: The writing is being done by a professional writer and editor, who has many years of experience in fashion magazines.  Her writing is stellar, and if you’d like to see samples of it you can check out her own blog at stuff2eat.blogspot.com.

POSTING: If you have already set up your own blog, we post to that.  If you don’t have a blog but want one, we’ll create one for you for free.

MORE POSTING: Besides posting to your blog, we’ll also post to blogs that relate to your product.  For example, if you have a women’s contemporary store, we’ll post to those types of fashion blogs. 

PRICING: Probably one of the most attractive parts about the program is the price.  It’s only $45 per post!  If you buy in bulk, you get even better pricing.

OK, so what are you waiting for?  Check out www.retailblogging.com right now. 
Best,

Dan Jablons
Retail Smart Guys
www.retailsmartguys.com
www.retailblogging.com
Email: dan@retailsmartguys.com
Cell: 818-720-2585

Best,

Dan Jablons
Retail Smart Guys
www.retailsmartguys.com
www.retailblogging.com
dan@retailsmartguys.com
Cell: 818-720-2585

“I’ve known Jonathan Schwartz for more than 20 years, and it is a ‘dream come true’ for me to work with him,” said Dan Jablons, founder of Retail Smart Guys. “Jonathan has an incredible background in retail planning, operations, and systems. His experience, coupled with the services we provide, is exactly what will help the independent New York store to survive.”

Schwartz’s diverse career includes positions at many high-profile retailers, including CIO for Century 21 department stores, director of merchandise planning for Bugle Boy Industries and director of merchandise planning for the Izod Division of Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation. He was involved with store planning while at The Limited and director of store operations in his family’s retail department store in northwestern New Jersey. He has worked in his own consulting business as well as consulting for Pricewaterhouse Coopers and has been in charge of retail group for Arthur, a major POS/planning system. Schwartz has an MBA from George Washington University and a bachelor of science in business administration from Boston University.

Retail Smart Guys is dedicated to helping retailers grow their businesses, even in difficult times like these. The firm provides solid inventory planning and budgets to retailers, enabling them to lower their inventory investment, which has become even more critical in this economy. The firm also offers retail consulting in marketing as well as retail operations, to provide a complete suite of consulting services for retailers.

“My partnership with Retail Smart Guys enables me to give the kind of help and guidance to retailers that I know will help them improve their bottom line,” said Schwartz. “These are the exact services needed by independent retailers, especially in New York. I can’t wait to start helping these guys realize their true potential.”

Both Jablons and Schwartz agree that their consulting takes them deep into the retail organizations, as the planning they provide often points up other areas that need help. Often, the two find themselves assisting in sales training, vendor negotiations, financial planning, information technology, hiring/firing, and payroll analysis. Retailers typically find a return on investment of up to 15 times in the first year.

“There really isn’t an area of the retail business that we can’t help with,” said Schwartz. “We’ll do whatever we have to in order to help our customers. And if they need help in an area that we don’t know about, we know ten people we can bring in to help solve the problem.”

For more information, visit www.retailsmartguys.com.

ABOUT RETAIL SMART GUYS
Retail Smart Guys is a consulting firm, specializing in assisting retail stores with their inventory planning and open to buy. The firm was started by Dan Jablons, who has 30 years of experience working in and consulting with retail companies, from single-store mom-and-pop operations to major retail chains. He has also worked extensively with point-of-sale systems, including Retail Pro, QuickBooks Point of Sale, and Microsoft Dynamics. For more information, contact Retail Smart Guys at 818-720-2585 or visit www.retailsmartguys.com Retail Smart Guys is an affiliate of Management One, which provides planning and services for retailers around the country.

Most often, this is talked about in terms of real estate.  But I think it also extends to retail.  And I believe that RIGHT NOW is the time to map out a growth strategy.

Many stores have closed their doors.  Others have contracted, leaving market segments or territories open for those who can capitalize on it.

Growth comes from one of three areas:
1.Additional Market Share
2.Additional Territories
3.Additional Product Lines

We are advising all of our accounts to review the above, and pick areas where they can grow their business.  Sure, things are still tough out there.  Yes, I believe Spring 2010 is going to be tough.  But if they can get through that (which we are helping them do via better marketing and cash flow through great open to buy planning), then they can build their businesses into something amazing.

This economy has had us all worrying, contracting, suffering, weeping, struggling, and enslaved for far too long.  The time has come to do something proactive, something amazing, something bold, and something historical.

I hope you can use this.  Let me know what you think about it.
Dan Jablons
Retail Smart Guys
www.retailsmartguys.com
dan@retailsmartguys.com
Cell: 818-720-2585