The movement which told us to work on our businesses and not in them really took off in the 1990s. Some gurus who made the pitch made retailers and other business owners feel guilty if they chose to work in the business.
Implied in their call to work on the business was the accusation that you were not working on the business. In many independent retail businesses, where access to resources is a challenge, this is not the case.
My experience working with retail stores of many sizes and in a broad variety of marketplaces, working in the stores can be highly valuable. Hands on experience by the owner or manager can help them see opportunities which might otherwise escape them.
The key, if you are working in the business, is to embrace this as a strategic management opportunity.
In many situations, working on rather than working in involves disconnection from the shop floor. In independent retail, especially in a locally focused retail store or a store serving in a niche product category, this disconnection can mean a missing of opportunities.
Here are ways that working in a retail store can be more beneficial for the owner or manager than working on the store from a distance:
You can make and test tactical decisions live on the shop floor and see for yourself how they perform for the business.
You can engage in direct customer feedback and build your own view of what this could mean for the business.
You can see opportunities in the store layout, product range, visual merchandising and other aspects of the business.
You can get feedback directly from sales employees.
You can see why some products may not be performing as well as others. Sometimes you will see something from the shop floor which is not reflected in business performance reports.
As the person with more at stake in the success of the business you can better train and guide others working in the business if you are working alongside them.
While the owner or manager can access all of these benefits through a reporting structure, there is nothing like working in the business to experience each of these first hand and from the context of someone working in the business. This is where valuable learning is done and wise decisions can be made.
Working on the business can disconnect you from the business and have you managing by numbers and reports. Working in the business has the risk of you not having access to critical data on the business performance.
The best solution is to bring the overview management techniques of working on the business to your time working in the business. Be in the business as an owner or manager with a critical stake in the business. Be tactical and strategic in your moves. Share your insights and learnings and every day work in the business to make it more efficient, enjoyable and successful.
Author Resource:-
submit article has been writing articles online for nearly 2 years now. Not only does this author specialize in Retail Business
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