There’s a lot of good information out there, especially on the web, for resale and consignment shops and for non-profit thrift stores as well.

Trouble is, sometimes it’s hard to translate advice written by and aimed towards corporations with  more hierarchy than our businesses.

Here’s an article from Andy Sernovitz which is easier to see ourselves in than most. The black type is Andy, the red is my translation into your shop’s lingo.

Entrepreneurs face these questions more often than they think:

1. Delegating: The cost of a senior/expensive/limited-resource person doing work someone else more junior could do (Your time is not best-spent colorizing the earrings.)
2. Choosing a project: Picking between two activities, with the same time/resource cost, and picking the one that returns more for the same effort (especially when one is new, exciting, or fun) (It’d be FUN to have a fashion show…but it would be more profitable to spend the time/money on a direct mail campaign)
3. Picking the big customers: You spend the same sales effort to reach a buyer with a small or big wallet — you’ll close the sale either way, but end up with less (Advertising in higher-status venues will attract those with more money to spend…or more profitable items to consign.)
4. Selling to existing vs. new customers: You get the same revenue per sale, but the the new customers have a much bigger burden of sales effort and setup costs, producing less profit (How often do you reach out for past sellers or consignors directly?  OR: Have you put aside complementary items for the layaway customer who’s coming in today to pick up that suit? Could mean an easy additional sale and a thrilled customer. )
5. Creating new products vs. reselling existing products: New products always return less to the bottom line until you recover your development costs (Is adding a new department the best choice, or might expanding choices in current lines be better, sales-wise?)…
6. Killer customers: Some customers cost more to serve than you make from the sale… (Fire that PITA supplier.)
7. Trouble employees: Two employees with the same job, but one …[costs] the company resources and demoralizes high performers… (In doubt as to whether to rid yourself of the slacker? Consider the effect of her further employment on her co-workers.)

Read Andy Sernovitz’s full post at Gaspedal here.