Expert Solutions for Business Growth
This website will soon be your toolkit for small business success.
Our goal is to provide small business owners with the support and expertise needed to balance the demands of their business with the achievements of financial success.
We do that through our personalised, one-on-one coaching, consultancy and mentoring programs which we offer remotely to all areas or in person where that’s possible.
But, also by building The Retail Toolkit website so that it is full of proven strategies, solutions, templates and ideas. Whenever you’re looking for inspiration, come back and visit this incredible resource that we’re just starting to build.
Stay in the loop!
Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive updates on all the new tools and templates we're adding to The Retail Toolkit. You'll be the first to know what's new, along with getting a steady stream of valuable small business advice delivered right to your inbox.
“A small business owner has to know everything and be everywhere! I know, I’ve been there too. That’s why I’ve created The Retail Toolkit. Soon, when a small business owner needs a business tool, they will just rummage around in The Retail Toolkit to find exactly what they need. It’s early days though, there’s much more to come!”
We provide the tools that Small Business Owners need for Profitability, Efficiency & Success.
OUR OFFERINGS:
Leadership & Team Management
Develop your own leadership skills so that you can inspire,guide and motivate your team. Improve communication and delegation to resolve conflict and increase efficiency, and make sure you have the right people in the right roles with effective recruitment & onboarding. Learn to train your team to sell, not just serve.
Financial Health
You should know more than your bookkeeper about your business’s financials. Master the art of budgeting & forecasting, learn to interpret key financial reports. Know your break-even. Improve pricing strategies to boost profitability. Manage your roster to minimise unnecessary wages. Use financial data to make smarter, more profitable decisions. Be data-driven.
Marketing & Sales
Your presence is only as strong as your brand voice and digital marketing strategy. Developing campaigns & initiatives to increase sales, customer loyalty, and foot traffic; bringing in new and lapsed customers is the key to growth. Whilst at the same time, build your existing customer database so that you can communicate offers, sales, and events to drive repeat business.
Operational Excellence
Profit is often lost by inefficient systems in the daily operations of a small business. Establish effective procedures that reduce waste and lost labour hours. Get a handle on HR, establish clear policies but also invest in your team to ensure high productivity and low turnover. Create a strategic plan to help your business compete or to prepare for change and growth.
The Customer Journey
Your store should be a silent seller. Create an engaging and memorable shopping experience using strategic product placement & effective visual merchandising. Optimise the store layout to guide the customer journey. Your team bring the personality but should be equipped with sales skills that reflect your business to increase customer spend and maximise sales.
Supply Chain & Inventory Management
Poor inventory management can lead to either costly overstocking or lost sales due to stockouts. Get it right though, and customers will keep on buying and your cash flow will be secure. Leverage your existing sales data to make informed decisions. Streamline your supply chain to ensure that you have the right products at the right time, at the best possible cost.
I’m Kath Stonehouse, the founder, consultant and lead writer for The Retail Toolkit, a small business consultancy company dedicated to providing owners and managers with the resources and tools they need for profitability and sustainable growth.
We specialise in small business because it’s a world apart from all other types of business. A small business owner, particularly one in retail, will one minute be placing orders and preparing rosters and the next scheduling posts on social media and planning marketing campaigns, all while on the shop floor serving customers.
They have to know everything and be everywhere . I know, I’ve been there too. It’s exhilarating, daunting, relentless but empowering.
I've spent my career building and scaling my own small businesses, both retail and wholesale, as well as working with and heading up national retail franchises supporting small retail businesses. This has given me a deep understanding of the retail industry, and how challenging it is to be an owner. I know what it takes to succeed and I want to help others navigate their own business challenges so that they can love it as much as I do.
Welcome!
Innovation
|
Business Strategy
|
Operational Efficiency
|
Work-Life Balance
|
Coaching & Mentoring
|
Marketing & Customer Acquisition
|
Team Management
|
Products & Procurement
|
Innovation | Business Strategy | Operational Efficiency | Work-Life Balance | Coaching & Mentoring | Marketing & Customer Acquisition | Team Management | Products & Procurement |
OUR SERVICES:
STRATEGIC MYSTERY SHOP
This goes beyond the standard mystery shop.
You know what traditional mystery shopping is, but this is different. Our retail specialist visits your store personally and conducts a detailed evaluation of both your team and your store itself, observing every aspect through your customer’s eyes.
This is more than a simple checklist, it's a professional analysis that uncovers how your store's layout, merchandising and signage (the 'silent sellers') work in tandem with your team's ability to not just serve but to sell.
By providing fresh eyes and expert insight, this service gives you the actionable insights needed to make meaningful improvements and elevate the entire customer experience.
STRATEGY PLANNING SESSION
A structured plan to define your clear path forward.
A Strategy Planning Session is a collaborative working meeting designed to help you define, or refine, the direction that you want to take your business.
Our role is to guide you through a structured process to clarify your vision, identify your unique market position, and develop a practical, actionable plan for the future.
The session can be a one-off meeting or a short series of meetings, depending on the complexity of your business needs. By the end of the process, you will have a clear set of goals and a collection of strategies so that you’re ready to get stuck in to achieve your objectives - this would be your Strategic Action Plan (SAP).
BUSINESS COACHING & MENTORING
Strategic guidance to grow your business.
Running a small business is a constant balancing act. You're the visionary, the manager, and often the one on the shop floor. While you have the passion and expertise for your product or service, it can be challenging to step back and see the bigger picture. Our coaching & mentoring service is designed to give you that clarity and perspective.
Through one-on-one, remote sessions, we'll work together to define your business goals and create a clear plan to achieve them. This isn't a one-size-fits-all program. Whether you're a new entrepreneur looking for guidance or an established business owner wanting to scale, we can tailor the frequency and focus of our sessions to fit your specific needs.
OUR FEATURED BLOGS:
FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK:
