Background: Our client, a fairly new and growing retail storefront specializing in fresh flowers, unique gifts, and special celebrations, has been in business for nearly two years. With a small in-person team of less than 10 employees, they cater directly to consumers, aiming to provide exceptional customer experiences. Not unlike many busy businesses experiencing growth and brand demand there were challenges among their internal systems, operational effectiveness, and team cohesion.
Challenge: The owner felt overwhelmed by day-to-day operations and recognized that details, systems, and team processes were not within their area of expertise. They sought our retainer services to streamline operations, enhance team productivity, and improve overall financial performance.
Our Approach
Over a multi-month engagement, we implemented several strategic initiatives to address their needs:
1 New Employee Handbook & Store Policies
Objective: Enhance hiring efficiency and clarity around role expectations.
Impact: The development of a comprehensive employee handbook saved time and money by providing clear and consistent expectations, reducing confusion and stress among team members.
2 Financial Review and Management
Objective: Establish benchmarks for data-driven decision-making while enhancing overall financial operations.
Impact: Through comprehensive financial reviews, we identified opportunities to negotiate overhead expenses and pinpointed profit opportunities and risks, leading to an impressive reduction in operational expenses of over 80% monthly. We set up some simple and effective financial management systems that looked at all the important pieces of their finances. While they leverage Shopify to track sales and inventory, we also dove into other factors like expenses, operational hours, and profit opportunities. With regular reporting and insights, the owner gained a clearer picture of their financial health, making it easier to make informed decisions and keep things running more profitably.
Something to Note: We collaborated directly with their bookkeeper to maximize the value of this existing service they were already utilizing. This partnership made their essential investment more worthwhile and significantly impacted the business’s bottom line.
3 Employee Onboarding, Training & check-In Processes
Objective: Establish clear expectations and enhance job understanding to facilitate smooth transitions between team members and new employees.
Impact: We created friendly and engaging onboarding and training processes that made it easy for everyone to understand their roles. This not only helped current team members feel more confident in their jobs but also made welcoming new employees easier. With clear guidelines in place everyone is able to hit the ground running together!
4 Monthly Team Newsletter and Selling Well Practices
Objective: Foster team cohesion and consistent expectations.
Impact: The introduction of a monthly newsletter helped keep the team connected and accountable. This initiative nurtured a positive team culture and facilitated self-led improvement, ultimately increasing average retail retention and professional development.
Results
The strategic initiatives we implemented not only streamlined operations but also fostered a supportive and cohesive team environment. The client reported:
- Reduced overwhelm for the owner through better-defined processes.
- Enhanced financial visibility and performance through data-driven insights.
- A remarkable reduction up to 80% in monthly operational expenses demonstrating effective financial management.
- Improved employee morale and accountability, leading to higher retention rates.
- A recorded 266.67% increase in monthly revenue as the owner was able to dedicate their time and energy to pursuing sales and new opportunities.
This case study exemplifies how focused revenue operations and leadership support can transform a business’s internal systems, leading to sustainable growth and enhanced customer service.
If you’re a business owner looking to reclaim your time, enhance team effectiveness, and drive profitability, let’s discuss how our retainer services can support your unique needs!
