Whether you're a novice or a seasoned retail entrepreneur, this title shows you how to start and run your business in retail marketplace-from your original dream and the day-to-day operation to establishing a connection with customers and increasing your sales, both on the Web and at a brick-and-mortar shop.

Introduction 1 Part I: Testing the Retail Waters 5 Chapter 1: Retailing: How It Really Works and How It Can Work for You 7 Chapter 2: Defining Your Vision: It Starts with a Dream 17 Chapter 3: Branding: Making Your Business Memorable 27 Chapter 4: Getting to Know Your Customers Before You Even Have Any 37 Part II: Settin’ Up Shop 49 Chapter 5: Location, Location, Location: Finding the Right Place to Do Business 51 Chapter 6: Designing Stores That Work 71 Chapter 7: Choosing Your Merchandise: What to Buy and Where to Find It 85 Chapter 8: Getting the Goods: Controlling Your Buying 97 Part III: Detailing the Retailing 119 Chapter 9: Creating the Business Plan and Structure 121 Chapter 10: The Fine Print: Crossing the T’s and Dotting the I’s 141 Chapter 11: Creating Your Internal Systems: The Day-to-Day Stuff 163 Chapter 12: Finding, Hiring, and Keeping a Great Staff 183 Chapter 13: Money Matters: Accounting for Money Coming In and Going Out 201 Part IV: Spreading the Word Without Going Broke! 217 Chapter 14: Generating Word-of-Mouth Advertising 219 Chapter 15: Advertising Vehicles: What to Include in Your Arsenal 231 Chapter 16: Signage: The Underutilized Killer Resource 251 Chapter 17: Setting Up Successful Sales and Promotions 273 Part V: Selling Made Simple 295 Chapter 18: Selling the Soft, Suggestive Way 297 Chapter 19: Visual Merchandising for the Artistically Deprived and Financially Handicapped 309 Chapter 20: Selling Online: It’s an E-World 319 Part VI: The Part of Tens 339 Chapter 21: Ten Keys to Retailing Success 341 Chapter 22: Ten Secrets of Extraordinary Customer Service 347 Chapter 23: Ten Proven Management Practices 351 Appendix: About the CD 357 Index 369

Learn to: Launch a successful independent retail businessMake your Web site shineConnect with customers and increase salesSimplify operations with forms and templates on CD Get your business off the ground with a killer brand and get the sales you want! It's a great time to be an independent retailer! Whether you're a novice or seasoned professional, this practical how-to guide shows you how to start and run your business in today's marketplace — from your original dream and the day-to-day operations to establishing a connection with customers and increasing your sales, both on the Web and at a brick-and-mortar shop. Get lessons from real-life experience — the author shares his expertise in retail business (from his mistakes to his triumphs) and reveals what it takes to be successfulMaster all the basics of launching and growing a retail business — from writing a business plan and finding a great location to hiring and keeping great staff Meet and exceed the expectations of today's consumer — discover how to create positive shopping experiences, provide top-notch customer service, and earn customer loyalty Spread the word without going broke — find out how to differentiate your business, generate word-of-mouth advertising, and plan effective sales and promotions Bonus CD Includes Forms, templates, and samples to simplify your business, from managing employees and inventory to tracking financial performance, creating sales and marketing tools, and adding signage to your store See the CD appendix for details and complete system requirements. Open the book and find: The 10 keys to retailing successHow to design stores that workWhere and how to buy merchandiseThe best ways to make your business memorableExpert tips for building your Web site and selling onlineAdvice for handling legal and accounting issuesIn-the-trenches, proven management practicesA crash course in the art of selling