Unlocking Retail, Sunshine Coast (2026)

12/04/2025

Every business is different and have different forecasting needs.

As a rule of thumb, I advise my clients to have a category plan set up and forecast at a minimum every month.

To take control of your business, it’s a great habit to set yourself aside just a few hours at the start of every month to review all your financial reports and assess if you have made your sales and profit targets for the previous month.

After determining this, analyse how you made those sales via how many units were sold from each category.

Create a clear picture of what drove your business and forecast future months sales of each category using this information……..what will the next 3-6 months sales look like?

That enables you to evaluate your current and future stock position and identify missed opportunities or approaching risks.

It’s in these uncertain times, that keeping complete control over your business, by forming good forecasting habits will keep you from running your business into a high risk group.

Feel free to shoot me a message if you have any question or need some clarity on forecasting.
M x

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https://unlockingretail.com.au/

28/08/2024

Are you Buying Stock without a Plan?

Buying to a plan allows you to get that balance right the first time, saving you from costly, profit eroding markdowns.

Can you imagine if you could see a way to purchase less stock, but sell more!

This is how successful retailers make real profit, as well as maintain a positive cash flow.

When I talk to my clients about this, I compare it to going to the grocery store for your weekly shop.

Scenario 1 - You go shopping with no idea of what you are having for dinner each night and end up with a shopping trolley full of……..well just full!!

Scenario 2 - You have made a meal plan for the week, you make a list and buy to the list ensuring you have covered all your needs, but avoid over buying.

So fast forward to the end of the week……

Scenario 1 - You use some of what you bought. Inevitably you will need to pop back to the shops again. You will also almost certainly throw out a lot of food at the end of the week.

Scenario 2 - You use all the food and throw out very little at the end of the week. Very little waste!

You can see the difference in the two options.

Now this is only grocery shopping and you have a chance to correct every week.

However, when you are purchasing for a season, in which you need to be profitable, it is well worth the effort to make a plan and a list!

What are the benefits of having a Financial and Product Plan.…..

✅ Sales increase due to a more accurate product mix.
✅ Profit increase due to selling more at full price.
✅ Cash Flow is better maintained due to more control, spending less on stock and closing the cash gap.

Its easier than you think. Shoot me a message or pop over to the Unlocking Retail website to contact us.
M x

https://unlockingretail.com.au/

19/08/2024

“Don’t find customers for your product, find products for your customers” ~Seth Godin~

This is a great quote to really think about.

When we focus on our customer and gather the facts in our business, we find hidden clues about what our customers really want.

We can learn more about the most sought after categories, products, price points, sizes and many more clues about our business.

Effective analysis can unlock many clues that can guide you in your purchasing decisions and put you on the right path to find the products for your customers.

This is the way to take your business from Purchase to Profit!

Need any help with effective analysis on your business, shoot me a message or pop over to the Unlocking Retail website for more contact details.

https://unlockingretail.com.au/

10/08/2024

Don’t give up just because things get hard!

I see perfect examples of this with many of my clients.

They want more control and structure in the buying process as well as a better understanding of retail finances.

As well as ensuring they are investing in the right product mix without overbuying!

Of course, like most people in business, changing the way you have always done things can be confronting and confusing to start with.

However, the clients who commit to the process and never given up see an immediate and tangible shift in their business.

Starting with a Sales and Profit Budget, we then implement Inventory Planning tools and a structured buying process.

To see the real facts of the sales and stock levels in every category, empowers you to be proactive right at the start of the buying process and creating a “shopping list”.

This ensures best product mix, while having less unsold stock on the shelf, more cash in the bank and higher profits.

So thrilled when I hear “I love this process as I can really see what’s happening in my own business for the first time!”

Shoot me a DM or pop over to the Unlocking Retail website to contact me if you think this is something that will benefit your retail business.

M x

28/07/2024

There is no failure, you either Win or you Learn.

Nelson Mandela quoted “I never lose. I either Win or I Learn”. He also held onto the concept of learning until his last breath!

This philosophy really helps to make you strong and gives you the strength to not just carry on, but to really learn more when things get tough in business.

If your business is not doing what you imagined it would and feel there is more potential. Then it might be time to try something different.

I talk to many retailers who have such wonderful concepts and couldn’t be more passionate about their retail business and their customers. However, they also feel there is something missing and when we start talking about all the different aspects of running a successful retail business, it often comes down to clarity around the numbers.

By implementing effective analysis into your retail business, you can really understand what makes it tick, what the key drivers are and if all your buying, merchandising and marketing decisions reflect this.

If you’re in a product business you will always make buying mistakes. That’s the only way we learn what our customers like and what they don’t.

By implementing a structured process to ensure you learn the most from your mistakes and then creating an improved buying plan is how we win.

This is where Planning and Forecasting is one of the most supportive tools a retailer can have.

I see incredible shifts in my clients, from complete confusion around numbers and inventory to absolute clarity. Even excitement to review their budgets and plans to see if they are on track to grow their business.

My passion is to help busy retailers plan their buying to ensure best product mix, while having less stock on the shelf, more cash in the bank and higher profits.

If you want to learn a new way to go from Purchase to Profit give me a shout. Simply drop me a message or pop over to the Unlocking Retail website for more contact details and let’s chat about your business.
M x
👌 ❤️

21/07/2024

How profitable are your current sales?

I talk to a lot of boutique retailers and the question I get asked more often than not, is, “how do I get more sales”?

It seems the obvious way to a successful retail business, right? Not necessarily.

You see, bigger is not always better.

More sales does not mean you are more successful. Because it does not guarantee more profits, especially when profit is only a hopeful outcome!

Aiming to grow your business via sales alone, can also be an expensive path to go down. In most cases there are associated costs, like marketing, or store fit out, extra staff, working longer hours, etc......

As your sales grow, so do your expenses. You will probably feel amazing, but you may not be actually making more money!

Success comes from the profit of the sale, not the sale alone.

I’m certainly not suggesting to not have a goal to grow sales, however, ensure you are growing profitable sales!

Then you are growing your business, not just your sales!

By asking a few simple questions in a 1 on 1 strategy session, we can discover how profitable your current sales are and what hidden profits there could be in your retail business.

If this has struck a chord with you, shoot me a message and let’s have a chat on how you can take control of your profits as well as your sales.
M x

01/07/2024

To also quote Chris Gallagher, co-founder of Vionic Shoes, when he contributed to our EXPERT ADVICE series…….

“Any business large or small that has a good business plan, without a clear vision will be mediocre at best.”

The same goes for any business that has a clear vision without a good business plan will absolutely fail.

I’ve seen many small businesses fail, not because they don’t have a good idea, it’s generally they have not taken the business through a robust strategic Thinking Process”

Having a great Vision for your retail business is absolutely important. Ensuring you follow a Strategic Plan to achieve your vision, is critical to its success.

Don’t let your great Vision remain an illusion. Creating a strategic plan for retail businesses is what Unlocking Retail does.

So shoot me a DM or pop over to the Unlocking Retail Website to arrange a Free Strategy Session. Look forward to hearing from you.
M x

https://unlockingretail.com.au/

27/06/2024

Should you participate in a storewide sales offer?

Yes it’s that time of year when we need to evaluate our stock position and the time left to exit our winter stock.

What is the best way to participate in sale activity and still benefit your business?

How do you make a decision on what to mark down? Or do a storewide % off offer?

There are a few things to look at.

What do you want to achieve?

❓Do you want to promote your business and get as many customers in the door as possible? But at what cost?

❓Or, reduce stock levels in the overall business? Do you know your stock levels and what they should be at this point of the year?

❓Or, drive cash flow? Is it cash flow you need to drive, what is the target and how can you still drive gross profit?

❓Or, exit the slow selling items? Make your winter stock really clean and only target the slow sellers. This will set you up for a good clean start for summer.

There is no right or wrong answer here. However, you do need to read and understand your businesses inventory position and financial position to make the best decision.

A storewide offer is exciting and will usually drive a lot of sales, but can you afford the stock and the gross margin impact. It will also deplete your best sellers, because people still buy the best items, just at a discount price and you are still left with the slow sellers.

These decisions will impact every part of your business, either positively or negatively. How you determine your sales strategy will determine the long and short term impact!

It is a confusing topic, so if you need a little clarity, give me a shout and we can arrange a free strategy session to chat specifically about your current inventory and overall business position.
M x

27/06/2024

How well do you know your stock?

Knowing your stock can put you at a great advantage in any product business.

Inventory is by far the biggest investment you make in a retail business.

So the attention you put on the management of your stock is a direct reflection on your Sales, your Profit and your Cashflow.

When I start working with a retailer and we take a deep dive into their inventory, I love seeing the new sense of power they have by knowing the exact position their inventory is in.

“Wow!! I didn’t know how much that affected my Cashflow!”

“I could have spent 100k less on stock this year and achieve the same Sales and Profit result”.

These are very common comments I hear from very experienced and well established retail business owners when they start to understand things like stock turn and the impact it has.

The magic really is in your biggest investment, your inventory. 🪄

A lot of these answers we can discover in one free strategy session, where I will let you know if there is opportunity to improve your Profit and/or Cashflow.

And if there is no opportunity for significant improvement, we have had a great chat 😊

However, I haven’t come across that yet😉

So give me a shout and let’s take the deep dive and discover the hidden treasures in your biggest investment.

Drop me a message or pop over to the Unlocking Retail website for more contact details.
M x
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https://unlockingretail.com.au/

24/06/2024

Why don’t businesses do it?

I have asked this question to many retail businesses and here are the top 3 answers I received.

1️⃣ We didn’t know we should be planning

2️⃣ We don’t know where to begin

3️⃣ We really don’t understand how it helps

These are all valid replies.

So I thought I would share a little insight and clarify……

⭐️ Why should we plan:
You will gain an enormous sense of control in your business and gives you the ability to steer your business, rather than just roll with it!
You will be more proactive rather than reactive, so you will identify problems early and work on solutions prior to them becoming a big issue.
Much better to know than pretend everything will be ok!

⭐️ Where to begin:
Firstly, one of the most important things to plan in a retail business is your inventory.
The easiest way is using a spreadsheet, however, if you are unfamiliar with this program it can be performed on paper, but not as efficiently.
My suggestion is to ask for help on this one. Once you have established the tools to use, you will need a starting point. What is your current stock position and what rate are you selling it at? Depending if you anticipate your sales to increase or decrease, will form your forecast. This will give you an indication on how long your stock will last and where your shortages will be.

⭐️ How will it help:
The best way I can describe how planning helps is the control, clarity and confidence it gives you in your business.
From my experience it absolutely takes the stress away. Planning also lets you know what is really going on with your inventory and helps you keep the optimum stock levels at all times. Inventory is the single biggest investment you make in your retail business and the better you have this under control the healthier your business will be in all areas including Sales, Profit and Cash Flow!

Hopefully that has put some clarity around the mystery of planning.
Mx

22/06/2024

Does a good knowledge of Retail Maths contribute to a successful retail business?

In my experience, knowing and understanding Retail Maths absolutely contributes to a successful business! Let me explain why…

To me knowledge is power and the more you know and understand all your numbers the more powerful you are in your business.

✅ Negotiation - If you understand mark-up and margin on a product and are able to do the calculation, you will be a much more powerful negotiator in a supplier meeting.

✅Credibility – A retailer that can work out and understand all the maths has much more credibility and can add facts and science to all business decisions.

✅Buying – If you understand COGS (cost of goods sold) and Gross Profit you will be a much more powerful Buyer and know what GP% is required from each category in your business.

✅Markdowns – If you can work out how much the discounted price will affect your GP$ and GP%, you can make more informed decisions.

✅P&L – If you understand all your retail numbers you can work out what Gross Profit is required to pay your bills and ensure a Net Profit! Check it

This is just a few ways you can be more powerful in your retail business by understanding and LOVING your numbers!

If you need help with your numbers, that’s my passion and I’d love to help.
M x

https://unlockingretail.com.au/

Unlocking Retail

12/04/2025

28/08/2024

19/08/2024

10/08/2024

28/07/2024

21/07/2024

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27/06/2024

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