Ep. 153 Why Isn’t (Or Is) Your Retail Store Profitable?

There’s a question that keeps lots of shopkeepers up at night: “How am I making money, but not making any money?!” 

They have revenue coming into their business, but they’re still unable to turn a profit or pay themselves. Unfortunately, that question will keep them tossing and turning without a clear understanding of their numbers.

Through hundreds of conversations with independent retailers like you, I’ve learned that shopkeepers appreciate simple tools to help them understand what’s going on in their business. 

I LOVE challenging myself to design tools and create resources to help indie retailers. Why? Because it’s what I needed eight years ago. Heck, because it still helps me in my retail business!

The Best Tool for Understanding Why You Are or Aren’t Profitable

In episode 44 of the Savvy Shopkeeper Retail Podcast, I introduced my unique concept for understanding a retail business’s numbers: The Retail Profit Pie. 

When you break down a brick-and-mortar retail business into financial sections, there are five main parts:

1. Cost of goods (COGS)

2. Rent

3. Payroll

4. Other operating expenses

5. Net profit/loss (hopefully net profit, of course!)

Simple, right? Each financial section is a slice of your Retail Profit Pie. Depending on your individual business, there could be more “slices” of pie, but those five are the most common. 

An Insightful Business Snapshot

Since I introduced the Retail Profit Pie two years ago, I’ve heard from many shopkeepers who understand the concept I’m teaching. Some even have an aha moment about how much of their pie is taken up by COGS. 

But many shopkeepers still don’t know HOW to create their Retail Profit Pie based on their business and numbers. 

I created a simple Google Sheet (spreadsheet) to help shopkeepers do this. It’s available to Master Shopkeepers members. 

Recently, though, I improved the spreadsheet—and actually filled it out for Master Shopkeepers members using their numbers. 

Seeing your numbers laid out clearly in the Retail Profit Pie spreadsheet instantly answers the “how am I making money but not making any money?!” question. It is a super insightful business snapshot.

When I calculate these numbers for a shopkeeper, we aren’t getting into the nitty-gritty details. But this tool and the data it produces are so helpful, especially when I start working with a 1:1 client.

When I use the Google Sheet to create a Retail Profit Pie, I immediately know what’s going on with that shopkeeper’s business. I can see why their business is profitable or why the opposite is true. 

I can tell them if they’re paying too much in rent, if their COGS are too high, if they are overspenders, or if they might be able to hire more help. It’s really eye-opening for retailers! 

For a Limited Time: Get Your Personalized Retail Profit Pie Assessment (With Virtual Coaching From Kathy!) for $97

While doing this for Master Shopkeepers members, I realized that this could be helpful to so many other shopkeepers, too.

So for a limited time, I’ll create and send you your very own Retail Profit Pie Assessment!

This is a done-for-you, flash virtual coaching service that I’m opening up for just five days, through January 21, 2023.

How it Works: 

1. Fill out a simple Google form with your contact info and provide the following numbers from a 12-month Profit & Loss statement:

• Total COGS for one year
• Rent for one year
• Payroll for one year
• Other operating expenses for one year (less rent and payroll)
• Net Profit or Loss for one year
• Total revenue for one year

All your information is confidential and will not be shared with anyone else.

What You’ll Receive:

First, you’ll get a customized Retail Profit Pie Google Sheet!

The results are so easy to understand on this Google Sheet. Red fields are areas where your business needs to improve, while green fields are areas that are performing well. You’ll also see benchmarks for each field that you might want to work towards.

You’ll receive your Google Sheet in a personalized email from me, along with a short list of my takeaways about your business. 

Best of all, you can ask me three follow-up questions regarding your Retail Profit Pie. I’ll reply with my answers and some virtual coaching.

Two Years Later, This Is Still One of My Best Tools

I published The Retail Profit Pie episode in October 2020, over TWO YEARS ago. I often joke in Master Shopkeepers that I’m a slow learner…and maybe a slow educator, too. 

It has taken me two whole years to realize exactly how helpful this could be for everyone in the Savvy Shopkeeper community of podcast listeners, email subscribers, and social media followers. This tool will help you realize if you have a profitable retail store.

If you beat yourself up for not understanding your numbers or not liking math, I’ll make a deal with you: I won’t beat myself up for realizing how helpful the Retail Profit Pie is for two years, and you won’t beat yourself for hating the numbers. Deal? 🤗

Ready to Get Your Custom Retail Profit Pie?

The Retail Profit Pie concept is excellent. But you know what’s even better? 

Providing a simple tool that does the work for you AND educates you. The fact that you can use this tool over and over again each year is the icing on the cake!

Even if our stores are profitable, we always want to know what’s going on and where we can improve. And if your store isn’t profitable, you should KNOW why.

Your personalized Retail Profit Pie—along with some helpful virtual coaching from me—will help you do just that. 

And once you understand what’s going on in your business, I want you to have fun improving! It’s the perfect opportunity to get creative, develop fun solutions, and find ways to serve yourself and your customers better. And, to be a profitable retail store.

Get your tailor-made Retail Profit Pie and some insightful email coaching from me at savvyshopkeeper.com/profit through January 21, 2023.

Resources

• Get your customized Retail Profit Pie and email coaching from Kathy at savvyshopkeeper.com/profit ($97, available through January 21, 2023)
• Learn more about Master Shopkeepers, the territory-protected, community-focused mastermind for indie retailers
• Ep. 44: The Retail Profit Pie

Timestamps

• [01:37] The Best Tool for Understanding Why You Are or Aren’t Profitable
• [04:08] An Insightful Business Snapshot
• [07:08] For a Limited Time: Get Your Personalized Retail Profit Pie Created (With Virtual Coaching From Kathy!)
• [12:04] Two Years Later, This Is Still One of My Best Tools
• [13:12] Ready to Get Your Custom Retail Profit Pie? Click here for the limited offer