Prevent Errors, Boost Your Operations 1,000%, Sell When Online Browsers Are Active and More Ideas from the Worlds of Signs, Eyecare and Pets

YOU PROBABLY don’t subscribe to a pet store magazine. Or a signage trade journal. Or an eyecare publication. But we do — because INSTORE is part of a family of magazines all built around the same mission: helping independent owners run better businesses. And here’s the fun part — the advice from these wildly different industries is often dead-on relevant to jewelry retail. That’s why we started this column. Welcome to “Borrowed Brilliance”.

From the World of Signs

The 10-Minute “Micro-Proof” Huddle

Before you hit “go” on any major project (or even a big custom job), pull your team together for a quick reality check. Derek Atchley of Derek Atchley Creative suggests implementing a “micro-proof” step: a 5-to-10-minute internal huddle where the designer, production lead, and installer review the final art together (In the case of a jewelry store, it could be the sales associate, the bench jeweler and the store manager). This collaborative look identifies potential “headaches downstream,” before they become expensive mistakes. Catching these errors early saves hours of rework and prevents awkward phone calls to clients. This “attention to detail” huddle ensures that everyone is on the same page and that the final product is flawless. It’s a small time investment that pays “massive dividends in quality control and professional reputation,” Atchley tells Signs of the Times.

From The World of Pet Care

Appoint an Operations Manager

Avoid getting bogged down in daily administrative chores. Stephanie Bennett, a certified dog trainer and owner of Believe in Dog Training in Houston, TX, credits an operations manager with enabling her business to grow by 1,000%. Delegating the daily “machine” allows you to focus on your core expertise and high-level training while your business runs efficiently, she tells PETS+.

From the World of Vision

Stop Losing the “After-Hours” Sale

If you don’t have a 24/7 digital storefront, you are missing out on the majority of your potential online business. Brianna Rhue, OD, highlights a critical data point: 70% of online orders happen when you are not there. Specifically, 43% of orders occur between 6 p.m. and 9 a.m., and another 27% happen during the lunch hour. “If you’re not offering 24/7 online ordering like other retailers are, you’re missing the flight,” Rhue warns. Making it “easy and convenient” for customers to do business with you on their own schedule is essential for any modern independent owner, she writes in INVISION.

Parting Words: “Revenue is a vanity metric. It doesn’t matter how much you make. What matters is what you keep. Focus more on chasing profit rather than revenue.” — Dominic Tancredi, Woodshed Stage Art, Cleveland, OH