As a store owner, your freedom in changing processes is greater than, say, a store manager in a large chain store. But these opportunities also bring a greater responsibility. If the store is doing well, it is likely a product of you having done a good job. But if things are going badly, it might depend on this:
Bad time prioritisation
Cash handling is itself a thief of time, but the saviour for cash losses is something that also likely takes up much of your time. It is not unusual that your focus, as store owner, is to reduce losses, instead of spending time on streamlining cash handling. Do you not feel there is a problem with your current handling processes? You should probably look again – there’s always tweaks that can be made here and there!
Stuck in a rut
“We do things this way, and it’s worked for us so far.” Not wanting to change things by using the argument of “it has always worked well for us” is a sign that things could probably be going better for your business. What worked well when you started out is most likely not what works best today, or next year.
Let’s give you an example: Say that you’ve been doing the same thing for 15 years. Over those years you’ve spend 20 hours a week on administration and follow-up for cash handling, for example. The result? 15,600 hours (or just over one and a half years) that you could have used to raise your business to greater heights.
Goods flow over cash flow
Goods should be stacked on the shelves, be sold to customers before the expiration date and be refilled when they’re gone. You and your staff most likely spend a lot of time planning how to streamline the flow of goods in the store to never risk having empty shelves. But is this really the best way to prioritise your time? Think about whether an adjustment of your priorities can be the key to more efficient processes – and smoother logistics.
