BUILT FOR GROWTH Expanding Your Business Around the Corner or Across the Globe

Chapter 8. Blueprint for Execution

THEORETICALLY, A RETAILER SHOULD WRITE the strategic plan for the business before ever breaking ground on the first store. Realistically, the first store often precedes the plan. Often a retailer opens a store because she's an expert on lingerie or has a great pizza recipe and only later considers broader possibilities. Or, like Potbelly's Bryant, the retailer may buy a store when the opportunity arises, knowing that a plan for expansion is to come. Or, like Blue C Sushi, the owners might want to understand the totality of the commitment required for one or two stores before considering regional or national expansion. Ultimately, what matters is that the strategic plan is in place before a retailer undertakes ...