If you read articles in the c-store industry journals or magazines it is hard to find an issue without some sort of mention on the value of analyzing your data and using it to drive your business.  A lot C-store operators feel like they have so much data it feels like a Big Data mountain to …

All employees of a c-store have responsibilities. Everyone is busy.  Whether work tasks or raising a family, people spend their time seeking objectives, solving problems and handling what comes to them each day.  This stress is normal life. Normal or not, the work load can sometimes become too much. At times, all staff experience burn …

Many will ask “Do numbers really matter when managing store performance?” Why does the existence of performance numbers impact the very performance they measure. It is often stated ‘If you want to improve something measure it.’ The statement is rarely disputed but not always supported. There are just as many reasons not to analyze your …

Getting better results is the goal for any c-store manager. Many use technology to drive performance in there stores. Good managers in c-stores or any business, understand that getting good results means having good accountability. Tools are critical, but a manager is responsible for results. Good managers know good accountability is better store performance. 4 …

Don’t let c-store performance problems surprise. Everyone knows that work has surprises and work has problems. The trick is to do what you can to make sure those problems are not surprises. If you are looking at your c-store performance on a monthly basis, you may be well aware of that wisdom. Finding the problem …

Scorecards catch things in a c-store. There are a lot of details to take care of in a C-Store. It is easy to let small details slip through the cracks.  Here are 5 things that slip through the cracks in a c-store that daily scorecards catch: Tank Meters are not calibrated correctly – Tank meters …

If you were to ask someone on the street “What would your rather own, a small company or a big c-store company?”, the typical answer would probably be “A big company”.  Advantages of owning a small c-store company are many. Smaller  companies have a lot of advantages that are often overlooked. First, they try different …

Like many, as I get older, I have to work harder to keep fit. Sadly, I found myself 5 pounds heavier after spending 6 months on a diet.  I was going backwards. Embarrassed, I decided something needed to change. As an analyst, I decided to make a plan. Surprisingly, my personal diet plan reminded me …

One of the surprising things about the motivational impact of numbers. Share results shows staff that you care about performance. Think about it. We know business at some fundamental level has to produce a revenue. Obviously, sales generates the money to run operations. the staff control the output of a store. If you are not …

The six benefits of removing c-store performance unknowns make a difference to your results. A c-store manager knows all to well the concern for a potential result or consequence of the unknown.   They make decisions daily and often without having all of the information they need.  Missing, incomplete or incorrect information creates confusion. For example, …

Problem identification is the first step to solve any problem.  C-store managers use reports, experience, business intelligence (BI) and consultants.  Nonetheless, there are 3 Steps to solve c-store performance problems that are often overlooked. Once a problem is defined, the question then becomes, how do we resolve it.  This will vary on the type of …

There are 4 ways employees win with accountability. I am one of the “doers” in my company. I report directly to our CEO. Tracking my activities is a key part of my job. Our culture expects work to be done and done well. We know how projects are progressing. Further, we analyze how use our …