HAS THE UNCERTAINTY AND UNFORSEEN EVENTS Of JANUARY ALREADY IMPACTED YOUR BUSINESS PLANS?
We're days into a new year and 2021 is already serving up the uncertainty, instability, insecurity, and ambiguity of 2020. It's testing our ablities to recover, pivot, reposition, and respond in the moment.
And without a resilient and fleixble framework to guide you, you'll continue to...
And without a resilient and fleixble framework to guide you, you'll continue to...
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Worry about your base-level needs of secruity, safety, and well-being |
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Conflate pausing to learn and act with avoiding your necessary work |
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Grapple with what's in your control and where you can take action |
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Struggle to pay yourself consistently during business ups and downs |
you can have a flexible and resilient retail business that remains aligned with your needs and values.
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What if you could still make meaningful progress in a world with continued uncertainty? |
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How much more secure and stable would your business (and life) be if you could work through life's ups & downs? |
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What if you stopped worrying about a perfect plan but created one you can refine and replan when you needed? |
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"When it comes to planning and sticking to my calendar I struggle with being consistent. I start strong then fizzle out. I've tried using different generic planners over the years, but nothing has fit my business needs.
I’m a creative person and not naturally organized, and when I’ve tried to organize my goals, projects, and tasks on my own, I get bogged down and feel overwhelmed. In hindsight, I can see that none of the tools I had tried before actually helped me clarify my priorities and organize my resources. I couldn’t achieve my goals because I hadn’t defined them clearly or laid out the steps I would need to follow." |
"We began [the year] feeling that this is our year of change, that this is the year it will happen. But for that to happen, we recognized the need to adjust how we’re doing things. Our daily life is definitely more 'trees' than 'forest.'
Fulfilling customer orders and inventory production typically take priority in our day-to-day operations, so bigger projects that would take us to the next level usually get short-sheeted. We feel good about keeping our customers happy, but our growth goals for performance, sales, and market presence are not being fully met." |
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"I was floundering in the classic my-business-was-running-me way. I couldn't ever seem to get my head above water and just ran from one project to the next merely to keep afloat with the day-to-day tasks.
Before The Merchant Map, the tool that had helped me at least keep track of the main to-dos was the Bullet Journal. However, it never helped me get a sense of the bigger picture, or which of the multiple big-picture projects I needed to focus on. I was in classic big-picture analysis paralysis and, like an ostrich, put my head in the sand and just focused on the easier, daily to-dos." |
While you refine your business plans, you'll also learn the transformational prioritization skill set that will help you manage your commitments and time so that you can:
You'll get the exact set of tools you need to develop your ability to pivot, adjust, and reposition again... and again.
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Using a step-by-step proven process, you'll learn how to:
... In a way that offers enough flexibility to accomodate the needs of your business while responding to ever-changing circumstances.
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IS THE MERCHANT MAP planning framework RIGHT FOR YOU?
Here's how to know if enrolling in this program is right for you: Take this simple YES or NO quiz.
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Do you run an inventory-based business or sell physical inventory? |
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Do you want to be empowered to make decision in the an ambiguous and uncertain environment? |
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Do you want a fleixble schedule that balances deadlines and business projects with enough time to refocus on your priorities when things get off track? |
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Do you want to have more control over your business instead of have your business control you? |
If you answered YES to two or more of these questions, The Merchant Map is right for YOU.
what you can expect from this experience:
Start by improving your strategic prioritization skills...
There are two ways to join The Merchant Map training program:
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... Then get personalize support creating your flexible 90-day plan.
Plan or replan your business when it works best for you, using The Merchant Map planning toolkit as your guide. Or you can join me during any coaching/co-planning session I have scheduled throughout January.
While you reshape your plans using a dynamic framework, you'll step away from daily demands and overwhelming distracitons to:
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Follow your plan to reach your business (and personal) goals.
Share you 90-day plan with me to get personal and direct feedback on how to create a flexible calendar that you can commit so you can:
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Follow one of the training schedules and join the live coaching sessions, or learn the priotization framework at your own pace.
When you enroll in The Merchant Map retail program, you'll get:
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16 lessons available as videos and podcasts |
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16 worksheets to help you take action immediately |
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4 self-assessments that highlight your ROI |
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Planning toolkit and instructions designed for Retailers & Makers |
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Intention setting activity and stationery set designed in collaboration with Merchant Method client Queen Fayzel |
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3 co-planning sessions for live coaching and accountability |
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Individual feedback on your goals and 90-day calendar |
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"The Merchant Map has opened my eyes and given me my confidence back!
I’m learning how to prioritize my time and money, become more organized, and work smarter not harder. I’m asking the hard questions that I had always glossed over because my business had been profitable. Most of all, I now know how I want to lead my business. I have a system in place to identify and make real progress against my goals. I know myself and I will fall 'off the wagon' at some point - but now I have real skills to reign it in and get back on a profitable path. This business know-how and creative control is something I’ve never had before. Thank you!" |
"Chris’ system teaches you an approach to business planning that systematically focuses on the mission of your business. The prioritization tool clears the clutter and helps reveal those projects that are actually best aligned with your business, brand, customer, and values. Really smart stuff.
The Merchant Map was an exciting, energizing experience. You’ll gain clarity about how to process new priorities, and learn how to prioritize projects that arise as you’re running your business. If you work with Chris to learn and adopt The Merchant Map, you will be better prepared to build the business and brand you envision." |
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"With The Merchant Map, things really started to change. Chris has a system for putting all this plus the big picture projects into a process for discerning what the next most important project is. This was mind bending and revolutionary to me. Before this, I would dash to whatever felt the most urgent.
Now I have an infinitely more objective way of calculating which project was most crucial for any given time in my business. Not only was this a revelation, the answers were somewhat surprising, a fact that showed me how my panic and worry had obscured my big-picture vision." |
Over 200 Businesses Trust This Industry-Leading Retail Approach
If you run an inventory-based business, it will work for you too.
➙ Women's & Men's Apparel |
➙ Shoes & Accessories |
➙ Specialty Sizes |
➙ Jewelry |
➙ Leather Bags & Small Goods |
➙ Luggage |
➙ Sports Equipment |
➙ Toys & Games |
➙ Seasonal & Costumes |
➙ Personal Care |
➙ Health & Beauty |
➙ Kids & Baby |
➙ Gifts |
➙ Books |
➙ Paper Goods |
➙ Crafts & Fabric |
➙ Kitchen Accessories |
➙ Furniture & Home Goods |
➙ Pet Supplies |
➙ Subscriptions |
➙ Consignment |
Meet Your Teacher And Retail Expert, chris guillot
Hi! I’m Chris Guillot, creator of The Merchant Map.
For over two decades, I've led retail and manufacturing businesses that needed to be strategic enough to turn a profit yet flexible enough to respond quickly to unforseen challenges. As a result, I've learned how to reprioritize quickly and customize retail strategies that achieve goals. I've trained hundreds of Retailers and Makers to earn an honest profit without losing passion for the business. But I'm not blind to the instability of retail entrepreneurship. |
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The Merchant Map is a system I developed to help me stay focused, meet deadlines, manage my resources, and make progress toward my goals. It's allowed me to be resilient and flexible so I can pivot, reposition, and reband any business when I needed to.
The results? Running retail businesses — from struggling startups to multi-million dollar brands — with only the knowledge I learned while working on the job. I want to teach you how to run a resilient business too. |
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find business control and creative freedom
When you use The Merchant Map to guide your decision making, you'll discover how integrating strategic operations, product management, and retail marketing produces sustainable, repeatable profit... and you'll never look back.
✔ Focus your resources on priorities that improve your bottom-line.
✔ Take quick, decisive action based on your brand values and goals. ✔ Gain more creative control over your business. ✔ Create personal accountability and work consistency. |
NEXT STEPS AND ANSWERS TO COMMON QUESTIONS
STEP 1: PICK YOUR INVESTMENT
STEP 2: CREATE A RESPONSIVE BUSINESS PLAN
STEP 3: FOLLOW YOUR PLAN TO REACH YOUR GOALS
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Is this similar to The Merchant Map workshop?
The Merchant Map digital program and personal planning retreat is different than the live workshop. The Merchant Map digital program, last available in 2019, is a comprehensive business planning, project management, and accountability framework nested within a the pillars for running a profitable inventory-based business. The live workshop is a high-level, abbreviated version of the complete framework. What's included in the training program?
How do I know which lessons to take?
As part of the program, you'll receive the complete training outline and program, plus a self-assessment. I suggest you take the complete the entire program but you may also pick-and-choose lessons based on your interests or your self-assessment results. What's a business planning retreat?
A business plan retreat is an scheduled time set aside to focus on your business goals and dreams, AND use The Merchant Map to make those ideas actionable. I suggest you set aside at least 2 hours to plan your next 90-days. When are the January co-planning sessions?
January co-planning sessions are scheduled 1-hour planning sessions. This is perfect if you need personal accountability, want to plan your projects and calendar throughout the month of January, or have questions you want to ask me in real-time. Save-the-Dates Wednesday, January 13, 2021 at 3:00pm PST Tuesday, January 19, 2021 at 9:00am PST Thursday, January 28, 2021 at 11:00am PST You should take your Merchant Map lessons before you join me for a co-planning session. What if I still have questions?
If you still have questions about The Merchant Map, please contact me.
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BUILD RETAIL PROFIT IN SIMPLE, ACHIEVABLE STEPS
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HI, I'M CHRIS GUILLOT!
I made my first sale when I was eight years old and started teaching retail business classes at 20. Now, 23 years after guiding my first clients, I'm here to help you build more profit.
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