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BUSINESS<br />
IS A RETAIL<br />
STORE<br />
IN YOUR<br />
FUTURE<br />
BY DEBRA LINDQUIST MA, <strong>AICI</strong> CIP<br />
Staying connected with clients who have used<br />
your services is one of the best ways you can<br />
grow your business. And a retail space can<br />
make that easier. Your happy clients are likely to<br />
recommend you to their friends and associates.<br />
These friends and associates seeking your services<br />
may wish to speak with you in person and may want<br />
to move forward with you as soon as possible. A<br />
retail space can facilitate this budding relationship.<br />
Potential clients feel less threatened if they can enter<br />
a store owned by someone they trust before making<br />
a definite commitment to purchase a service or some<br />
merchandise.<br />
If your goal is increased visibility and greater<br />
revenues, consider the possibility of having a retail<br />
location. There are several ways to have a retail<br />
presence. Several image consultants could work<br />
together sharing a retail location. You could be the<br />
sole proprietor of your own retail location. Or you<br />
could be the owner of the business and sub-lease<br />
or rent the space to other specialists (such as an<br />
aesthetician, hair stylist, or tailor) who complement<br />
your services.<br />
When you have a retail location you have<br />
the potential of expanding beyond personal<br />
consultation. If you are a good salesperson with<br />
merchandise that people find valuable, you have<br />
great potential of increasing your revenue. For<br />
instance, in my store we encouraged clients to bring<br />
their outfits to the store and try them on there. We<br />
would show them different accessory options for<br />
that outfit. They would often purchase based upon<br />
our recommendations.<br />
Having a retail store involves an investment and<br />
a commitment to a location. However, there are<br />
affordable options for small store locations. Small strip<br />
malls with related services, such as alterations or a hair<br />
salon, can be workable. Seek out a location known<br />
locally as a shopping and services destination point.<br />
I opened my first retail boutique, The Total Look, in<br />
1984 and continued to use retailing as an aspect of<br />
my image consulting for 25 years. During a portion<br />
of that time, when my store was 1,600 square feet,<br />
I leased 500 square feet to a skincare specialist.<br />
This association was very beneficial, as it increased<br />
traffic and revenue for my studio. Reversing that<br />
formula works as well: you could embed your image<br />
consulting business within another complementary<br />
retail business, such as a salon.<br />
16 | January 2015 magazine
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