Plan B Business
Retail

Stop running 3 stores like 3 small businesses.
Start operating a retail chain.

We work with multi-location retail owners (2-8 stores) doing $165K-$3.3M in annual revenue. Our monthly engagement, no minimum term works to build district P&L visibility, cross-location inventory discipline, store manager hiring systems, and the operational backbone to scale beyond owner-as-everywhere. How fast it moves depends on how seriously you work the plan - what you will see from the first meeting is exactly what is holding the business back.

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Industry Reality

9 patterns we see in most multi-location retail

85%
how often we see it

Owner is the de-facto manager of every store

Root cause: No formal store manager role with real authority and P&L ownership. Owner drives between locations daily putting out fires.

What we do: Defined Store Manager role with documented P&L ownership, hiring authority, scheduling authority, and 15-20% bonus tied to store performance. Owner shifts to District Manager / CEO role within 9 months.

80%
how often we see it

No cross-location inventory visibility (each store hoards stock)

Root cause: Stock counts done store-by-store. No real-time POS-driven inventory. Stores can't see what other stores have. Same SKU stockout at store A while store B sits on aged inventory.

What we do: One POS across every store, with full cross-location inventory sync. Weekly inventory transfers based on velocity data. Stockout rate drops from 18% to <5%.

75%
how often we see it

District-level P&L doesn't exist (only consolidated financials)

Root cause: Accountant produces one P&L per month for the whole business. Owner can't see which store is profitable.

What we do: Per-store P&L with full cost allocation (rent, payroll, COGS, marketing) produced monthly. Store managers see their own P&L. Bonus structure tied to store-level contribution margin.

70%
how often we see it

Hiring store managers internally fails repeatedly

Root cause: Best assistant manager promoted into Store Manager role without management training. Drops out within 12 months.

What we do: Formal Store Manager hiring track: defined competency profile, external hiring complement to internal promotion, 90-day onboarding with structured training, mentorship from District/Owner. Retention 24+ months.

75%
how often we see it

Store-level marketing doesn't exist (only chain-wide promotions)

Root cause: All marketing decided centrally. Stores can't run local promotions. Community presence weak.

What we do: Store-level marketing budget ($500-$2K/mo per store) with manager discretion. Local Instagram presence per store. Community partnerships per location. 10-15% revenue lift from local marketing.

70%
how often we see it

Inventory aging at 90+ days across categories

Root cause: No aging discipline. Buyer keeps reordering. Aged inventory ties up working capital.

What we do: Weekly aging report: anything 60+ days goes on markdown ladder (10% / 20% / 40% / clearance). Buyer commits to 30% of OTB to test new SKUs. Aging drops to <20% of inventory.

65%
how often we see it

Store-to-store labor allocation is broken

Root cause: Fixed schedules. High-traffic store understaffed at peak hours, low-traffic store overstaffed. Wages overspent.

What we do: Hourly traffic analysis per store. Flexible labor scheduling tied to forecast traffic. Cross-trained staff who can work multiple stores. Labor % drops 2-4 points.

55%
how often we see it

No central buying discipline (each store buys different)

Root cause: Each store's manager has buying authority. No central category strategy. Inventory chaos.

What we do: Central buying for 80%+ of categories with allocation by store-level velocity. Store-level discretion limited to 15-20% local-flavor SKUs. Vendor consolidation. Better terms.

70%
how often we see it

No business intelligence tools (Excel-based reporting)

Root cause: Store performance reviewed monthly via Excel exports. No real-time visibility into what's selling, where, at what margin.

What we do: BI deployment - native POS reporting, or a third-party layer on top of it. Real-time dashboards visible to store managers and owner. Decision velocity 10x.

Benchmarks

The numbers we aim at

These are the targets we work toward in an engagement - a bar to measure against, not an average anyone measured for you.

KPITypical starting pointPlan B target12-month goal
Per-store contribution margin8-15%20-28%15-25%
Inventory turnover (annual)3-5x6-9x5-8x
Stockout rate (top 100 SKUs)15-22%<5%5-10%
Store manager retention (24-month)35-50%75%+60-80%
Owner weekly store-level hours40-55<1520-30
Aged inventory (90+ days)25-35%<15%15-22%
Labor as % of revenue16-22%12-15%14-17%
Engagement Model

What working with us looks like

  1. 01

    Month 1: Multi-location + financial audit

    We pull 18 months of per-store P&Ls (or rebuild them if they don't exist). Every store's contribution margin, inventory turnover, labor %, traffic patterns. We identify the 1-2 highest-leverage actions for your specific chain.

  2. 02

    Months 2-3: P&L visibility + POS overhaul

    One POS deployed across every store with cross-location inventory sync. Per-store P&L produced monthly. Store managers see their own P&L. Aging discipline and markdown ladder enforced.

  3. 03

    Months 4-6: Manager hiring + buying discipline

    Store Manager hiring track formalized. First 1-2 manager hires under new process. Central buying authority established. Vendor consolidation. Store-level marketing budget rolled out.

  4. 04

    Months 7-12: District ops + freedom

    Owner shifts to District Manager role. BI dashboards visible to all stakeholders. Labor flex scheduling deployed. Per-store margin lifts 5-10 points. We shift to quarterly cadence and prep for 4th-store expansion (if planned).

Common questions from multi-location retail owners

What size retail operation is this for?−
Sweet spot: $165K-$3.3M in annual revenue across 2-8 locations - the same band our Hebrew site states in shekels. Below two locations you are a single-store operation and the work is a different shape - merchandising and marketing, not district structure. Below it there are three ways in, not none: the academy at $33/month, the $365 paid diagnostic and B-Start at $365/month - plus business-plan work for an owner who has not opened yet. Above eight locations you usually need a full-time COO and a district manager team in-house rather than an outside partner. It is a guide, not a gate - ask and we will tell you straight.
Specialty retail, apparel, food retail, or all?+
All physical retail with multi-location operations: specialty (gifts, home goods, books, beauty), apparel (boutique, multi-brand, athleisure), specialty food retail (gourmet, beverage, wine/spirits). We do not work with pure e-commerce operations or franchise/big-box retail.
Shopify POS vs Lightspeed vs Square - which do you recommend?+
We do not pick winners between vendors and we do not sell software. The specification: one inventory record across every store in real time, store-to-store transfer without a phone call, per-store P&L a store manager can read, and aging visible by SKU so the markdown ladder runs on data rather than on nerve. Size and color matrices matter enormously in apparel and not at all in most other categories - that, and your online channel, is what should decide it. We help you choose and implement whatever you choose.
We're 5 stores and the owner is exhausted. Can you really help?+
Yes - and this is the most common entry point. The fix isn't 'work harder' - it's structural: real Store Managers with P&L ownership, defined District Manager role for the owner, BI tools that show what's happening without driving between stores. Within 6 months, owner store-level hours typically drop from 40+ to <20.
What about expansion to 6th, 7th, 8th store?+
Yes, if the foundation is solid. We've helped clients open additional locations - but only after the existing locations are running on systems, not on owner heroics. Most chains we work with have one location that's broken (lowest margin, worst manager turnover). Fix that one before opening another. Typical expansion sequencing is part of our roadmap.
Will you help with site selection for new locations?+
Partially. We help you build the site-selection framework (traffic, demographics, lease terms, cannibalization analysis) and we participate in the go/no-go decision. We don't physically scout sites or negotiate leases - we partner with commercial real estate brokers for that.
What about inventory financing and working capital?+
Yes. Multi-location retail is working capital intensive. We help you optimize cash conversion cycle, negotiate vendor terms (Net 60 or Net 90 instead of Net 30), and structure inventory financing (line of credit, vendor floor planning, factor financing). We don't lend money - we help you structure the right facility with your bank.
Will you help with hiring store managers?+
Yes. Store Manager hiring is the #1 unlock for multi-location retail. We help with competency profiles, comp structure, interview process, and 90-day onboarding curriculum. We don't recruit for you.
Who does the work?+
Ligal Frish and Eitan Eshtemaker - the two co-founders. Direct access, no associates.
What's your fee structure?+
Situation Room: $365 one-time. B-Grow: $1,430/month (most chain engagements). B-Beyond: $2,750/month (5+ store chains or chains preparing for expansion or acquisition). No minimum term and no notice period - you can end it at any time.

Stop running 3 stores like 3 small businesses. Operate a real retail chain.

30-minute strategy call. We'll diagnose your top 2 levers and tell you if we're a fit. No pitch. No pressure.

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