Financial Management

Inventory Management and Customer Conversion/Retention in the Snow Sliding Business

Financial Management

SIA was kind enough to feed me a nice breakfast this (Friday) morning before the show opened. While I ate and drank coffee, people from the various industry organizations that are and have been involved in the industry’s programs to convert first time snow sliders talked to us about what they’ve accomplished and what more needs […]

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SIA Article on the Rising Costs of Chinese Production

Financial Management

About a week ago, SIA published a really good article on why production costs in China are rising.  If you haven’t read it you can, and should, here: http://www.snowsports.org/SuppliersServiceProviders/SIANewsletter/NewsletterDetail/Contentid/1272/#top. The article is pretty tactical in nature, and I thought a little bit of the longer term social and political perspective might be interesting to you. 

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Inventory Risk and Inventory Management; Our Own Version of Musical Chairs?

Financial Management

Janet Freeman, owner of the small but well established women’s snowboard apparel brand Betty Rides, has a problem. On October 17th, she told me, “It’s weird but Betty Rides has ALREADY been getting lots of re-orders for snowboard jackets and pants. We cut to order, and are sold out on most things.” Naturally, I was sympathetic to

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Gross Margin Return on Inventory Investment A Tool for Our Times

Financial Management

Since last fall, as our new economic reality has evolved, I’ve had a few things to say about what to do. They’ve included building your balance sheet, controlling your inventory and other expenses, focusing on the gross profit line, looking at gross margin dollars as well as percentages, and making good use of your management accounting

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“Hey Look! Real Retailer Numbers!” What’s to Learn From Them?

Financial Management, Retail

For a while now, I’ve been carrying around in my back pocket the National Sporting Goods Association’s 2004-2005 Cost of Doing Business Survey. I have no idea why they call it that since it obviously doesn’t contain any numbers from either 2004 or 2005.   Well, never mind. They do it every other year and collect

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