Recent Articles From EvanCarmichael.com http://www.evancarmichael.com/ http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/6112/ADA--a-heart-issue.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/6112/ADA--a-heart-issue.html A few weeks ago I attended a series of seminars on ADA sponsored by the San Diego chapter of the American Institute of Architects. ADA stands for The American Disability Act Law implemented in 1990, prohibiting disability discrimination. ADA standards govern the construction and alteration of places such as commercial facilities, state and government facilities and public accommodations. The Department of Justice adopted new standards for accessible design in September 2010 and these will go into effect March 15, 2012. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/6112/Retail-design-basics.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/6112/Retail-design-basics.html The advances in technology give us access to information 24/7. Ever wonder if that information is knowledge, or why we lead such complicated lives? We seem to have moved away from basic common sense, and for some reason the decisions we make in our lives are not as clear as they should be. The principles of clarity are the same in personal life and business. Do we have the ability to see things as they are and make the right decisions when needed? Let us examine the steps of designing a retail store/restaurant for success. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/6112/5-Spices-of-Retail-Design.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/6112/5-Spices-of-Retail-Design.html This week as I was channel surfing I came across a cooking show on one of the Food Network. After unveiling the dish, the chef and his co-judges introduced each ingredient used in the dish. As the ingredients were placed on a back lit table the names of each one appeared. The whole presentation was a testimony to the art and science of visual merchandising.I couldn't stop wondering if there was a secret recipe to designing retail projects. A recipe requires ingredients and if those were placed on a table such as the one I saw on the show, what would be the words that would light up? Like any good dish, would the success of the project depend on how the ingredients were used? http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/6112/Facts-or-Friction.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/6112/Facts-or-Friction.html A while back Peter Diamond, Dale Mortensen and Christopher Pissarides won the 2010 Nobel Prize for Economics. They developed theories that help explain how economic policies affect unemployment, and WSJ writer Justin Lahart wrote and interesting piece about their work in Tuesday's paper. The article talked about their research in the difficulties the buyers and sellers face in finding each other in the marketplace, specifically applied to the job market. This search theory has since been applied to topics from such as the housing market all the way to searching for a spouse. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/6112/How-to-maximize-store-sales-during-the-holiday-season.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/6112/How-to-maximize-store-sales-during-the-holiday-season.html The big question everyone is asking these days is if retailers are ready for the upcoming holiday season. There have been numerous predictions and discussions on how malls and retailers are going to fare. An article in the Wall Street Journal last Tuesday mentioned that forecasters expect a better season for U.S retailers this year, but prices will be more discounted to get consumers into the stores. Another article mentioned that the National Retail Federation expects holiday sales to rise 2.3% from last year. And The International Council of Shopping Centers predicts holiday sales to increase anywhere from 3% to 3.5%. The Corporate News Headline in the WSJ on Thursday was, “Malls begin the healing process, vacancy rate improved for the first times since 2006.” So, things seem to be looking up – BUT, are they? http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/6112/There-are-always-opportunities.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/6112/There-are-always-opportunities.html These are not good times for retailers. The unemployment rate is very high, and those who have jobs are afraid of losing them.. The spending habits of people have changed and unless they get a good bargain, will think twice before opening up their pocketbooks. The morals of most of the people in my industry – retailers, tenant coordinators, architects, store planners, contractors, fixture vendors etc., seem to be at the lowest point since I have known them. These are people who at one time were extremely positive. Some are predicting that things will not get better till 2013 – the sense of impending doom is everywhere!!!!!! This is the very same reason I, on the other hand am extremely optimistic!! Granted, I don’t have a crystal ball to see the future, BUT, there are plenty of reasons to be upbeat about the future. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/6112/Location-Location-Location.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/6112/Location-Location-Location.html The popular real estate mantra "location, location, location" explains why some promising businesses fail in poor locations and mediocre businesses do so well in great locations. In order for any business to succeed, it should be situated in a location which has good visibility, accessibility and heavy traffic of potential customers. Regional and outlet malls, lifestyle centers, urban street locations, and Hotels and Resorts with designated shopping and dining areas all meet this criterion. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/6112/Is-there-a-secret-formula-for-business-success.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/6112/Is-there-a-secret-formula-for-business-success.html On the long weekend I visited a regional mall in a suburb of San Diego. The mall was full of people but not as crowded like it used to be on previous long weekends. The first time I visited this mall was in the mid eighties when it had opened. Out of nostalgia I walked by the locations where I had designed stores when the mall had first opened. Unfortunately all of those businesses closed many years ago. Walking by numerous stores, many of them selling merchandise of similar categories I began to wonder how many of these businesses are going to be around ten years from now. A question popped into my mind. Why do some businesses succeed while the others fail?