After getting both my Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and MBA from Babson College, I started my professional life working for Hills Department Stores, as a buyer. I found myself with a fabulous mentor, who placed a real emphasis on the fundamentals. It was like getting my PhD in retailing, and I fall back on the things I learned from him everyday.
While at Hills, I came to realize that I possessed both the conceptual ability to understand fashion and trends and a market, with the analytical and quantitative skills to really bang the numbers. And I learned I was a really good problem solver.
I spent the next part of my career working for several family owned businesses, buying and managing inventories. I learned the dynamics and urgencies of smaller businesses, and the challenges that owners face. The idea of consulting with independent retailers began to take hold.
I then returned to the corporate arena for several years, working for Stride Rite, the footwear company, working to solve a number of different problems. My successes in that arena solidified my decision to start my consulting practice.
I founded Hurlbut & Associates in 2003, to bring my skills, experience and perspective to a range of clients, rather than a single employer. I quickly learned that whatever immediate concern my client might have, that concern was usually part of the larger issue of how to get the business to where they wanted it to go, and get what they wanted to get out of it. I realized that these were things I was very good at helping them with.
Since then, I have helped many independent retailers address and resolve the issues that stood between them and the sustained success they were seeking.
Let me help you Leverage the Power of Retail Know-How.
I have been successfully working with retailers of all sizes for over 25 years. I understand that great results start with asking the right questions and listening carefully to the answers. Schedule a Discovery Session to explore working together and how I can help you increase sales, profitability and cash flow. Leverage the Power of Retail Know-How. Schedule your Discovery Session now.