The first thing to know about me is that I completely lose track of time in stores. Always have, always will. My love for the retail experience runs deep.

In fact, I remember when I first became enamored with retail: I was four years old. 
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Picture this — a four-year-old Chris standing completely still, mesmerized, in front of a wall of... batteries. Yeah, I was fascinated by a merchandise display of batteries!

​With my shoes glued to the floor, I studied the packaging, product variety, pricing, everything! It was at that moment, looking at a wall of batteries of all things, that I got the first glimpse of my calling.
​I also grew up a seller-at-heart! Starting at eight years old, I sold t-shirts at a swap meet and counted change from $20 bills. I peddled all manner of sugary treats from first through twelfth grade and can only guess that I raised over $10K in school funds thanks to my budding sales skills.

If retail was my first love, entrepreneurship was my second.

I wasn’t a typical undergrad business student — sociology minor on a task force to bring the study of microfinance to Georgetown University. This led me to teaching retail entrepreneurship to at-risk teens in Washington, D.C. while also studying full time.

Retail + Entrepreneurship + Teaching = Passion + Purpose
Chris Guillot Retail Coach
I did High School Speech & Debate. Public speaking still makes me nervous.
Chris Guillot Retail Coach
My retail entrepreneurship youth program at Georgetown University.
Chris Guillot Retail Coach
I was a Retail Buyer for the Students of Georgetown Inc. non-profit coffee shop.
Chris Guillot Retail Coach
My first consultation was for a full-store refresh. This was a fun re-opening party!
After graduation, I balanced my non-profit work with retail industry experience. And I got a ton of it.

I chased a range of professional experiences in the retail world, including working for Nordstrom, Anthropologie, Gap Inc., and J. Crew.  The entrepreneur in me joined every exploratory project I could talk my way into. Meanwhile, the educator in me taught as many retail training classes as they would let me.
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(To date, I’ve logged thousands of hours of teaching!)

What I’ve learned over 23+ years is that there’s both an art and science to running a successful, profitable, and well-loved retail brand. What I do — what turns out I’ve always done since ‘97 — is help retail entrepreneurs like you run an inventory-based business with passion and purpose.
This brings me to you...

No matter how frustrated, confused, or overwhelmed you’re feeling right now, you can build a profitable business without sacrificing your passion and purpose. And I’m here to show you how.
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Ultimately, I’ll guide you toward building (or rebuilding) a business where you can do your job with ease, effectiveness, and empathy for your customers.

To help you, most of what I’ve created here is free. For those who want personalized support, I have paid programs and services I offer based on strategies I’ve developed while running multi-million dollar businesses. 
These strategies have worked for all of my clients — whatever their size, stage of growth, or product type.

While I’m confident these lessons will work for you, I don’t have a crystal ball. I also don’t have all the answers. But I am committed to teaching you what I know, listening to what you need, and finding creative solutions.

​You’re getting a real-life, passionate person who values incremental progress. And I suspect you roll this way too.

I hope this is just the start of our relationship...

… Because I’d love to learn more about you!

The best way to share that and keep in touch is to take the Retail Success Style Quiz. 

You’ll not only get crucial insights into your strengths as a business owner, but you’ll also get a bonus.  As a bonus, I’ll send you The Art of Inventory Management: 14 Ways to Sell More Stock at Full Retail Price when you subscribe.
​Thank you so much for being here. It wouldn’t be the same without you! I’m thrilled we’ve finally connected and am eager for the journey ahead.

With passion and purpose,​​

if you want to learn more, these links pave the way.