When I come across a blog post, podcast episode, or event invitation with the words "growth hack," I assume the intended audience is in the tech space. I'm certain that I'm not the only merchant who feels this way.

However, as I took the time to answer interview questions from Stitch Labs, an inventory management software provider, one thing rang out loud and clear:

I've been growth hacking retail and manufacturing brands for over 20 years. It's likely you've been growth hacking your own business too.

I spend much of my time thinking about the future of the retail industry and how independent merchants can thrive in a competitive market place.

​In fact, all of my teaching is related to this topic.

This month I was asked to predict the future of retail along with 13 other retail experts. Here's what I'm confident will continue to unfold in the months, quarters, and years to follow:

The barriers to entry will continue to lower while success standards continue to rise.

The speed of retail — as a universal truth in our industry — is more closely associated with the volatility of customer spending than it is with the speed of production. It’s no wonder that taking stock of business results on a frequent and consistent basis feels like yet another task on a long to-do list.

Conducting a business review does take time but, when it’s done well, the value gained with each review compounds over time.

So it’s a wonder this practice isn’t a quarterly ritual within every business from coast to coast.

There is no one universal ruler to measure real business progress. Using just profit, revenue, or cash flow to evaluate a multi-faceted, values-based business like yours can’t provide a complete picture of where you’ve been and where you’re going.

For proof of progress you need meaningful goals individualized by brand, project, and person.

Yet for how unique an experience goal setting and achieving has to be, there are an awful lot of resources that claim to be the exact solution you’ve been looking for. Including my own.

While it’s aspirational to believe that a one-size planner, calendar, or project tool fits all or even most business needs, we know it’s not true.

Before you opened your doors, your soon-to-be customers inspired and motivated you. Regardless of whether you debuted as a confident or uncertain seller, your customer’s happiness — measured in sales — was hitched like a wagon to your happiness.

For merchants it’s always been this way and will always continue to be.

As you’ve worked to grow your revenue, you’ve worked proportionally to connect with your customer-base, driven by the adage that more customers means more sales. Yet, many business owners struggle in the relentless pursuit of understanding the profitable relationship between sales and customer-base.

​Entrepreneurs intellectually know the quantifiable and qualifiable benefits of narrowing the focus, niching down, and clearly differentiating the ideal customer from the impostor customer. However, with more tangible things to focus on, many owners sweep these branding basics under the rug.

​Therein lies the actual barrier to selling more — the absence of brand positioning.