Eight of 10 retail stores close within their first year. Many had smart managers and good merchandise, but couldn’t avoid the most common pitfalls of the trade.

Do you want to avoid them? Do you want to learn how to open a retail store or run an existing one – even in today’s tough economy – and succeed?

Retail veteran Mercedes Gonzalez will show you how to beat the odds. Her workshop, drawing on her own experiences, will teach you how to:

• Put together a buying plan, a budget, and a projected sales plan
• Handle merchandise buying, and know where and when to buy goods, how to set terms, and where to find the best trade shows
• Create a cohesive look for your store through merchandising and display
• Connect with your customers through incentives, promotions and advertising
• Deal with the realities of business and learn valuable insider tips the vendors don’t want you to know
• How to work with factors and banks

Extra bonus: Mercedes will share “war stories” from her own retail experiences.