One of my great fears in life (besides clowns) is being suddenly thrust into a talent competition. I’m not a singer, I don’t play any instruments, and while my dance floor skills are excellent, my training came from the 1994 Bat Mitzvah circuit, so not exactly Julliard.

I have, however, realized that I do have some very specific…abilities?...that sometimes elicit responses like an “oh, wow, that’s cool.” Since you’re dying to know, I’ll share:

🍺 I’m very good at identifying the alcohol content of beers by taste

🥃 I can quite accurately determine the volumetric measurement of a liquid in a container by sight

🎤 I have near perfect accuracy in picking the “wrong” horse, so to speak. P...

As new retailers we expect to sacrifice our weekends and holidays, dry-clean-only clothing, and possibly our lower backs. But we do not have to sacrifice our mental health, personal relationships, or overall well-being.

When you're planning your business, you have the opportunity and obligation to carve out the boundaries that will make your business sustainable for the long term.

Your lease will run five to ten years, so it's critical that you build a "sustainable" model that will allow you to stay healthy, stay married (if you want), participate in your child's life, etc.

So how do you do this? Start with the ideal scenario. The realities of the numbers and the things outside of your co...

Remember the “I was today years old when I learned…” moment on TikTok where we all learned a lot of trivia like Australia is wider than the moon? Or the IRL moment when Sheila (at 35) finally figured out that Free Slurpee Day is always on July 11th (get it? 7/11!)

Today, we have one for you: big retailers are able to thrive in commercial real estate (when mom-and-pops struggle) because… retail real estate is actually a core business function for these larger companies. 

Think about it -- if you’re Starbucks, your real estate is not something you have to deal with periodically… it’s an everyday thing. You’re constantly opening stores, closing stores, renewing leases, making modif...

Dear Pedal,

There is a space in my neighborhood that has been vacant for, no joke, probably four years at this point. Definitely since before the pandemic. Season after season I watch the “For Lease” signs in the window fade and age, and it doesn’t look like there’s anything happening.

So, my question is this – why wouldn’t the landlord lower the rent to make the space attractive rather than just let it continue to sit vacant? It is seriously killing me… this space could be the home to some awesome local business instead of the nothing/ eyesore it currently is.

Yours truly,

Thoughtful Neighbor

Well, hi, Neighbor, and thanks for your excellent question. Here at Pedal, we get differ...

I wrote a recent newsletter about why business plans written by a ghostwriter-for-hire, or AI, or anyone-but-you are a big ‘ol waste of money. To recap - they’re generic and boring and make you look lazy, which is absolutely not the look you need when you’re walking the red carpet of retail leasing, so to speak. 

A business plan that doesn’t paint you in the most flattering light is embarrassing, but if that’s not enough to dissuade you from hiring someone to write your plan for you, there’s an even scarier issue with ghostwritten plans: they lack the specific information YOU need to find the right space, negotiate the best deal, and actually plan for successful operations…you know,...

It’s that time again. Whether you love or loathe the holidays (it’s probably a mix), we’re all about to pull out our wallets and buy stuff out of tradition, love, and obligation. This is, of course, the perfect time to put our money where our mouths are and support the small, independent businesses we so value.

Let’s take a moment to consider “Black Friday” for a second. You remember why it’s called “black,” right? November and December are the months when many retail businesses are most profitable, and their bottom line numbers appear in black (rather than red) on their P&L reports. 

While the big “doorbuster” deals at giant national retailers like Best Buy and Walmart really put Bl...

Generally speaking, I am not a DIY kinda gal. I never shy away from hard work, and I’m an advanced Ikea assembler, but I didn’t learn to use a drill properly until I was 35, and I definitely believe in paying for expertise whenever possible. So it might surprise you to know that whenever I hear that someone wants someone else to write their business plan, I want to throw down my $1 soft serve cone and say, “Nej! You MUST do this yourself!”

Now if you’re asking yourself, what could be SO BAD about ghostwritten, ChatGPT written, or “for sale on Upwork” written business plans, that would make me shout and waste my delicious $1 treat? I’ll tell you. Business plans only work when you do...

🎶So no one told you life was gonna be this wayyyyy 🎶

If you clapped along, you’re ahead of the curve - today, we’re talking about friends. (With a lowercase “f” – but reply to this email if you’d like us to dissect Central Perk’s ☕️ real estate choices.)

We’ve heard it said that you find out who your real friends are when you open a business. It takes courage to go after your dreams, and you’ve got to get seriously vulnerable if you’re going to open a brick-and-mortar business because EVERYONE is (hopefully) watching 👀.

And so, it’s natural to want a bestie or two in your corner to 📣 pump you up along the way – and, it’s natural to assume your community of friends is going to be ...