Barnard Case Alison Barnard Case

This business is definitely scalable, though this does not mean there are not significant barriers and difficulties that will be experienced in attempts to grow this business. Ms. Barnard's main issue appears in her desire to replicate herself as the manager at each new location; while it is without a doubt her specific drive and innovation that has made a success of her first retail location, she does not actually need (nor would she ultimately want) "duplicates' of herself as managers in the other stores. She needs individuals who are highly capable but who also are willing to commit to highly centralized planning and decision-making for the next several years. Barnard needs to take on the role of company director, not focusing on managing her original location while spawning duplicate locations elsewhere, but rather stepping back from the one store so that she can focus on the grand design and planning of multiple locations. If she truly wants to increase the scale of her business, her position in that business will need to change, and she needs other managers that are capable of following and fulfilling her instructions, not coming up with their own.

2)

At this stage in the venture, the primary tasks and goals that Alison should be focusing on include the development of a truly comprehensive and detailed plan for the growth of her business, rather than either the micromanaging of each individual store or the attempt to instill visionary and innovative leaders like herself in all stores. That is, rather than focusing on the leadership that will be provided for each store, Alison should be focusing on how best to translate the model she has created at her original store,...

Once a basic (yet comprehensive) plan has been developed, Alison should focus on teaching the model of her business to the prospective leaders she ahs identified; this would ensure that the business remains targeted and focused the way Alison desires (and in the manner that has proven so successful for her) without necessitating finding leaders that appear to duplicate her or remaining in direct control of all locations -- an impossible task. Essentially, Alison needs to stop focusing on the tasks of the store manager -- both at her original store and in the future stores she is planning on opening -- and start focusing on being a true business leader and executive. Her goals should be those of a long-term planner and company president, not those of a small business owner and retail store manager.
3)

Signing a lease prior to actually have the money for that lease carries a great deal of risk for Alison and her business, especially given that all of the assets that are part of her original store -- all merchandise as well as cash and anything belonging to the business that was not already owed on prior obligations -- could potentially be part of a judgment against Alison and her company. By trying to grow too fast, in other words, Alison might have placed her entire venture in jeopardy. The landlord with whom she signed the lease is entitled to collect payment from Alison regardless of her financial circumstances; even if she did not ultimately move into the space she had leased, she is responsible for paying the lease she contracted to pay until another tenant is found (laws vary regarding how much effort the landlord must put into…