Small Business Support, Behind the Scenes

You know your business. But keeping the books current, managing inventory, maintaining an online store and staying ahead of the never-ending administrative details can consume an enormous amount of time.

Ask Shop Girl provides experienced, practical back-office support for independent retailers and small businesses.

Based in Red Lodge, Montana, I work with businesses locally and remotely on both ongoing and project-based needs.

Services

Bookkeeping & Financial Organization

Clear, current books help you understand what is happening in your business and make better decisions about what comes next.

Services may include:

• QuickBooks Online bookkeeping
• Bank and credit-card reconciliations
• Transaction review and categorization
• Accounts payable and vendor records
• Quarterly and management reporting
• Bookkeeping cleanup and organization
• Payroll processing and record keeping
• Coordination with your tax preparer or CPA

I do not provide tax preparation or CPA services, but I can help keep your financial records organized and ready for the professionals who do.

Buying & Inventory Support

Inventory is usually one of a retailer’s largest investments. Thoughtful buying requires more than placing orders—it means balancing sales history, cash flow, product mix, vendor relationships and what customers actually want.

Current availability: Full-service buying is currently at capacity. Because this work requires significant ongoing time and a detailed understanding of a retailer’s sales, inventory, vendors, purchasing strategy and other proprietary information, I take on only one comprehensive buying client at a time. This allows me to serve as both a dedicated resource and a competitive advantage for the business—and it means my client never has to wonder whether its confidential information or purchasing strategy is influencing my work for a competitor, or whether another retailer’s interests are influencing the recommendations I make.

Services may include:

• Purchasing and order management
• Inventory and sales analysis
• Reorder planning
• Product and category review
• Vendor communication
• New-product research
• Assortment planning
• Identifying slow-moving inventory and opportunities

E-Commerce Support

An online store needs regular attention long after the initial setup is complete.

Services may include:

• Product setup and maintenance
• Product descriptions, images and metadata
• Collection organization
• Website merchandising
• Sale and promotion scheduling
• MAP pricing compliance
• Online inventory coordination
• General Shopify administration
• E-commerce workflow support (Shopify or Square)

Conflict policy: To protect each client’s proprietary information and competitive position, I accept only one active e-commerce client within a particular retail category at a time. That exclusivity remains in place for the duration of the engagement.

Business Operations & Special Projects

Sometimes the problem is not one specific task—it is that too many disconnected tasks and processes have accumulated over time.

I can help organize the moving pieces, improve day-to-day workflows and complete projects that keep getting pushed to the bottom of the list.

Projects may include:

• Process and workflow organization
• Vendor and product-data cleanup
• Preparing systems for employee cross-training
• Documenting recurring procedures
• Business transitions and administrative cleanup
• Research, analysis and operational problem-solving

Experience That Comes From Doing the Work

I bring more than a decade of business and operations experience, including owning and operating an independent specialty kitchen store.

My experience includes buying, inventory management, bookkeeping, financial analysis, vendor relationships, e-commerce and the thousands of practical decisions required to keep a small business moving.

I understand the realities behind the reports: limited time, limited cash, changing customer habits, seasonal inventory and the challenge of deciding what actually deserves your attention.

My approach is analytical, organized and hands-on. I am comfortable digging into details, identifying patterns and creating systems that make the work more manageable.

Who I Work With

My services may be a good fit if:

• You need experienced help but not another full-time employee.
• You have an employee who would like to take on these tasks but needs training.
• Your bookkeeping or administrative work is falling behind.
• You are spending too much time maintaining products and data.
• Your inventory is tying up cash without giving you clear answers.
• Your business has grown beyond the systems that once worked.
• You need someone who can understand the larger business while also handling the details.

My deepest experience is with independent retail and product-based businesses, but I also work with other small businesses that need reliable bookkeeping and operational support.

Flexible Support for Real Small Businesses

Every small business is different. Some clients need a few hours of recurring support each month. Others need help with a particular cleanup, transition or project.

We will begin by discussing what is taking your time, what is not getting done and what kind of support would make the greatest difference. From there, we can determine whether an ongoing or project-based arrangement makes sense.

Let’s Talk

Need another capable set of eyes—and hands—behind the scenes?

Tell me a little about your business, what you need help with and what is currently taking too much of your time.