We had the good fortune of connecting with Rachel Williamson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rachel, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
I have never been effective at the notion of “work/life balance”. As I have matured, I have learned that this looks different for everyone, in every season of life. As an empty nester, I can choose to work nights or weekends that used to protected for family time. It is less about how many hours I work and more about feeling fulfilled in the work I am doing and making a difference every day. I would suggest that finding balance is about making decisions that meet your needs where you are right now knowing full well that in the future, it could change and you need to be ready to change with it.

What should our readers know about your business?
PLEASE EDIT/WORDSMITH TO MAKE IT SOUND RIGHT. I AM NOT A COPYWRITER! TY

Running Great Stores is a retail consulting firm that guides retailers to create remarkable customer experiences and run operationally excellent stores that drive increased revenue. Our tagline is “Get ready to run great stores”, because when retailers hire us, that is exactly what will happen and has happened for each of our clients.

While brick-and-mortar is our niche, we also are leveraged by direct-to-consumer retailers who are moving into stores and have no idea how to operate them (using their words, not mine!).

We also offer a subscription service for our Retail Playbook™ which is everything stores need to run great stores. It is filled with policies, procedures, and processes that create an environment where associates want to work and customers want to shop. Clients can use our “out of the box” version or we can customize to align with their processes. This gives every associate the “how-to’s” in their pocket – right from their mobile device! No more outdated binders or missing policies. Employees love it and managers live by it!

We want to help retailers grow their business the right way, It starts with being passionately customer‑focused and implementing proven disciplined processes and tools. It ends with your business thriving.

In a world of so much retail, the question always is, how do we set ourselves (our retail stores) apart from everyone else? We help you create an in-store experience customers talk about!

Beyond Retail consulting and our Retail Playbook, we offer leadership development that allows retailers to not only address their stores’ operational processes but also develop their leaders to be the best they can be. This investment in teams drives retention, and employee engagement, and ultimately positively impacts the customer!

While people often comment Running Great Stores appears to be an overnight success, it was three decades in the making. Years of running top-notch retail brands and then finally taking all my experience and making it available to small retailers who don’t have the resources that the larger retailers have.

Every business experiences challenges and we are no different. But what we have realized is that we need to remain focused on our mission which is dedicated to helping retailers do retail BETTER!

If there are retailers out there reading this article, whether large or small, they owe it to themselves to start a conversation with me. I would love to learn more about their journey and if I can help them, I will let them know what I will do for their business and why the investment in their business will pay off! I would suggest anyone interested in learning more visit my website at runninggreatstores.com and read the reviews across the site.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I have clients in the United States and England. I would have to take them with me to London, England to visit my client’s stores which are located in Notting Hill, Chelsea and Marylebone which are the three best shopping areas. We would stay in Chelsea which is in Central London, located within walking distance of Buckingham Palace, the best retail in London (Harrods, Selfridges, Covent Garden, Kings Road, etc.). My go-to hotel is The Cadogan, it is a Belmond hotel so really special. They treat their customers like family. We would shop until we dropped. London does retail really well and I always learn so much from how they do it. There are fantastic restaurants on every block. Comfortable shoes will be a must in their suitcase as I walk everywhere in London!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to thank my husband and daughter for all of their support. Starting a company is no small feat and the support of my family has been a huge part of my success. I also give God all the glory and praise for the success of Running Great Stores. He has given me talents that allow me to do what I do.

Website: runninggreatstores.com

Instagram: @runninggreatstores

Linkedin: runninggreatstores

Facebook: @runninggreatstores

Image Credits
We Are Wheelhouse Photographers

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutOhio is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.