Most of the calls we take begin with someone who has already spoken to two or three other companies and cannot tell the difference between them. These four questions separate them faster than any brochure.
1. Who owns the account and the inventory?
The correct answer is that you do, in writing, from day one. If the store is registered to the operator, or the inventory is held in the operator’s name, you are a creditor rather than an owner, and you will discover that at the worst possible moment. Ask to see the clause.
2. How and when are you paid?
A percentage of profit aligns the operator with you. A monthly retainer does not, and a large upfront build fee actively does not. Ask what happens in a month where the store loses money. If the operator still gets paid the same, you now know what the model optimises for.
3. What does the reporting actually contain?
Ask for a sample monthly report before you sign anything. It should show gross sales, every deduction by name, net profit and the split, for the period. A dashboard screenshot showing revenue is not reporting. Revenue is the number that is easiest to make look good and tells you least.
4. What happens when it goes wrong?
Ask directly about suspensions, dead inventory and a bad quarter. The answer you want is specific and slightly uncomfortable. A company that has operated real stores has watched all three happen and can describe them. A company that cannot is either new or not being straight with you.
Our answers
You own the account and the inventory. We take an agreed share of profit, so a month with no profit is a month with no fee for us. The monthly report shows gross, every cost, net and the split. And the risks are set out on our home page rather than buried, because they are the part of this that owners most need to see before they commit.
