January is a natural reset point for small businesses. The first month of the year offers a chance...
Strategy & Operations
Year-End Reflection: What to Review Now to Prepare for a Strong 2026
Reflecting on the past year doesn’t need to be daunting or overly formal. A meaningful review...
Quick Wins for January: Small Business Reset Checklist
January is a natural reset point for small businesses. The first month of the year offers a chance...
Onboarding That Works: How to Set New Hires Up for Success
For small businesses with limited or no formal HR support, a clear and thoughtful onboarding...
Marketing & Growth
Year-End Reflection: What to Review Now to Prepare for a Strong 2026
Reflecting on the past year doesn’t need to be daunting or overly formal. A meaningful review...
Quick Wins for January: Small Business Reset Checklist
January is a natural reset point for small businesses. The first month of the year offers a chance...
How to Serve Last-Minute Shoppers with Less Stress
The holiday busy season isn't complete without the surge of shoppers who delayed purchases, forgot...
Real Stories
From Financial Stress to Stability
The encouraging news? You don’t need to figure it all out at once. Small shifts—like turning...
Business to Business Relationship Building
Background Think, a prominent marketing and branding firm is known for its innovative approach to...
Mentorship for Accelerated Growth
Background PowerUp Productions, a dynamic video production company specializes in creating...
Research & Data
Turning Insights Into Action: How to Use What You Learned to Guide 2026
As we discussed in our previous learning labs, “Year-End Reflection: What to Review Now to Prepare...
Year-End Reflection: What to Review Now to Prepare for a Strong 2026
Reflecting on the past year doesn’t need to be daunting or overly formal. A meaningful review...
Quick Wins for January: Small Business Reset Checklist
January is a natural reset point for small businesses. The first month of the year offers a chance...
The Latest
Turning Insights Into Action: How to Use What You Learned to Guide 2026
In this Learning Lab, we will help you simplify this work by focusing on and understanding the local context and trends that really matter, so you can make practical decisions and enter the new year with confidence.
Year-End Reflection: What to Review Now to Prepare for a Strong 2026
Reflecting on the past year doesn’t need to be daunting or overly formal. A meaningful review focuses less on collecting hard facts and more on recognizing patterns and noting important insights. Conducting this review early in the new quarter helps you understand...
Quick Wins for January: Small Business Reset Checklist
The first month of the year offers a chance to pause, reflect, and reset before the year gains momentum. Rather than implementing significant changes that can be overwhelming, focus on quick wins that propel your business toward a successful year.
Research: Holiday Sales Results
Results from InUnison’s third and final 2025 Holiday Sales Survey suggest a mixed close to the holiday season for Richmond-area local businesses.
How to Serve Last-Minute Shoppers with Less Stress
While last-minute shopping can create chaos in your store, many businesses report significant sales increases in the week leading up to Christmas (Reuters). By planning and preparing for increased traffic and last-minute requests in the days leading up to the holidays, you can serve those Christmas shopping stragglers with less stress and more festive cheer.
Thanksgiving Weekend Brought a Modest Lift for Richmond’s Local Businesses
Results from InUnison’s second 2025 Holiday Sales Survey suggest that Thanksgiving weekend delivered a modest improvement from earlier in the season for some Richmond-area local businesses, though gains were far from universal. While national retailers continue to...
5 Small Tweaks to Boost December Sales (Without Discounts)
From smarter social media use to engaging your existing customers, we’ve outlined five small tweaks that can boost your December sales and create a meaningful impact before the year ends.
Enhancing the Holiday Customer Experience: Delight & Connection
A few small, thoughtful touches can elevate the customer experience and make holiday shopping feel special and memorable. These moments help customers feel genuinely appreciated during a potentially hectic holiday season.
Enhancing the Holiday Customer User Experience Through Ease & Convenience
“UX is more than just aesthetics,” said Lisa Dance, UX consultant and founder of ServiceEase. “It’s how easy or difficult it is to interact with a website, app, in-person interaction, over the phone, at a kiosk, etc., and complete the tasks or goals a person needs to achieve.”
Holiday Benchmarking Series: Local Holiday Sales Off to a Soft Start
InUnison’s first of our 2025 Holiday Sales Survey series reveals a softer start to the season for many local businesses, even as national headlines highlight strong early shopping.