Interview Guide for The Business of Bookstores

An interview guide Kyle wrote for a study of independent bookstore economics — founding (how you started, what it cost, where the funding came from) through operations. A reusable template for interviewing any small business honestly.

Notes

• Founding
  • How did you get started?
  • How long have you been in business?
  • How much did it cost to start your business?
  • Where did you get the funding to buy it?
• Operations
  • How do you purchase books?
  • How do you keep track of new books?
    • quickly changing technologies of online ordering, e-reader devices, and e-book downloads, and print-on-demand equipment and capabilities.
  • Do you track how long inventory stays and when to rotate it?
• Online
  • Do you sell books online?
  • Do you have any kind of newsletter?
• Events
  • What kinds of events do you host, if any?
  • How do you advertise for them?
  • How often do you have them?
• Hiring
  • Where do you find your employees?
  • How do you train them?
• Location
  • Have you always been in this location?
  • How did you select your location?
• Financials
  • How much money do you make each month?
  • What are the main revenue channels (books, coffee, etc.)?
    • Some booksellers find that their “ancillary” sales—stationery, tee shirts, mugs, gifts—and, indeed, their café—nets a bigger profit-per-square-foot than the actual book sales.
• Customers
  • Do you have a target customer?