President
Ann Arbor, Mi
SHAR Music is the largest nationwide direct merchant of violin family instruments and their related accessories, with two locations in Ann Arbor, MI and another in Beijing, China.Ensured effective, efficient daily and long term operations of the company, with direct responsibilities covering marketing, sales, finance, warehouse/fulfillment, IT and HR. Developed business and strategic plans, drove company P&L.• Drove record profits in 2015 and again in 2016.• Redefined marketing strategy, eliminated print catalogs, switched to a digital media eCatalog format with embedded video, rich text and direct links to web pages. Reduced marketing operating budget by 16% annually, while increasing brand awareness, customer engagement and customer retention.• Redesigned Call Center sales training and skill level; increased sales by 35%, increased Net Promoter Score from 8.9 to 9.2, reduced turnover from 41% to 8%.• Redesigned inventory management and purchasing, reduced shrink 63%, total inventory dollars 18% and sku’s 12%, with no decline in fulfillment rate.• Developed 2-4 day free shipping program at no additional cost to the company by optimizing use of FedEx and USPS by zone, negotiating rates. 60% of customers got orders within 2 days and 80% within 3 days.• Extensive negotiations with vendors to influence market issues and product positioning, including MAP legal enforcement, worldwide cost structures and distributor agreements. Enforced trademarks and copyrights.• Conducted competitive research on the Amazon Marketplace digital ecosystem, identified competitors and strategies, developed counter strategies increasing item sales by up to 125%. Created test-bed FBA store, grew to 13K customers & $500K sales in 14 months with 100% satisfaction rating.• Championed launch of digital download program, with proprietary videos and exclusive sheet music content.• Responsible for financial controls: created annual budgets, ensured bank covenants met, managed cash flow.