Do you have the cash to
move at the speed of retail?

Retail used to move in seasons. Now it moves in weeks. Sometimes overnight. Management One® combines your POS data, AI intelligence, and a dedicated retail coach into a cash flow plan that generates available cash.

How healthy is your business?

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Four questions. Thirty seconds. No credit card required.

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"I can't run my business without this. It tells me exactly what to buy, when, how much, etc. It takes all of the guessing out of inventory management and buying."

High Tide Fibers, Delaware

Serving thousands of retail locations for 40 years and growing

Heyday logo Unlimited Skate and Snow logo Islanders Outfitters logo Kenco logo Whole Earth Provision Co. logo VolShop University of Tennessee logo

One connected ecosystem.
Three ways to generate cash.

Most retail services are built for big-box chains. We built a connected ecosystem just for independent retailers, at any stage of your journey. Start where it helps most.

PLAN

AI Analysis & Forecasting

The intelligence to buy smarter.

Merchandise planning powered by expert retail analysts and Retail ORBIT®. Your open-to-buy, inventory strategy, and markdown timing, grounded in what's working across the M1 network right now.

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Explore Retail ORBIT®

CONNECT

Peer-to-Peer Intelligence

The network so you never decide alone.

The Indie Insights peer network: curated connections with fellow independents, shared benchmarks, and a community that makes you smarter every time you engage.

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See the community

You can't build a 40-year head start. You can join one today.

FREE INVENTORY HEALTH CHECK

How healthy is your retail business?

Answer four quick questions and get your personalized Retail Health Score: where you're strong, where cash is hiding, and what to remedy first, measured against stores like yours. No sales call required to see your number.

  • Sales growth
  • Markdowns
  • Inventory turn
  • Net profit
Get My Free Health Score Four questions. Thirty seconds. No credit card required.
Retail ORBIT Health Score card showing an overall business health score and the metrics that need attention
Sample Retail ORBIT Health Score

You need cash to grow. Here's how we find it.

01

Connect your data

We seamlessly capture your POS or Shopify data and review your inventory position against 40 years of independent retail benchmarks. No spreadsheets, no manual exports.

What POS systems do you integrate with?

02

Get your Retail ORBIT Health Score™

Your business, scored. Where you're strong, where cash is hiding, and what to remedy first, all measured against stores like yours.

See what the score measures

03

Meet your analyst, get your plan

Your seasoned retail analyst builds the most complete cash flow plan in specialty retail, delivered in Retail ORBIT® and updated in real time. This is the moment trapped cash starts showing itself. And Ask Indie™ is ready 24/7 with AI insights from your own data.

Meet our retail analysts
Start With Your Free Health Score

See more cash in your bank account. Here's the proof.

On average, our retail clients achieve these results within the first six months

+10%

Gross sales

more revenue from the same floor

+21%

Cash margin

working capital back in the bank

+9%

Inventory turn

less money sitting on shelves

More cash in the bank. And for the first time in years, a full night's sleep.

"Management One has effectively helped to manage my inventory and increase my margins. I trust their feedback and use their suggestions to navigate my merchandise buying and maintain a healthy cash flow."

Wendi Martin Kick Pleat, Austin & Houston, TX

"Management One gave us the tools to invest our money in goods that created the optimum return on investment, doubling our business."

Tonda H. DiPasquale Tish Boutique, West Chester, PA

"After running our retail stores for many years and having the constant concern of cash flow, we needed to find a better way. Management One provided that way. Our business has truly reached the next level of success and continues to grow."

Dave Carlson Unlimited Skate and Snow, Banff & Canmore, Alberta, Canada

"With Management One, the limiting factor on where I can take my business isn't capital, or merchandise, or anything like that. It's skill set. It's just down to us and what we can do."

John Hambleton Islanders Outfitters, Fort Walton Beach, FL

Let's Find Your Cash

INTRODUCING ASK INDIE™

Your next move is a question away.

Ask a question in plain language and get a clear, specific answer drawn straight from your own store data, grounded in 40 years of retail knowledge. What to buy, what to mark down, what's sitting in the wrong store: the answer is ready the moment you need it.

No reports to pull, no spreadsheets to wrestle. Just the direction to make your next move with confidence.

Learn More About Ask Indie™
Ask Indie answering a retailer's question about their store data

Find out what your inventory is hiding.

Start with your free Retail Health Score, or book a simple conversation about your business, your goals, and your future.

Get My Free Health Score Let's Chat
No pitch, no pressure. Just a clear look at your numbers.

FAQ

We love curious retailers! Over the years, we've had the pleasure of speaking with thousands of retailers like you and some of the questions we get about our solutions can overlap. Here is a short list to help you. Do you have a question that is NOT listed here? Book a brief call and let's chat!

How does Management One help independent retailers improve cash flow and reduce overstocked inventory?
Management One combines Retail ORBIT® inventory planning software with a dedicated retail expert to free up cash that is currently trapped in inventory. Together, they forecast sales, inventory, markdowns, and open to buy by category and class so you can buy the right amount of product at the right time instead of guessing. Over time, that means fewer aged liabilities on the floor, more profitable turns, and more cash available to pay vendors on time and invest in growth.
What is Retail ORBIT® inventory planning software and how does it work with my POS system?
Retail ORBIT® is Management One's inventory planning and forecasting platform built specifically for independent retailers. It connects directly to your point of sale system, so your daily sales, returns, and inventory data flow into one source of truth for planning and reporting. The software creates bottom up sales and inventory forecasts by category and class, generates open to buy budgets, and provides deep dive reports on inventory performance and variance so you are not building everything in spreadsheets.
What does a Management One retail expert actually do each month?
Your Management One retail expert is both a coach and a consultant focused on inventory planning and retail profitability. Each month they review your Retail ORBIT® merchandise plan, analyze trends in your classes and categories, and then walk you through the most important data so you are not overwhelmed by reports. On your monthly strategy call, they explain the numbers in plain language and turn them into a short action list for the next few weeks, including what to buy, what not to buy, how to manage markdowns, and where your money is currently sitting in inventory.
Who is Management One a good fit for in terms of retail size, format, and business model?
Management One is designed for independent retailers that rely on physical product to drive revenue. Typical clients include apparel and fashion boutiques, footwear stores, lifestyle and home retailers, outdoor and specialty shops, campus stores, museum shops, pet supply, sporting goods, and other multi brand retail concepts. The model works best for owners and buyers who want data driven inventory planning but do not have a full in house planning team and care deeply about cash flow and controlled growth.
Can Management One replace our spreadsheet based open to buy plan and manual inventory reports?
Yes. Most retailers come to Management One when their Excel based open to buy planning and ad hoc POS reports are no longer enough. Retail ORBIT® replaces error prone spreadsheets with consistent, automated reporting that is refreshed from your POS every day and structured around a clean classification system. Instead of spending hours exporting, cleaning, and rebuilding reports, you and your buyers work from a single merchandise plan and set of deep dive reports that your expert helps you interpret.
How does Management One help during an inventory or cash flow crisis?
When cash is tight, the first step is understanding where your dollars are tied up in inventory. Management One uses your merchandise plan and performance reports to identify which categories and classes are overfunded, where you have margin opportunities, and which markdowns will move goods without destroying profit. Your retail expert then builds a practical plan to right size inventory and restore cash flow by rebalancing open to buy, adjusting future receipts, tightening markdown strategy, and focusing buys on the highest returning categories.
How does Management One act as a sounding board for my buying and business decisions?
Many independent retailers do not have a full leadership team to bounce ideas off of. Management One fills that gap by giving you a trusted advisor who can gut check major decisions using both experience and data. That might include opening a new location, changing a key vendor, expanding or shrinking a category, or hiring more staff. Because your expert knows your sales history, merchandise plan, and cash position, they can help you see blind spots and tradeoffs before you commit.
Will I still control my buys if I work with Retail ORBIT® and a Management One retail expert?
Yes. Management One does not take over your buying; it gives you a more accurate map for it. You and your team still choose which brands, styles, and fashion stories make sense for your customer and your brand. The merchandise plan and open to buy budgets show how much to invest by category and class, and your expert helps you stay within those guardrails. You keep full creative and merchandising control while gaining better visibility and discipline around the numbers.
How does Management One use my POS and retail data to improve buying decisions?
Management One connects to your retail POS system so that daily transactions, inventory levels, and returns are pulled into Retail ORBIT®. The data is classified and analyzed at a granular level, which makes it easier to see best sellers, slow movers, and trends across locations and seasons. With that foundation, the system generates forward looking plans including sales forecasts, inventory targets, markdown allowances, and open to buy budgets. Your expert reviews these numbers with you and turns them into concrete buying decisions so every receipt supports your cash and profit goals.
What kind of results have other retailers seen working with Management One?
Retailers that implement the Management One process consistently report cutting excess inventory while maintaining or growing sales, improving margin, and gaining better control of cash flow. Many discover they can hit their sales goals with significantly less inventory on hand than before. Owners also report feeling more confident in their numbers and less stressed about buying because they have a clear, data backed plan instead of relying only on gut feel.
How do I get started with Management One if I want help with inventory planning and open to buy?
Getting started usually begins with a conversation about your current inventory, cash flow, and growth goals. From there, Management One reviews your POS setup, classification structure, and data quality, then connects your system to Retail ORBIT®. You are matched with a retail expert who has experience in your type of retail business, and once your first merchandise plan is produced, you schedule recurring monthly meetings to review the plan, understand the numbers, and implement changes in how you buy, mark down, and manage inventory.

Let's Grow Your Business Together

It starts with a simple discussion about your business, your goals and your future. Tell us a little about yourself here and get started today.