Andrew Bustamante – Yellow Brick Road Retail

Yellow Brick Road Retail is Andrew Bustamante’s framework for building and scaling a retail business through documented processes. It combines practical storytelling with playbooks and templates informed by his intelligence background.

What you’ll learn in Yellow Brick Road Retail

• How to build a retail business on repeatable systems instead of guesswork
• A step-by-step path that runs from validating a concept to paying customers
• How to apply intelligence-style risk assessment to sourcing and pricing decisions
• Ready-to-use playbooks and templates for the core stages of a store
• How to plan a launch with the discipline of a strategic operation
• Where to tighten an existing store so it runs on structure, not firefighting

A structured path through retail

The framework organizes retail work into a sequence, beginning with testing a concept and moving toward a store that serves paying customers. Its focus is on processes that can be repeated and handed off rather than decisions made anew each day.

About Andrew Bustamante

Andrew Bustamante is a former CIA covert intelligence officer with close to 20 years of experience in human and technical intelligence operations. He founded EverydaySpy in 2017 to adapt intelligence tradecraft for business owners and other professionals, and is also an author and media presenter.

His intelligence background provides the perspective behind the course’s approach to retail decisions and planning.

From concept to customers

Bustamante uses practical stories to explain the purpose of each stage, then pairs the sequence with playbooks and concrete templates. The path moves from the initial concept through sourcing and onward to the customer’s checkout.

The materials are designed to make the process usable without reinventing the approach at every decision. Course files include videos, PDFs and documents.

Intelligence tradecraft in retail planning

The method draws on intelligence practices for decision-making, risk assessment and strategic planning. It encourages retailers to weigh a decision before committing, identify potential failure points early and approach a launch with operational discipline.

That perspective also informs sourcing and pricing decisions, where assessing risk can help bring structure to choices facing a store.

For new and established retailers

For someone opening a first store, the framework provides an order in which to approach the work. Existing owners can use the same systems-first perspective to examine and strengthen parts of a store that depend on ad hoc fixes.

Also on GenkiCourses for ecommerce: Dimitris Skiadas – Brand Master Accelerator, Nick Theriot – Inner Circle (April 2026) and Henrik Wold – EcomBreakout.

Frequently asked questions

What does Yellow Brick Road Retail cover?

The course follows a retail business from concept validation through sourcing and putting products in front of paying customers. It also applies intelligence-style thinking to decisions, risks and launch planning.

Who is Yellow Brick Road Retail for?

It is designed for aspiring retailers and existing store owners who want a more repeatable way to organize their operations.

Do I need retail experience to use the framework?

No prior retail experience is needed. Beginners can follow the sequence from concept onward, while established owners can use it to organize existing processes.

What materials are included in Yellow Brick Road Retail?

The downloadable materials include videos, PDFs and documents, along with playbooks and templates for stages of running a store.