Retail Shift

If you could go back in time, what advice would you give yourself? Spoiler alert: (Even) I hate this question! Hindsight is 20/20. It gives us a less tenderopportunity to learn from past mistakes, oversights, and failures. As someone who’s fascinated but learning from her own history, I know there’s more to get out of hindsight — like learning how to fail up. We know history repeats itself. We also know that if we want different results, we often have to DO something different than we’ve done in the past. Throughout my career I’ve learned how to get and grow by accepting my contribution to professional failures. And I’ve learned to do far more than chalk it up to valuable experience. In fact, I’ve learned how to leverage failures rather than redfinine them. In this week’s podcast episode, I share my perspective on making the most of bad results: Why we are comfortable redefining failures Seeing the past in a new light rather vs. using the past as a stepping stone to new results The importance of making inten

A common thread that connects business owners and CEOs across all organizations, in all industries — regardless of business size — is a desire for both confidence and clarity. The leadership role can feel isolating. It takes a lot of work to hold down the fort, to have or find answers to your challenging business questions, and to take big leaps toward growth. The reality is that many things out of your control. But there’s a lot more you can sway… if you know how. Whether you’re operating on a mixture of guts, gumption, and grace, or running like a well-oiled machine ready to produce even more, I want you to broaden your business point-of-view so that you can step into a role you already have — Small Business CEO. Imagine what could be possible in just one week if you learned how to improve your strategic know-how in order to lead your brand to greater profit. In this week’s podcast episode for small business owners, retail entrepreneurs, and up-and-coming industry leaders, you’ll learn: The number one thin

We’re entering a selling season when the reasons for buying are broader than they are during other times of the year. Between seasonal holidays like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, non-holiday seasonality associated with school graduation and sports, and the general energy that comes from experiencing warm weather, customers open their wallets more freely since the holidays. It’s no wonder that pop-up events and outdoor markets are aplenty this time of year. So how are you event planning for optimal profit? Whether you’re opening a brand new brick-and-mortar business, embarking on your 15th outdoor market season, or growing your chain of retail stores, event planning should be an important part of your operational process. In this week’s episode I share two important practices to compliment what you already know! Stack them both or try one strategy this season: Look at grand opening and special events from a new, long-term point-of-view How to start “selling” over a month and a half before your event How behi

When I started working in a retail buying office, I found it to be an exciting time in my life. I adored being part of the decision-making that shaped what customers bought. Specifically, I enjoyed learning how to understand my customers so deeply that I could shop of them — thousands and thousands of them. What you and I have in common is that we excel at translating visual or emotional inspiration into something a customer will pay for. We also have strong presentation skills — from visual communication to store merchandising to selling. Like you, I love this large portion of the job being a merchant! During this early part of my career, I could have left the rest of the merchant role behind. Believe me when I tell you, I tried and here’s how it went! Ultimately, I couldn’t. I couldn’t pick and choose what to focus on and what to ignore, and neither can you. I quickly learned that selling inventory to a paying customer happens in an ecosystem of sorts and that this environment has an infinite amount of infl

There are a handful of essential questions I always ask clients and students because they effectively reveal valuable information about a business like its size, general revenue bracket , and state of growth. When it comes to receiving business support as an entrepreneur or small business owner, sharing as much as you can about your operations is more revealing — and actionable — than sharing how much annual revenue your brand drives. So here’s the million dollar question... How do you handle the administrative work that goes into your retail business? It’s easy to villainize administrative tasks like replying to vendor emails, cataloging digital photos, and handling invoices as pesky to-dos. But nothing can be further from the truth. These administrative examples are just a few of many critical inventory-related aspects of running a profitable merchant business. In this week’s podcast episode, you’ll learn the importance of: Reframing your point of view about business tasks Maintaining a sense of urgency es

Paper planners and desk-sized calendars are popular companions to the kickoff of any new year. They represent fresh starts, new beginnings, and goal setting. I’m curious — did you start the year with business goals, and a new planner or journal in hand? More importantly, are you still planning with the same level of commitment you had earlier in the year? If you’re answer is yes, let me be the first to congratulate you! Amazing job! But, if your answer is kinda or no, fret not because you are not alone. You’re not the only merchant in search of a planner or online planning tool that will help you complete the work you want to complete. A tool that will help you stay focused, take action, and continue growing. In this week’s podcast episode, I review several types of planners: The four types of planners I review How each planner is unique and how I’ve used each for different purposes The similarities across each planner type The key difference between planners and planning The biggest opportunities for Retail

When it comes to mastering accountability, entrepreneurs often think the answer lies in time management. It’s easy to believe that if we manage our time better, we wouldn’t feel behind in our work and could actually plan some personal time off. But let’s be honest — if you need help holding yourself accountable to the business deadlines you’ve set, time management may NOT the kind of help you really need. In this week’s podcast episode, you ‘ll discover the simple but overlooked secret to meeting your own deadlines: The relationship between time management and accountability Three things you need to know in order to manage your time effectively What it means to have clarity about on your priorities After you’ve listened, it’s time to take action! Remember: Knowledge and action are most effective when applied within the context of your unique business using your unique style. To help you find your path to business growth, take my free 60-second Retail Success Style quiz at MerchantMethod.com/Quiz. © Thinkin

If you have business successes to celebrate and still feel overwhelmed by work or have a hard time getting clear about where your business is going, you might be a Merchant Maverick. As one of the Retail Success Styles: https://merchantmethod.com/quiz, Merchant Mavericks make up about one third of the Merchant Method community. While what you’ve done in the past won’t necessarily get you the business results you want in the future, you can use your success style to unlock your next chapter of business growth. As you listen to this podcast episode, I want to pay special attention to a few key points: How Merchant Mavericks maneuver through business to find success An overview of Creative Entrepreneurs and Chief Retail Officers A few ways Merchant Mavericks describe themselves What to do if you crave a new business direction After you’ve listened, it’s time to take action! Remember: Knowledge and action are most effective when applied within the context of your unique business, using your unique style. To he

Two heads are better than one but it takes intention and patience to work in partnership successfully. Whether your business partnership means co-owning your brand, working with multiple vendors, or both, all of these require regular maintenance to keep them high functioning, valuable, and gratifying. But what about when you’re in a partnership that’s headed in the wrong direction? What do you do about it then? I frequently coach retailers and makers through the vendor partnership aspect of business. What most merchants don’t realize is that the true value of these relationships does not center around physical inventory. In fact, there are many components that contribute to awarding the metaphoric Partnership Gold Star — like being reliable, consistent, and a clear communicator. Though many partners have the best intentions, you may find yourself in a business relationship that needs repair. Perhaps someone is falling short of your expectations or you’re falling short of theirs. What should your next move be?

There’s so much more to planning than time management... but I’m pretty sure you already know this! You juggle finances to buy inventory or raw materials. You shift around items on your to-do list to meet your most urgent deadlines. You put off making personal appointments because there are competing deadlines tied to the urgency of seasonal selling. You juggle like a pro! But… are you planning so you can get ahead of the game or are you scrambling to keep up? Here’s the good news: you can reverse engineer the many benefits of planning if you know what you’re working toward and why your planning for it! You don’t need to overhaul your operational practices or adopt a leadership style very different from your Retail Success Style. You simply need to start planning. This podcast episode highlights three types of planning so that you can make sure you’re covering your bases —  now and in the future. As you listen, pay special attention to these points: Merchandise planning helps you optimize your revenue while

Marketing, as a critical business function, is just as broad a practice as it is deep — meaning, there are many important moving parts. Luckily there are also plenty of valuable resources for SMBs yet despite the training available at our fingertips, Merchants continue to struggle with marketing their businesses for one main reason — marketing is NOT merchandising. When you take a simple view of retail merchandising, it falls under the broader function of marketing because merchandising your products promotes desirability. When you look at modern marketing as well as modern retail within the context of your cash flow needs, you’ll quickly learn that these serve different roles in your business and that you need both. As you listen to this week’s episode, designed specifically for independently-owned retail SMBs, small-batch manufacturers, and makers, I want you pay special attention to: Avoiding the mistake of using marketing as a cure-all when sales are stagnant Using the Four Pillars of Merchandising to di

I remember my first manager-level role — one with employees to train, develop, and retrain should performance fall below expectations. I loved it when my team and I were like a well-oiled machine and never thought about how I would feel if we weren’t. So I was unprepared when my own manager asked me to have a difficult conversation with an employee whom she suspected was stealing from the business. Whether or not I was prepared, it was a conversation I had to have. In hindsight, I can see that I didn’t receive the best direction from my supervisor (perhaps my fears prevented me from really hearing her). Instead I did the best I could do in the moment. Do any of these feeling sound familiar to you? I decided to get rid of any expectations that this would be a conversation of conflict. I got curious instead. It was a productive, personable, and successful straightforward talk. Your next one can be too. In this episode I share the approach I take when I’m curious about an employee's behavior or performance. List

The question I get asked time and time again is — “What should I charge for my products because I need to make more money?” I hate to be the bearer of bad news but you need to know that making more money does NOT start with pricing. The nature of personal taste and the costs associated with offering your shoppers the right number of customer choices make the simplicity of finding “the right price” very, very difficult. Let me explain to you what you need to know and WHY so that you can begin asking quality questions and start making more money. As you listen to this podcast episode I want you to pay special attention to a few key concepts that impact small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). The one thing that makes it difficult to run a profitable retail business or inventory-based brand Merchant Method’s Four Pillars of Merchandising — a must-know for indie retailers and makers Learn the critical roles of each merchandising pillar and how it plays out in your business Understand the difference between run

Every indie retailer and maker that I’ve worked with has one thing in common — a fear of being bored in their work. (Raise your hand if this is you too!) This is often why entrepreneurs start their own ventures. However, the pursuit of freedom and flexibility often spreads into areas that it has no business being.   I’m here to tell you, my friend, that you can AND should embrace boredom! When you do, you’ll find running your inventory-based brand easier and, if you do it well, more profitable too.   As you listen to this podcast episode about how to hack your business growth with boredom, I want you to pay special attention to a few key concepts that impact small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Why you should stop worrying about getting bored in your business How uncertainty and excitement in specific aspects of your operations can hurt your business The proven benefits of boredom Three ways to hack your retail growth using the benefits of boredom   After you’ve listened, it’s time to take action!   J

Whether you're ready to share this publicly or suffer in silence, you probably feel that you need to somehow up your retail marketing game — whether it be getting more attention on social media, driving traffic to your ecommerce site, or developing new contacts now that might turn into business later (read: business development).   Amiright?!? If you believe there’s stiff competition or if you’re rowing your own boat, there is zero benefit in ignoring the fact that it’s a business battleground out there with many brands vying for your customers attention AND money! This begs the question: What’s a small, self-funded retailer or maker to do? There IS actually an answer that allows you to take one of many paths that’s right for YOUR brand. But it does, in fact, begin with a set of valuable insights. As you listen to this podcast episode about how to profit in a saturated marketplace, I want you to pay special attention to a few key concepts that impact small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). What brand valu

What catches a customer’s attention — and hopefully a share of their wallet — changes constantly and the tides of merchandising, marketing, and selling quickly follow suit. What was once a clever idea to drive customer traffic to a store is now the starting price to get a customer’s attention. Hopefully you hold it long enough for them to really look at what you’ve got to sell. I’m sure you know your customers well enough to provide epic customer care but do you know how they really want to be sold to? Spoiler Alert: It’s entertainment-first. As you listen to this podcast episode about the shifting the customer service role from seller to entertainer, I want you to pay special attention to a few key concepts that impact small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). How the entertainment industry props up and transforms the retail industry Shifts in discretionary spending, and the relationship between experiences and physical inventory Common retailtainment experiences in a brick-and-mortar or physical settings

The Retail Shift podcast shares business advice for inventory-based brands and the merchants who run them. I'm Chris Guillot, CEO of Merchant Method and your portable retail coach.   I'm glad you're here to find answers to your business questions like: How do I plan for the future when there's uncertainty? How do I sell more products and make a profit? How do I find and keep paying customers? How do I get employees to do the work they're hired to do? How do I up my retail marketing game?   You're also invited to join my free podcast community at MerchantMethod.com/RetailShift. When you do you’ll learn how to apply these shifts to your business AND meet indie retailers and makers just like you. See you there!   © Thinking Thumbprint LLC DBA Merchant Method. All rights reserved. For more information and terms of use visit MerchantMethod.com.