Shopkeeper Stories with Jessica of Bee Joyful Shopkeeper Stories are back! We’re kicking off this round with Jessica Thompson, owner of Bee Joyful in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Jessica started her journey as a maker with just one product: reusable beeswax food wraps. After several years of showing at markets and selling at a monthly community event,…
Growing the online part of your business takes time and effort. Just like our brick-and-mortar spaces, it’s essential to dedicate some energy to this part of our business. Online marketing is crucial to growing and building a solid omnichannel retail business. In Master Shopkeepers, a group member with a fantastic brand—and some experience in marketing…
Each year, I survey the Savvy Shopkeeper community to learn more about you, your struggles, and how Savvy Shopkeeper can better help you on your shopkeeping journeys. I get to know our group members pretty well, but the survey gives me an opportunity to learn more about podcast listeners and email subscribers too! Let’s dive…
One of the most underutilized yet affordable and EASY marketing tools for retailers is… …email marketing. Why is it so underutilized? There are lots of reasons! However, many of the reasons I hear from retailers are mindset roadblocks we put in our own way. Read on to learn the top eight roadblocks I hear time…
There are two schools of thought regarding the current economy and how it affects independent retail businesses. Group number one says, “Don’t listen to all the hype and negativity in the media. Retailers are NOT struggling right now, and many are up!” Group number two says, “Inflation is on the rise. We see it everywhere,…
“Automation” can be intimidating, especially when you have to invest your time and effort into setting up new software or learning a new system. But automation is a massive timesaver for indie retail business owners! It’s one of the best ways that we can work LESS. Best of all, the time we can save through…