Ep. 74 Shopkeeper Stories with Jennifer of Paper Luxe

We often think that our store, the physical space, or the merchandise generates revenue. But if we dig a little deeper, our BRAIN creates revenue.  Businesses solve problems for their customers. It can be challenging for store owners to see their business this way because we tell ourselves that shopping is just a luxury. Or,…

Most independent retailers don’t have any formal retail merchandising training or education. We’ve learned how to run our retail businesses through trial and error, often without a strategy a plan.  So when retailers hear about Open-to-Buy, or OTB, it sounds really appealing! A tool that tells us when to buy, how much to buy, and…

Let me be real with you: this is not a feel-good topic. It’s uncomfortable to think and talk about why independent retail stores fail, especially as small business owners who want to succeed.  To be clear, I’m not talking about stores that close intentionally for reasons like retirement or family tragedy. I mean the stores…

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…

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,…

It’s all too common for retailers at all stages to feel confused, frustrated, and disheartened—especially when it comes to how much they can pay themselves. But most retailers don’t realize that their success, growth, and take-home pay come down to a single brick and mortar metric: their net profit.  Let’s learn what net profit is,…