52% of your business’s cash goes to inventory, making it the most important aspect for success. Creating an Inventory Management plan or an Open to Buy plan is going to not only help you stop winging it at market, but it can also help you understand your customer, your inventory patterns, and start making you more money with maybe even less inventory. Dane Cohen is the Director of Sales and Business Management at Management One, and he is sharing some serious tips and advice for retailers who mi...
Jul 23, 2023•51 min•Ep. 24
The most important thing in retail is… Know. Your. Customers. Today you’re getting an exclusive view of a favorite panel from my 2023 EVOLVE conference: Generational Shoppers. In this panel mediated by Nicole Leinbach, representing Gen X, she is joined by her Gen Z daughter Claire, Millennial Stephanie, and Baby Boomer Sandy. They also discuss our youngest generation and one of the most influential on purchasing, Gen Alpha—today’s babies and young children. These generations have diverse buying ...
Jul 16, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 23
Podcasting is a growing and popular platform. People listen in their cars, while they're cooking or cleaning, while they’re exercising—anytime they can passively consume content! What an opportunity to reach your customers! I talk a lot about your PCG on this show; that’s your Perfect Customer Group, defined by all sorts of elements that make them your ideal client and audience for what you have to offer. When you have a podcast, you get a chance to create long form content that showcases you, w...
Jul 09, 2023•38 min•Ep. 22
How lucky are you!? As a retailer, you get to do social media and connect with your customers. Steph Bechard runs our Crystal Media Insider group, and a lot of our chat today focuses on the reframing of your mind. Social media is not something you HAVE to do; it’s something you GET to do. When it comes to creating engaging content, Steph’s tip is to keep it fun, casual, and human. Just be YOU. Small businesses have this incredible opportunity to get personal in a way that big box stores don’t. W...
Jul 02, 2023•42 min•Ep. 21
If you have a brick and mortar location, real estate is really important for your retail business! Patricia Norins is my personal mentor, but she is also a retail real estate expert and cofounder of Blue Butterfly, where they bridge the gap between retailers and property owners. We talk about common mistakes like becoming emotionally invested in a space outside of your budget or not working with an attorney. Patricia also saves you time AND money with a list of red flags, including termination r...
Jun 25, 2023•43 min•Ep. 20
“Never ever feel like you’ve arrived.” That’s just one piece of awesome wisdom from Jennifer Johnson. Jennifer is the owner of True Fashionistas, Florida’s largest lifestyle consignment store. Jennifer shares her slow and steady race to success. There is nothing that will provide better results than time, commitment, and consistency. When it comes to social media, Jennifer has her consistency set. She shares a couple tricks that set her up for social media success all month. Batching - Did you k...
Jun 18, 2023•40 min•Ep. 19
Instagram, TikTok, Facebook... wherever your business is showing up, you need to be leveraging video content and a real human face to represent your store! Humanity is what sets you apart from your big box counterparts. Who that face is, is up to you. It can be just the owner, the team, a combo of the two, or even customers and influencers. In this episode, I get into the pros and cons of each type of social face and how YOU can figure out what is right. One of my favorite “Case Studies”, if you...
Jun 11, 2023•26 min•Ep. 18
Hey Retailers! It’s my birthday week! I’m showing up today with a minisode and a little riff on what’s on my mind AND what I've been hearing in my conversations with retailers and entrepreneurs. Balance. The sweet divide between work, play, and rest. Why is it SO hard to find the balance? And when you do, are you feeling chronic guilt when you aren't working? Here's my golden tip: Get clear on what’s important. What matters? What are your biggest priorities? Get clear, and then only give your ti...
Jun 04, 2023•12 min•Ep. 17
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, you need to be leveraging Chat GPT for your retail store. Google CEO, Sundar Pichai said, “AI is one of the most important things humanity is working on. It is more profound than, I dunno, electricity or fire”. So I’m telling you, this is BIG. As an independent retailer, you might be wondering how Artificial Intelligence is relevant to your retail store. So I’m getting into it: What is Chat GPT? Why is it important? And how do you use it? You can use C...
May 28, 2023•37 min•Ep. 16
I’m back from EVOLVE and wow it was amazing! I am so grateful to everyone who attended, spoke, and participated in my very first conference. Today, I’m sharing some big takeaways and emotional experiences from EVOLVE. Let’s get down to it, as retailers you either need to Evolve or just not exist. What do I mean by that? A lot of the attendees were not keen to jump on social and promote their store, they were lacking in video content, and they were not utilizing their biggest differentiator: them...
May 21, 2023•37 min•Ep. 15
You’re going to be blown away by the experience and knowledge from Amy Loewnberg in this conversation! Community, it’s the power of connections that drives us and pushes us through the ebbs and flows of the economy. How do you create a community? Go where your people are! Embrace the channels that give you reach. Yes, that means social media!!! Amy actually shares examples from her personal instagram on how you can get connected, meet new people like potential merchants, learn new ideas, and get...
May 14, 2023•47 min•Ep. 14
Feeling stuck when it comes to your team? Bob Negen of WhizBang! Retail Training joins me for his second appearance on Rooted in Retail (check out Episode 7 in case you missed it!). The good help that can help you create and grow your dream team IS out there. A recent survey of retailers with Crystal Media reported that the majority of retailers' biggest challenge is finding and keeping awesome employees. Bob is sharing some incredible and ACTIONABLE tips from his training to help you march forw...
May 07, 2023•47 min•Ep. 13
I find so much value in stories from retailers of growth and change. Matt Harris brings to today’s episode decades of retail experience, going all the way back to age 16 as a self proclaimed ‘mall rat’. Matt's love for retail began as a teenager and his innate skill and passion helped him grow his career from selling ladies shoes to selling high-end art. His journey through retail takes many twists and turns as he left the space for a career in software, returning just several years ago with the...
Apr 30, 2023•50 min•Ep. 12
Okay, you’re not alone if you started your business so you could design your schedule and live the life you want. But what do you want? Are you getting it yet? Pete Mohr is a small town retailer, podcaster, and the retail coach behind Simplifying Entrepreneurship. He is sharing what it takes to get what you want by aligning and assigning accountability. Are you looking for remote access? Or just less hands on in the day to day so you can make that hokey game or spend more time with your family? ...
Apr 23, 2023•43 min•Ep. 11
Imagine being in high school when the pandemic hit; suddenly, school is on your phone, and you’re left with infinite free time. Edgars Cers and his brother took this and ran, as they created Comfy Living Chicago. Comfy Living Chicago is a local Chicago business that sells high quality, affordable pre-owned furniture. What started as a side hustle turned into so much more as they learned the need on both sides of the business. From garages to warehouses to even a storefront in just a few years, C...
Apr 20, 2023•25 min•Ep. 10
How are you making your Yelp account work for you? Everyone’s heard of Yelp, and it’s not just for home services or restaurants; retail stores make up a large percentage of businesses on the website! Emily Washcovick is Yelp’s small business expert, and she is breaking down the “science” behind their review recommendation software and important features for business owners. Don’t be afraid of negative reviews, and don’t solicit for positive ones either! Emily says naturally inspired reviews are ...
Apr 16, 2023•48 min•Ep. 9
The future is bright for small retailers! You’re going to LOVE this conversation I had with my very first retailer! Ana McConnell is the owner of Pilar Boutique in downtown Loveland, Colorado. Ana first started out working in her mom’s boutique, Cloz to Home. After navigating working with her mom, she branched out on her own and is currently thriving with two locations and a photo studio. It’s no secret that being a retailer is HARD WORK. Even Ana called her first two years ‘Absolute Hell’ but i...
Apr 09, 2023•49 min•Ep. 8
Everything you need to get everything you want is available! That is just one piece of incredible knowledge from Retail Vet and Co-Founder of WhizBang! Retail Training, Bob Negen. Becoming an independent retailer is nothing short of brave, and Bob shares some wise words when it comes to breaking away from fear as a retail owner. As Bob joins me from a podcasting suite at the Las Vegas Home and Gift Show in this Bonus Episode, we cover the economy, putting yourself out there, and his ultimate sec...
Apr 06, 2023•34 min•Ep. 7
Patrick Keiser was in his barber’s chair when he had a powerful conversation that may just change the retail world. Patrick is the founder and executive director of Heart on Main Street. The presence of small retailers is down 20% in the last 20 years, Heart on Main Street is a business designed to change that by helping and supporting these local fixtures. Whether it's money and investments, information and education, resources, or a network; Patrick’s passion is to revive Main Street and help ...
Apr 02, 2023•33 min•Ep. 6
Okay Retailers, Here’s a big question to consider: How are you getting customers in your door? And how are you converting that traffic into sales? Maybe you’ve got it going on over on social…but you’re missing MAJOR opportunities via email and text. Nick McHenry is the founder of OneShop Retail, a service that streamlines content creation and customer engagement for brick-and-mortar retail stores like you! There can be some serious stigma around emailing and texting your customers, but we are he...
Mar 26, 2023•39 min•Ep. 5
When it comes to visual merchandising Michelle Sherrier of MC Design Collaboration and host of The Retail Whore Podcast is the go-to! In this episode, she shares her impressive wisdom, insight, and eye for creating the best visual outcome in your retail stores. Don’t let your store and inventory get stale, give often and intentional resets to your store space. With MC Design Collaboration, Michelle works with her clients for quarterly, whole space resets but she recommends smaller refreshes with...
Mar 19, 2023•41 min•Ep. 4
Small businesses this is YOUR time! You don’t want to miss this conversation with Mark Schaefer, social media marketing expert, author of 10 incredible business and marketing books, and Keynote Speaker at my conference, EVOLVE this spring. Mark brings his decades of experience and lens for the future of marketing to talk about his newest book, Belonging to the Brand. The old ways of marketing are out and if you don’t adapt and evolve…you will be left behind. Now more than ever people are craving...
Mar 12, 2023•42 min•Ep. 3
Cathy Wagner, The Retail Maven, or as I lovingly refer to her…The Profit Lady...joins me on this episode to talk about profit when it comes to retail. She has loads of experience helping retailers make more money, have more profits, watch out for retail market trends, and stay ahead of the game. She shares her actionable tips and steps to bring more profit to your retail business…like these 3 KPIs you NEED to pay attention to: Rent Costs - 10% of Sales Team Payroll Costs - 10% of Sales Inventory...
Mar 05, 2023•42 min•Ep. 2
Welcome to the first episode of Rooted in Retail, where I, Crystal Vilkaitis of Crystal Media, am sharing all my experiences, tips, and tricks to guide retailers to success! We’re wasting no time and diving into my favorite topic, something I’ve been working with since 2007…Social Media. During my time working with retailers over the last decade, I’ve seen a lot of resistance when it comes to social media. This resistance comes from the ever-changing landscape of the industry, the learning time ...
Mar 05, 2023•41 min•Ep. 1
Welcome to my new show, Rooted In Retail! This is just a teaser trailer of what's to come and I'm so excited to be sharing this with you as this is something I've been wanting to do for several years now! It's finally happening! Some of you may or may not know but my roots are in retail and this show will be all about educating and having open and honest conversations about business and retail. Listen in and take a quick peek at why I started this show, what you can expect, and how this show can...
Feb 26, 2023•6 min
