Charity shops and thrift stores have been firm fixtures of the modern retail space since at least the 1950’s and primarily second-hand product websites like eBay and Craigslist are now both running into their mid-twenties - resale is certainly not a new phenomenon, but it’s in recent years that advances in technology and shifts in consumer habits have allowed the second, and even third-hand market to flourish like never before. In episode 78 of The Resilient Retail Game Plan, I speak to Wilson G...
Jan 27, 2022•30 min
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - there’s no silver bullet when it comes to creating a successful product business, but we can look at industry stories, review the data and trace trends to help us sketch out a bit of a roadmap for each coming year. In episode 77 of The Resilient Retail Game Plan, there are some key themes that I want to run through that I think are less the “secrets to success” and more a pragmatic approach to ensuring you and your business can weather these uncertain ...
Jan 20, 2022•27 min
One question I get a lot, and one that's certainly become much more pertinent in the last few years, is "Why bother making plans when things are so uncertain?" Even without the wildcard of a global pandemic, the retail landscape is constantly changing and does so at a dramatic pace - it's no surprise then that business owners are frustrated and fatigued by making plans that might be redundant by the end of the month, if not week! I've worked many years in the retail industry, through periods of ...
Jan 13, 2022•22 min
In the age of Coronavirus, we’re fortunate enough to be better connected than ever. Social media platforms, online forums and community-centric apps have given us the tools to enjoy, learn and share our interests and passions with like-minded people from all around the world - but when it comes to product businesses, it's a surprisingly under-utilised engagement tool. Online communities can not only extend your reach far beyond a traditional brick-and-mortar store but can help produce organic an...
Jan 06, 2022•36 min
Merry Christmas to all you small businesses owners out there - I hope you had a good season of sales and that you’re having a well-earned rest before we all hit the ground running for 2022. As this is the last podcast episode of 2021 I thought it would be a good opportunity to take a look at the last year in retail - from what trends have developed over the last 12 months, to how the industry has been continually shaped by global events. Despite seeing a stronger start to the year than expected ...
Dec 30, 2021•20 min
With Christmas Day but a few sleeps away, I hope you and your business have not only survived but thrived this festive season, and hopefully, you can look forward to some well-deserved rest once those last few orders are picked, packed and shipped! Never one to rest on my laurels I’m already looking ahead to 2022 to try and ascertain what trends we could expect to see, even whilst the shadow of Omicron-driven uncertainty stretches into next year. In today’s episode, pulled from my research as a ...
Dec 23, 2021•31 min
As business owners, and in a world that seems to be evolving at an ever-increasing pace, the convenience, reach and speed that today's marketing tools afford us is very appealing - but the bigger question is: are they effective? As customers, it can often feel like we're being pummeled by a barrage of marketing from every source of tech that we owe - we're snowed under by email subscriptions, solicited over SMS and interrupted mid-video and song by flash-bang advertising. Maybe it's time we slow...
Dec 16, 2021•36 min
With the big day but a few weeks away, we're truly bang-in-the-middle of Christmas crunch-time. You're no doubt juggling orders and shipments as well family commitments and making plans for the festive holidays. But, with so many different elements to manage and demands being made of your time, I'd be willing to bet that the one thing you're not prioritising is you. In today’s episode, I speak to Confidence Coach and author of “Be Your No.1 Cheerleader” Ekua Cant. With a mission of being positiv...
Dec 09, 2021•25 min
Between the numerous learning curves, family commitments, marketing schedules, profit margins, post office runs and, well, the list goes on, I think we’d all agree that running your own business can be exhausting. Intense work schedules can lead to fatigue and we’re all likely to experience burn-out and brain fog at some point - but how do you manage running a business whilst suffering from chronic or long term illness. In today’s episode of The Resilient Retail Game Plan, I speak to the founder...
Dec 02, 2021•32 min
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Today marks one of the US’s biggest holidays, as well as the eve of one of the biggest retail events of the year: Black Friday. Historically a day for bagging unbelievable bargains, the consensus on this massive shopping event has shifted somewhat in recent years, with some people and companies pushing back against this festival of consumerism with a message to shop small and in some cases offering to support charitable causes through their sales. Customers are getti...
Nov 25, 2021•31 min
Whether this is your first festive sales season or you’re a Christmas retail veteran there’ll always be challenges to overcome and surprises you didn’t anticipate. Everyone's business is different and operates with its own set of rules and idiosyncrasies, which means even with the best direction from dependable sources it can feel like much of the advice available is a bit abstract when comes to trying to apply it to your own business. So, for today's episode, I’ve enlisted the help and perspect...
Nov 18, 2021•46 min
Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram have completely revolutionised the way in which small independent businesses can reach potential customers. The democratisation of the online retail space paired with widely accessible, user-friendly marketing tools like Canva have helped elevate the profile of many small brands and start-ups. Increased visibility is great but the work you’re putting into market yourself needs to translate to orders. In episode 67 of The Resilient Retail Game Pl...
Nov 11, 2021•30 min
I think we can all agree that Christmas wouldn’t be much of a success if Santa Claus didn’t show up, and the same holds true for your business. If you don’t put the time and effort in to get yourself out there and make your brand and your products more visible you won’t be taking full advantage of one of the most lucrative sales seasons in the calendar. Incredible products will sell themselves, but some of your lines will need a little TLC to get them flying off the shelves. That’s why it’s not ...
Nov 04, 2021•39 min
Since originating in the United States, developed as a major sales stimulus event based around Thanksgiving, Black Friday has since migrated to many other economies around the globe where businesses offer a wide range of deals and discounts for a limited time, effectively marking the beginning of the festive shopping season. Small businesses often don’t have the resources to pull off the seemingly too-good-to-be-true offers that larger retailers flood the market with at the end of November, and ...
Oct 28, 2021•33 min
Managing finances can prove to be a major source of anxiety for many business owners. From trying to navigate the maze of bureaucracy that is self-employment to juggling multiple income streams, there’s a lot to keep track of, and the last thing you need is to get caught out come the end of the tax year. If you feel like you’re sinking in spreadsheets it might be time to enlist the services of an accountant. In today’s episode, I speak to Rachel Martin. As the founder of ‘Accountant_She’, Rachel...
Oct 21, 2021•31 min
Consumers are thinking more about how they connect and relate to their purchases than ever before - from shopping small and local to seeking out products that align with their values. As a consequence, it is truly encouraging to see such a large rise in the number of purpose-driven businesses coming to market that cater for people who want their cash to contribute to something greater than a business’s bottom line. From fair-trade and B-Corp certification to profit percentage pledges to charity,...
Oct 14, 2021•36 min
From AI chatbots to cloud computing, I hardly need to tell you, small business owners, that technology is constantly changing how the retail industry operates - we’ve all become very familiar with self-checkouts, targeted advertising and next or same-day delivery, but cutting-edge tech often comes at a steep price and requires robust infrastructure, and so is often outside the grasp of many fledging independent businesses and startups. However, two technologies that don’t require a huge outlay o...
Oct 07, 2021•25 min
If there’s one advantage of being a small business over mainstream retailers, it’s the personal touch and connection you can foster between you and your customers - when you’re the one making the products, fielding customer questions and organising deliveries, closer proximity to your buyers is baked into the very nature of your business-running role. In today's episode of The Resilient Retail Game Plan, I speak to Michael Osborne - president of Wunderkind, a marketing firm that helps digital bu...
Sep 30, 2021•31 min
With just under 100 days left until Christmas Day, I’ve got my festive fingers crossed that with a little help from The Resilient Retail Game plan you’re feeling well prepared for the busy Christmas sales season. If you’ve got your stock levels sorted and your marketing scheduled now is the time now to look ahead for bottlenecks - to see if you can anticipate and pre-empt pinch points and tackle them head-on by being practical and resourceful. The crunch you experience in your business at Christ...
Sep 23, 2021•20 min
As we’ve covered over the last 10 or so episodes, there’s a lot to consider and arrange when it comes to getting ready for the festive season. From securing stock to marketing and delivery, there are so many moving parts to keep track of, and as the orders fly in and things get busier, it’s all too easy to lose focus, make mistakes and burn out. Strategising week-by-week might be effective for the majority of your trading year, but once the holidays roll around you really need to look at the ent...
Sep 16, 2021•19 min
Whilst big retail isn’t exactly going anywhere, we’re seeing more and more that customers want something that mass-produced products and high street giants generally can’t offer - to be part of a journey when it comes to the consumer experience. Whether it’s getting their hands on something handmade and unique or voting with their wallet by buying locally and sustainably, consumers are savvy and know that it’s small, independent businesses that they need to go to for gift-able treats, purpose-le...
Sep 09, 2021•28 min
As we’ve covered in previous episodes, Christmas has all the potential to be the most profitable point of your financial year, but a lot of your sales success is dependent on how well prepared you are to meet the demands of your customers. From making sure you’ve secured enough of your bestsellers to avoiding creating a stockpile of those dreaded ‘brown bananas', forecasting your sales and ordering stock can be a difficult and abstract task. So, in episode 57 of The Resilient Retail Game Plan, I...
Sep 02, 2021•23 min
In my first solo episode in three and a half months and as a break from my Xmas content, I thought I’d spend this podcast sharing with you the five books that have made an impact on me and my business. You can always find me reading, I mostly have my head buried in novels, but when I started The Resilient Retail Club digging into business books keep me focused and helped me absorb info that has helped me work more productively and effectively. First up is “Profit First” by Michael Michalowicz wh...
Aug 26, 2021•25 min
Consumers, now more than ever, want to connect and relate to the brands and businesses that they buy from. It’s not enough to just send your products out into the world and expect them to fly off the shelves - you have to convey who you are and what you value if you want to stand out to your customers. Regardless of whether your product business was born from a simple hobby, has grown out of a search for sustainable alternatives, or aims to disrupt the market, when it comes to PR and branding, a...
Aug 19, 2021•43 min
Whether you’ve already established a crew of handy helpers or you’re looking to add your first extra pair of hands to the production line in time for your Xmas orders, recruiting is just the first step in putting a trustworthy team together. Setting expectations, engaging your workforce and ultimately managing your staff is a whole other ballgame with its own challenges and intricacies. In episode 52 of The Resilient Retail Game Plan, I speak to Human Resources Consultant Pip Foulsham. From work...
Aug 12, 2021•29 min
So, today's episode is a little different for two reasons. Firstly, we experienced a little technical issue during this recording, consequently, there’s a shift in my audio quality from around 25 minutes into the episode - my apologies! But secondly, and more importantly, we’re taking a break from getting ready for Christmas to let off some steam. The life of a small business owner is generally a rewarding one, but it can be lonely and monotonous with few, if any, colleagues to vent frustrations...
Aug 05, 2021•33 min
It may not be a workshop at the North Pole, but your small business is likely to be just as busy come Christmas time. By the same token, you may not have quite as many ‘customers’ as Santa Claus but you certainly might need a band of elves to ensure your orders are fulfilled, your products are produced and your deliveries are sent out on time. Taking on team members can feel like a big step for small business owners, but building a workforce, whether it’s seasonal or not, doesn’t have to be as s...
Jul 29, 2021•38 min
If the previous few episodes hadn’t made it abundantly clear, prepping and optimising your product business for Christmas is absolute vital if you want to make the most of the year’s peak purchasing season. Building genuinely engaged audiences and deploying successful marketing campaigns doesn’t happen overnight, you have to get a strategy in place and when it comes to the festive period, the earlier the better. In today’s episode we speak to Narada McKoy, founder and director of Bravada, who sp...
Jul 22, 2021•34 min
You may remember that the power of PR played a large part in the results of my recent product business survey, and with Christmas, technically, on the way, getting into gift guides and being found in features could make a big difference to your sales come the festive season. Approaching press outlets, however, can be a bit intimidating, so, as part of this series of episodes focusing on getting set for Christmas, I spoke to PR Dispatch founder, Rosie Davies-Smith to discuss how to plan out pitch...
Jul 15, 2021•31 min
From the sounds of Slade and Band-Aid permeating the airwaves to the snowflake fringed points of sale at seemingly every checkout, for better or worse, Christmas seems to start earlier every year. On average, the buying public might resent the idea of turning their thoughts to the festive season as soon as the Hallowe’en decorations are down, but with one-third of all retail sales taken in the six-week run-up to Xmas, the reality for retailers is that their Chrimbo considerations have to start a...
Jul 08, 2021•30 min
