Episodes
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Customers love visiting indie retail stores and discovering new items, and many indie shopkeepers revel in curating fresh finds for their stores. The part that isn’t enjoyable? Adding new items to your inventory system—especially if your inventory entry process is manual.
Whether you're managing hundreds of new SKUs or reordering popular products, you don't have to feel overwhelmed. Listen in to discover practical tips that can streamline your inventory entry process and reclaim your time.
For show notes, visit www.savvyshopkeeper.com/episode230.
Kathy Cruz is an Independent Retail Coach who helps store owners work smarter, profit more, and grow their brick and mortar businesses. Connect with Kathy and learn more here:
Website: Retail Business Coach For Brick & Mortar Store Owners • Savvy Shopkeeper
Instagram: @savvyshopkeeper
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Jolene Forrester, owner of JoRetro in Havre de Grace, Maryland, has built a thriving legacy retail store with multiple streams of income. What started out in a small antique mall booth has grown into a 5000 square foot retail store with vintage treasures, niche retro-style products, a twice-annual Pyrex & Vintage Festival, and a thriving Airbnb apartment rental business.
With an extensive background in corporate interior design, Jolene’s knack for creative merchandising and unique vintage finds has helped her build JoRetro—along with a few key lessons from Master Shopkeepers.
Listen in to hear how Jolene went from interior designer to indie retail store owner, the key lesson in squares per sale foot that Jolene learned from Kathy inside Master Shopkeepers, and what Jolene envisions for her retail store in the near future.
For show notes, including links to Jolene’s social media and other resources mentioned in this episode, visit www.savvyshopkeeper.com/episode229.
Kathy Cruz is an Independent Retail Coach who helps store owners work smarter, profit more, and grow their brick and mortar businesses. Connect with Kathy and learn more here:
Website: Retail Business Coach For Brick & Mortar Store Owners • Savvy Shopkeeper
Instagram: @savvyshopkeeper
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Missing episodes?
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If there’s one thing that nearly all indie retail store owners struggle with, it’s planning. And when we struggle with planning, using a planner is next to impossible! But our planner problems CAN be solved when we address the real culprit behind our planning struggles.
Listen in to discover the real culprit behind your planning struggles. Plus, you’ll learn how to build new habits when you combine one of my favorite business books with my favorite business tool—the Savvy Shopkeeper Planner!
Can’t wait to grab the new and improved Savvy Shopkeeper Planner? Visit savvyshopkeeper.com/planner to get yours at early bird pricing.
Go to savvyshopkeeper.com/episode228 for links to everything mentioned in this episode.
Kathy Cruz is an Independent Retail Coach who helps store owners work smarter, profit more, and grow their brick and mortar businesses. Connect with Kathy and learn more here:
Website: Retail Business Coach For Brick & Mortar Store Owners • Savvy Shopkeeper
Instagram: @savvyshopkeeper
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In today's bonus shortie episode I'm delving into the misconceptions surrounding business performance during turbulent times. I explore how the thoughts of business owners directly influence their feelings and, subsequently, their actions.
Election years can indeed be a bumpy ride for small business owners, but it doesn't have to spell disaster for your business. By shifting your mindset and staying focused on strategic actions, you can navigate the noise and come out stronger.
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Elisa Vietri always dreamed of opening a retail shop for her ever-growing collection of vintage goods. So when she and a friend drove by an empty storefront in Cleveland, Ohio’s Little Italy neighborhood in 2014, she jumped at the opportunity.
Now the proud owner of Moonstruck CLE, Elisa has ten years of experience selling vintage goods and connecting with other collectors. She’s built a profitable retail business for herself without taking on a penny of debt.
But that doesn’t mean she hasn’t had some ups and downs—Elisa learned how to be a shopkeeper on her own, was laid off from her previous career, and then found Master Shopkeepers at the perfect moment.
Listen in to hear the full story of Elisa’s journey as the owner of Moonstruck CLE, along with what stage of her shopkeeping journey Elisa is in, why she plans to stay in that stage, and how joining Master Shopkeepers changed her approach to retail entrepreneurship for the better.
For show notes, visit www.savvyshopkeeper.com/episode227.
Kathy Cruz is an Independent Retail Coach who helps store owners work smarter, profit more, and grow their brick and mortar businesses. Connect with Kathy and learn more here:
Website: Retail Business Coach For Brick & Mortar Store Owners • Savvy Shopkeeper
Instagram: @savvyshopkeeper
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As an independent retailer, finding the right trade shows to attend can make a significant difference in your buying strategy and overall business success. OffPrice Show in Las Vegas is a prominent event in the retail industry, but is it the right fit for your store?
Listen in to learn more about OffPrice Show, discover what types of retailers will benefit from it the most, and decide if it aligns with your retail goals and purchasing strategy.
For show notes, visit www.savvyshopkeeper.com/episode226.
Kathy Cruz is an Independent Retail Coach who helps store owners work smarter, profit more, and grow their brick and mortar businesses. Connect with Kathy and learn more here:
Website: Retail Business Coach For Brick & Mortar Store Owners • Savvy Shopkeeper
Instagram: @savvyshopkeeper
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Have you ever looked around your retail store and thought, “wow, I could really use some advice on how to make this better?”
That’s exactly what one retail store owner and Master Shopkeepers member did early last year. Luckily for Patty, a pseudonym gift shop owner from the Portland, OR area, I was giving away an in-store intensive.
Through a mix of Zoom calls and a day-long visit to her store, Patty and I were able to update three key areas of her growing business. Our work together not only streamlined Patty’s inventory system, but also gave her a healthy confidence boost about her buying decisions. She also hit a significant annual revenue goal as a result of our in-store intensive!
Listen in to hear about Patty’s in-store intensive experience, the exact pieces we worked on, and to learn how you can book your own.
For show notes, including links to anything mentioned in this episode, visit www.savvyshopkeeper.com/episode225.
Kathy Cruz is an Independent Retail Coach who helps store owners work smarter, profit more, and grow their brick and mortar businesses. Connect with Kathy and learn more here:
Website: Retail Business Coach For Brick & Mortar Store Owners • Savvy Shopkeeper
Instagram: @savvyshopkeeper
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Did you know that up to 99% of the decisions we make are subconscious? Since our decisions drive our behaviors, it’s crucial that we learn to make more of our decisions consciously rather than subconsciously!
In today’s episode, I’ve invited my coach, Neill Williams, to share the science behind entrepreneurial emotions. With a master’s in economics and mathematics and as a Master Certified Coach, Neill is uniquely positioned to explain behavior economics—aka, the science behind why we do what we do—and how we can learn to change our emotional response.
Tune in to learn the three key concepts that make up the “Trifecta of No,” how the trifecta influences our response to uncertainty and change, and how we can break our entrepreneurial emotions free to make better decisions in our retail businesses.
For show notes, including links to any resources shared in this episode, visit www.savvyshopkeeper.com/episode224.
Kathy Cruz is an Independent Retail Coach who helps store owners work smarter, profit more, and grow their brick and mortar businesses. Connect with Kathy and learn more here:
Website: Retail Business Coach For Brick & Mortar Store Owners • Savvy Shopkeeper
Instagram: @savvyshopkeeper
Mastermind Group: Master Shopkeepers -
As your indie retail business grows, leading a team becomes a crucial part of your store owner responsibilities. And while being a leader may not come naturally, being a better leader is thankfully a skill that you can cultivate.
In today’s episode, I’m sharing the five essential skills you can quickly learn to be a better leader. You’ll be known for your kindness, respect, and humility after implementing these tips!
For show notes, including links to anything mentioned in this episode, visit www.savvyshopkeeper.com/episode223.
Kathy Cruz is an Independent Retail Coach who helps store owners work smarter, profit more, and grow their brick and mortar businesses. Connect with Kathy and learn more here:
Website: Retail Business Coach For Brick & Mortar Store Owners • Savvy Shopkeeper
Instagram: @savvyshopkeeper
Mastermind Group: Master Shopkeepers -
Let’s face it: being an indie retail store owner isn’t easy. There are shipments to bust, products to merchandise, backstock to organize, floats to reconcile, and tasks to delegate.
Beyond the day-to-day operations, there are even more high-level tasks that eat at your time and brain power, like choosing what products to bring in and figuring out how to pay yourself.
Do you know what makes all of the above easier? Building a strong foundation for your store. A foundation of understandable data, easy-to-use systems, and streamlined processes will make your life simpler—and give you space to work smarter, profit more, and grow your retail business.
Listen in to learn six reasons why you need to build a strong foundation for your retail store, along with two ways I can help you get there. For show notes, visit www.savvyshopkeeper.com/episode222.
Kathy Cruz is an Independent Retail Coach who helps store owners work smarter, profit more, and grow their brick and mortar businesses. Connect with Kathy and learn more here:
Website: Retail Business Coach For Brick & Mortar Store Owners • Savvy Shopkeeper
Instagram: @savvyshopkeeper
Mastermind Group: Master Shopkeepers -
For indie retail store owners who run vendor or consignment-style stores, there’s an extra layer of work on top of running a store: managing vendor relationships.
Vendors at these stores normally rent a specific booth or section of the store to display their products. And while each vendor is in charge of managing their inventory, cleaning their area, and merchandising their products…
…the owner of the store sets the boundaries and guidelines that the vendor must follow.
Is it possible for retail store owners to set clear, fair, and consistent expectations with ALL of their vendors? Absolutely. Is it an easy task? Definitely not. Managing vendor relationships is no small feat.
Listen in to learn why the fine line between friend and colleague can make running a vendor or consignment-style store challenging, as well as my top tips for setting clear boundaries with your vendors.
For show notes, visit www.savvyshopkeeper.com/episode221.
Kathy Cruz is an Independent Retail Coach who helps store owners work smarter, profit more, and grow their brick and mortar businesses. Connect with Kathy and learn more here:
Website: Retail Business Coach For Brick & Mortar Store Owners • Savvy Shopkeeper
Instagram: @savvyshopkeeper
Mastermind Group: Master Shopkeepers -
Encouraging your customers to pay in cash is not only great for your business (buh-bye, credit card transaction fees!), but great for your community.
Accepting cash diversifies payment options, keeps money out of banks’ deep pockets, and gives people without bank accounts access to goods and services. Cash is a win for small businesses and customers alike!
While taking more cash payments might feel risky for your indie retail business, I promise that the benefits to you and your customers far outweigh the negatives.
Listen in to learn the facts about accepting cash, how you can encourage customers to pay in cash, and how to keep you and your employees safe when handling cash transactions. For show notes, including links to the resources I’ve mentioned in this episode, visit www.savvyshopkeeper.com/episode220.
Kathy Cruz is an Independent Retail Coach who helps store owners work smarter, profit more, and grow their brick and mortar businesses. Connect with Kathy and learn more here:
Website: Retail Business Coach For Brick & Mortar Store Owners • Savvy Shopkeeper
Instagram: @savvyshopkeeper
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Have you ever decided to shop small, confirmed store’s hours online, driven over to the store…only to find a “sorry, we’re closed” sign hanging on the door?
That frustration you’ve felt in that moment is NOT what you want to give to your customers in case of a temporary store closing! Communicating with your customers about a store closing, whether planned or unplanned, doesn’t take long—especially when you’ve got a system in place.
In today’s episode, I’m sharing a customizable Store Closings Communications Checklist so you can create a system for this critical task for your indie retail store. Listen in to learn the key places to update your store hours, how to create a simple system for these updates, and who to delegate this to in case of an emergency.
For show notes, including how to download your free copy of the Store Closings Communications Checklist, visit www.savvyshopkeeper.com/episode219.
Kathy Cruz is an Independent Retail Coach who helps store owners work smarter, profit more, and grow their brick and mortar businesses. Connect with Kathy and learn more here:
Website: Retail Business Coach For Brick & Mortar Store Owners • Savvy Shopkeeper
Instagram: @savvyshopkeeper
Mastermind Group: Master Shopkeepers -
With Q1 of 2024 behind us, it feels like a good time to share some impromptu Savvy Shopkeeper updates. There have been a lot of changes within my business and personal life, and I’m excited to share them with you!
Listen in to hear about leaving my retail store behind, finishing my coaching certification, an in-person event you’ll want to save the dates for, a potential paper version of the Savvy Shopkeeper planner, and more.
For show notes, visit www.savvyshopkeeper.com/episode218.
Kathy Cruz is an Independent Retail Coach who helps store owners work smarter, profit more, and grow their brick and mortar businesses. Connect with Kathy and learn more here:
Website: Retail Business Coach For Brick & Mortar Store Owners • Savvy Shopkeeper
Instagram: @savvyshopkeeper
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Posting on Instagram can feel exhausting and overwhelming, especially as a retail store owner with a million other things on your plate. That’s why I’m sharing a metric for you to track that can make your social media efforts feel worth it—and that no one else is talking about!
Listen in to learn about this hidden metric, plus get a brand-new free resource to help you audit and optimize your Instagram account. For show notes, visit www.savvyshopkeeper.com/episode217.
Kathy Cruz is an Independent Retail Coach who helps store owners work smarter, profit more, and grow their brick and mortar businesses. Connect with Kathy and learn more here:
Website: Retail Business Coach For Brick & Mortar Store Owners • Savvy Shopkeeper
Instagram: @savvyshopkeeper
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Between an upcoming leadership month in Master Shopkeepers and wanting to share how I’m learning to lead the Savvy Shopkeeper team, leadership has been top of mind for me. That’s why I was so excited to chat with Shelli Warren, the founder of Stacking Your Team.
After a 25-year stint at Proctor & Gamble, Shelli ventured into leadership coaching for small business owners. She’s got a knack for stacking a team—aka, curating a dynamic, talented, and collaborative group that works together seamlessly.
Part of stacking a team is figuring out what motivates each team member. When working with small business owners, Shelli helps them discover how to motivate and develop teams without throwing extra money at them.
Listen in to learn how to build your leadership muscles, as well as Shelli’s top three tips for motivating your retail team members without dangling a raise in front of them.
For show notes, visit www.savvyshopkeeper.com/episode216.
Kathy Cruz is an Independent Retail Coach who helps store owners work smarter, profit more, and grow their brick and mortar businesses. Connect with Kathy and learn more here:
Website: Retail Business Coach For Brick & Mortar Store Owners • Savvy Shopkeeper
Instagram: @savvyshopkeeper
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From plugging your retail profit leaks to scaling your indie retail business, this year’s Savvy Shopkeeper survey covered a bit of everything.
I’m excited to share the results with you, especially because it might show you what’s possible for your store.
I’m also sharing how you can attend my upcoming masterclass, Stop The Drip. In this two-hour class, you’ll learn how to identify and plug the retail profit leaks you’re experiencing in your indie retail business using my Retail Profit Pie tool. There are just 50 spots available, so be sure to grab yours ASAP if you want to attend.
Listen in to explore one of my favorite data sets—the Savvy Shopkeeper survey results!—and learn more about the Stop The Drip masterclass.
For show notes, visit www.savvyshopkeeper.com/episode215.
Kathy Cruz is an Independent Retail Coach who helps store owners work smarter, profit more, and grow their brick and mortar businesses. Connect with Kathy and learn more here:
Website: Retail Business Coach For Brick & Mortar Store Owners • Savvy Shopkeeper
Instagram: @savvyshopkeeper
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If you’re an Aspiring Shopkeeper, figuring out how and where to buy wholesale inventory is a crucial step towards opening your store’s doors. Luckily, there’s a program that makes it super easy to curate, order, and buy inventory for a retail store: Open With Faire.
Built by one of the most reliable online wholesale platforms around, Open With Faire gives new retail store owners the education, tools, and buying power they need to kickstart their inventory.
Listen in to learn how to buy inventory for a retail store using Open With Faire and all the reasons why I highly recommend this innovative program.
For show notes, including links to anything I’ve mentioned in the episode, visit www.savvyshopkeeper.com/episode214.
Kathy Cruz is an Independent Retail Coach who helps store owners work smarter, profit more, and grow their brick and mortar businesses. Connect with Kathy and learn more here:
Website: Retail Business Coach For Brick & Mortar Store Owners • Savvy Shopkeeper
Instagram: @savvyshopkeeper
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As indie retail store owners, it’s all too easy to focus on the negative. We’re always thinking about which stores are closing, what’s to blame for industry-wide difficulties, and how each new hurdle might lead to our store failing.
And while our glass-half-empty view isn’t surprising (we’re only human, after all!), we can and SHOULD try to change our mindset. Celebrating our successes gives us proof that we can accomplish even bigger goals in the future.
It can be hard to celebrate our accomplishments though, especially when we’re stuck in a negative mindset. That’s why I’m sharing some examples of what’s possible in independent retail today! Listen in to hear success stories and wins from the Savvy Shopkeeper community—and teach your brain that you can do that, too.
For show notes, including links to anything I mentioned in this episode, visit www.savvyshopkeeper.com/episode213.
Kathy Cruz is an Independent Retail Coach who helps store owners work smarter, profit more, and grow their brick and mortar businesses. Connect with Kathy and learn more here:
Website: Retail Business Coach For Brick & Mortar Store Owners • Savvy Shopkeeper
Instagram: @savvyshopkeeper
Mastermind Group: Master Shopkeepers -
Kate Simpson, owner of Cerulean of Cape Cod, was always a maker and a nurturer. She created her own jewelry, sold it at weekend markets, and even had a spot at a vendor-based retail store, all while working full-time as a nurse.
Eventually, though, she wanted to take the entrepreneurial leap into nurturing a retail store of her own. That’s when Cerulean was born.
Listen in as Kate shares how Cerulean has evolved through several locations, what she’s learned over the past five years, how she’s adapting to a new customer base at her latest storefront, and why she loves being the group ambassador and call moderator for Master Shopkeepers.
For show notes, including links to follow Kate on social media, visit www.savvyshopkeeper.com/episode212.
Kathy Cruz is an Independent Retail Coach who helps store owners work smarter, profit more, and grow their brick and mortar businesses. Connect with Kathy and learn more here:
Website: Retail Business Coach For Brick & Mortar Store Owners • Savvy Shopkeeper
Instagram: @savvyshopkeeper
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