Creative Shop Talk with Wendy Batten

In this series, I want to introduce you to some of my coaching clients inside the Retailer's Inner Circle and hear how their retail journeys evolve. We learn so much from hearing how others manage and run their business.

Enjoy hearing from Lee Hawn of The Lemonade Stand.

Lee's journey began back in 2014 when she was simply flipping through a home decor magazine and saw a stunning dresser painted in milk paint. She did a little research, found a local retailer who sold the milk paint she was looking for, and she fell in love with the shop right as she walked in!

She started taking courses, selling her own furniture, which all evolved into making farmhouse signs. She did all of this while also still maintaining her 20-year long career in HR! After attending local markets and teaching workshops, she decided to make a business from her basement. In 2018, Lee and her family made the big step to own a brick-and-mortar shop in Uxbridge, Ontario.

She turned her passion and hobby into a retail business.

Full show notes at https://wendybatten.com/episode-65/

In my Retailer's Inner Circle, we share our WINS every Friday. There are so many reasons for this! Wins will inspire others and they will make you realize, celebrate, and acknowledge your own achievements.

When you start feeling discouraged as you see other people's wins, Flip the Script from negative energy to positive energy! We all have those days where we think everybody else in our community is doing really well and we're at a standstill. Here's how we should work through those feelings:

1. Look at what the other retailer is doing and only focus on the 20% of things that matter. Only the things that align with your goals and vision for your business. Don't shift direction just because you see a shiny new way, and make sure to look at what's DOABLE for YOU.
2. Ask yourself: Is this something that I can apply easily right now?
3. If the answer is yes, HOW can you keep it super simple? Is it something as simple as writing or responding to an email in order to make a sale? It doesn't have to be complicated!

When you work through those three steps, you're going to start to see the wheels turning, the needle moving, and things happening in your business that maybe you hadn't thought about before. This is how you really step into that CEO role!

No more woe-is-me attitude, retailers! It's time to take other people's WINS and turn them into our own INSPIRATION!

Full show notes at https://wendybatten.com/episode-64/

Bookkeeping. I tend to see fear come from my retailers when I mention bookkeeping because they either don't want to hand off the job to someone else, don't want to spend the money, or they have fear of HOW to simplify it. There is HUGE ROI in staying up to date with your book. Seeing your balance sheet, profit and loss statements and knowing your numbers in real time - is so crucial. Having your bills paid, being able to adjust and pivot with proper info and the added bonus of peace of mind!!

No more lying awake at night worrying about that pile of paperwork!

In this episode, we share common fears: How will we communicate, how will we do this paperless? Even though I was afraid of the process, Kelly breaks it down for us.

Full show notes at https://wendybatten.com/episode-63/

We are all busy, driven, passion-filled retailers. We have big visions, big dreams, and we're constantly working to achieve those goals and succeed. But, there are three things that I see happening regularly with retailers who end up losing or closing their business.

1. Complacency. Not in the sense that you don't care about your business. You've just stopped paying attention. Paying attention to your customer's needs, your business standards, the look of your shop. Maybe you've stopped looking for new product lines or stopped paying attention to your marketing strategies. You're just busy! I get it. But we can't always blame external things anymore, we have to look inward, set aside our ego, and really dig into the details.

Mindset Shift - Refresh and review your store standards! Set goals and get motivated!

2. Dissatisfaction in our job. Many retailers are natural creatives and are always looking for the next new and shiny thing, right? Building the store was fun, but now you're in year two, three, or even five and feeling like you want to do something else. Are you tired? Not paying yourself enough? Bored?

Ask Yourself - What was my big picture? What's my why? What's going RIGHT in my business?

3. Neglect. This is a big one and I see it all too often. You are so busy in the day-to-day busyness of our business that you're not paying attention to the skills gaps or the attention to details as you should be, you know you need to freshen things up, learn new ways, but there just aren't enough hours in the day and the thought of having to learn something new in order to stay fresh and relevant is daunting.

It's time to revisit or reimagine your vision and go after it!

Full show notes at https://wendybatten.com/episode-62/

It is such a privilege to be chatting with my friend retailer and Inner Circle member Ann Schneider of The Front Porch, a home decor, silk floral & boutique store! We found each other via social media because our business names were so similar. We soon met in person at a conference and immediately hit it off!

Ann has such an amazing way of running a business, so we are digging deep into her strategies and business journey over the past 25 years. She has done everything from selling her infamous paint lines, taught classes, and has recently gone mostly virtual via Facebook Live sales due to the pandemic. She describes her failures and the various twists and turns her retail journey has taken.

We discuss the importance of margins and Ann's groundbreaking idea of stepping back from her business and closing for periods of time to help create balance in her life. We also discuss how she knew it would work because of the strength of her email list! Yes, you heard that right!

Another risk that Ann took along her business journey was not signing a long-term lease with her landlord. This put her at risk of having to move out of her location, which in fact happened. But she describes the silver lining of it all. It has allowed her to start anew, rebrand, and pivot after almost 30 years in business.

It's time to realize that our board of directors is sitting at the kitchen table with us. We have to make it all work for them and for the lifestyle we are striving for. And none of these radical decisions would have worked for Ann without the foundation of an incredible email list, a social media following, and the RELATIONSHIPS Ann has built with her customers.

We are in the business of self-improvement all the time as shop owners, there's just no end. It's part of the gig.

We have to be lifelong learners in order to improve and grow, right?

But... if you're constantly holding yourself back and thinking that you're not good at that… start saying to yourself: "you aren't good at that YET."

Everything and everyone is trainable.Most shop owners are doing all the things like ordering inventory, planning, working the counter, unpacking boxes, cleaning the bathrooms, etc.

When we first start - that's manageable. But as we grow, we need to grow our business skills.

Jumping on the learning bandwagon, jumping all over the place.

It's not ideal to fall into the trap of squirrel brain learning by wanting to learn everything all at once. We have to be specific with what we are trying to learn and identify what we need each week, each month, each quarter.Break your need-to-learn skills down into broad and simple/specific skills. Then actually set the time to learn these skills, as we discussed in Episode 59 and How To Do A Mid Year Review.

I share 2 ways in this episode are how to master skills through repetition and how to be intentional about really wanting to do these skills well. Whatever skill you need to learn, whatever thing you've identified as a skills gap - we then need to pay attention to how and where we can get that help and lose the squirrel brain!Let's dive deeper into the skills you need for your business! Grab your coffee and let's go!

This year has proven to be a very interesting season for retailers with COVID, quarantines, shutdowns, and reopenings. So I want you to give yourself grace and compassion as you plan and move forward through the rest of 2021.

I started doing mid-year reviews years ago, both for my own business and for my clients, to discuss and analyze the nitty-gritty of what exactly has been going on behind the scenes. We look back at the first two quarters of the year and check:

*Numbers - things like monthly revenue, the email list, average order value (AOV), sales, expenses, profit and loss sheets, foot traffic, and inventory. Are you behind, Are you ahead?

*Marketing Strategy - Did you put your marketing plan in place? Did you execute? How are you attracting new people? How are you engaging, serving, nurturing, and delivering to those customers?

It's important to create habits in your business that help you regularly look at these details so you can properly plan and make goals for the future. Knowing this information and asking the right questions of WHY will help create the freedom and lifestyle you want.

So let's figure out HOW to plan for the rest of 2021, stay focused and gain the confidence, clarity, and courage to keep going!

Did you find this helpful? Do you want more help so you can soar? Don't miss - my small group coaching course: Retail Made Simple The doors are open and we start May 31st, this signature course is a four week, small group intensive that will give you access to: weekly group coaching calls with me a private and supportive Facebook community of retail owners and lifetime access so you can review the training when you want.

There are four modules of self-guided, easy, bite-sized trainings and accompanying resources to get your retail business going and growing.

So come to summer camp with me and sign up today and join me!

Grab my FREE retailer's training and workbook - Retailer's Game Plan Click here my gift to retailers to help you stay on track and be the strongest business you can be - you won't want to miss it!

This podcast is sponsored by my Retailer's Inner Circle: If you're like many creative retailers I know, you've gone online for business information or support, but the info you find doesn't apply to a physical brick-and-mortar store or a creative retail shop. You're searching for help and answers because you're heart-centred first, you're worn out wearing ALL the hats, or maybe your marketing is a little messy.

You love your brick-and-mortar store but you feel it has taken over every aspect of your life!

Ready for a community custom-made for you?

If you are interested in joining our community you can sign up for our waitlist! Doors to the Inner Circle will open again soon! Join the waitlist here.

Subscribe, Connect & Share Your Favorite Episodes Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of the Creative Shop Talk Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts or Google Podcast to subscribe to the show and leave your honest review. For more great content and helpful tips to grow your creative retail shop, visit our website. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, subscribe on YouTube, and don't forget to share your favorite episodes with other creative retailers.

I know... nobody wants to talk retail math and numbers. I get it. There are so many numbers we feel like we should be looking at within our business like profit and loss, balance sheets, etc, etc, etc. and we don't quite know where to start.

In this episode, I'm sharing three major (but simple) metrics that you'll want to be able to rattle off at the drop of a hat! These are numbers that I didn't even know existed when I first started running my shop. My shop was busy, we were making money… but I honestly had no clue where it was going. Or how to use these numbers to increase sales. Scary.

Do you know your KPI - Key Performance Indicators? They will help you PLAN FOR PROFITS and growth! It will help you find those little tweaks that will make all the difference in your sales. Here are three you'll want to measure:

1. Foot Traffic
2. Conversion Rate
3. Average Transaction Value (aka as Average Order Value or AOV)

But where do I find these numbers and what do they mean? Why should I care about them? Today we are walking you through all of the processes of HOW to find the math behind your KPI's and why. So grab your coffee and calculator and let's get started!

Did you find this helpful? Do you want more help so you can soar?

Don't miss - my small group coaching course: Retail Made Simple The doors are open and we start May 31st, this signature course is a four week, small group intensive that will give you access to:

• weekly group coaching calls with me
• a private and supportive Facebook community of retail owners
• and lifetime access so you can review the training when you want.

There are four modules of self-guided, easy, bite-sized trainings and accompanying resources to get your retail business going and growing.

So come to summer camp with me - sign up today and join me!

Grab my FREE retailer's training and workbook - Retailer's Game Plan: Click here my gift to retailers to help you stay on track and be the strongest business you can be - you won't want to miss it!Subscribe, Connect & Share Your Favorite EpisodesThanks for tuning into this week's episode of the Creative Shop Talk Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts or Google Podcast to subscribe to the show and leave your honest review. For more great content and helpful tips to grow your creative retail shop, visit our website. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, subscribe on YouTube, and don't forget to share your favorite episodes with other creative retailers.

What do you need to have in place to have a solid business? What would you need to have in place should you decide to sell your business?

"But I'll never sell! This is my passion!"

Never say never. Sometimes opportunities present themselves out of nowhere, or situations arise, and you never know when you may need to pivot.

There are four key areas that ALL shop owners need to have organized. All of these are avenues to being able to sell, franchise, or expand your business.

Making sure these KEY foundational systems are in place will demonstrate professionalism, show growth, and bring bigger opportunities your way. It will also give you total control by understanding the back end of your business and proving that it is viable and healthy.

Grab my FREE retailer's training and workbook - Retailer's Game Plan Click here my gift to retailers to help you stay on track and be the strongest business you can be - you won't want to miss it!This podcast is sponsored by my Retailer's Inner Circle:If you're like many creative retailers I know, you've gone online for business information or support, but the info you find doesn't apply to a physical brick-and-mortar store or a creative retail shop. You're searching for help and answers because you're heart-centered first, you're worn out wearing ALL the hats, or maybe your marketing is a little messy.You love your brick-and-mortar store but you feel it has taken over every aspect of your life! Ready for a community custom-made for you?If you are interested in joining our community you can sign up for our waitlist! Doors to the Inner Circle will open again soon! Join the waitlist here.

Subscribe, Connect & Share Your Favorite Episodes

Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of the Creative Shop Talk Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts or Google Podcast to subscribe to the show and leave your honest review. For more great content and helpful tips to grow your creative retail shop, visit our website. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, subscribe on YouTube, and don't forget to share your favorite episodes with other creative retailers.

Shop owners are all hoping to create a bit of security within our business, but this year has certainly shown us that we are not always in control.

Having multiple streams of revenue within your business will help you to get that control back! This isn't about necessarily doing more, but it's more about thinking outside the box and expanding what we are already doing well.

So let's "put it through the hopper" together and ask ourselves these four questions:

1. Does it excite me?
2. Is it something my customers will purchase?
3. Will it be profitable?
4. Does it fit under my brand umbrella?

Taking these steps into consideration when thinking about other revenue streams will hopefully spark a thought process of expansion! Join me in brainstorming the many options there are for adding extra income right now!

Grab my FREE retailer's training and workbook - Retailer's Game Plan Click here my gift to retailers to help you stay on track and be the strongest business you can be - you won't want to miss it!This podcast is sponsored by my Retailer's Inner Circle:If you're like many creative retailers I know, you've gone online for business information or support, but the info you find doesn't apply to a physical brick-and-mortar store or a creative retail shop. You're searching for help and answers because you're heart-centered first, you're worn out wearing ALL the hats, or maybe your marketing is a little messy.You love your brick and mortar store but you feel it has taken over every aspect of your life! Ready for a community custom-made for you?We'd like YOU to join our small monthly coaching group specifically made for CREATIVE RETAILERS! Join the waitlist here.

Subscribe, Connect & Share Your Favorite Episodes

Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of the Creative Shop Talk Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts or Google Podcast to subscribe to the show and leave your honest review. For more great content and helpful tips to grow your creative retail shop, visit our website. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, subscribe on YouTube, and don't forget to share your favorite episodes with other creative retailers.