The Resilient Retail Game Plan - retail insights, retail trends and best practices

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 working in retail to being employed as part of the NHS, Pip now assists business owners in creating amazing workplaces - helping with everything from creating and reviewing contracts of employment to onboarding.

In this episode, we consider the value of being open and honest with your staff and the importance of dealing with problems early. We also share some tips on handling performance issues and discuss how simply asking what your employees need from you helps to create a productive and positive working environment.

Get in touch with Pip about working together at https://pipfoulshamhr.co.uk/ and you can follow and connect with her at:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/pipfoulsham/ https://www.instagram.com/pipfoulshamhr/ https://www.facebook.com/pipfoulshamhr/

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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 to, or co-workers to support you through periods of stress and pressure. 

So, in today’s episode, I give you the next best thing, as I speak to the (anonymous) creator of the hugely popular Instagram account: Small Biz Memez. 

From impatient customers and ridiculous reviews to serial scammers and threats of priestly smiting, Small Biz Memez “celebrates that small biz life” by sharing the funniest, most bizarre and downright awful customer interactions small business owners just like you have experienced. 

It’s not quite like gossiping at the water cooler with fellow employees, but I find that Small Biz Memez goes some way in reminding us all that we’re not suffering alone at the hands of crazy consumers and that maybe together we can have a good laugh about some of the less pleasant aspects of running a business

Between a lot of laughs, we discuss how retail goliaths like Amazon have skewed customer expectations, the importance of being emotionally resilient and how the subject of demons (yes, demons) comes up more often than you’d expect when dealing with customers.

To check out the account head over to https://www.instagram.com/smallbizmemez 

To support the ongoing production of their hilarious content go to https://www.patreon.com/smallbizmemez

And for all your Small Biz Memez merch check out https://www.smallbizmemez.com/

#RIPSnuffles

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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 scary as it might seem.

In today’s episode, I speak to the director of Modern HR, Mandy Hamerla. With two decades of HR experience, as well as working as Global HR Director at Pearson and as Head of HR at Argos, Mandy helps entrepreneurs, tech companies and charities build teams, create contracts and realise their full potential through recruitment. 

In this podcast, we discuss the difference between an employee, a worker and a self-employed contractor and which might be most suitable for your needs, how to go about creating the right working culture and the importance of factoring in training time. We also talk about the positive aspects of the often criticised zero-hour contracts, hiring for potential and the value of getting your SOP’s in place before you onboard new team members.

Get in touch with Mandy about working together at https://www.modernhr.co.uk/ and you can follow and connect with her at:

https://www.instagram.com/modernhruk/

https://www.facebook.com/ModernHRUK/

https://twitter.com/modernhruk

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mandyhamerla/

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/modernhruk/_created/

Further Resources:

https://www.modernhr.co.uk/blogs/news/employees-vs-contractors

https://www.modernhr.co.uk/blogs/news 

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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 specialise in digital strategy, performance marketing and app marketing. Having learnt a thing or two at Amazon as a Marketing Manager and after heading up growth and customer engagement at Adidas, Narada is my go-to expert for implementing best practice when it comes to digital marketing.

In this podcast we discuss how to start with the customer and work backwards, the seasonal shifts you might see in purchasing behaviours and how there’s no shortcuts to building loyalty. We also delve into the long-term opportunities afforded by ‘prospecting’, utilising ‘Dark Social’ and how your friends and family could help you better understand your customer base. 

Get in touch with Narada McKoy about working together at https://www.bravada-uk.com/ and you can follow and connect with him at:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/narada-mckoy

https://www.instagram.com/bravada.marketing/

Further Resources:

https://analytics.google.com/

https://developers.google.com/web/tools/lighthouse

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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 pitching your products. Founded in 2017, PR Dispatch puts the power in the hands of brands and gives product-based businesses everything they need to pitch their products to the UK press. 

In today’s episode we talk about gift-focused features, creating trust and credibility with your customers, why PR isn’t strictly about sales and why as long as you’re organised - you’ll be fine! 

Get in touch with Rosie about working together at https://prdispatch.com/ and you can follow and connect with her at:

https://twitter.com/PRdispatch https://www.instagram.com/prdispatch/ https://www.facebook.com/PRdispatch/

Further Resources:

https://prdispatch.com/christmas-waitlist-2022

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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 whole lot earlier...and I'd suggest that's as early as July!

So for today’s episode, I’ve enlisted retail mentor (and my fellow ‘Get Set for Christmas’ workshop host) Joanne Griffin, who kindly shares her top Christmas planning and product tips. With 13 years of experience, from working at Not On The High Street to helping home, gift and lifestyle brands to spot new retail opportunities, Joanne has a great deal of commercial knowledge as well as an eye for design and truly knows what it takes to foster a fruitful festive season. In this episode, we talk about creating a stress-free Christmas by seizing upon a slow summer and getting a plan in place, the importance of looking outside your own niche for both product and marketing inspiration and how ever-evolving consumer attitudes and behaviours mean that you need to try to meet your customer where they’re at.

Get in touch with Joanne about working together at https://www.creativeflowcollective.com/ and you can follow and connect with her at:

https://www.facebook.com/creativeflowcollective https://www.instagram.com/creativeflowcollective/ https://www.pinterest.co.uk/creativeflowcollective/_saved/

Further Resources:

Use the code Podcast10 to get 10% off lifetime access to the Get Set for Christmas course.

https://futureretailacademy.newzenler.com/courses/get-set-for-christmas-2021

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This episode marks the one year anniversary of the launch of The Resilient Retail Game Plan podcast, and to all my guests and those that have tuned in over the last 47 episodes, I can’t thank you enough! I hope the podcast continues to entertain and educate you, and I look forward to sharing more of my product business knowledge with you in the episodes to come!

In today's episode, I speak to Komal Pandya-Rao of The Design Palette, a self-taught designer making bright and bold luxury stationery. Komal’s colourful paper goods have been featured in the likes of The Stylist and 91 Magazine, so I wanted to get in touch to see what kind of tips Komal had for making inroads when it comes to getting your products into the press.

In this podcast, we discuss building press pitching into your routine as a business owner, the vital importance of understanding publication timelines and the value of building social proof, as well as how to leverage creative angles and why you’ll definitely need ‘cut-outs’ and ‘line sheets' if you want to get your products featured in your ideal publication.

Get in touch with Komal about working together at  https://www.thedesignpalette.co.uk/ and you can follow and connect with her at:

https://www.facebook.com/thedesignpalette https://www.instagram.com/thedsignpalette/ https://www.pinterest.co.uk/thedesignpalette/_shop/

Further Resources:

https://prdispatch.com/https://www.stylist.co.uk/ https://91magazine.co.uk/https://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/ https://www.papercraftermagazine.co.uk/

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With ever-improving engagement platforms and tools giving business owners so many different ways to reach potential customers, it’s important to diversify your marketing channels in order to get your products in front of the right people. 

Due to their cultural ubiquity, Facebook and Instagram might be some of the first platforms that come to mind when you’re thinking of where to advertise and even sell your products - but social media platforms users aren’t primarily scrolling for products, meaning you might not see the best return on your time and money. 

Built to drive traffic and proven to reach buyers early in their purchasing journey, Pinterest is different! I spend today’s episode speaking to paid advertising and Pinterest specialist Vanessa Rinaldi (aka Mrs Social) on why the fast-growing visual search engine is such a game-changer for small business owners. 

We discuss how Pinterest’s primary function of helping users ‘curate their future’ aligns with purchase-planning behaviours and produces invaluable pre-trend data, as well as the huge advantage of the evergreen, egalitarian display of content afforded by the platform. 

Get in touch with Vanessa about working together at https://www.mrssocial.co.uk/ and you can follow and connect with her at: https://www.instagram.com/mrssocial/

Further Resources:

https://help.pinterest.com/en-gb/business/article/rich-pins

https://www.tailwindapp.com/

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Between securing product placements and getting featured in gift guides, guest blogging isn’t perhaps the first thing you’d think of when it comes to possible PR opportunities, but it can be a powerful way to connect with your ideal clients and gain exposure. 

In today’s episode, I speak to PR specialist Colette Machado. From previously working as an online journalist for BBC News to helping entrepreneurs get in front of their target audience, Colette has 20 years of experience and a wealth of tips on how to approach blogs, how to provide value as a writer and the importance of recognising yourself as an expert.

We discuss how to find guest blogging opportunities through hashtags and search engines, the best ways to pitch, having an ‘angle’ that is timely and relevant and being engaged in your outreach.

Get in touch with Colette about working together at https://colettemachado.co.uk/ and you can follow and connect with her at:

https://www.facebook.com/colettemachadoUK

https://www.linkedin.com/in/colette-machado/

https://twitter.com/colettemachado

Further Resources:

https://tweakyourbiz.com/title-generator

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Search Engine Optimisation or SEO, in simple terms, is the process of improving the quality and quantity of traffic to your website, and with more small businesses adopting a digital-first business model than ever, creating the optimal conditions for being found organically through search results is incredibly important. Compared to the simple transactional nature of paid advertising, SEO can seem highly technical and when I speak to small business owners they often report finding it overwhelming asking “Where do I start?” and “What should my priorities be?”

So, for episode 45 of The Resilient Retail Game Plan, I’ve enlisted the help of Khaleelah Jones, the founder and CEO of Careful Feet Digital Agency. Having worked in the marketing industry for over a decade, Khaleelah is a digital marketing, content strategy and SEO guru and the perfect person to help de-mystify some of the terms and processes at play when delving behind the scenes of your online store.

In today’s episode, we discuss digital marketing as an ecosystem and look at the interdependency between different online elements and platforms. We also talk about the need for clear goals and the value of leveraging analytics, as well as touching on the use, and limitations, of plugins and clearing up what terms like ‘bounce rate’ actually mean for you and your business.

Get in touch with Khaleelah about working together at https://carefulfeet.me/ and you can follow and connect with her at https://www.instagram.com/khaleelahejones/

Further Resources:

https://moz.com/blog https://neilpatel.com/blog/

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