The Retail Whisperer

This week’s episode is sponsored by @salesproducersinc, a progressive business to business company representing Gift, Lifestyle, Fashion, Personal Care, & Kids lines selling to retail stores with a mission to create long lasting, profitable relationships by adding significant value to our Customer, Vendor, and Team partners. For more information, check out their social media or website, www.salesproducersinc.com.

Jason Mauser is the CEO and Founder of Mausser Consulting Inc., a Product Development Think Tank and International and Domestic Sourcing Company founded in 2006. With over 35 years of diverse sales experience, his client list includes Toyota Motors, Cedars Sinai Hospital, LA Dodgers, Disney Corp., Warner Bros., Museum of Contemporary Art, Universal Studios, MGM, Tao Restaurant Group, BOKA Restaurant Group and Patina Restaurant Group. Jason has been mastering these techniques while advising Sales associates for over 15 years.

Jason has an extensive background in sales, and his book’s title is just perfect for this podcast: Don’t Shut the Fck Up! Here, he shares all about his history, how he’s flipping the script on sales, and how the book came to be. Jason also talks about how to recognize your own authority, how to prevent wasted effort and avoid bad clients, how Jason uses his tactics in his own life and business, and more.

What’s Inside:

• All about Jason’s book, Don’t Shut the Fck Up.
• How to prevent wasted effort and avoid problematic clients.
• How Jason uses his tactics in life and business.
  
  

Mentioned In This Episode:

Don't Shut the Fck Up on Instagram
Don't Shut the Fck Up on TikTok
Don't Shut the Fck Up on Facebook
Work with Jason
Don't Shut the F$ck up!: Transform Your Selling Mindset: 15 Questions and Answers for Ultimate Sales Success!

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In my monthly solo shows, I’ll be filling you in on what’s been happening in my world, what projects I’m working on, and updates on any exciting news. I’ll also be talking about industry best practices, and in this episode, I’ll share with you how I like to tackle store flips step by step. 

I also share some of the new projects I’m getting into, including webinars, which I’m really excited about. I’m also going to be offering consultation calls soon, so stay tuned for more information! 

What’s Inside:

• How to tackle store flips
  
  

Mentioned In This Episode:

MC Design Collaboration on Instagram
The Retail Whore Podcast on Instagram
The Retail Whore Podcast on TikTok
MC Design Collaboration on TikTok

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Kate Murray is the owner of Quick Brown Fox Letterpress, based in the Hudson Valley of New York. Quick Brown Fox makes quirky cards with perfect puns the old-fashioned way: one color at a time, one card at a time, on turn of the century letterpress machines.

To pay her dues, Kate worked in two amazing NYC letterpress studios for more than 10 years. When the opportunity came up to salvage and restore two presses, both in pretty bad shape, Quick Brown Fox Letterpress was born. Most of the cards that you see on Kate’s website are printed on the press that was in the worst shape, Goldie the Golding Jobber. 

Years and years later, Kate is constantly adding to my line of quirky, pun-filled letterpress greeting cards. Each card is painstakingly printed one at a time, one color at a time, with immaculate registration on a late 19th Century and early 20th century letterpress. Some people may say, "11 colors for one card?! That's a lot of colors!" But Kate always says, "There's no such thing as too many colors."

Here, Michelle and Kate talk about the Greeting Card Association, the merger of Noted and Gifted, and the old San Francisco Now show. Kate also shares how she wound up taking over Noted without show experience, how this year’s show will be different from last year’s, what retailers can expect at the show, how to sign up, and more.

What’s Inside:

• All about the merger of Noted and Gifted
• Teasers for this year’s Noted Expo
• What retailers can expect at the show

Mentioned In This Episode:

Attend Noted+Gifted
Noted Expo on Instagram
Greeting Card Association on LinkedIn
Greeting Card Association on Facebook
Quick Brown Fox Letterpress Website

Support the show

This week’s episode is sponsored by @salesproducersinc, a progressive business to business company representing Gift, Lifestyle, Fashion, Personal Care, & Kids lines selling to retail stores with a mission to create long lasting, profitable relationships by adding significant value to our Customer, Vendor, and Team partners. For more information, check out their social media or website www.salesproducersinc.com.

Sisters Cliona and Laragh Standún run a boutique destination store in Galway, in the West of Ireland. The family business was established by their grandparents in 1946 and has undergone many changes over the past three generations. From a general country store catering to local people’s daily needs to a world-renowned tourist destination. Nowadays, the business caters to both international and local customers as well as having a global reach on its online platform.

Both sisters worked in retail elsewhere before they teamed up together in 2012 and brought their previous experience as well as their individual skills to grow the business and work on achieving their shared vision. The sisters would say that their strengths are like ‘chalk & cheese’ which makes for the perfect duo. With both having over 20 years’ retail experience, they eat & breathe everything retail and are always trying to advance their business and continue to grow in an ever-changing and competitive environment.

In 2017, they expanded and opened a second store in a nearby town called Oughterard, which has

been a success and has allowed them to double that retail space within 5 years. The business has gone through its fair share of ups and downs throughout its almost 80 years. The family had to adapt to many economic changes over the years in order to remain competitive and relevant.

Cliona and Laragh are the podcast’s very first international listeners, and here, they share how they’ve grown their family business to what it is today. The Standún sisters also discuss how they divide up their workload, how they tackle their buying, what it’s like to attend an international gift fair, and more.

What’s Inside:

• How Cliona and Laragh have grown their family business
• How the Standún sisters tackle buying and other responsibilities
• What it’s like to attend an international gift fair
  
  

Mentioned In This Episode:

Standún on Instagram
Standún on Facebook
Standún Website

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• How Amy’s theater background influenced her work in merchandising
• Amy’s insights into the art of visual merchandising
• Why displays are a big reflection of your brand

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This week’s episode is sponsored by Fine Lines, a west coast wholesale rep agency with showrooms in Las Vegas and Seattle representing over 50 fabulous gifts, fashion + home lines.

Jessica Totillo Coster is an eCommerce and email marketing strategist for boutique owners and product entrepreneurs. She uses data and experience to help her clients figure out the next best step in their business. Jessica’s a native New Yorker living in LA. She holds a degree in fashion merchandising, has over 20 years of retail experience, and made $600K in her first year as the owner of a brick-and-mortar boutique.

During most of her time as a boutique owner, she was the only employee doing all the things. In Jessica’s words, “that shit was crazy,” but she had the pleasure of working with some of the top experts in the eCommerce + digital marketing industries. The kind of consultants the average entrepreneur doesn't have access to.

In the last few years, Jessica realized that while she loved what she did, she didn't love who I did it for. Her true passion was to support small business owners—those are her kind of people. As the founder of eCommerce Badassery, Jessica finds tremendous joy in teaching them and supporting them in making their dreams a reality.

Here, Jessica walks us through her retail journey from her first job at Contempo Casual to badass business consultant, including a stint slinging dildos on the internet (yep, that’s right). She also shares stories from her brick-and-mortar boutique days, why people who work in retail are the Swiss army knife of business, how eCommerce Badassery was born, and details on Jessica’s offerings.
 

What’s Inside:

• Stories from Jessica’s 20 year career in retail
• Why experience working in retail is so valuable
• Details on Jessica’s offerings

Mentioned In This Episode:
eCommerce Badassery Website
Jessica on Instagram

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MC Design Academy is designed to be a space where I get to share my expertise with you, where you'll get to learn all about visual merchandising, design, display, retail, and everything in between. Come along as I practice my craft and be sure to like, subscribe, and follow our socials to keep updated. See you in the merchandising land of MC Design Academy!

It’s finally time for a solo show! Last year, we experienced a ton of highs as well as some pretty low lows. From saying goodbye to our beloved pup Peanut and having to move out of the house we were in for ten years to losing my stepfather, we went through some really tough times. The compound effect of everything was devastating.

However, there’s always a silver lining and the lessons I learned throughout these challenging times were so powerful. I’ve historically hated Las Vegas, but my extended time there made me fall in love with it. I’ve made some amazing strides with all kinds of things from dog training to new opportunities with the podcast. Here, I cover it all.

What’s Inside:

• A recap of the past year’s highs and lows

Mentioned In This Episode:
The Retail Whore Podcast on Facebook
The Retail Whore Podcast on Instagram
MC Design Collaboration on Instagram
MC Design Collaboration on Facebook

Support the show

This week’s episode is sponsored by @salesproducersinc, a progressive business to business company representing Gift, Lifestyle, Fashion, Personal Care, & Kids lines selling to retail stores with a mission to create long lasting, profitable relationships by adding significant value to our Customer, Vendor, and Team partners. For more information, check out their social media or website www.salesproducersinc.com.

Sonia McMoran spent more than a decade reporting on interior design and technology trends for publications such as The New York Times, Wired, ReadyMade, and Apartment Therapy. While taking a hiatus from journalism, Sonia realized that what she loved most about her job wasn’t the writing, but the excitement of uncovering cool products and the people who make them and sharing her discoveries with the world. This was the impetus for Home/Work, an affordable and unique shop for the home and home office that celebrates the best in past and present design.

Sonia joins the podcast to chat about how she got Home/Work off the ground and how it’s changed since she started it all eight years ago. She shares her story of how she dove headfirst into retail after a career in journalism and how much her local small business center helped her. We also discuss open-to-buy systems, how Sonia recovered after the pandemic, and more. 

What’s Inside:

• How Sonia started Home/Work without any retail experience.
• The benefits of open-to-buy systems.
• How Sonia’s business recovered post-pandemic.
  
  

Mentioned In This Episode:
Home/Work on Instagram
Home/Work on Facebook
Home/Work on TikTok

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This episode is sponsored by Patrick & Company, a wholesale sales agency proudly representing nationally and internationally branded companies. Located in the Dallas Market Center, for over 30 years they have been the go-to source for retailers helping to discover those unique, sought-after, and stylish brands.

Verity Doyle is the owner of Verity Gray Design and a freelance retail designer specializing in retail interiors and visual merchandising. Verity has a creative approach that's always customer focused, making sure the retail space is optimized for sales so the business can operate smoothly. 

Verity lives in Oxfordshire, UK with her husband Paul and two kids, Vinnie and Nola. 2024 will be the 20th year since she graduated from art college and started her career in the creative side of retail. After Verity graduated with her graphic design degree, she cut her teeth working for IKEA where she spent two years as a VM and interior designer.

After leaving IKEA, Verity moved over to the store design side and worked for some retail design agencies and shopfitters for a few years. Missing the shop floor, she then flipped back and forth between visual merchandising and desk-based design work for the last 16 years! Verity says this is what gives her a bit of an edge, as her knowledge of working on the shop floor influences her design work and vice versa.

During Verity’s career, she’s held several positions, including an area VM for JoJo Maman Bebe (children’s wear chain). Up until 2020, she was the Head of VM (for the UK partnership) for Flying
Tiger Copenhagen. Verity joined Tiger when they had only one store, grew with them as it peaked at 45 stores, and spent seven years with them.

Here, Verity shares her career journey and how she landed a full-time career in freelance retail design. She shares what it was like to merchandise for IKEA and how they prepare for a store opening. Michelle and Verity also discuss the strategic ins and outs of merchandising, how the pandemic impacted the UK retail world, and how Verity finds clients as a freelancer.

What’s Inside:

• Verity’s experience working in merchandising for IKEA
• A behind the scenes look at merchandising strategies
• How Verity finds clients as a freelancer

Mentioned In This Episode:
Verity Gray Design Website
Verity Gray Design on Instagram
Verity Doyle on LinkedIn
Verity Gray Design on Pinterest

Support the show

This week’s episode is sponsored by Fine Lines, a west coast wholesale rep agency with showrooms in Las Vegas and Seattle representing over 50 fabulous gifts, fashion + home lines.

Mehrnush Saadat started out in retail at the age of 15 on the floor at Upton's - if anyone remembers that store! From there, she went on to work in other retail organizations, primarily in cosmetics: Lancôme, Tony and Tina, Paula Dorf, and Origins (to name a few).

In college, Mehrnush obtained her BA in International Relations and shortly thereafter, became a licensed realtor. Although she continued to work as a realtor until 2016, Mehrnush decided to go to law school at Georgia State College of Law in 2011. Her area of passion was international business. She had one internship in London and another in Dubai, but her heart wouldn’t let her leave Atlanta.

Because Atlanta isn’t exactly known for international business law, Mehrnush went back to what she knew best after school: real estate. She started her legal career in real estate law as a closing attorney. As time went on, Mehrnush decided that she wanted to create something different than what she had seen in the industry over the last 11+ years as a realtor.

In 2016, she started Blue Ink Title on a whim with a lot of faith and determination. After six successful years as a legal entrepreneur, in April 2022, she merged her law practice with Ganek PC, a larger real estate closing firm that has been in business for over 45 years.

Although she wasn’t quite sure what it would be exactly, Mehrnush knew she was ready to pursue another venture. She knew the best parts of creating Blue Ink Title were in the creation process. The startup part, although stressful, was what she loved most. And then, this past New Year’s Eve, her latest venture Soberish was born. Soberish is a non-alcoholic bottle shop and cannabis boutique that is #redefininghappyhour.

Here, Mehrnush shares her amazing story of how her career journey led her to the entrepreneurial world. Michelle and Mehrnush discuss what inspired her to start Soberish and what piqued her interest about the sober curious movement. They also chat about how the cultures of cannabis and alcohol are changing, what inspired Mehrnush when creating the Soberish aesthetic, and how Mehrnush works with her vendors and team members.

What’s Inside:

• What inspired Mehrnush to create Soberish.
• The inspiration behind the Soberish aesthetic.
• How Mehrnush works with vendors and team members.

Mentioned In This Episode:
Soberish Website
Connie n Jack on Instagram
Soberish on Instagram
https://florahempspirits.com/
https://www.betterrhodes.com/products/zeero-sangiovese
https://drinkdesoi.com/
https://drinkallay.com/
https://notpot.com/
https://www.drinkcantrip.com/
https://kaempathogenics.com/

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