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
Mastermind Group: Master Shopkeepers

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
Mastermind Group: Master Shopkeepers

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
Mastermind Group: Master Shopkeepers

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
Mastermind Group: Master Shopkeepers

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
Mastermind Group: Master Shopkeepers

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
Mastermind Group: Master Shopkeepers