Savvy Shopkeeper Retail Podcast

Hosted by Kathy Cruz

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325

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Oct 2026

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About the show

Host, Kathy Cruz is a retail business coach who owned a retail business with her sister for a decade. She knows firsthand that running a retail business, both online and in a brick and mortar has its challenges. Kathy is passionate about teaching independent retailers how to work smarter, profit more and grow.

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60 recent

November 5, 202622 min

288. Why Your Retail Team Isn't Following Your SOPs

You wrote the SOP. You put it in a binder or a shared drive. Maybe you even handed it to your employee during training. So why is the work still not getting done correctly or consistently? This episode was inspired by two sessions I taught at H+H, one in Chicago and one in Houston. Even store owners with established systems kept running into the same issue: their teams were not always following the procedures. A written procedure is a tool, not a manager. In this episode, I share a real coaching call where one process worked beautifully and another did not, and what that taught us about ownership and leadership. Then I walk you through four things to check before you decide what the problem is: whether your employee was trained or only given instructions, whether the SOP matches what really happens in your store, whether you are consistently reinforcing the procedure, and whether you are dealing with a follow-through problem. You will also hear how I built ownership with my own customer support team member, why more documentation will not fix a lack of follow-through, and how to choose just one procedure to improve before Black Friday. I also explain why this episode is a perfect example of the 2027 Capability Year inside Master Shopkeepers. If your store is about to get busier and faster, this is the episode to listen to before the rush hits. For show notes, including links to the documentary and resources I mentioned in this episode, visit www.savvyshopkeeper.com/episode288 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: Savvy Shopkeeper Instagram: @savvyshopkeeper Mastermind Group: Master Shopkeepers

October 22, 202643 min

287. 22 Years of Retail Resilience: How Ali Schuch Grew Fells Point Surf Company to Four Locations and Is Preparing to Scale

What does it take to run four retail stores, keep them profitable, and still make time for what matters most? Kathy sits down with Allison Schuch, owner of Fells Point Surf Company and Tangerine Goods, at the 10KSB Summit. Allison opened her first surf shop in Baltimore in 2003 while still working her pharmaceutical sales job. Twenty-two years later, she runs three surf shops and a women's boutique across Maryland and Delaware. In this episode, you'll hear how she handles seasonal cash flow, builds teams that run without her, and chases profit instead of just revenue. She also shares why she bought a warehouse to become the hub of her business. Her two pieces of advice are worth the listen: get comfortable with the uncomfortable in your numbers, and know that it's okay to course correct. Find Allison at fellspointsurf.com and tangerinegoods.com . For show notes, including links to the documentary and resources I mentioned in this episode, visit www.savvyshopkeeper.com/episode287 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: Savvy Shopkeeper Instagram: @savvyshopkeeper Mastermind Group: Master Shopkeepers

October 21, 202612 min

A Quick Update from the Road: Why I'm Adding Financial Coaching to MSK in 2027

A Wednesday-night podcast episode... recorded in my car? Kinda crazy for me, right? Well, I was traveling today so this MSK update wasn't willing to wait for my microphone. But I wanted to tell you about what's coming to Master Shopkeepers in 2027, including Profit Flowit , an optional financial coaching track to help members work on their shop's numbers with my guidance. I'm also sharing why I'm hosting an MSK Open House and why you may want to join before the membership price goes up. If you've been curious about MSK, register for the open house on Monday, October 26, 2026 at 2p ET here: savvyshopkeeper.com/openhouse - During this zoom meeting I'll share many more details and answer your questions too! Can't attend live? I'll share a very limited time replay with registrants.

October 8, 202612 min

286. When Pushing Through Is the Wrong Move for Your Business

In this short and heartfelt episode, Kathy Cruz shares the story behind her podcast sign-off, "Be savvy and boss up," and the late Master Shopkeepers founding member, April Petersen, who helped inspire it. Kathy explains what bossing up meant when she launched the podcast in 2019, what it means now, and why discomfort is not always an instruction to keep going. You will learn how to treat discomfort as information, how to choose your response on purpose, and why growth may require something new from you without requiring everything from you. Learn more about the 2027 Capability Year inside Master Shopkeepers at savvyshopkeeper.com/master-shopkeepers . For show notes, including links to the documentary and resources I mentioned in this episode, visit www.savvyshopkeeper.com/episode286 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: Savvy Shopkeeper Instagram: @savvyshopkeeper Mastermind Group: Master Shopkeepers

September 24, 202628 min

285. What Your Retail Return Policy Is Really Costing You

Ever wonder what a single frustrating return is really costing your store? In Episode 285, Kathy Cruz breaks down why your retail return policy affects a lot more than the merchandise sitting at the cash wrap. She walks through the sales you might be losing before a return ever happens, what it really costs to restock a "generous" return, and why the gap between your written policy and your actual policy can turn you into the return department. If your store is heading into its busiest season, this episode will help you see whether your current policy is working for you, or quietly working against you. Plus, hear about the Shop Planner give-back initiative with Heart on Main Street, and a reminder that the 2027 Shop Planner is still available at regular price through the end of the year for anyone who missed the early bird window. For show notes, including links to the documentary and resources mentioned in this episode, visit www.savvyshopkeeper.com/285 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: Savvy Shopkeeper Instagram: @savvyshopkeeper Mastermind Group: Master Shopkeepers

September 10, 202629 min

284. A Better Way to Plan Your Shop's Year

Most business planners were never built for retail. They give you a place to write goals, but not a system for knowing when to start buying for a major season, when to review inventory, or when a promotion needs to be built before the night it launches. In this episode, Kathy walks through what changed in the all-new 2027 Shop Planner. For the first time, the printed and digital versions contain the exact same planning system, so the only decision is which format fits how you work. She breaks down what's inside, from simplified worksheets to improved checklists to new end-of-period reviews, and shares the early bird pricing window before it closes. Grab the 2027 Shop Planner at savvyshopkeeper.com/planner, and find full show notes at savvyshopkeeper.com/episode284. 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: Savvy Shopkeeper Instagram: @savvyshopkeeper Mastermind Group: Master Shopkeepers

September 3, 202621 min

283. Planning Isn't What You Think It Is

Kathy challenges the common belief that "I'm just not a planner person." She explains why using a planner and actually planning are two completely different skills, and why so many retailers unfairly grade themselves on the wrong one. Kathy digs into why repeating the same decisions year after year quietly drains mental energy, shares a real coaching story about a shop owner who moved five stalled projects forward in one sitting, and offers one simple question that can save you from remaking the same decisions over and over: what decision do I keep making that I only need to make once? For show notes, including links to the documentary and resources I mentioned in this episode, visit SavvyShopkeeper.com/episode283 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: Savvy Shopkeeper Instagram: @savvyshopkeeper Mastermind Group: Master Shopkeepers

August 27, 202624 min

282. Why You Feel Like You're Always Behind as a Retail Store Owner

Kathy shares the results of a poll inside MSK where 67% of independent retailers said they always feel behind, and breaks down why that feeling usually has nothing to do with how much you're doing. She walks through the four-domino chain that turns a rough day into a harsh self-label: a nervous system still in stress mode, harsh self-judgment, an identity like "I'm just not a planner person," and finally a planning system borrowed from someone whose brain doesn't work like yours. Kathy explains why support beats willpower every time, how to spot the specific patterns hiding behind broad labels like "I'm inconsistent," and how to build a planning system that actually fits the way you think instead of the way someone else does. For show notes, including links to the documentary and resources I mentioned in this episode, visit www.savvyshopkeeper.com/episode282 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: Savvy Shopkeeper Instagram: @savvyshopkeeper Mastermind Group: Master Shopkeepers

August 13, 202623 min

281. When to Flip Your Store to Christmas: What the Data Says About Timing Your Holiday Merchandising

Every fall, shop owners split into two camps. One says never rush the season. The other says shoppers are already out there spending, so meet them where they are. Both camps have a point, and in this episode Kathy walks through the data so you can make the call with confidence instead of going with your gut alone. Kathy breaks down three approaches to timing your holiday merchandising: flipping early, waiting for the traditional post-Thanksgiving switch, and the hybrid approach she recommends most often. She digs into what the research actually says, including consumer shopping trends showing holiday spending is starting earlier every year, a Cornell study on how storefront windows shape the way customers see your store, and why choice overload can backfire if you flip too much, too fast. You'll also get a practical, month-by-month scheduling framework you can adapt to your own store and community, plus Kathy's take on where holiday merchandise should live inside your shop so it earns its keep instead of collecting dust in a back corner. Plus, one last chance to grab Plan for Profit, Kathy's Q4 planning workshop for retailers who are done winging the busiest quarter of the year. Registration closes September 30, with replay access through October 15. For show notes, including links to the documentary and resources I mentioned in this episode, visit www.savvyshopkeeper.com/281 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: Savvy Shopkeeper Instagram: @savvyshopkeeper Mastermind Group: Master Shopkeepers

August 7, 202626 min

280. I've Changed My Mind: Why Savvy Shopkeeper is Evolving

Episode 280: I've Changed My Mind: Why Savvy Shopkeeper is Evolving This episode looks a little different. Instead of teaching a topic, Kathy is pulling back the curtain on a few things she's changed her mind about over the last couple of years, and why those changes are reshaping Savvy Shopkeeper starting this year and into 2027. Kathy walks through her own perimenopause journey and the two-plus years she spent blaming herself before finally getting answers. She shares what graduating from the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program taught her about her real strengths. She opens up about her ADHD diagnosis and how it changed the way she talks to herself. And she explains why every retail challenge, from inventory to hiring to pricing, is really the same conversation wearing different clothes: a decision. She also shares how she's using AI in her own business, what it will and won't replace, and what's coming for Savvy Shopkeeper, including her first book, Retail Roadmap, and her next conference in Cleveland, Ohio. In this episode: Why Kathy spent two years thinking something was wrong with her, not something happening with her body What the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program helped her see about her strengths Her ADHD diagnosis and how it quieted her inner critic Why independent retailers don't need more information, they need better decisions How Kathy is using AI to support her team, not replace it A first look at her upcoming book, Retail Roadmap, and her 2027 conference For show notes or links to anything mentioned visit SavvyShopkeeper.com/Episode280 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: Savvy Shopkeeper Instagram: @savvyshopkeeper Mastermind Group: Master Shopkeepers