Podcast
Bringing Business to Retail
Hosted by Salena Knight | Retail & Ecommerce Growth Strategist · EN
Want a business that fills your soul AND your bank account? Retail Strategist Salena Knight, shares information, inspiration and interviews with business leaders, to help you create a more profitable, sustainable and dynamic retail or eCommerce business.
31episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Why So Many Retail Businesses Grow Broke
Mar 1900:24:58Tap to summarizeMost business owners do not fail because they are bad at business. They fail because no one taught them how money actually works inside a growing retail or ecommerce brand. In this episode, Salena unpacks the real financial blind spots that hold founders back, including inventory sitting on shelves as trapped cash, contribution margin mistakes, hidden fulfillment costs, and the dangers of building your business around your own money bias instead of your customer's values. This is an honest conversation about cash flow, financial clarity, and the difference between looking profitable and actually being profitable. In this episode, you'll learn: Why cash flow is one of the biggest blind spots in retail and ecommerce The simple way to think about business finance without getting lost in accounting jargon Why inventory is not just stock, it is cash sitting on your shelves How businesses can grow revenue and still end up broke What contribution margin really reveals about the health of your business The hidden costs that distort your real profit per order Why convenience can be a powerful profit lever How founders project their own money beliefs onto customers without realizing it Why luxury customers respond differently to pricing and promotions The first question Salena asks every client before strategy even begins Key takeaway: Before you fix the numbers, you have to understand what you actually want the business to do for you. ---- This episode originally aired as a guest conversation on The Unofficial Shopify Podcast with Kurt Elster. Kurt asks sharp questions, cuts through fluff, and brings on guests who actually know what they're talking about. You can check out his show here: unofficialshopifypodcast.com
Transcribe →Why Your Team Isn't Doing What You Want
Mar 1000:31:02Tap to summarizeWhen something goes wrong in your business, it's easy to assume the problem sits with your team. But most of the time, it doesn't. In this episode, Salena Knight explains why team members often miss the mark and why the root cause usually comes down to one thing - unclear leadership. Retail and ecommerce founders frequently hand over responsibilities without defining what success actually looks like. Without clear targets, benchmarks, or reporting structures, team members are forced to guess. And those guesses rarely match what the founder had in mind. Through real examples from retail businesses, Salena breaks down how this communication gap shows up in everyday situations like email marketing, influencer collaborations, and creative projects. More importantly, she explains how to fix it with simple leadership frameworks that give your team clarity, ownership, and the ability to succeed without constant oversight. In this episode, you'll learn: Why vague delegation leads to disappointing results The difference between giving someone a task and defining a standard How unclear expectations impact performance Why written metrics and targets are essential for accountability The five leadership questions every founder should ask before delegating If you want a team that performs better without micromanagement, this episode will show you where to start.
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How to Build Profitable Promotions
Mar 300:15:14Tap to summarizeYou plan a promotion. You send the emails. You post on social media. And the sales do not come in the way you expected. So you assume the offer was not strong enough. You increase the discount. You add free shipping. You stack more value. But what if the offer was never the problem? In this episode, I break down why most promotions underperform and what to fix before you touch your pricing again. The mistake I see retailers make over and over is starting in the middle. They start with the offer instead of the outcome. When you begin with the discount, you are guessing. When you begin with the outcome, you are building a strategy. Inside this episode, I walk you through: Why "more sales" is not a clear objective How to define the real outcome you want from a campaign The difference between acquisition, AOV, and inventory-based promotions How stacking discounts is quietly eroding your margin If you are planning your next sale, launch, or seasonal push, listen to this before you decide on the offer. Your profit depends on it.
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Your "Gut Feel" Might Be Costing You More Than You Think
Feb 2400:22:10Tap to summarizeFour different retail businesses. Four completely different niches. One identical complaint. "I feel like it's not working." In this episode, we unpack why so many retail and ecommerce founders misdiagnose marketing problems and how that mistake quietly erodes profit. When sales dip, most retailers assume: Customers are not spending The offer was wrong The discount was not strong enough The marketing agency dropped the ball But feelings are not facts. This episode walks you through why emotional decision-making is one of the most expensive habits in retail and how to shift to data-first diagnosis before changing strategy. And this applies beyond marketing. If you are making inventory decisions based on what you think will sell, instead of validated demand, the same risk applies. A pre-sales approach allows you to test demand and generate revenue before committing to stock. You can learn more about that at https://salenaknight.com/toolkit If you want stronger retail marketing performance and smarter inventory decisions without sacrificing margin, this episode will show you where to look first.
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How to Buy Inventory That Drives Sales and Protects Profit
Feb 1700:32:40Tap to summarizeWhat does hunting for Airbnb properties have to do with buying inventory? More than you think. In this episode, I break down how searching for rental properties to grow my Airbnb portfolio completely reframed how retailers should approach inventory buying. When I inspect a property, I do not ask, Do I like it? I ask: Will it generate cash flow? What is the risk? How quickly will I see a return? What happens if demand shifts? Yet when many retailers place inventory orders, they lead with emotion. They buy because they love it. Because it feels safe. Because the sales rep convinced them. Because it sold last year. Inventory is not decor. It is not a hobby. It is not a vote for your personal taste. It is an investment. In this episode, you will learn: How to evaluate products like income producing assets Why buying based on feelings damages profitability The financial lens you must use before placing any order How to reduce risk while increasing margin and cash flow If you want to improve sales, increase cash flow, and stop tying up money in slow moving stock, this episode will change how you buy forever. Ready to sell before you order? Get the Pre-Sales Campaign Toolkit: https://salenaknight.com/toolkit
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Stop Guessing What Will Sell: Do This Instead
Feb 1100:26:57Tap to summarizeYou know that moment when you place a stock order and feel equal parts excited and anxious. You've done the maths. You've picked the colours. You've crossed your fingers. And then the stock arrives… and it doesn't sell the way you hoped. In this episode, Salena breaks down why ordering stock on hope is one of the biggest reasons retailers end up with cash stuck on shelves, reactive marketing, and constant discounting. You'll learn why selling should never be the reward for ordering, how treating selling as the starting line changes cash flow, and why most retailers aren't bad buyers – they're just starting in the wrong place. This isn't about buying less or playing it safe. It's about flipping the order of operations so you stop guessing what will work and start making buying decisions based on proof, not belief. Inside the episode: Why ordering stock first quietly creates cash flow pressure The difference between customer interest and real demand How slow-moving inventory leads to fear-based buying decisions Why discounting trains customers to wait instead of buy How selling before ordering reduces risk and pulls cash forward Why selling is the filter – not the reward – for ordering stock Ready to sell before you order? Get the Pre-Sales Campaign Toolkit: https://salenaknight.com/toolkit
Transcribe →Stop Training Customers to Forget You
Feb 300:09:40Tap to summarizeEmma thought she was "doing marketing." She posted. She emailed. She showed up when she could. And then everything went quiet. When she finally ran a promotion, nobody responded. In this episode, Salena Knight breaks down why inconsistent marketing doesn't just slow growth – it actively works against you. You'll learn the three invisible costs of inconsistency that most retailers never factor in, why your promotions fall flat after a quiet period, and how inconsistency trains customers to forget you exist. This isn't about posting more or working longer hours. It's about building a repeatable marketing system that keeps you visible, trusted, and top of mind – even when operations get busy. Inside the episode: Why inconsistent marketing resets customer awareness back to zero How silence quietly erodes trust with your audience The "abandoned cart of attention" and why your message never sticks Why three posts is never enough (even if it feels repetitive) How to fix inconsistent marketing without adding 20 more hours to your week
Transcribe →3 Sneaky Ways Your Product Strategy Is Draining Your Cashflow
Jan 2700:15:36Tap to summarizeMany store owners assume cashflow problems come from marketing or pricing. In reality, some of the biggest profit leaks are hiding inside your product strategy. In this episode, Salena unpacks three subtle but costly mistakes that drain cash even in businesses with strong sales and loyal customers. These issues compound quietly over time. You'll learn why premium customers do not buy premium in every category, how to calculate true landed cost properly, and where opportunity cost is silently eroding your profit. This episode is a must-listen as you reorder stock and plan for growth in 2026.
Transcribe →Busy Isn't Your Problem - This Is
Jan 2100:23:15Tap to summarizeMost retail and ecommerce business owners are exhausted, busy, and still stuck. Not because they're bad at business, but because they're spending their time in the wrong category of work. In this episode, Salena breaks down the difference between BAU work and CEO work and introduces a clear, practical time allocation framework designed specifically for independent retailers and ecommerce founders. You'll learn: Why being busy does not equal progress The four categories of CEO work and where your time should actually go How most business owners are unknowingly trapping themselves in operations A realistic 90-day time allocation target that does not require disappearing from the business Three actions you can take this week to start shifting out of firefighting If you feel like you're doing everything but still not moving forward, this episode will give you clarity and a way out.
Transcribe →Mastering TikTok Marketing - Ian Page
Jan 1300:34:14Tap to summarizeTikTok can be a money-printing machine for retailers — if you know how to feed it properly. In this episode, we break down why most brands fail on TikTok Shop and how to build a strategy that actually converts views into sales. What You'll Learn Why TikTok is nothing like Amazon or Meta ads, and how to rethink your entire marketing approach for disruptive, scroll-based buying behavior. The simple product formula that wins on TikTok — identifying the right pain point, showing the solution visually, and pairing it with an irresistible offer. How to test content at scale, stop chasing trends, and build a repeatable system that compounds into serious revenue over time. When the product becomes the star and the strategy stays simple, TikTok stops feeling chaotic — and starts making you money.
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