The Resilient Retail Game Plan

Feel like you're shouting into the void with your marketing? You're not alone—and it's not your fault.
Social media wants you reactive, emotional, and constantly second-guessing yourself. Meanwhile, big retailers operate from detailed seasonal plans made months in advance.
I’m Catherine Erdly, and this is Resilient Retail Game Plan — practical product business advice with a healthy dose of reality.
In this episode, I'm revealing:
✓ Why sporadic marketing makes sales feel random
✓ How algorithms keep you stuck in chaos
✓ What big retailers do differently (without massive teams)
✓ The marketing structure that actually works for small businesses
Stop waking up wondering "what should I post today?" and start building a plan you can trust.
Links
Get your free Calmer and Consistent Sales Planner: resilientretailclub.com/sales
Join the Retail Sales Game Plan waitlist (reopening Feb): resilientretailclub.com/retailsales
Resilient Retail Club: https://www.resilientretailclub.com
Listen on your favourite podcast app: https://www.resilientretailclub.com/podcast
Enjoying the show?
DM your takeaways or questions to @resilientretailclub on Instagram.
And if the podcast’s useful, please follow, rate, and review — it helps more product businesses find us.
Mentioned in this episode:
Sign up to the waitlist
https://www.resilientretailclub.com/retailsales/

Why Profit Matters More Than Sales in Indie Retail
Sales growth is often treated as the goal in retail.
But without profit, growth just creates more pressure.
In this episode of Resilient Retail Game Plan, we look at why profit isn’t optional for independent retailers, and how better stock decisions change far more than just the numbers.
I’m Catherine Erdly, and this is Resilient Retail Game Plan — practical product business advice with a healthy dose of reality.

This isn’t about chasing turnover.
And it’s not about discounting everything to keep cash moving.
It’s about making deliberate, data led decisions that protect margin, reduce stock pressure, and give you room to breathe.

I’m joined by Paola Majuli, Stock Doctor and former senior merchandiser at global retail brands, to unpack what actually happens when retailers stop reacting and start managing stock with intention.

Together, we talk through real client results, what the numbers are showing after six months and a year, and why confidence often returns once the chaos settles.

In this episode, we cover:
Why profit, not cash flow alone, keeps retail businesses sustainable
What blanket discounting really costs you over time
How retailers increased sales while holding less stock
Why margin awareness changes decision making
What better stock management does for confidence and clarity
How strategic discounting differs from panic discounting

We also talk about Black Friday, overstock, pricing confidence, and why being selective about what you discount can actually drive stronger results than putting everything on sale.

If you’re running an independent shop and feel stuck in a cycle of buying, discounting, and hoping for the best, this episode will help you think more clearly about how profit, stock, and confidence fit together.

Chapters
00:00 Why profit isn’t optional
01:13 The real problem with blanket discounting
04:08 What the numbers show after six months and a year
06:27 Pricing, margin, and confidence
10:09 Why stock decisions matter more than people realise
12:36 How better data changes behaviour
17:47 Smarter Black Friday strategies
23:44 What confidence looks like in profitable businesses

Links
Stock Doctor: https://stockdoctor.net

Resilient Retail Club: https://www.resilientretailclub.com

Listen on your favourite podcast app: https://www.resilientretailclub.com/podcast

Enjoying the show?
DM your takeaways or questions to @resilientretailclub on Instagram.
And if the podcast’s useful, please follow, rate, and review — it helps more product businesses find us.
Mentioned in this episode:
Check out the Stock Doctor
Find out more at stockdoctor.net

When Is the Right Time to Open a Second Shop?
Opening another shop is often seen as the obvious next step in retail growth.
But knowing when to do it, and whether your business is actually ready, is far harder.
In this episode of Resilient Retail Game Plan, we look at what really changes when you move from one shop to two, and then beyond.
With thanks to this episode’s sponsor SumUp.
Get 10% off SumUp hardware with the code GamePlan10 at https://sumup.co.uk
I’m Catherine Erdly, and this is Resilient Retail Game Plan — practical product business advice with a healthy dose of reality.
This isn’t about chasing expansion for the sake of it.
And it’s not a checklist for opening multiple locations.
It’s about timing, clarity, and understanding whether the business you have today can genuinely support what comes next.
I’m joined by independent retailer Sarah Holmes, from Pencil Me In, who has grown from one shop to three across different locations in Scotland. Together, we unpack how those decisions were made, what changed at each stage, and why the second shop is often the hardest.
In this episode, we cover:
How to tell if your current shop is ready to support growth
Why growth often feels like exposure rather than relief
What changes when each location needs a different role
How buying mistakes multiply once you have more than one shop
Why clarity matters more than creativity in multi-store retail
Letting go of control without losing standards

We also talk about how expansion changes your relationship with risk, cash, and your team, and why growth should support the life you want to run, not just the business you want to build.
If you’re running one shop and wondering whether there could be more, or you’re already managing multiple locations and want it to feel simpler, this episode will help you think more clearly about what growth should look like for you.
Chapters
00:00 Why growth is a timing question, not a goal
01:16 From one shop to three and why pacing matters
06:19 Why growth feels like exposure, not relief
09:30 Why each shop needs a clear job to do
11:03 Specialising instead of stocking everything
15:32 The danger of unchecked buying decisions
18:08 Using data to protect cash as you grow
22:22 Letting go without losing control
29:46 Choosing growth that fits your life
Links
Retail by Design: https://www.resilientretailclub.com/retail-by-design
Resilient Retail Club: https://www.resilientretailclub.com
Listen on your favourite podcast app:

The 5 Problems Growing Retail Businesses Don’t Expect (But Almost Always Face)
If your retail business looks successful on paper but feels far harder than it should behind the scenes, this episode is for you.
With thanks to this episode’s sponsor SumUp.
Get 10% off SumUp hardware with the code GamePlan10 at https://sumup.co.uk
I’m Catherine Erdly, and this is Resilient Retail Game Plan — practical product business advice with a healthy dose of reality.
This isn’t about fixing beginner mistakes or chasing the next growth tactic.
It’s about what happens once your business has momentum, and instinct alone stops being enough.
After working with hundreds of established product businesses, I see the same problems come up again and again.
Not because founders are doing things wrong, but because the business has outgrown the way it’s being run.
In this episode, I walk through the 5 problems growing retail businesses don’t expect (but almost always face).
These include:
Why growth often creates chaos instead of clarity
What it really means when you don’t trust your numbers
Why being busy doesn’t always mean you’re moving forward
How everything living in your head turns you into the bottleneck
What to do when your business no longer fits your life

We also talk about why structure isn’t restrictive, how it creates freedom, and what it looks like when a business is designed to support the person running it, not drain them.
If any of this feels familiar, it doesn’t mean you’re failing.
It usually means you’ve outgrown the stage you’re operating at.
Chapters
00:00 Why growth starts to feel heavy
01:36 When success creates chaos
06:09 Learning to trust your numbers
08:26 Busy versus real progress
11:06 Everything living in your head
15:25 When your business stops fitting your life
18:10 Retail by Design
Links
Retail by Design: https://www.resilientretailclub.com/retail-by-design
Resilient Retail Club: https://www.resilientretailclub.com
Listen on your favourite podcast app: https://www.resilientretailclub.com/podcast
Enjoying the show?
DM your takeaways or questions to @resilientretailclub on Instagram.
And if the podcast’s useful, please follow, rate, and review — it helps more product businesses find us.
Mentioned in this episode:
Check out the Stock Doctor
Find out more at stockdoctor.net

How Artichoke Built a Profitable Online Shop by Ignoring “Best Practice”
If you’ve been told that online retail growth means more ads, more automation, and more noise — this episode will quietly challenge that.
With thanks to this episode’s sponsor SumUp.
Get 10% off SumUp hardware with the code GamePlan10 at https://sumup.co.uk
I’m Catherine Erdly, and this is Resilient Retail Game Plan — practical product business advice with a healthy dose of reality.
This isn’t about scaling fast or chasing the latest ecommerce tactic.
It’s about building an online business that actually works for the people running it.
In this episode, I’m joined by Sarah Simonds, founder of Artichoke and winner of Online Shop of the Year at the Boutique Star Awards.
Sarah runs an online fashion business in a way most people would say doesn’t scale.
She calls every new online customer.
She designs systems to protect customer service, not replace it.
And she focuses relentlessly on a demographic the industry largely ignores.
After 25 years working with retailers, I see this pattern again and again.
The businesses that perform best long term aren’t always the loudest or the most automated. They’re the clearest.
In this conversation, we explore:
Why slowing down parts of the online experience can increase profit
How calling customers dramatically reduces returns and boosts lifetime value
What good systems actually look like in a small retail business
How Sarah uses AI to support decisions without losing human judgement
Why community, service, and clarity still outperform “best practice”

We also talk about the less glamorous side of growth — becoming the bottleneck, building resilience into the team, and creating structure so the business doesn’t rely on one person holding everything together.
If you run a product business and want online sales that feel sustainable rather than exhausting, this episode will give you a lot to think about.
Chapters
00:00 Why “more marketing” isn’t always the answer
03:10 Serving an ignored customer demographic
06:20 Calling every new online customer
10:45 Reducing returns and increasing lifetime value
15:30 From pop-ups to online growth
21:10 Removing the founder bottleneck
27:40 Systems, structure, and ClickUp
33:30 Using AI without losing the human touch
41:50 Community, collaboration, and long-term growth
Links
Artichoke: https://www.artichoke-online.co.uk
Retail by Design: https://www.resilientretailclub.com/retail-by-design
Catherine’s book — Tame Your Tiger: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1912300096
Resilient Retail Club: https://www.resilientretailclub.com
Enjoying the show?
DM your takeaways or questions to @resilientretailclub on Instagram.
And if the podcast’s useful, please follow, rate, and review — it helps more product businesses find us.
Mentioned in this episode:
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