222. 6 Things to Do This Month to Prepare Your Shop for the Holidays

Creative Shop Talk with Wendy Batten

With host retail coach Wendy Batten

https://wendybatten.com/podcast-intro/

In This Episode:

Ready to soar this holiday? I’ve never met a shop owner who wants to have a ho-hum holiday season! I’m here to help ensure your holiday season is as fab as your retail shop. The time to start preparing for Q4 and the holiday season is NOW. Take it from me: taking some time in August to get your retail shop’s ducks in a row for Q4 is worth its weight in gold!

Not sure what exactly you should be doing to prepare? Here are the six topics I lay out for you in this episode:

• Goal setting for the holidays (and that doesn’t mean just to “beat last year’s numbers”)

• Know what you are going to sell/opportunities you are going to take to hit those goals

• Block your calendar with community events, your personal days, etc.

• Attach marketing plans to goals

• Prep your support team (your family and staff) for the holidays

• Sit back and implement your plan!

If you need more (trust me - you do!), I’ve got that for you in my Holiday Success Bootcamp workshop inside the Retailer’s Inner Circle. Not only do we deep dive into all of these topics, I’ll be helping you work through the program with a live Q+A every week from August 15 through September 15.

The Holiday Success Bootcamp got a glow-up in 2024! In addition to the 5 masterclass sessions, the program also includes:

• A list of curated ideas (that we know work!) for promotional events for every holiday/celebration from October through January

• 6 editable email templates every retailer should send between Black Friday and New Year’s Day

• Holiday gift certificate templates

• Social media prompts and editable Q4 Canva graphics that make scheduling posts for the holidays EASY

• …and so much more!

NEW THIS YEAR: You can purchase the Holiday Success Bootcamp as a standalone masterclass!

Sales and success (especially around the holidays) come from being prepared - so let’s do what we can now. You owe it to yourself, your team, and your customers. Let’s dive in!

You can grab that workshop for a limited time right HERE.

Ready to Level Up? Join The Retailer’s Inner Circle.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Retailer’s Inner Circle. You’ll have access to countless Masterclasses including Foot Traffic Made Simple, Shop Standards, Money Matters, and so many others. Plus, you’ll have access to a private Facebook group where members can ask questions or share advice and their experiences of running a retail shop. And Q4 is coming! We’ve got your back. You don’t have to do retail alone!

Related podcasts we think you’ll like:

Episode 221: How to Raise the Bar on Excellence in Retail with Guest Expert Jeffrey Shaw

Sales Series for the Holidays

Holiday Sales Playlist: Our favorite podcast episodes geared to holiday sales

About your host, Wendy Batten

In case we haven’t met yet, I’m Wendy, a small business coach and founder of the Retailer’s Inner Circle, where I help other independent shop owners learn how to gain the right business skillsets to see more profits, paychecks, and joy as they navigate running their retail business.

Through online classes, business coaching programs, speaking, and a top-ranked podcast, I’ve helped hundreds of retailers around the globe reclaim their dreams and see the success they want from their beautiful shops. My signature private coaching community, The Retailer’s Inner Circle, has helped retailers around the world build their retail business skill sets and confidence.

I am proud to have been featured in several major publications, including my own business column in What Women Create magazine. I have been privileged to be a guest on top-ranked podcasts and sought-after as a guest speaker and teacher for several brands, associations, and communities that are passionate about the success of independent retailers.

When I’m not coaching, you will find me either DIYing and renovating my very imperfect old crooked cottage by the sea in the UNESCO World Heritage town of Lunenburg, NS, or blogging about our travel and RVing adventures and the weird fun things we get up to in our coastal village. I’d love to invite you to check out one of my free resources for real retailers at https://wendybatten.com/free-resources/

For more support from Wendy

Retailer’s Inner Circle - Join Wendy inside the best retailer’s community

Free resources for shop owners

Hang out and connect with Wendy on IG

All of Wendy’s programs and services for shop owners can be found HERE.

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