Creating habits that contribute to your personal development is one of the best things you can do to improve your life as a business owner. Journaling has been a practice I have kept for 25 years.

If you want to create the business of your dreams, a business that serves your life and helps you build your best life. Then, this episode of Real Retail TV is for you!

Burnout can be a huge problem for independent retailers. In this episode of Real Retail TV, I go over 5 easy ways to beat burnout and get your creative juices flowing again!

In this episode, we’re going to discuss why it’s natural to think small. I’ll share a single simple shift you can make to start thinking differently, to start thinking and growing bigger.

In this episode of Real Retail TV, I address a question from our WhizBang! Retailers Facebook group on negotiating leases for your business. When it comes to legal advice, you want to make sure you are talking to a professional.

One of the most-loved parts of the Retail Success Summit is the Retail Rumble where Susan and I battle it out giving you a lightning round of 60 ideas in 60 minutes. One of our clients saved $30,000 in one year using just ONE of those ideas we shared. I hope this short 10-minute clip from the 2018 Retail Rubble will show you just how valuable it is to be there in person!

Earlier this week, I did a Facebook live with Kaila Piepkow from Dox Design and she shared three of her top tips for retailers on branding. She shared that you branding is more than just pretty images and colors, it’s the emotional connection your customers have with your business.

The Retail Success Summit has been such a successful event because we always use this Perpetual Improvement Process. It’s simple, after you host any event or promotion, be sure to sit down with your team to discuss what worked and what needs tweaked for the next year!

In this episode of Real Retail TV you will get to see an actual clip from the Retail Success Summit in 2018 where Susan teaches you how you can manage your marketing in just one day per month!

You deserve to have success in your business. You deserve to have more fun in your business. In this episode of Real Retail TV, I implore you to take a look at what it will take to get you to the inflection point on that success curve.

In this Retail Retail TV, you’re going to discover the simplest (and best) customer loyalty program for independent, brick and mortar retail stores.

In this episode of Real Retail TV, I discuss a concept from Dan Sullivan’s book, The Gap And The Gain. The idea is to measure your success backwards and focus on all of the things you have accomplished. Get out of the gap and focus on the gain.

My ‘Give 2 Get’ System to grow your business asks, “What can I give to get what I want?” This goes back to the rule of reciprocity, meaning that when you give someone something they will feel the psychological need to reciprocate.

It is very important to create a vision for your business because if you build your business the wrong way, if you prop your ladder on the wrong wall, you will end up with a business that isn’t serving you. Watch this Real Retail TV to learn more now!

In this episode of Real Retail TV I explore one of the biggest and most common mistake retailers make. Make sure you’re putting your money where it matters most by investing in your team.

In this episode of Real Retail TV I discuss what I believe to be the best strategy and philosophy to help build your business. When you adopt this strategy everything in your business will start to become easier and more fun.

In this episode of Real Retail TV, I sit down with Tammy Beideman from Sweet Elizabeth Jane in Ellicott City, Maryland to discuss how shifting her beliefs made all of the difference in her business.

In this episode of Real Retail TV, I take a detailed look at one of my favorite independent retail stores. The takeaways I found are great lessons for any retailer looking to improve their customer experience.

In this episode of Real Retail TV, I explore the idea of working less and thinking more. As we head into the new year, one of the best things you can do as a business owner is to take a personal inventory to find out what problems you want to solve once and for all.

This Real Retail TV episode is a replay, but the planning process I share is still relevant and just as important as ever. Use this “down and dirty” planning process for the new year to properly manage your time and actually get things checked off of your to-do list in 2022.

In this episode of Real Retail TV, I explain why you should look at holiday returns as an opportunity to gain new customers and increase loyalty. The great news is, returns mean more and possibly new customers walking into your store. 

In this episode of Real Retail TV, I go over some of my top tips to help get you successfully through the last few weeks of the holiday season. Take care of yourself, take care of your staff, and be sure to enjoy time with family and friends. You’ve earned it! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all!

In this episode of Real Retail TV, I examine a story about overcoming adversity. It is no secret that for retailers these last two years have been filled with difficult situations that needed quick solutions and tenacity. If you are watching this video, the odds are you have made it through, you still have your store and here you are going through another holiday season. I am here to tell you that you’ve got this.

In this episode of Real Retail TV, I take a brief look at the history of retail and how it has evolved. There is no longer room for “hobbyists” or “shopkeepers” in the new omni-experiential world. Those who do not accept the change and challenges of the future will be left behind.

The holidays are stressful, no matter what you do, or who you are. And as a retailer, they are particularly stressful and challenging, especially this year. In this episode of Real Retail TV, I’ll share two tips to make your holidays easier.

In this episode of Real Retail TV, we’re going to take a deep dive into how entrepreneurs can get the best sleep. Follow these tips and you’ll be bright eyed and bushy tailed, ready to greet more holiday shoppers.

In this episode of Real Retail TV, we’re going to explore how to make the 2021 holiday season your best ever. This holiday season is going to be tricky between supply chain issues, labor challenges, and the fact that the pandemic is still among us. Here are four ways to really make this holiday season a great one because there is a tremendous opportunity. You just have to be prepared to take advantage of it.

In this episode of Real Retail TV, we’ll discuss why it’s so important to talk to each of your customers about how much they want to spend when they are shopping with you during the holidays. This video came directly from Holiday Selling Course inside the Retail Sales Academy.

In this episode of Real Retail TV, we are going to explore the three mindsets of successful retailers. I have worked with literally thousands upon thousands of independent retailers like you and have discovered the mindsets that distinguish the most successful. I want you to think about whether you have these mindsets, if you do, how do you strengthen them and if you don’t, how do you develop them?

This episode of Real Retail TV is coming to you from San Antonio, Texas, where Susan and I are with the members of the Platinum Mastermind Group for our fall meeting. In it, we are going to explore problems with partners and how to solve them.

This holiday season is going to be challenging. You’ve seen the pictures of the freighters lined up to get into port to unload the goods, the goods that could or should be coming to your store. In this episode, we’ll talk about what you can do to make sure that you have merchandise to sell to your customers and make this fourth quarter the best that it can be.

In this episode, you are going to learn the ultimate retail selling system. We call it, The 6 Steps To The Perfect Purchase. But, before we begin, I just want you to think about and recognize that selling is service. It isn’t pushy or manipulative. It’s about getting your customer everything they want need and desire when they are shopping with you.

In this episode of Real Retail TV, I’m going to share with you the management concept that changed my life. What I’m talking about here is the idea of a non-negotiable standard. Watch now to learn more.

In this episode of Real Retail TV, we’re going to discuss the big picture and promotions. By the end, you will have a much deeper understanding of why promotions are so important, how they work and how the different dynamics in promotions all fit together.

I don’t need to tell you that there is a labor shortage right now, so in this episode of Real Retail TV, we’re going to explore how to find and keep the best retail employees.

In this episode of Real Retail TV, you’re going to learn an on-the-floor, on-the-fly stress reduction technique that I think you’re going to find really, really helpful.

If you ever get caught in the trap of running too many sales in your store, then this episode of Real Retail TV is for you! In working with thousands of independent retailers just like you, one of the things I know for a fact is that the best retailers have lots and lots of promotions. They have a robust full calendar full of interesting, fun, crazy things that they can do to drive people into the store. Promotions are important and they should not always be sales.

Mindset matters when it comes to the growth of your retail business. In this episode, we’re going to discuss why it’s natural to think small and a single simple shift to start thinking differently and growing bigger.

Here’s a fact, the best retail stores have the best team members but finding the right people can be incredibly challenging. In this episode, you’re going to discover an important but often overlooked strategy for finding and hiring great people.

In this episode of Real Retail TV, I am going to share with you something I learned the hard way so hopefully, you don’t make the same mistake I made. It was just a subtle shift that made all the difference to my business.

There are only three ways to grow a business, and in this episode of Real Retail TV, I’ll share what they are, what they mean for your business, and how they work together for the future growth of your business.

As a guy who owned a retail business for 19 years, I know the frustration that people experience when their employees don’t do what you want them to do. In this episode of Real Retail TV, I’m going to share with you exactly why people don’t do what you want them to do and what you can do about it.

Theft and fraud are a reality. As a business person, one of your jobs is critically thinking about and dealing with these issues. In today’s Real Retail TV, we’ll talk openly about this often painful reality.

In this episode of Real Retail TV, we are going to explore a really important choice – fear or courage. When fear is driving your decisions, you’re not playing big. Courage is recognizing there are so many opportunities right now, that you might have to step out of my comfort zone, but when you do good things are going to happen.

In this episode of Real Retail TV, I’m going to share with you three people you really should have in your life. You need somebody smarter than you, somebody who is at the same level as you, and somebody to mentor.

In this episode of Real Retail TV, I share how I approach reading on vacation with the strategy I’ve found that really works for me. It allows me to rest and recover and recuperate, but yet still leaves me room for the inspiration that comes from a great business book.

In today’s Real Retail TV we’re going to explore whether in-store foot traffic is going to return to its pre-pandemic levels.

In this episode of Real Retail TV, I’m going to talk about when life goes sideways, sometimes you need to muddle and/or move.

In today’s Real Retail TV, I’m going to share with you one of my favorite retail concepts… The idea of an upward spiral of prosperity. If you want to be very, very successful then this episode is for you.

In this episode of Real Retail TV, I am going to share with you an incredibly important post-pandemic strategy. You need to build a plan to get in
touch with your customers, to reactivate them to shop with you.

After observing thousands of independent retailers, what I’ve found is that the most successful share 12 common traits. In this episode of Real Retail TV, you’ll learn all twelve, and, for good measure, you’ll get a bonus trait I think you’ll like.

In today’s episode of Real Retail TV, I’m going to share a piece of advice that I heard 20 years ago and has certainly served me well. Kissing frogs is a great metaphor for the need to move on from people, situations, products, services that don’t work, but still try again!

Before we get to this week’s Real Retail TV, I’d like to wish my wife and partner, Susan, a very happy birthday! Now on to today’s episode where I’m going to explore a perhaps radical rule for retail success.

This episode of Real Retail TV is an excerpt from the Retail Rumble at last year’s [Virtual] Retail Success Summit. The Retail Rumble is when Susan and I face off and each of us gets one minute to share one idea. You’ll get 10 ideas that we shared last year plus I’m going to throw in two new ideas giving you 12 ideas in 12 minutes!

In today’s episode of Real Retail TV, we’re going to explore an important way of looking at your business. Building your back of house correctly is so important to the success of your front of house. Watch now to find out why!

Right now lots of our clients are sharing that they are becoming frustrated that they’re not finding good candidates for open jobs in their store. In today’s Real Retail TV, you’ll learn the secret to having a team filled with the highest quality employees.

In this episode of Real Retail TV, you’re going to discover the new retail super power. When you tap into this super power all of a sudden your ability to do important work will go up dramatically.

In this episode of Real Retail TV, you’re going to discover three shifts from reactive to proactive that you should be making right now.

In today’s episode of Real Retail TV, we’re going to talk about two really important things: inputs and outputs. Discover what kind of inputs you need to get the outputs that you desire to build the quality of life that you deserve.

This has been a long, strange year. In this episode of Real Retail TV, I’ll reflect on how all of the uncertainty, stress, and anxiety of this past year will serve you well in the future.

If I were to put 100 retailers in a room and ask, “What does success mean to you?” My guess is that 90% to 95% of the retailers that I was talking to would say a number of stores or profitability or annual sales. Their view of retail success is measured by some sort of objective standard. In this episode of Real Retail TV, I want to share my contrarian view of retail success.

The future of independent retail has never, ever been brighter. Competitive advantages of the big department stores and Amazon have been diminished, if not eliminated and small to mid-sized brick and mortar independent retailers have new advantages. Watch this week’s episode of Real Retail TV to discover my predictions for the future of retail.

Promotions do not only have to be about driving people into your store. You can make them omni-experiential! Using the ideas you’ll discover in this episode of Real Retail TV, you’ll be able to make your promotions ten times more profitable.

When I had my retail business, the sheer quantity of donation requests absolutely drove me crazy. I mean, it wasn’t just my local organizations that wanted money or donated merchandise, I found that I was getting requests from organizations 30, 40, 50 miles away that I didn’t even know. So, if those pesky donation requests are driving you crazy, then this episode of Real Retail TV is for you.

In this episode of Real Retail TV, I’m going to talk to you about a huge mistake a lot of people make with their social media marketing. You spend a lot of time, energy, and money on building your social media communities and it is so important to turn those relationships into contact information.

The end of the pandemic is in sight! For most independent brick and mortar retailers, when this pandemic ends, sales are going to explode and there are going to be more opportunities for you than ever had before. So, in this episode of Real Retail TV, you’ll discover how you can prepare for the post-pandemic future!

The upcoming minimum wage increases are causing a lot of consternation on the part of many independent retailers. In our WhizBang! Retailers Facebook group, someone asked, “What are you going to do about it?” There were over 200 comments, which means it’s a topic that needs to be addressed. So, in this episode of Real Retail TV, we’re going to talk about how to think about the wage increases and even more importantly, what you can do about it.

Do you sometimes feel like a hamster on a wheel who is running, running, running, and can’t get off? Or maybe like a juggler with too many balls in the air? This episode of Real Retail TV will teach you how to solve your big problems once and for all!

This episode of Real Retail TV, shares predictions for retail in 2021. It goes without saying that 2020 was an interesting year and 2021 will prove to be one also. Trends that we saw forming in 2019 will only accelerate in 2021. Watch now to discover what those trends are and what they mean for you.

You don’t need to be told that planning and goal setting for 2021 is going to more difficult than it’s ever been. Today’s Real Retail TV will explore the idea of moving away from setting the traditional financial goals and focusing instead on process goals.

You’ve heard the old saying, “The customer is always right.” But, if you have been in retail for any amount of time, then you also know that really the customer is not always right, but the customer is always the customer. Today, we’re going to explore a counterintuitive way to deal with customer complaints and difficult customers.

If you’re a brick and mortar retailer, you’ve got to love holiday returns. In this episode of Real Retail TV, you’ll learn 3 reasons why.

It is really important to bring your inventory levels down as low as possible before the end of the year because you want cash. Cash is king, particularly during a pandemic. So, today, you’re going to discover 10 ways that you can start to strategically bring your inventory levels down. BONUS: 5 of those ways require no discounting of your merchandise at all!

We can all acknowledge that this is going to be an incredibly tricky holiday season and that the next several weeks are going to be, well, uncertain. And while several of the past episodes of Real Retail TV are about how to keep yourself motivated, one of your challenges is also to keep your team motivated. So, today, we’re going to take the mystery out of motivation.

In this episode of Real Retail TV, we’re going to explore the importance of momentum and some techniques that you can use to keep your momentum going through this tricky holiday season.

Normally, there’s a negative connotation that comes with the term, “survival mode.” In today’s Real Retail TV, we’re going explore how “survival mode” can be a good thing.

As you know, we are in the middle of a pandemic and we are probably on the verge of a horrible surge of the coronavirus. This surge will put tremendous pressure on everyone and it is important that we as people who deal with the public are understanding and compassionate. But, it is also really important that you take care of yourself, your mental state, your employees, and their mental states.

So, if you have customers that repeatedly treat you and your team poorly and influence you in a negative way, then this episode of Real Retail TV is for you!

You’re probably tired of the pandemic. I’m tired of the pandemic. Your customers are tired of the pandemic. We don’t want to think about it. We don’t want to talk about it. We don’t want to deal with it. Unfortunately, as independent brick and mortar retailers, we have to. And starting to deal with it now is critical for this all-important fourth quarter. So, for this week’s Real Retail TV, I am going to share with you six things that I think are absolutely critical to start thinking about right now.

In this episode of Real Retail TV, you’ll discover an important distinction that will be invaluable to you as a store owner!

In this episode of Real Retail TV, you’ll discover how to get more done in your business, in less time, while feeling less stressed.

A huge shift in retail selling happening this holiday season. Watch and discover why it’s important and how to be proactive about it.

In this episode of Real Retail TV, you’ll discover the critical importance of proactively building your average ticket this holiday season.

In today’s episode, you’re going to discover an incredibly valuable tool to keep you fresh, focused, and moving forward this holiday season.

In this episode of Real Retail TV, you’ll discover what I think might be the most important thing for you to do this holiday season.

Today’s episode of Real Retail TV talks about a bandwagon you better get on… omni-experiential retail! It is the future of customer engagement.

In this episode of Real Retail TV, we’re going to explore the critical importance of having a deep bench this holiday season. Not exactly sure what that means? Watch now to find out!

As entrepreneurs, we often think we have to be superman (or superwoman!) but you don’t! If you’re feeling burned out and stressed about your business (and maybe even a little guilty about those feelings) then this episode of Real Retail TV is for you.

In this episode of Real Retail TV, I am going to share with you something I learned the hard way so hopefully, you don’t make the same mistake I made. It was just a subtle shift that made all the difference to my business.

If 2020 has taught us anything it’s that the unknown and unexpected can strike at any moment with unanticipated consequences. In this episode of Real Retail TV taken directly from the 2020 [VIRTUAL] Retail Success Summit, you’ll learn 3 ways to prepare your business for when S%!# hits the fan.

Even though the current selling environment is topsy-turvy and you HAVE to look at selling in a new, updated way the core concept of helping your customers get to the Perfect Purchase remains the same. In this episode of Real Retail TV taken directly from the 2020 [VIRTUAL] Retail Success Summit, we’ll reimagine selling.

In this episode of Real Retail TV, you’re going to discover 10 super actionable ideas that you can put to use in your store right away. Using just one could make a HUGE difference in your business and life!

Confidence is the single most important personality trait any retailer can possess. Many people incorrectly think confidence is something you “have,” but it’s not, it’s something you develop. In this episode of Real Retail TV, you’ll learn how to steadily increase yours!

One key factor in running a successful business is motivation. I’ll share what motivates me because it will help you gain clarity on what motivates you.

In this episode, we’ll talk about a dynamic that is a constant battle for many retail store owners and the current pandemic has made it even more difficult!

This Real Retail TV comes from the 2018 Retail Success Summit. In it, you’ll learn about the WhizBang! Retail Marketing System.

This Real Retail TV comes straight from Bob’s keynote at the 2017 Retail Success Summit, you’ll discover the 3 phases of retail growth.

If you want to be great it is up to you! In this Real Retail TV, you’ll discover the three types of retailers and which one you need to be for greatness.

This week’s video message is different than my typical Real Retail TV but I think it is a very important statement about my core values and our core values here at WhizBang! Retail Training. Please take a moment to watch it now.

Learn the common-sense secret that successfully sold over $3 MILLION of yo-yos and can be used easily in any retail business, plus more retail tips in this episode of Real Retail TV!

The information in this Real Retail TV is especially important right now during the pandemic when it’s so critical to engage every single customer.