Get The Right People In The Room As You Make Your Most Important Decisions
The Retail ROOM is filled with smart, experienced independent retailers that can help you maximize every amazing opportunity, pressure test every big decision, and solve every sticky problem. The collective intelligence of all the people in the room added to the deep retail wisdom of Bob and Susan Negen… it’s MAGIC.
There is a better way!
The Antidote To “Business Lonely”
Your friends and family care about you. They want you to be happy and successful. But they don’t really understand the decisions you’re faced with every single day.
Should you hire this person? Fire that one? Run the promotion? Buy the inventory? Change your pricing? Open another location? Redo your website? And the million other potentially make-or-break choices you have to navigate every day…
Don’t Go It Alone
The toughest part of running a retail business isn’t knowing what to do. It’s figuring out what to do when the answer isn’t obvious. You’ve got so many options, and you need help to pressure-test them. Luckily, you don’t have to figure everything out by yourself – just ask The ROOM!
They’ve Already Solved Your Problems
Put your problems on the table – no fear of getting criticized, no worry about what people will think of you. Somebody asks a question you hadn’t considered. Another shares how they solved almost the exact same problem. It’s the support you’ve been looking for.
Soak Up The Ideas And Inspiration
And it’s not just problem-solving. It’s opening your mind to the new ideas shared in the ROOM. Thinking bigger. Getting inspired to make your business and your life better. And getting motivated to take action on what you’ve learned.
They Just Get You!
Take what’s happening in your business right now and talk it through with the smart, experienced independent retailers in The ROOM — people you can trust and who understand exactly what it’s like to sit in your seat and wear all your hats.
That’s why we built it
Welcome To The Retail ROOM
Over the years, we have watched something interesting happen in our coaching groups. Absolutely, people learn directly from us. But sometimes the big breakthroughs happen when one retailer brings up a situation, and somebody else says, “I’ve been there. Here’s what we did.”
Suddenly the entire room gets smarter.
The ROOM is about learning, but it’s also about sharing your own wisdom and experience with others. And yes, you have a LOT to share with your colleagues! It’s in the give-and-take, the collaboration, where the real growth takes place.
Here’s the cool part… Even when it’s not your problem or your opportunity being discussed, you learn from every conversation, every situation. You’ll get answers to questions you didn’t even know you had.
You’re joining to get better at asking the right questions, better at seeing opportunities, better at diagnosing problems, and better at making decisions. It helps you become a better retailer by helping you become a better thinker.
Why we call it the ROOM
Every Conversation Comes Back To These Four Things
Because these are the things that actually move a retail business forward.
R
Results
What’s working, and what can everybody learn from it?
O
Opportunities
How can you spot and maximize the ideas that can help you grow?
O
Obstacles
What’s in the way? What can you do to get unstuck?
M
Momentum
What are you doing next, and who’s making sure you actually do it?
This group isn’t just about giving you better strategies and tactics. It’s about helping you become a better thinker, a sharper problem-solver, and a more instinctive, confident business owner.
Your membership
What You Get In The ROOM
The ROOM is a peer-to-peer coaching group led by Bob and Susan Negen. You get a close-knit community, real accountability, and direct access to Susan and Bob all year long.
Two 60-Minute Meetings Of The Retail ROOM Every Month
- Learning, hot seats, and open conversation.
- Dot voting on suggested topics, so we cover what matters most to you.
- Guest speakers to share their wisdom and expertise.
- Hosted every other Thursday at 12:00 PM Eastern.
A Private Community
A members-only Facebook group for instant feedback from your peers, from Susan, and from Bob. Connect with your colleagues between calls, whenever you need their advice or have something to share.
The Master Plan Advantage
Our course on Brilliance, included free with your membership so you can build the structure your store has been missing. This is powerful.
Group Accountability
People who remember what you said you’d do — and who ask you about it next time. That’s how ideas turn into results.
Two 1-On-1 Strategy Sessions
Every year you get two private sessions with Susan or Bob to go deep on whatever matters most in your business right now.
Guest Experts
We’ll bring in smart people from across the retail world to share their expertise and answer your questions directly.
Member-Only Discounts
Special pricing on new WhizBang! Training courses as we release them.
“The biggest advantage in retail isn’t knowing everything. It’s having the right people in the room when you don’t.
I’ll share my wisdom. We’ll bring in guests. But the real magic is the collective experience and intelligence of all the people in the room.
Bob Negen — WhizBang! Retail Training
What retailers say
The ROOM Is New.
Bob & Susan Aren’t.
This is the first time we’ve opened The Retail ROOM — but independent retailers have been working with us for a long time. Here’s what some of them say.
Bob, Susan, and WhizBang! Retail Training have positively impacted the way we run our business for years. They have so many systems already created that you are easily able to follow and apply, and it takes some of the stress out of owning and running a business.
I would highly recommend WhizBang! Retail Training to help you take your business to the next level.
Holly Haveman
Kennedy’s Flowers & Gifts · Grand Rapids, MI
WhizBang! Retail Training has changed how I do business. We’re a third-generation, family-owned hobby store, and I felt like we were growing faster than my knowledge set allowed. Since working with WhizBang! Retail Training, we have more than tripled our business.
I can see us growing even further with the skills I am learning from Bob and Susan.
Ryan Raffuse
Anchorage House of Hobbies · Anchorage, AK
My day with Bob and Susan was life-changing for me both professionally and personally. It made me look hard at where I am and where I want to be… something I’ve been too busy running my business to make time for.
Micki Samson
The Dance Shop · Altoona, PA
I’ve doubled my business from $500K to a MILLION this year thanks to WhizBang! Retail Training.
Todd Anderson
R/C Excitement · Fitchburg, MA
I spent a day in the office with Bob and Susan, and I can’t even begin to tell you how much it rejuvenated me. Sometimes we all feel stuck in a rut and need a little boost. Well, this was a rocket boost for me!
Beth Staley
Happy Dog Barkery · Downers Grove, IL
You don’t know how much I wish we had found you 20 years ago. We are self-taught and believe me, it was a high-stress struggle. We could have been double the size we are with all the knowledge and energy we would have gleaned from WhizBang! Retail Training.
Margaret Flaherty
Magnolia Garden Center · Seattle, WA
Let’s be honest
Is The Retail ROOM Right For You?
Yes, if…
- You’re an independent retailer who is serious about getting better.
- You’re willing to participate and happy to share what you know.
- You’re prepared to listen — including when someone challenges you.
- You’re motivated to take action between the calls.
- You want smart people who will help you think, not think for you.
Probably not, if…
- You want someone to magically fix your business for you.
- You’d rather stay quiet than put a real problem on the table.
- You’re not willing to share your own ideas & expertise to help others.
- You’re not ready to hear an honest answer.
- You won’t protect two hours a month on your calendar.
The investment
What Does It Cost To Be In The ROOM?
Think about what’s included: a group of incredible retailers that you care about and that care about you, twenty-four live group meetings a year, access to Susan and Bob with two private strategy sessions, the private Facebook community, the Master Plan Advantage course to build your business structure, guest experts, and consistent accountability.
If one conversation helps you make a better inventory decision, or one idea leads to a successful promotion, or one hot seat helps you avoid a bad hire, The Retail ROOM pays for itself in that instant.
Founding member pricing ends midnight, September 30
The Retail ROOM membership is $499 a month, or $4,999 a year. But through midnight on September 30, founding members get in at $299/month or save 2 months with the annual option of $2,999/year.
Pay Monthly
$499
Founding members
$299
per month
Easier on cash flow. Billed every month.
Join NowPay Annually
$4,999
Founding members
$2,999
per year
Best value — two months free versus paying monthly.
Join NowHow It Works
- Pick monthly or annual and get signed up.
- Watch for your welcome email with your community invite and your Master Plan Advantage access.
- Show up to your first call on October 1 and meet your new retail BFFs.
Still have questions? Email Bob directly.
How Would This Feel?
A decision you’d normally stew over for three weeks instead goes straight to The ROOM. An idea for a promotion gets pressure-tested before you spend a dime on it. You get unstuck faster, and when you’re winning, you help someone else do the same. Twice a month, something on your calendar forces you to stop working in your business and think seriously about where it’s going.
Bring your ideas. Bring your questions. Bring your opportunities. Bring your problems.
We’ll bring the ROOM.
We’ve spent our careers helping independent retailers build businesses they love. The Retail ROOM is the place we wish every store owner had — a group of people who get it, in your corner, every single month.
Bob & Susan Negen · WhizBang! Retail Training