250 episodes

Host, Kathy Cruz is a retail store owner and a retail business coach. She knows firsthand that running a retail business, both online and in a brick and mortar has its challenges. Kathy is passionate about teaching independent retailers how to work less, profit more and grow.

Savvy Shopkeeper Retail Podcast Kathy Cruz

    • Business
    • 5.0 • 124 Ratings

Host, Kathy Cruz is a retail store owner and a retail business coach. She knows firsthand that running a retail business, both online and in a brick and mortar has its challenges. Kathy is passionate about teaching independent retailers how to work less, profit more and grow.

    220. Ways To Encourage Customers to Pay in Cash & Cash Safety Tips

    220. Ways To Encourage Customers to Pay in Cash & Cash Safety Tips

    Encouraging your customers to pay in cash is not only great for your business (buh-bye, credit card transaction fees!), but great for your community. 
    Accepting cash diversifies payment options, keeps money out of banks’ deep pockets, and gives people without bank accounts access to goods and services. Cash is a win for small businesses and customers alike! 
    While taking more cash payments might feel risky for your indie retail business, I promise that the benefits to you and your customers far outweigh the negatives.
    Listen in to learn the facts about accepting cash, how you can encourage customers to pay in cash, and how to keep you and your employees safe when handling cash transactions. For show notes, including links to the resources I’ve mentioned in this episode, visit www.savvyshopkeeper.com/episode220.
    Kathy Cruz is an Independent Retail Coach who helps store owners work smarter, profit more, and grow their brick and mortar businesses. Connect with Kathy and learn more here:
    Website: Retail Business Coach For Brick & Mortar Store Owners • Savvy Shopkeeper

    Instagram: @savvyshopkeeper
    Mastermind Group: Master Shopkeepers

    • 23 min
    219. Tips for Temporary Store Closings, Both Planned and Unplanned (Free Customer Communication Checklist!

    219. Tips for Temporary Store Closings, Both Planned and Unplanned (Free Customer Communication Checklist!

    Have you ever decided to shop small, confirmed store’s hours online, driven over to the store…only to find a “sorry, we’re closed” sign hanging on the door? 

    That frustration you’ve felt in that moment is NOT what you want to give to your customers in case of a temporary store closing! Communicating with your customers about a store closing, whether planned or unplanned, doesn’t take long—especially when you’ve got a system in place.

    In today’s episode, I’m sharing a customizable Store Closings Communications Checklist so you can create a system for this critical task for your indie retail store. Listen in to learn the key places to update your store hours, how to create a simple system for these updates, and who to delegate this to in case of an emergency.

    For show notes, including how to download your free copy of the Store Closings Communications Checklist, visit www.savvyshopkeeper.com/episode219.
    Kathy Cruz is an Independent Retail Coach who helps store owners work smarter, profit more, and grow their brick and mortar businesses. Connect with Kathy and learn more here:
    Website: Retail Business Coach For Brick & Mortar Store Owners • Savvy Shopkeeper

    Instagram: @savvyshopkeeper
    Mastermind Group: Master Shopkeepers

    • 22 min
    218. Impromptu Episode with Personal & Savvy Shopkeeper Updates

    218. Impromptu Episode with Personal & Savvy Shopkeeper Updates

    With Q1 of 2024 behind us, it feels like a good time to share some impromptu Savvy Shopkeeper updates. There have been a lot of changes within my business and personal life, and I’m excited to share them with you!
    Listen in to hear about leaving my retail store behind, finishing my coaching certification, an in-person event you’ll want to save the dates for, a potential paper version of the Savvy Shopkeeper planner, and more.
    For show notes, visit www.savvyshopkeeper.com/episode218.
    Kathy Cruz is an Independent Retail Coach who helps store owners work smarter, profit more, and grow their brick and mortar businesses. Connect with Kathy and learn more here:
    Website: Retail Business Coach For Brick & Mortar Store Owners • Savvy Shopkeeper

    Instagram: @savvyshopkeeper
    Mastermind Group: Master Shopkeepers

    • 22 min
    217. The Instagram Ratio No One Talks About + A Helpful Instagram Optimization Checklist for Store Owners

    217. The Instagram Ratio No One Talks About + A Helpful Instagram Optimization Checklist for Store Owners

    Posting on Instagram can feel exhausting and overwhelming, especially as a retail store owner with a million other things on your plate. That’s why I’m sharing a metric for you to track that can make your social media efforts feel worth it—and that no one else is talking about!
    Listen in to learn about this hidden metric, plus get a brand-new free resource to help you audit and optimize your Instagram account. For show notes, visit www.savvyshopkeeper.com/episode217.
    Kathy Cruz is an Independent Retail Coach who helps store owners work smarter, profit more, and grow their brick and mortar businesses. Connect with Kathy and learn more here:
    Website: Retail Business Coach For Brick & Mortar Store Owners • Savvy Shopkeeper

    Instagram: @savvyshopkeeper
    Mastermind Group: Master Shopkeepers

    • 19 min
    216. Build Your Leadership Strength with Shelli Warren of Stacking Your Team

    216. Build Your Leadership Strength with Shelli Warren of Stacking Your Team

    Between an upcoming leadership month in Master Shopkeepers and wanting to share how I’m learning to lead the Savvy Shopkeeper team, leadership has been top of mind for me. That’s why I was so excited to chat with Shelli Warren, the founder of Stacking Your Team.
    After a 25-year stint at Proctor & Gamble, Shelli ventured into leadership coaching for small business owners. She’s got a knack for stacking a team—aka, curating a dynamic, talented, and collaborative group that works together seamlessly. 
    Part of stacking a team is figuring out what motivates each team member. When working with small business owners, Shelli helps them discover how to motivate and develop teams without throwing extra money at them.
    Listen in to learn how to build your leadership muscles, as well as Shelli’s top three tips for motivating your retail team members without dangling a raise in front of them.
    For show notes, visit www.savvyshopkeeper.com/episode216.
    Kathy Cruz is an Independent Retail Coach who helps store owners work smarter, profit more, and grow their brick and mortar businesses. Connect with Kathy and learn more here:
    Website: Retail Business Coach For Brick & Mortar Store Owners • Savvy Shopkeeper

    Instagram: @savvyshopkeeper
    Mastermind Group: Master Shopkeepers

    • 36 min
    215. What I Learned From The 2024 Savvy Shopkeeper Survey

    215. What I Learned From The 2024 Savvy Shopkeeper Survey

    From plugging your retail profit leaks to scaling your indie retail business, this year’s Savvy Shopkeeper survey covered a bit of everything. 
    I’m excited to share the results with you, especially because it might show you what’s possible for your store. 
    I’m also sharing how you can attend my upcoming masterclass, Stop The Drip. In this two-hour class, you’ll learn how to identify and plug the retail profit leaks you’re experiencing in your indie retail business using my Retail Profit Pie tool. There are just 50 spots available, so be sure to grab yours ASAP if you want to attend.
    Listen in to explore one of my favorite data sets—the Savvy Shopkeeper survey results!—and learn more about the Stop The Drip masterclass.
    For show notes, visit www.savvyshopkeeper.com/episode215.
    Kathy Cruz is an Independent Retail Coach who helps store owners work smarter, profit more, and grow their brick and mortar businesses. Connect with Kathy and learn more here:
    Website: Retail Business Coach For Brick & Mortar Store Owners • Savvy Shopkeeper

    Instagram: @savvyshopkeeper
    Mastermind Group: Master Shopkeepers

    • 24 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
124 Ratings

124 Ratings

ShopCaldwells ,

You are a marvelous mentor!

Dearest Kathy - thank you so much for your podcast, and all the other ways you share your knowledge and expertise with the retail community. I am an aspiring brick and mortar shop owner, and my “storefronts” are currently online. Your advice is relevant and interesting (priceless, really) for all store owners and your communication style clear and accessible. Thank you for EVERYTHING!

livin my fit life ,

Worth your time!

Kathy shares so much relevant information for small shops! Her podcast is brief and to the point, perfect for busy shop owners. I listen to many episodes multiple times.
I had the pleasure of meeting Kathy at a conference this week and she is even more genuine and helpful in person! She wants to serve her audience what we need and she does exactly that in her podcast! Highly recommend!

пгжж ,

Worth Every Listen!

Savvy Shopkeeper is the only podcast that I listen to each episode more than once because it’s so full of information! I learn something new or am reminded of something each episode. Highly recommend for anyone with a brick and mortar store or who is thinking of opening a store!

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