Teetering bank balance, shelves groaning with unsold stock, and a to-do list that rustles louder than tissue wrap? Lean in—this festive crunch is survival mode for indie retailers.

Christmas is coming, and with it, that age-old retail cash flow pinch. I’m Catherine Erdly—host of the Resilient Retail Game Plan and twenty-five years deep in this glorious, gritty industry.

In this episode, I break down why September and October send even the most seasoned retailers’ stomachs flipping and how you can manage cash flow during seasonal peaks without losing sleep or profit. From real talk about why “big guys” don’t have it any easier to practical advice for negotiating terms, avoiding stock pile-ups, and clearing out that dreaded dead stock (think: cash stuck in hibernation), this conversation is your no-nonsense lifeline. [cash-register-ding]

Why listen?

• Get honest, human product business advice for weathering the Christmas crunch
• Squeeze more margin from your range (and finally pay yourself as a product-based business owner)
• Learn how to use a retail cash flow template (grab the free download)
• Discover negotiation strategies for small retailers and indie retailer tips only a retail podcast UK like ours digs into
• Find out how to clear excess stock without damaging your brand—or losing your mind

Prefer to watch?

https://youtu.be/Xox17sgis_Q

Have takeaways, sticky situations or guest ideas?

DM @resilientretailclub on Instagram—I read every message.

Don’t miss future episodes of the Resilient Retail Club podcast: rate and follow in your favourite app. For more scaling a product business insight, catch my latest Forbes feature on funding options for indie retailers UK.

Are you running your retail business – or is it running you into the ground?

I’m Catherine Erdly, and on this episode of the Resilient Retail Game Plan, I peel back the glossy sales charts to reveal what really comes after that six-figure milestone.

I’ve seen it firsthand: when independent product business owners hit £100K or more, the chaos, decision fatigue and burnout can hit even harder – unless you’re ready to swap the founder hustle for actual strategy.

Through candid stories and my Focus Framework, I’ll show you how growing past six figures doesn’t have to mean drowning under to-do lists or turning your business into a bottleneck. There’s a smarter, healthier way to scale your retail brand.

Why listen?

• Pinpoint why scaling a product business is nothing like starting one
• Spot the four founder traps (burnout, overwhelm, plateau… and more)
• Shift from gut-feel chaos to data-led, confident growth [quiet stockroom rustle]
• Tame your stock monster with inventory management tips from a 25-year retail expert

**Share your “aha” moments — DM me @resilientretailclub on Instagram. If this episode gives you a retail reality check, rate and follow the Resilient Retail Club Podcast in your favourite app.

I’m Catherine Erdly, drawing on 25 years in retail trenches, and this episode of the Resilient Retail Game Plan podcast is your hands-on guide to prepping a joined-up Q4 marketing plan.

Featuring insights from PR guru Rosie Davis Smith, email strategist Katie Farrell, ad creative powerhouse Narada McCoy, and social storytelling pro Emily Hansen.

We cut past the shiny distractions to give you product business advice you can bank on, including practical inventory management tips, cash flow strategies for indie retailers, and bite-size marketing moves that punch above their weight.

Whether you’re chasing a Black Friday bounce or looking to scale your product business without burning out, you’ll get a real-world playbook—no jargon, no hype.

Why listen?

• Build a Q4 campaign that links PR, email, paid ads, and social to tell a story customers remember
• Land genuine press coverage (gift guides included) even if PR feels alien
• Craft emails that sell when you’re too busy to write another draft in December
• Squeeze more margin out of seasonal ads—and shift your budget like a pro
• Batch social content in one afternoon so you’ve always got stockroom-fresh posts, even in peak chaos
• Spot (and dodge) the biggest cash flow traps retailers fall into at peak

Let’s connect: DM me @resilientretailclub on Instagram with your favourite takeaway or guest suggestion for a future podcast episode. Don’t forget to follow, rate, and review the Resilient Retail Club podcast in your favourite retail podcast UK app.

And if you want fresh industry insight, check out my Forbes articles on retail trends - https://www.forbes.com/sites/catherineerdly/

Will your Christmas cash flow jingle or stall?

Hi! Catherine Erdly here, host of the Resilient Retail Game Plan. It’s that time of year when indie retailers either outsmart January’s excess stock blues or get a cash flow headache that lingers long past the mince pies.

In this episode of the resilient retail club podcast, I’m rolling up my sleeves with a no-fluff checklist for peak season stock planning, tested across 25 years and countless Q4s. Forget gut feeling; I’ll help you tune into hard data, smart forecasting, and those golden “hero products” that turn browsers into loyal gift buyers—no corporate jargon, just straight-talking product business advice for real shop floors.

00:00 "Prepare Adequately for Christmas Sales"

03:20 "Stock Planning: Gut Feel vs. Data"

09:14 "Focus on HERO Products"

10:12 Optimise Holiday Product Strategy

15:21 Conservative Christmas Sales Planning

16:32 "Planning for Increased Sales Capacity"

19:34 Stock Forecasting Strategy Tips

Let’s connect: DM me @resilientretailclub on Instagram with your favourite takeaway or guest suggestion for a future podcast episode. Don’t forget to follow, rate, and review the Resilient Retail Club podcast in your favourite retail podcast UK app.

And if you want fresh industry insight, check out my Forbes articles on retail trends - https://www.forbes.com/sites/catherineerdly/

Mentioned in this episode:

Stock doctor

Four levers, infinite impact: Which one’s your sales superpower?

Ever feel like you’re pouring all your energy into driving new traffic but your sales aren’t leaping as much as you hoped? You’re not alone. In this episode of the Resilient Retail Game Plan, I pull back the curtain on the actual four ways to grow a product business—ways that go way beyond just chasing new customers.

With 25 years in the retail trenches (and plenty of stockroom tales to prove it), I’ll walk you through the no-fluff reality of sales growth: what really works, what puts profit first, and why the most valuable sale in your universe might be the one you never even thought about.

Let’s connect: DM me @resilientretailclub on Instagram with your favourite takeaway or guest suggestion for a future Catherine Erdly podcast episode. Don’t forget to follow, rate, and review the Resilient Retail Club podcast in your favourite retail podcast UK app - and if you want fresh industry insight, check out my Forbes article on retail trends.

Timestamped summary

00:00 "Understanding Customer Journey in Sales"

04:29 Audience Growth Strategies Overview

09:56 "Boosting Sales via Conversion Optimization"

11:17 Boosting E-commerce Conversion and Sales

16:36 Boosting Sales Through Transaction Value

18:46 Nurturing Your VIP Customers

21:50 Free Sales Growth Resource

Mentioned in this episode:

Calm and Consistent Offer

Grab the free calm and consistent sales starter - https://resilientretailclub.com/sales

Calm and Consistent Sales Starter

Could missing a simple £170 expense cost you your entire business overnight?

This week on The Resilient Retail Game Plan, I sit down with the sharp, straight-talking Lucy Wheeler of Lucy Legal to tackle the legal booby traps hiding in plain sight for indie retailers.

Hi, I'm Catherine Erdly and I’ve seen it too many times: stock room full, launch morning on the horizon… only for a cease-and-desist email to land and unravel months of work.

From that infamous £170 mistake to new rules around AI, GPSR, refund policies and more, we cover the real-life slip-ups that keep shop owners awake at 2am—and exactly how to sidestep them.

Why listen?

• Hear the heartbreak of a last-minute legal disaster (and the £170 fix you can make today)

• Demystify refund policies, legal basics, and essential legal templates for product businesses

• Ground your cash flow for retailers and prevent “sunk cost” pain with practical product business advice

• Learn how to future-proof with Lucy’s toolkit tips for AI and upcoming safety regulations (GPSR, GDPR, and more)

• Get independent retailer tips to scale confidently—from your first Etsy sale to six-figure growth

00:00 Clarify Refund and Return Policy

05:13 Refund Policy Considerations

06:43 Customer-Centric Legal Support

13:01 AI Legal Toolkit Overview

14:44 Negotiating Supplier Contract Terms

17:59 Freelancers vs. Employees: Business Decisions

21:12 New Product Safety Compliance Challenges

25:40 Trademark and Targeted Facebook Ads

26:49 Lucy Legal: Business Protection Tools

Keep the conversation going—DM me your questions or takeaways @resilientretailclub on Instagram. If you found this episode helpful, leave a quick rating or follow in your favourite app; it helps other indie retailers discover the podcast.

For bonus product business trends, check out my latest Forbes article on retail cash flow and funding options for indie retailers UK.

And here's this episode's freebie: https://resilientretailclub.com/sales

Mentioned in this episode:

Calm and Consistent Offer

Grab the free calm and consistent sales starter - https://resilientretailclub.com/sales

Calm and Consistent Sales Starter

Ever feel like your till’s ringing, but your bank balance is whispering “not this month”?

I’m Catherine Erdly, and this episode of the Resilient Retail Game Plan gets painfully real about the truth behind cash flow for retailers.

If you’ve ever panicked at 3am, wondering how to pay that looming supplier invoice, you’re not alone.

I break down my “SHOPS” framework;

Sales, Having It Mapped Out, Overheads, Profit, Stock.

Turning the messy, anxiety-inducing side of product business finance into a clear action plan.

This is practical product business advice forged from 25 years on the retail shop floor and in boardrooms.

If you want genuine independent retailer tips from a UK retail podcast, you’re in the right place.

Let’s keep talking:

DM me on Instagram @resilientretailclub—share your next cash-flow move, or nominate a guest for the Resilient Retail Club Podcast. Drop a follow or review in your favourite retail podcast app. Want more shop owner know-how? Check out my latest Forbes article on funding options for indie retailers UK (link in show notes).

[fade out as a spreadsheet cell totals up, quietly but with that perfect clack]

Mentioned in this episode:

Cashflow Planner Freebie

Download your Cash Flow Planner at https://resilientretailclub.com/cashflow

When your best-selling supplier pulls the rug out, what’s your next move?

I’m Catherine Erdly and this week’s Resilient Retail Game Plan episode dives straight into the Jellycat drama that’s rocking UK indie retail. Plush toys flying off the shelves one day, a curt rejection letter from your biggest brand partner the next. So how did Jellycat, the darling of TikTok and Instagram, go from indie retailers’ secret weapon to their biggest heartache? You’ll hear first-hand from shop owners blindsided by sudden cuts, dig into what this shock move reveals about scaling a product business, and learn hard-won lessons on loyalty, stock planning, and brand control. Plus my own take after 25 years in retail trenches.

Why listen?

• Discover how Jellycat’s decision upended cash flow for retailers—and what resilient retail really looks like in a storm
• Hear real talk on demand forecasting, inventory management, and pricing products for wholesale when the rules change overnight
• Unpack honest product business advice from guests who’ve been both championed and ghosted by hot brands
• Squeeze out independent retailer tips for strengthening supplier relationships—and never relying on one source again
• Reflect on indie shop survival and the community power that outlasts any viral craze

DM @resilientretailclub on Instagram with your biggest takeaway or who you’d love to hear next. If this episode hit home, rate and follow the Resilient Retail Club Podcast on your favourite app. Want even more? Read my latest Forbes article for funding options and fresh retail trend insights.

Not every plush is as soft as it looks. So let’s get into the real story.

Mentioned in this episode:

Calm CEO

Download the Calm CEO guide

Calm CEO