Do you want your products on retail shelves? Does this process seem intimidating and complex? What do you need to know and where do you start?

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Dealing with retailers (brick & mortar, ecommerce, and of all-sizes) can be intimidating, complex, timely and expensive if you don't know what to look for or how to prepare. You typically get one chance to make a good first impression with a Buyer, so you need to make it count. This course is designed to help you prepare for your retail journey.

Intro To Wholesaling (A101)

When should you use a retail Broker vs. a Distributor? How do you know they are qualified? What are the different compensation structures?

You want to connect with more customers, so now, you are considering retail. There are many ways to get on store shelves, so having the right partners can save you time, money and stress.

This course is designed to help you understand the partner options that are best for your business.

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Prerequisite for Live Stream & Classroom Course: Intro to Retail & Wholesale Distribution (A101)

Intro To Wholesale Distribution Partners (A102)

What marketing & promotional programs does a retailer want you to plan for? What are budget and store execution considerations? What top mistakes do you need to avoid?

One of the top mistakes brands make regarding retail marketing and promotions is that they do not have a marketing strategy BEFORE approaching a retailer and they don’t maintain a strong marketing strategy once on store shelves. This course will provide insight to help you develop a strategy that is attractive to Buyers and will help maintain your space on retail shelves. 

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Prerequisite for Live Stream & Classroom Course: Intro to Retail & Wholesale Distribution (A101)

Intro To Retailer Marketing & Promotions (A103)

What are major cost considerations for getting my product on retail shelves?

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As with any growth strategy, there is some level of investment. The process of getting your products on retail shelves is no different. This course will help you outline the various cost considerations of this process. 

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Prerequisite for Live Stream & Classroom Course: Intro To Retail & Wholesale Distribution (A101), Intro To Retail Distribution Partners (A102) and Intro To Retail Marketing & Promotions (A103). 

Budgeting For Wholesale Growth (A104)

Sometimes you get one chance to make a first impression. In trying to get your products in the hands of retail Buyers and distributors, it is important that you have the information they need.

Show that you are prepared, professional and ready to business by learning the framework and structure of key band collateral that will get their attention.  

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Prerequisite for Live Stream & Classroom Course: Intro To Retail & Wholesale Distribution (A101) and Defining YOUR Unique Value (004)

Creating Business Development Collateral (A105)

Whether you are a brick & mortar business looking to be more competitive or a local brand looking to grow sales, ecommerce is an avenue that you must understand in this ever-changing retail environment.

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This course is will help you understand the importance of ecommerce; Learn the basics of starting and operating an ecommerce business; Understand tools, resources and solutions to run your ecommerce business. 

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FREE for SOKONIstore.com members

Intro to Ecommerce (B101)

Shipping is such an important part of your ecommerce business. It impacts the price you charge to customer experiences. This course will teach the basics of what you need to know in planning & executing shipping, top mistakes to avoid and will share best practices. 

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Prerequisite for Live Stream & Classroom Course: Intro to Ecommerce (B102)

FREE for SOKONIstore.com members

Intro To Ecommerce Shipping Strategy (B102)

If you talk about ecommerce, then you must talk about photography and video. The use of these two can make or break the success of your site. This course will discuss the pitfalls of not having the right assets, mistakes to avoid and how to get started 

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Prerequisite for Live Stream & Classroom Course: Intro to Ecommerce (B102)

FREE for SOKONIstore.com members

Intro To Ecommerce Photography & Video (B103)

"Build It And They Will Come" is a strategy. But, due to high levels of competition in the ecommerce market, it requires no shortage of marketing efforts. Let's ensure you understand the tools available to you and the tips and tricks to help you break through the clutter.

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FREE for SOKONIstore.com members

Intro To Ecommerce Marketing (B104)

Creating a winning customer experience is critical in brick and mortar, but we can't forget that it is just as important online. This makes a difference between customers browsing your site to clicking the "buy" button.

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Prerequisite Courses: Intro to Ecommerce (B101), Ecommerce Shipping Strategy (B102), Ecommerce Photography & Video Strategy (B103)

Create A Winning Ecommerce Customer Experience (B105)

Intro To Mobile Retail (C101)

Planning Pop Up Market Success (C102)

The Basics of A Food Truck Business (C103)

Your business has been growing and now you are considering a storefront location. This can be an amazing and pivotal step in your business journey. This course will help you outline considerations, common mistakes, pitfalls to avoid and best practices.

Display and merchandising is the way to connect the customer with you product and brand experience. There are proven basic principles that retailers use to increase sales and profits. This course will help you understand these principles and best practices. 

Retail is NOT dead, but it is definitely shifting. This course outlines the unique value of Brick and Mortar retailers and how to use it to build your unique customer experiences. 

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Prerequisite for Live Stream & Classroom Course: Defining Your Unique Value? (004)

Location, Location, Location!

Opening a retail store is a major investment, so it is important to understand the factors in selecting the optimal space. This course will help you determine the best location for your business and understand the information and data available to assist you in this decision. 

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Prerequisite for Live Stream & Classroom Course: Are You Ready For A Storefront? (D102)

To operate a profitable, scalable and sustainable store, technology and systems are critical. This course will make this somewhat complex and intimidating topic, simple and digestible. Focus on better understanding the basics and the "need-to-knows" to take your business to the next level. 

Considering a restaurant? There are so many moving parts to the restaurant business that we want to make sure you understand the basics so you can plan to win.  

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Prerequisite for Live Stream & Classroom Course: Are You Ready For A Storefront? (D102)

Local retailers may not take as much time as they like to financially plan and measure their businesses. How can we grow what we don't measure? How can we qualify for grants and loans if we don't capture business performance? This can be a time consuming and intimidating process, especially if you don't have this background. We get it, and you are not alone. This is exactly why we developed this course. 

You do not need to be a finance, math or strategy expert to attend this workshop. We will teach a simple and basic frameworks that educate you on basic business planning, profit and loss statement principles. You will have an understanding of why this process is important; Awareness of the pitfalls & business impact of not understanding these principles; Understanding of related tools and resources for your business.

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Intro To Retail Math (001)

Inventory management is a financial activity. If your inventory processes are not tight, then you are leaving money on the table. This workshop will discuss how inventory management impacts your overall business performance; Important metrics to use to track your inventory; Techniques, principles & best practices to get this in order. 

Intro To Inventory Management (002)

Your pricing strategy will not only impact what you sell and to whom you sell, but also how much money you bring into your business. This class outlines the various pricing strategies to consider and when to use each. 

Intro To Retail Pricing Strategies (003)

Do you have too many products, or maybe not enough? How do you determine which products to keep, create and sell? There is an analytical approach that we will walk you through so you can make the best decisions for your business. 

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Prerequisite: Cost Of Goods Sold Analysis

Assortment Optimization Strategies (004)

Why should people buy from you and not the competition? What message needs to be at the core of all your communications? How can you position your business to be more attractive to a retail buyer or customer?

If you have defined a strong business value and point of difference, it make it clearer and easier for people and businesses to buy from you. Your value statement needs to be unique and objective. We have used a proprietary framework in multiple courses that has helped businesses walk away with their clear unique value. 

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This workshop happens over a series of time and requires prework and homework.

Defining YOUR Unique Value? (005)

With Q4 representing upwards of 40% of annual sales, it is important for retailers to ensure they have a plan. This course will provide tips to create initial strategies that will help increase sales and profits for your business. We will discuss timing, customers, competition and marketing tips.

Seasonal Planning (006)

This workshop is in a group setting and we use frameworks, tools and industry experts to outline critical strategies, paths and milestones for the full year.

Annual Planning Session (007)

Having an exit plan is a good business practice, whether you tap into it or not. Some want to pass it down to a  family member and some want to prepare to get bought out. Either way, as a business owner, knowing what makes your business valuable will help you make better business decisions now. This course will outline what you can begin to work on, today, that will increase the value of your business. 

What Makes Your Business Valuable? (008)

Local retailers can learn a lot from big box retailers. The resources they have to understand innovations, technology, insights and industry trends can be used to help us better prepare for what's to come. This lecture discuses how this impacts customer shopping behavior and ways for us to run more efficient businesses. 

Retail Industry Trends (009)