Course List
Building retail, commerce and distribution knowledge for entrepreneurs.
Take a refresher course or complete a self-paced commerce curriculum.
Join through live webinar, classroom or watch On Demand from the comfort of your personal device. Either way, we take the complexity out of growing your product based business.
WHOLESALE SERIES
Getting your brand on retail shelves can be a task. We will help you understand the details that can save time, resources and stress.
Intro To
Wholesaling
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?
Dealing with retailers & distributors 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 Wholesale
Distribution Partners
When should you use a retail Broker vs. a Distributor? How do you know they are qualified? What are the different compensation structures?
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.
Prerequisites: Intro to Wholesaling
Intro To Retail
Promotions
On Demand | Live Webinar | Classroom
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?
This course provides insights to help you develop a strategy that is attractive to Buyers and helps maintain your space on retail shelves.
Prerequisites: Intro to Wholesaling
Budgeting For Wholesale Growth
Live Webinar | Classroom
What are major cost considerations for getting my product on retail shelves?
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.
Prerequisites: Intro To Wholesaling, Intro To Retail Distribution Partners & Intro To Retail Promotions .
Wholesale Business Development Tools
On Demand | Live Webinar | Classroom
You may get one chance to make a first impression. When pitching to retail Buyers and distributors, it is important to be prepared & professional with information they need. Learn how to structure and design key business development collateral in the retail process.
Prerequisite: Intro To Wholesaling; Intro to Retail Promotions.
ECOMMERCE SERIES
More and more customers are shopping online, so if you do not have an ecommerce presence, then you are missing out. Let us help prepare you for this channel.
Intro to
Ecommerce
Whether you are a brick & mortar business looking to be more competitive or a local brand looking to grow sales, you must understand ecommerce to be competitive in this environment.
Let us help you understand the basics of ecommerce so you can plan for succes
Intro to Ecommerce Shipping
On Demand | Live Webinar | Classroom
Shipping is such an important part of your ecommerce business. It impacts the price you charge to your customer experiences. This course will teach the basics of what you need to know in planning & executing a shipping strategy.
Prerequisites: Intro to Ecommerce
Intro to Ecommerce Photography & Video
Live Webinar | Classroom
If you know about ecommerce, then you must know about photography & video. The use of these two elements can make or break the success of your site. This course will discuss how to get started; tools; resources; pitfalls of not having the right assets; and top mistakes to avoid.
Prerequisites: Intro to Ecommerce
Intro to Ecommerce Marketing Strategy
On Demand | Live Webinar | Classroom
"Build It And They Will Come" is a strategy. Having a thoughtful approach to marketing your online store is required to compete in this market. But where do you start? This introductory course helps you understand how to translate the sales funnel framework to an effective ecommerce marketing strategy.
Prerequesties: Intro to Ecommerce
Create A Winning Ecommerce Experience
Live Webinar | Classroom
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.
Prerequisite Courses: Intro to Ecommerce, Intro to Ecommerce Shipping, Intro to Ecommerce Marketing Strategy; Intro to Ecommerce Photography & Video Strategy
MOBILE RETAIL SERIES
Mobile retail is a great way to grow your business without the commitment of a permanent location. This series will prepare you for success in Food Trucks & Pop Ups.
Intro To
Mobile Retail
Live Webinar | Classroom
Mobile retail is a great way to grow your business. Food trucks and pop up shops allow you to connect with various markets without the full investment and commitment of a permanent location.
Let us help you explore these channels and understand the basics before taking that leap.
Intro to Pop Up Markets
On Demand | Live Webinar | Classroom
A great and flexible way to strategically grow your business is to participate in pop up markets. Learn how effectively plan and get the most out of these opportunities.
Prerequisites: Intro to Product Assortments; Defining Your Unique Value; Intro to Costing Goods; Introduction to E-commerce Marketing Strategy
Intro To A Food Truck Business
Classroom
Chefs and culinary artists love Food Trucks! In launching this type of business, there are many considerations that you need to be aware of as it will save you time, money and stress. We will help you understand your path to opening and operating a successful food truck business.
Prerequisites: Intro to Mobile Retail
STOREFRONT SERIES
Physical stores are not dead, but they are definitely shifting. Operating a storefront requires investment, time & resources . We will arm you with the information you need to make the best decisions.
Introduction To Storefront Businesses
On Demand | Live Webinar | Classroom
Your business is growing and now you are considering a storefront location. This can be an amazing, yet pivotal decision.
This course provides an overview of the basics, fundamentals, considerations & expectations of launching and operating a product-based, storefront business. It will help you understand how to prepare and become best equipped for a successful venture.
Intro To Retail Merchandising
Principles
Live Webinar | Classroom
Display and merchandising is the way to connect the customer with your 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.
Design Winning Retail Experiences
Live Webinar | Classroom
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.
Prerequisites: Defining Your Unique Value
Choosing A Storefront Location
Live Webinar | Classroom
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.
Prerequisites: Are You Ready For A Storefront?
Intro To Retail Technology & Systems
Live Webinar | Classroom
To operate a profitable, scalable and sustainable store, technology and systems are critical. This course will take this complex topic and simplify it.
The Basics Of A Restaurant Business
Classroom
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.
Prerequisites: Are You Ready For A Storefront?
STRATEGY & OPERATION SERIES
Whether you are a new or experienced business owner, or a supporting team member, these strategy and operation courses are designed to drive lay a foundation for profitable growth.
How can we grow what we don't measure? Understanding & planning your business' financial statements can be a time consuming & intimidating process, especially if you don't have this background. Learn the basics of a profit & loss statement staement and how it can help you make more profitable decisions.
Intro To
Retail Math
On Demand | Live Webinar | Classroom
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.
Intro To Inventory Management
Live Webinar | Classroom
Your pricing strategy will not only impact what you sell, where you sell and to whom you sell to, but also how much money you bring into your business. This course walks you through a Simple Pricing Framework that help you determine your product's initial pricing and then outlines additional strategies to use as your business evolves.
Prerequisite: Intro to Retail Math, Intro to Costing Goods & Defining Your Unique Value.
Intro To Product
Pricing
On Demand | Live Webinar | Classroom
Do you have too many products, or maybe not enough? How do you determine which products to keep, create and sell? We will share a guidelines, information and processes that will help you make the best decisions for your business.
Prerequisites: Intro to Costing Of Goods; Intro to Product Pricing Strategies; Intro to Retail Math; Annual Planning; Defining Your Unique Value, Inventory Management
Intro To Assortment Planning
On Demand | Live Webinar | Classroom
Why should people buy from you? How can you position your business to be more attractive to retail buyers or customers?
The value you provide to the market may be deeper than you think. This is why it is critical to dedicate time to uncovering your true value as it is the core of all your customer marketing & communication messages.
Defining YOUR Unique Value?
On Demand | Live Webinar | Classroom
With Q4 representing upwards of 40% of annual sales, it is important for retailers to ensure they have a plan. This course provides a framework for growing businesses that are strapped for time and resources and need to have a quick and focused holiday strategy.
Holiday Planning Workshop
On Demand | Live Webinar | Classroom
This workshop uses a framework to help you organize information and plan for a successful year ahead.
Annual Planning Workshop
On Demand | Live Webinar | Classroom
Ever consider the option of selling your business? If so, you definitely need to know what makes a business valuable. This way, you can begin to make strategic decisions on increasing its value. This course helps you understand these factors.
What Makes A Business Valuable?
Classroom
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. Let's discuss how this impacts customer shopping behavior and helps us to run a more efficient businesses.
Understanding Retail Industry Trends
Classroom
As your business scales, what are packaging and labeling considerations?
Transitioning your business from local markets to wholesale will adjust your approach to packaging & labeling.
Intro to Product
Package & Labeling
Live Webinar | Classroom
Do you need help understanding how much your product cost to produce?
These are VERY important numbers to know as it is the core to many business decisions. We will teach you how to approach this process in your business?
Intro to
Costing Goods
On Demand | Live Webinar | Classroom
If you are ready to scale your distribution, then you are ready to scale up your production. But, there are many options to consider.
Does it make sense for you to use a contract manufacturer (co-man), contract-packer (co-packer) or possibly a commercial kitchen. Let's explore and understand the roles and benefits of each.
Intro to Scaling Production
On Demand | Live Webinar | Classroom
Have you noticed any problems or challenges with your business processes or operations, if fixed, you can save time, money and resources?
This course will introduce you to the principles and insights of Value Stream mapping and walk you through a simple framework that will help you identify these opportunities and lay out your next steps on how to run a more efficient business.