Ep. 151 - Win at Walmart: Strategy Over Empty Motion

Most brands are not losing because they lack hustle. They are losing because they mistake motion for strategy, then wonder why the shelf stays quiet. We’re joined by Allisha Watkins, founder and CEO of Paradox Retail Marketing Agency, for a grounded conversation about what it really takes to grow emerging and challenger CPG brands in today’s Walmart and Sam’s Club ecosystem. 

We talk about why the traditional retail “blueprint” is breaking down, how tactic-first planning leads to piecemeal marketing, and what changes when you put the shopper at the center of every decision. Allisha shares the practical checkpoints her team uses when a founder says “we want to get into Walmart,” including brand readiness, supply chain reality, category gaps, and the foundational work that prevents a launch from turning into an expensive lesson. 

From there, we get into omnichannel strategy, retail media, and the daily pace of change driven by data and AI. Allisha explains why knowing your customer should be easier than ever, and why breaking through the noise is the real challenge. We also dig into shopper personas, the “so what” behind insights, and her honest take on supporting founders: execution, teaching, and yes, a little therapy. The throughline is simple and sharp: a tactic is not a strategy, and relationships still matter. 

If you’re building a retail go-to-market plan, refining packaging and positioning, or trying to scale velocity without wasting spend, this one will help you think clearer. Subscribe, share this with a founder or brand builder, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

00:00 - Motion vs. Strategy in CPG

02:15 - Why the Traditional Retail Blueprint is Broken

06:30 - Walmart Readiness Checklist for Founders

12:45 - Navigating Omnichannel and Retail Media

18:20 - The "So What" Behind Shopper Data

23:10 - Execution, Education, and Founder Therapy

Transcript

Welcome And Guest Introduction

SPEAKER_03 0:08

Hello everyone and welcome to Doing Business in Bentonville. I'm Andy Wilson and I'm the host, and I am so glad that you're joining us again today. We have got such a great guest joining us, Alicia Watkins. Welcome to Doing Business in Bentonville.

SPEAKER_00 0:24

Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 0:24

Wow, it's just a big moment. I mean, I've been talking with Alicia for a while. I've seen her around Northwest Arkansas. She's quite the leader in our area. You're going to get to hear so much about her and her company in just a moment. But it's just so wonderful to have you.

SPEAKER_00 0:40

I appreciate it. I'm so glad to be here today.

SPEAKER_03 0:42

Oh, glad to have you. Okay.

Why Paradox Exists And Who It Serves

SPEAKER_03 0:44

Uh Alicia is the founder and CEO of Paradox Retail Marketing Agency. Wow. And how long have you been leading this organization?

SPEAKER_00 0:56

Yeah, so Paradox was founded in 2019 after about 20 years of being on the brand agency retail side. My career was spent um in the retail environment and across a number of different businesses. And today we help emerging and challenger brands grow and scale in retail.

SPEAKER_03 1:17

You know, I love your website.

SPEAKER_00 1:18

Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 1:19

It is so well done. And if you you have got to check this website out. In fact, if you want to now, while you're listening or watching, uh, and if you're uh driving, don't do this. But when you can't, when you're listening to us and driving, don't do this. But when you can, you've got to go to the Paradox website. What's what's the address?

SPEAKER_00 1:39

Paradoxretal.com.

SPEAKER_03 1:40

Okay. We it is so well done. Now uh tell me about your design and how you it flows. Talk about it because I think it's just one of the best I've ever seen.

SPEAKER_00 1:52

Yeah, we actually just redid our website.

SPEAKER_03 1:54

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:55

For so long. Um, you know, it's like the the cobbler's child, right? Like we hadn't worked on our own branding and our own design and our own story. And quite honestly, we were so busy helping other people build their brands.

SPEAKER_02 2:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:07

And so finally we had a little bit of space and breathing room to be able to do that for ourselves. And we had some really great partners to help us bring that story to life. And so um, over the past year, well, probably a couple of years, we've been working really hard at it and making sure that we were very intentional with all the right words, that we said what we needed to, that our audience um, you know, was at the forefront of that story. Um, we use the story brand format, um, which we're very um keen on and really just making sure that it felt like us and who we are.

SPEAKER_03 2:38

Yeah. Well, it it does, it does feel like you, you know, uh getting to know you, and we spent a few uh several times talking about prior to the podcast preparing for this. But when I went to the website and I went through and it and and first of all, it's just ask great questions. You can get so much information. And so now talk about who your customers are, yeah, who you work with.

SPEAKER_00 3:03

That's a really great question. So we help Emerging and Challenger brands. And what that means are these are brands who are either um being newly created, they have not let yet launched into the retail environment. So we've created new brands um from scratch for different retailers, for different companies, all the way from logo development, naming, um, packaging design. Um, and then we have some larger clients, right, um, on our roster who have been in the retail space for a while and are looking to grow and scale and need help doing that.

SPEAKER_03 3:37

Great, great.

Fixing The Broken Brand Blueprint

SPEAKER_03 3:38

You know, one of the things that we've talked about is that you know, you talk about the traditional blueprint for scaling uh CPG brands is sort of broken. You know, so how talk about your approach? You know, the old way is broken. What is your way?

SPEAKER_00 3:57

Yeah, so being on that side for about 20 years, I got to be a part of that brokenness and watching these agencies. And still, even today, there are a lot of folks out there who are just copy-paste um, you know, plans. They're not actually connecting strategies together. They're not putting the shopper at the forefront of what they're doing. They're not um intentionally thinking through those um strategies and what matters to the retailer, to the customer at the end of the day and how their brand is going to break through. And what that means is that they are just choosing tactics. You hear me say this a lot. A tactic is not a strategy. And they are piecemealing these plans together. And, you know, at the end of the day, they're getting subpar results because it's not how it was designed to be all along. But um, you know, for for a lot of reasons, right? They either have a lack of capacity or capability or they don't know how to do that. And so, you know, they have different partners in place who maybe also aren't trained to do that, or they just are unsure. And so what has worked maybe in the past is not going to work today. Shopping behavior is different. Platforms are changing every single day. The ecosystem is different. Human behavior and shopping behavior is very predictable, right? We plan for the same seasons, the same moments year over year, Memorial Day. You do similar things, right? You're buying, you know, the hot dogs and the buns and all the things. However, there are different moments and different um opportunities to engage and to connect with those audiences in a different way that didn't exist before. And it requires a different level of thinking and intentional thinking and truly working through that instead of just very quickly putting a tactic to it.

SPEAKER_03 5:52

Right. We live in the middle of this Walmart ecosystem, Walmart, Sam's this mega area that we live that's becoming a mega area for sure. And, you know, there's so many people that uh we used to say back in the day when I was at Walmart, you know, they we we climb, we climb the Ozark Mountains to get here and try to sell something. Well, it's much different today, as you know, but there's a lot of people here and a lot of people trying to get into Walmart and Sam's and and so it's a whole different ecosystem. So when people approach you and they see you on your, you know, they see your company on the website, they go to the website to reach out because you're you're very open, and and I love that about your website. It's very inviting to people to reach out, and and and uh your company is very inviting to do that, and you are too. So when you so what do you how do you guide people?

Listening First And Retail Readiness

SPEAKER_03 6:49

Because right now, there could be suppliers that would like to get in touch with Walmart. So when they reach out to you, what's what do you do?

SPEAKER_00 7:01

We listen first. We listen, we figure out where they are. And you know, in some cases, getting into Walmart may not be the best fit for their brands.

SPEAKER_01 7:13

Right.

SPEAKER_00 7:14

Um, we may need to do some other things before they even consider getting there. They're not ready, uh, whether it be supply chain factors or their brand isn't ready. Um, they, you know, could require a lot of foundational work before we even have those conversations. And that commercialization process and thinking about where they need to go and the prioritization of that is really, really important. And I think oftentimes they just think about launching and getting into doors. And um, that just leads to potential failure. Now, with that being said, if it's the right retailer based on where their intended audience is and what they're looking for, them and there's a gap in the category, then there could be a very viable um opportunity for them. But the story has to make sense, right? And so we spend a lot of time listening, seeing where they are and meeting them where they are and helping them get to where they're trying to go, or giving them really great advice for what that process looks like and pulling in, you know, different partners that make might make sense. And if it's that not the right fit for us, if we can't help them, we'll guide them into the right direction.

SPEAKER_03 8:23

So when you we think about that, that what you just described.

Blind Spots Before You Launch

SPEAKER_03 8:30

What is the biggest blonde spot that sometimes maybe we don't see? And that's why it's called a blonde spot, as you know. But sometimes people have to tell us our blonde spots. So what's the biggest one? What uh a one that's consistent.

SPEAKER_00 8:50

Yes, uh, I would say there's there's actually a few, and it's really hard to decide.

SPEAKER_03 8:54

Okay. Just give it, all right, give it several.

SPEAKER_00 8:57

I'm gonna give you a few. Um a lot of times these brands are created in isolation um uh of themselves. They haven't done the market research, they haven't actually um looked at the category and whether, you know, what's happening in that space. And oftentimes we come to them with information that is really, really important because that helps set our strategy for the future, right? What we need to do for them. So that's that's one. So doing the research first, they they haven't done it. They've got a really great idea and a product, but it's been built in isolation. They also haven't maybe tested that into the retail environment or looked at it like, what would this packaging look like at a shelf? Is it recessive? Does it actually stand out?

SPEAKER_01 9:42

Right.

SPEAKER_00 9:42

Um, and so that's really important. I think second is the patience and the investment that it takes to actually launch and scale a brand. Right. It requires so much more than what people think. And that's okay. And it doesn't require a lot of that all at the same time, but they have to know that they're in it and they're committed to seeing this through because I think oftentimes they do get so overwhelmed with all of the different requirements of what that does look like, what it does look like to launch a new brand into retail, the cost required in terms of, you know, just getting on shelf isn't it. I just um posted about this, I think, yesterday. Um, it's that's just the starting line. Right. You've got to let people know who you are and why they should choose you. Um and then you've got to continuously do that, right? Because there's so many choices that are out there. And so the cost that's associated with it. And then lastly, I think the other blind spot is that this world is so small. This community is so small, as big as we are, as big as this universe is, it's it is all connected. And so maximize your resources, but also make sure that you are treating people with the most respect and you know, um absorbing as much information as you can. Right. Um, because there are other people that have gone before you and you know have lessons that they've learned. And so take full advantage of that because you may not have all the answers and other individuals do and they can help.

SPEAKER_03 11:28

I think that's great, great advice. And because if you have a product, you you of course ultimately you won't if you want to get into Walmart, Sam's costos, some of the huge companies. Uh I think it's great that you give them such great advice and but guide them. And I that that looks like hell, no question.

Omnichannel And AI In Real Life

SPEAKER_03 11:51

We are in in data today with AI, with omnichannel. It's so different, isn't it? You know, uh, you know, when we began um the when we revamped doing Mrs. and Bentonville over two years ago, we said, you know, and our vision was that we wanted to demystify omnichannel. That's like an equated today. You know, so it's like, what do you mean demystify? It's here, it's here everywhere. Talk about that for a moment, how you you look at this whole thing around AI, around omnichannel, because it's so changed how we shop. Yeah, and it's changing daily, especially with the influence of AI. And so talk about how you're approaching those kind of things.

SPEAKER_00 12:41

Omni channel as a term has been around for a while.

SPEAKER_01 12:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:46

It's just whether or not people have been paying attention and really truly using that as a strategy. And there's it's used a lot as a buzzword and a term, but it's not actually put into practice in a lot of cases. Um, because you'll hear that and then you'll say, hear someone say, Well, I just need a drive store brick and mortar sales, and you're like, well, wait a minute. Um, you know, those those things coexist now. It is the same, you know, it's one and the same. And so there's still a lot of, I think, education to be had of what that truly means and why it's important. Um, but it the at the same time, it's been around for a while and the tools are just now catching up to be help us be smarter with it. Um, there are some that are still quite a bit behind. You know, some retailers are a bit further ahead than others. And some we're working with to help test some of those things and help um move them further ahead as well. So I think from a brand perspective, it is really important to know that it's continuing to change. So pay attention to the data. Make sure that it makes sense for you and your customer. Again, if you're putting the shopper at the forefront of your strategy and everything that you're doing and making sure that it sits with your brand ethos, the retailer, you know, um asks and requirements, then it it will work. Um, and and that you're doing that smartly. And um, I think we miss a lot of that because people going back to the blueprint question, they're trying to check the box.

SPEAKER_01 14:25

Right.

SPEAKER_00 14:25

Yep, did that, did that. And that's not a proper strategy. It's not actually going to work. So when we think about how AI has been a part of that, I truly believe that this is only going to help accelerate a lot of our learning.

SPEAKER_01 14:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:40

Um, help us be smarter faster, and also make sure that some of the tools and uh the ability to be able to uh create um some of the um components um really frees up some of our time to have that strategic thinking. So taking off some of the work that we maybe shouldn't be doing that could enable our teams to focus on some of the bigger, more strategic uh projects, uh, that is going to be a game changer for an agency like ours.

Shopper Personas And The So What

SPEAKER_03 15:12

Yeah, you talk about the customer. Let's go there for a moment. You know, uh none of this is possible without the customer. And the customer is experiencing such change, as you know. And it's just I think it's gonna just sped up more, you know, and sure. But as you as you think about your supplier, if it does the supplier, and you think about the customer, what do you what do you talk to them about? Because the customer shopping habits, you know, it's it's as you all know, and the people I'm sure everyone is listening, watching us, is they they they know where the customer is, how they shop today.

SPEAKER_00 15:55

No, they don't.

SPEAKER_03 15:56

Yeah. Okay. That's exactly what I want you to talk about. I do not know okay, good.

SPEAKER_00 16:02

They do not.

SPEAKER_03 16:03

Okay, good. Go there.

SPEAKER_00 16:05

They'll see uh go there on you know, enumerator or whatever tool that they have and think that they know. And again, they'll read it, but it again, it's not integrated into their strategy approach, their product assortment. It's not integrated into their marketing mix, into their um media plans and who, you know, how they're connecting with them. Um, we do a lot of shopper persona work. And what I mean by that is truly helping our clients understand who they are, yeah, what they believe, what motivates them, what triggers them, what barriers they're facing.

SPEAKER_01 16:41

Yeah, great.

SPEAKER_00 16:42

What should we know about those individuals that can help us make better business decisions that are going to deliver solutions to them that they're looking for? People do not wake up thinking about your brand. They just don't.

SPEAKER_02 16:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:59

They do not wake up thinking about your brand. They're thinking about the barbecue that they're about to have this weekend, the graduation parties, you know, that they're planning, the birthday parties, they're thinking about the moments that matter to them. And then how your brand plays a role in that is how you're connecting with them. But if you don't know who they are and what those motivators, barriers, and beliefs are, how are you going to connect with them in a meaningful, relevant way that's actually going to create change? That's what marketing does. It triggers a change in behavior. So if we don't know that, how do we know that that marketing is going to work? And I can tell you, most of the clients that we have worked with prior to us doing the work had no idea who their shopper was. They understand the data points of who a Walmart shopper is, right? They understand who a Sam's Club member is. They don't understand who their shopper is at Walmart. And they need to know that. And it's not hard work.

SPEAKER_01 18:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:05

It doesn't take a huge, massive study to do that. It just takes time and the right team and individuals to put that together and make it make sense. And then the so what behind it, right? So here's this information and then what do you do with it? When I spent some time at Walmart and GCIA and Global Insights, one of my most favorite people always challenged me to say, so what? What do you do with that? What is here's this insight. How do you actually take that into the business?

SPEAKER_03 18:39

Okay, this is great. So stay there. Say this is really good.

SPEAKER_00 18:42

It's my snowbox.

SPEAKER_03 18:43

Okay. Well, you know, we're we're moving so fast today. The customer, the retailer's moving fast. Change is so fast today. You know, and we we talked on me channel, we talked AI, and and everything, you know, from the customers in the store, it's delivery, it's pickup, it's all of that. It so is so from your standpoint, is it gonna be more difficult to know your customer? Have you got to work harder for that now? Or, you know, if if if you're a retailer, if you if you have a your product, is it gonna be is it harder now in the for the future?

SPEAKER_00 19:26

It shouldn't be more difficult to know them because we have more data than we ever did before.

SPEAKER_01 19:32

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 19:32

It's just are you paying attention?

SPEAKER_01 19:34

Right.

SPEAKER_00 19:35

Are you using it? The difficult part is how are you breaking through and using that to make sure that your message is resonating and are you choosing the right tactics to deploy that?

SPEAKER_01 19:47

Right.

SPEAKER_00 19:48

That is going to be the difficult part because there's so much noise out there, whether it's an influencer in social media, in the digital space, in your TV, like literally everything is monetized right now, right?

SPEAKER_01 20:00

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 20:00

And so that's the more difficult part is to make sure that it makes sense and that your investments working for you, not if whether or not you will know who your shopper is. If you are paying attention and using the data that's that's around you, and again, you don't, it doesn't take a lot to to try to figure it out. Um, you should know.

SPEAKER_03 20:23

Pete, your philosophy. I uh I read about your philosophy, because this ties all together.

Execution Teaching And Founder Therapy

SPEAKER_03 20:29

Okay. And you can put a maspo on this, this, this discussion around the customer, but uh you said here, I'm gonna quote you, you said, I love your philosophy because that working with early stage founders is 50% execution, 30% teaching, and 20% therapy. Do you offer all those?

SPEAKER_00 20:52

Sometimes all in the same day or hour, depending on uh the situation. And listen, entrepreneurship is often a lonely road.

SPEAKER_01 21:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:03

And it depends. I mean, you could be surrounded by the best team, the best board, the best advisors, um, the best, you know, PE firm, whatever, whoever it is. But I I do see that you're you're constantly faced with hundreds of decisions and the weight that some of these founders are carrying on their shoulders. I feel that truthfully, um, with even within myself. And to have someone sit alongside them to tell them it's going to be okay. And listen, we just have to make a best, you know, decision with the information that we have. And sometimes it it literally is just prioritizing what's right in front of us.

SPEAKER_01 21:40

Right.

SPEAKER_00 21:41

And we don't have to do everything at once, right?

SPEAKER_01 21:43

Right.

SPEAKER_00 21:44

Um, I think oftentimes so we're looking at what other companies are doing and and how fast they're succeeding, and you know, whether or not they're being bought, and you know, what everyone else is the the you know, creating out there. And And we need to keep our eyes on our own paper and make sure that we're laser focused on the strategy that we've built. And when we do that and come back to, you know, what we've set out and the vision that we've created and just reminding them of that, the why behind it, I think that that helps a lot. But it just takes having that conversation and not even just from a brand perspective. I have conversation with other founders in other spaces and even quite honestly in in my industry as well, because I want them to succeed at the same time, is hey guys, it's going to be okay. We are doing great work. Um, we're in it together. And um, you know, as long as we are are, you know, showing up in the way that we need to, in the way that we feel is best for our company, then and and fitting our culture and you know, our commitments, then we're gonna, we're gonna be successful.

SPEAKER_03 22:58

Yeah. Yeah. You know, I think something else that I um I read about you, and I think it's this will be very helpful to uh potential um uh people trying to have their product, get their product in Walmart or Sam's or or just improve

Values Driven Culture And Leadership

SPEAKER_03 23:15

it. But you said this, and you said as a female founder and CEO leading a fast growing retail agency. And the question is, how has your own journey as an underdog? And that's we sort of go back to your beginning by saying that, shaped the culture and empathy you bring to teams you mentor and lead. So as you begin that way, and we did haven't talked a lot about that yet, but uh I'd like to talk a bit about your beginning. But um how how has that shaped you? Because I know I'm I think I know you well enough to know that you your beginnings is something that you help teach and coach and mentor uh your clients. So talk about that. I think your clients wouldn't would like to hear your heart on that.

SPEAKER_00 24:04

Yeah, that's a really good question. So the business itself was never the dream, right? The business was just the vehicle. Um, the real dream was creating the kind of workplace and um opportunity that I wished more people had um to experience. I didn't start Paradox because I wanted to own a company. Uh I don't know that many people do that. I did want to build something that was meaningful. I started it because I wanted to build a place where people who are, if they worked for me or with me as a as a client, they felt valued and seen and heard and respected. Um, a place where people could bring their full selves, right? And so if whether it's a client or again, an employee, we're having those those conversations. My job is to show up as a leader, helping them, you know, fulfill whatever that is, whatever that looks like for them. So if it's a new brand or a brand in in market, um, you know, trying to achieve their goals, um, that's it, it really is about making sure that we show up authentically ourselves. That is one of our core values, that we do that with integrity, that we're curious enough to ask the questions, the hard questions, even when it gets really, really sticky, right? Um, because that's what it requires. Um, and that's what they deserve. Um, and that's honestly what our team deserves, um, especially from our leadership as well. So when I think about the beginning of this journey, and it's been quite a roller coaster, I will tell you that it entrepreneurship is never a straight line. It's really messy. If you've seen that meme where the the ribbons all or the string is all rolled, that's very much, you know, an entrepreneurship journey. And um, one of my mentors who you know well um told me it would be a roller coaster. Um, and you know, you're gonna have highs and lows. Um, and sometimes in the same day as well. Um when you're when you're up, make sure that you pay attention, right? Um, because there will be a low. And and when you're there, look up and and look out, right? And just know that you'll come back up again. If our culture is truly rooted in what those values are, and we're shaping that every single day and making sure that it's not just words on a wall, but it's a feeling when you walk in the door. And those people, again, are valued, seen, heard, and respected. That's the legacy that I want to leave. And that's how I want our clients to feel when they work with us. We get to do really great marketing and we get to help their brands grow. Um, but more importantly, they get to work with a team who is excited on Sunday night to show up on Monday morning, right? Um, as Steve Blair um challenged us to think about today. Um, and I I get really excited about that. I get excited for for building what that looks like. Um, but again, Paradox is just the vehicle to be able to deliver that work.

SPEAKER_03 27:11

Right. That's so well said. Um, you know, if I was a potential client listening to you, I would be drawn to you and your company, your organization, the cost of what you just said. Because that's so important. It begins with that. And uh so great job. Great job. I love that. So let's I want to ask you a few questions. Okay, because you're you've done such a great job, and I'm so impressed with your company. And as I mentioned at the top of the show, go check, go check your website out, and then just give them a call and they'll listen. Um, but um, so anyway, let's talk about a few things.

Basics Over Buzz And Common Fears

SPEAKER_03 27:58

Um, so complete the sentence for me.

unknown 28:01

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 28:02

Okay. A challenger brand trying to scale at Walmart to bound um is bound to fail if they don't master what first.

SPEAKER_00 28:15

The basics.

SPEAKER_03 28:16

Okay. Talk about what's the basics?

SPEAKER_00 28:18

I think a lot of times people get caught up in some of the shiny objects, right? The the fun, sexy stuff, the the stuff that um creates those those viral moments. Um and we hear a lot about that. Um, the the TikTok shop, the um, you know, whatever it is that that is the the hot thing to to um catch people's attention or stop the scroll, right? Um, but if they're not conquering the basics, if they're not creating visibility, velocity will never happen. So that is really, really important. And we have to make sure that that foundation is strong. And they miss a lot of that. Even the legacy brands miss it. And so if we don't have that in place, no amount of media or marketing will fix a wheat foundation.

SPEAKER_01 29:07

It just won't. Right.

SPEAKER_00 29:08

So we have to get that right first.

SPEAKER_01 29:10

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 29:10

And that's it, takes a little bit of work, but yeah, it's not hard.

SPEAKER_03 29:14

Okay. So, all right, uh another question. Um, what is one standard piece of traditional retail wisdom that I that a new Northwest Arkansas suppliers are told all the time, but you think they should completely ignore it?

SPEAKER_00 29:34

Oh god, I think they should completely ignore it. They're told all the time. Um that something doesn't work. And I'll I'll preface this by saying just because something doesn't work for someone else doesn't mean it doesn't work for you. It may not have worked for someone else, that maybe that demo didn't work for someone, the um display didn't work for someone, the um, you know, marketing campaign didn't work for someone because it wasn't done right.

SPEAKER_03 30:12

Right.

SPEAKER_00 30:13

It doesn't mean it won't work for them if it's done properly.

SPEAKER_03 30:16

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 30:17

And so I think some people will hear that from others, but not understand the why behind it. Um, and and look into that a little bit more.

SPEAKER_01 30:28

Right.

SPEAKER_00 30:29

And so I say that I'm not going to pick out a particular tactic or or component, um, but I do hear that um, you know, especially in this age of of retail media. Well, I hear that, you know, maybe Walmart 3P isn't a place to invest, right? That that's what you know, some people were talking about. That's not true. It depends. Depends on your product, it depends on your business, it depends on your consumer. What are where is your shopper? What who are they? Where are they looking? How are they shopping? There's a lot of different factors as it relates to a particular business. And so I just cringe when people say, well, that doesn't work.

SPEAKER_03 31:13

But why? Right. Well, I think it's like, you know, you I think your example was the roller coaster. You know, it's that's when you're at the top, you gotta be looking. That's when you're on the bottom, you know, you it does the idea at the top, it might work.

SPEAKER_00 31:29

Correct. You know, circumstances change.

SPEAKER_03 31:31

Yeah, things change. I love that.

SPEAKER_00 31:33

It's a great example.

SPEAKER_03 31:34

Yeah, great, great example. Um what what do you think the single most common fear for a new supplier is?

SPEAKER_00 31:46

All the unknowns, making a wrong decision. Okay, I think they're so afraid to make a bad decision. And sometimes that paralyzes them and they just won't make a decision. Okay. And listen, it's going to happen. Yeah. It will happen. But if you had a partner in place that could help you make one less bad decision, that would be pretty cool, right?

SPEAKER_03 32:07

Okay, there's two more questions.

SPEAKER_00 32:09

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 32:09

Okay, you're doing great. Okay. You're doing great. Um, okay, there's two more questions that uh because uh that I think, you know, so it's as you look back uh on your journey founding Paradox Retail and this mass hub of retail. I mean, you you did choose a very difficult place to do that mostly, you know. But anyway, you're doing it. But um what's the biggest lesson that you that you think that um this community has taught you?

Relationships Matter In Northwest Arkansas

SPEAKER_00 32:44

Relationships matter.

SPEAKER_03 32:46

Oh, okay. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 32:48

People come into your life for a reason.

SPEAKER_01 32:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 32:52

We talked about this, right?

SPEAKER_01 32:54

Right.

SPEAKER_00 32:54

Um, there's not nothing that is just um circumstance. I think God already has this entire story already planned, it's already written. And um they come into your lives at different moments and sometimes unexpectedly, yeah, which is a beautiful thing.

SPEAKER_01 33:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 33:13

And there are certain chapters um in you know, people's journey, and sometimes those are hard ones and those are the biggest lessons and those are okay.

SPEAKER_01 33:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 33:24

And they are there to help teach you and guide you um and help you to get stronger and better. And don't take those for granted. Right. And I do believe strongly that those relationships that you foster, that you create, the genuine ones, they matter, really, really matter. The only way we are where we are in this business is because of the relationships that we've created over the last 20 years.

SPEAKER_02 33:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 33:54

The only way. Most of our business, I would say, dare to say 99% of it is referrals. And it's because of how we've shown up for others in the past, whether we've worked with them or for them, or just cheered them on right in the past. Um, and and that's really, really important. Humanity first, like we can build amazing marketing campaigns. We can build a best in class process um for a high performing team. But the human aspect matters more. And I talk a lot about that internally as well as, you know, now more externally, because we're losing some of that in in this world, a little bit of AI, but also just because like I think it it is getting lost, and especially from an authentic, you know, perspective and allowing people to show up authentically themselves. So um, when people stop feeling heard, they stop um feeling like they're supported and they don't feel like you're genuinely there, um, that's when those relationships can break. And I think that that is so important. And probably the biggest piece of advice I give to people who I mentor, to students, um, and to folks just coming into this space of um in a Northwest Arkansas.

SPEAKER_03 35:19

I love it. Okay, follow question.

SPEAKER_00 35:21

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 35:21

You're doing great.

SPEAKER_00 35:22

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 35:23

I think I told you at the top of the show how wonderful this uh uh how wonderful Alicia is, and what a what a great company. And you you've heard just some from the or speak from her heart about her company and about her passion. And uh so you you gotta reach out. And I mean, if you if you're in a space where you you need help uh and uh you you need to reach out to Paradox Retail for sure. Um okay, final question. Um so if you could put one phrase on a billboard right outside of Walmart's new home office for every if for every emerging supplier. Okay, okay, when they go by there, what would you say on that billboard? Yeah, right now that billboard says it's got your name on it, right? It's got a name every yeah, the associate's saying. So I know one of these days where I go by and I see Andy, I'm gonna take a photo of that, right? It'll be there. Call John Furner. John, you need to put my name on that board, I'll take a photo of it. No, but if you could put a phrase for that for emerging suppliers, emerging suppliers.

SPEAKER_00 36:34

Well, again, I I kind of joke about this. Um, that one day that it'll be on my team's down. Because it will be. And I just I just truly believe this, and especially for emerging brands, but a tactic is not a strategy. And the reason why I say that is because they're just trying to figure out what they need to do, and they're not doing the hard work. And you asked me a question earlier about that blueprint, and people aren't taking the intentional time first to sit down and create what that should look like and what that true roadmap is for what success looks like for these brands. And if we just did that first, and again, it's not hard, it doesn't take a lot of time, but it it does require thinking. Right. Which, you know, can be hard for some, I guess, these days. Um, thinking and and putting that together, but a tactic is not a strategy. And um I, you know, aside from a business perspective, I would say that um that people matter. And maybe that is on there.

SPEAKER_03 37:38

Oh, yeah. Yeah.

Billboard Advice And Closing Takeaways

SPEAKER_03 37:41

Um, it's been such a pleasure to have you, Alicia. I've enjoyed our conversation so much. Um and as we as we wrap things up, any final thoughts or uh comments you would like to make uh to our audience?

SPEAKER_00 37:59

No, I um I just appreciate being here today. Um I love talking about what we do and who we are. I would say if again, if there's one thing that I've learned is that there this world is continuing to change. As you mentioned, retailers change, shoppers are changing, our tools are changing. Um, that's the fun part. It's continuously changing. So continue to be curious, um, continue to ask questions, foster those relationships, um, ask the questions, ask the hard questions, um, seek to understand, ask why, um, and and don't be afraid to do so. Be courageous.

SPEAKER_03 38:39

And they contact you how one more time, your website.

SPEAKER_00 38:43

Uh paradoxretale.com. Uh you can DM me on LinkedIn. I'm an open book, would love to connect with anyone, even if it's for a coffee chat or yeah.

SPEAKER_03 38:53

Okay. Okay. There you have it right here. It's um again, thank you for taking time to be here. You're always welcome at doing business in Bidden Girl. Okay. You just you know, just uh just text me uh uh or give me an email when you're ready to come back. You're always welcome. We'll make room for you for sure. Okay. And to all of our uh guests, thank you for watching. Thank you for listening. It means so much to us. Still, you can reach out to me on LinkedIn too if you need to message me. And I do get messages from many of our viewers, and thank you for that. We really do appreciate your feedback. So, Alicia, thank you again.

SPEAKER_00 39:28

Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 39:29

All right. Thank you, everyone. Have a wonderful day. Goodbye.