Shelf Talks
Shelf Talks is the podcast for female founders, CPG entrepreneurs, and product-based business owners who want to get their products into retail stores and build brands that thrive once they're on the shelf.
Hosted by Roberta Townes, a retail buyer with more than 15 years of experience discovering and launching products at national retailers, each weekly episode features honest conversations with female founders who have successfully landed on retail shelves. Together, they pull back the curtain on how they pitched buyers, built wholesale partnerships, scaled distribution, increased brand awareness, and overcame the challenges of growing a product-based business.
Whether you're preparing for your first retail pitch or looking to expand into more stores, you'll gain practical strategies for retail readiness, wholesale growth, buyer expectations, merchandising, and increasing sell-through once your product hits the shelf.
If you're ready to turn your product into a retail success story, you're in the right place.
New episodes drop every week. Subscribe to Shelf Talks and learn what it really takes to get your brand retail-ready and winning in stores.
Looking for even more retail guidance? Roberta's book, Shelf Talk: A Step by Step Guide to Getting Your Product in Retail Stores, is available on Amazon.
Episodes
170 episodes
FOUNDER'S FLASHBACK: 10 Reasons Why Starting in Local Stores Builds Stronger Brands
One of the most important lessons I’ve learned as a retail buyer is that bigger isn’t always better, especially when you’re building a brand.That’s why I’m bringing back this Founder's Flashback episode, which has become the most-listene...
FOUNDER'S FLASHBACK: From Harvard to Retail Shelves, Keta Burke-Williams of Ourside
What does it really take to build a product-based brand and get it onto retail shelves?In this Founder’s Flashback episode of Shelf Talks, I revisit my conversation with Keta Burke-Williams, founder of Ourside, a luxury fragrance brand b...
FOUNDER'S FLASHBACK: Candace Wu, Co-Founder of Wonder Monday
Originally aired in May 2025. Re-released because the lessons are just as relevant today.Some podcast conversations are worth revisiting, and this is one of them.When this episode first aired, Candace Wu, co-founder of Wonder Mond...
The Real Reason Retail Buyers Reject Great Products (It's Not What You Think)
Getting a meeting with a retail buyer is a huge accomplishment. Walking out of that meeting feeling confident, only to receive a "no," can be frustrating.In this solo episode of Shelf Talks, Roberta Townes breaks down the five biggest re...
Retail Readiness Round: Alysa Seeland, Founder of Fond Bone Broth
Every great retail brand starts with a story.In this Retail Readiness Round, Alysa Seeland, founder of Fond Bone Broth, shares the deeply personal experience that inspired her business. After facing a serious postpartum health crisis, Al...
How Alysa Seeland Built FOND Regenerative from Farmers Markets to National Retail
What does it really take to build a premium brand that retailers believe in?In this episode of Shelf Talks, Roberta Townes sits down with Alysa Seeland, founder of FOND Regenerative, to discuss the journey from selling bone broth at loca...
Retail Readiness Round: Belle Robinson on Winning at Retail Beyond the Pitch
Getting your product onto a retailer's shelf is only the beginning.In this Retail Readiness Round, Belle Robinson, founder of ROXII Supercube, shares three quick but powerful lessons every product founder should hear before pursuing reta...
How ROXII Supercube Created an Entirely New Retail Category with Founder Belle Robinson
What happens when you realize the wellness aisle is too complicated?Belle Robinson did something no one else had done before.Instead of another powder, capsule, or ready-to-drink beverage, she created ROXII Supercube, nutri...
Retail Readiness Round: Hannah Perez's 3 Best Retail Tips Every Founder Needs
Thinking about getting your product on retail shelves? Start here.In this Retail Readiness Round of Shelf Talks, Hannah Perez, co-founder of SEEQ shares three actionable insights every founder should hear before pursuing retail gr...
Building SEEQ: Hannah Perez on Product Innovation, TikTok Growth, and Landing Target
What does it really take to build a category defining consumer brand?In this episode of Shelf Talks, I sit down with Hannah Perez, Co Founder of SEEQ, to talk about the journey from a simple product idea to becoming one of the fastest gr...
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Rapid Retail Questions with Lindsay Holden, Co-Founder of Odele Beauty
What does it really take to succeed in retail after you've landed on the shelf?In this Retail Readiness Round, Lindsay Holden, co-founder of Odele Beauty, shares three powerful lessons every founder needs to hear before pursuing retail g...
How Odele Beauty Went From Startup to Target, Ulta & Walmart | Lindsay Holden on Building a Clean Beauty Brand
How do you build a beauty brand that earns shelf space at Target, Ulta, Walmart, and CVS and keeps growing once it's there?In this episode of Shelf Talks, I sit down with Lindsay Holden, Co-Founder of Odele Beauty, t...
Rapid Retail Questions with Rachel Krupa, Founder of The Goods Mart
What separates brands that stay local from those that scale nationally? According to Rachel Krupa, founder of The Goods Mart, it starts with passion, purpose, and the willingness to build something bigger than just a product.In this Reta...
Why Going Local First Can Be Your Biggest Retail Advantage with Rachel Krupa, Founder of The Goods Mart
What if the best retail strategy isn’t going national—but going local first?In this episode of Shelf Talks, I sit down with Rachel Krupa, Founder and CEO of The Goods Mart, the better-for-you convenience store concept redefining...
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Rapid Retail Questions with Karishma & Tekla, Founders of KEY Energy
In this Retail Readiness Round, Karishma Thawani and Tekla Black get tactical about what actually keeps a brand on shelf. They break down which communities and trade shows delivered real value, why founders should prioritize velocity and densit...
How Two Beverage Industry Veterans Karishma & Tekla Are Reinventing Energy Drinks with KEY Energy
This week's Shelf Talks Podcast I sat down with Karishma Thawani and Dr. Tekla Black founders of KEY energy.From Karishma's personal health journey that inspired the idea to Tekla's deep expertise in nutrition science and retail strategy...
Rapid Retail Questions with Stacie Skinner, Founder of Superb Bakehouse
In this Retail Readiness Round, Stacie Skinner, founder of Superb Bakehouse, shares three powerful insights every founder should hear before pursuing retail growth.From knowing when you're truly ready for retail to preparing for buyer me...
From Farmers Markets to Whole Foods: How Stacie Skinner Grew Superb Bakehouse One Store at a Time
What happens when a mom can't find safe, nutritious, and delicious food for her child with severe food allergies?She creates it herself.In this episode of Shelf Talks, I sit down with Stacie Skinner, founder of Superb Bakehouse, t...
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From a Backpack to Retail Shelves: Denise Woodard’s Early Retail Strategy Building Partake
Denise Woodard didn’t launch into national retail overnight. Before building Partake Foods into the powerhouse brand it is today, she was hand-unloading pallets, storing inventory in a storage unit, and walking into stores with cookies in a bac...
3 Rapid Retail Questions with Sarela Harrada, Co-Founder of SIMPLi
Sarela Herrada, co-founder and CEO of SIMPLi, joins Shelf Talks for a candid conversation packed with actionable retail insights every product-based founder needs to hear before pitching buyers and launching into stores.If you're trying ...
How Sarela Herrada Built SIMPLi Into a Fast-Growing Retail Brand Through Regenerative Farming
In this episode of Shelf Talks, Roberta sits down with Sarela Herrada, co-founder and CEO of SIMPLi, to unpack the journey of building a mission-driven food brand from the ground up and transforming regenerative agriculture into a fast...
Rapid Retail Questions with Carrie Sporer, Co-Founder of SWAIR Hair
In this Retail Readiness Round of Shelf Talks, Roberta sits down with Carrie Sporer for a candid conversation on what founders really need to know before landing on retail shelves. From understanding margins, tariffs, and shipping costs to crea...
From Personal Frustration to Retail Shelves: Carrie Sporer’s Story Behind SWAIR Hair
In this episode of Shelf Talks, host Roberta Townes sits down with Carrie Sporer, co-founder of SWAIR Hair to talk about building an innovative beauty brand that is disrupting the haircare category with showerless shampoo solutions designed for...
5 Things I'm Loving Right Now Founders are Doing to Drive Awareness, Traffic & Sales to Retail Stores
If you're a product-based founder trying to figure out how to drive traffic to retail stores, increase sell-through, and stand out on crowded shelves, this episode breaks down exactly what’s working right now.In this solo episode ...
Rapid Retail Questions with Jillian Salinas, Founder of Beach City Coffee & Clara Sieg, Co-Founder of Loonen Water
What does it really take to be retail ready and land your product on store shelves?In this Retail Readiness Round of Shelf Talks Podcast, we’re bringing you rapid-fire, high-impact insights from two founders acti...