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.
Shelf Talks
3 Rapid Retail Questions with Toni Covington, Co-Founder of Oktane Energy
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In this Retail Readiness Round of Shelf Talks, I put Toni Covington in the hot seat for three rapid-fire questions every product-based founder needs to hear.
If you’re preparing to pitch your first retail buyer, this segment is key for some major gems.
Toni shares why understanding your consumer is non-negotiable and how something as simple as visualizing your product on a specific retailer’s shelf (and putting that image directly into your pitch deck) can elevate your buyer presentation instantly.
We also talk about the trade shows and communities that actually moved the needle for Oktane, including the AATAC trade convention, which helped them break into C-stores and expand distribution through powerful community connections.
And when asked to finish the sentence, “Getting on shelf changed my business because…” her answer says everything about what retail placement really does for a founder’s confidence.
If you’re an emerging CPG brand looking to get retail ready, refine your pitch, and build momentum, this round is packed with practical insight you can apply immediately.
Press play and take notes.
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Contact us via email: Hello@shelftalks.com
Reach out if you know of a female founder with an impactful brand and retail story and leave a review if you found value in this episode! Hello@shelftalks.com
Purchase the book Shelf Talk: A step by step guide to launching your product in Retail Stores by Roberta Townes Buy Book