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
179 episodes
Retail Readiness Round: Cory Varona, Co-Founder of OCOA Beauty
What does it really take to be ready for a national retail opportunity?In this Retail Readiness Round, Cory Varona, co-founder of OCOA Beauty, shares three important lessons every product-based founder should know before pitching a natio...
Cory Varona, Co-Founder of OCOA Beauty: From Kitchen Formulation to 461 Ulta Stores
What does it really take to go from an idea in your kitchen to getting your product on the shelves of 461 Ulta Beauty stores?In this episode of Shelf Talks, Roberta sits down with Cory Varona, co-founder of OCOA Beauty, the sister-founde...
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Why Sampling Could Be Your Secret Weapon in Retail
Getting your product onto a retail shelf is not the finish line. It’s the beginning.In this solo episode of Shelf Talks, host Roberta breaks down one of the most powerful ways product-based brands can turn their retail presence into real...
10 Questions Every Founder Should Ask a Retail Buyer Before Saying Yes
Getting your product onto a retail shelf is exciting, but getting the yes is only the beginning.In this episode of Shelf Talks, Roberta Townes shares 10 smart questions every product-based founder should ask a retail buyer when discussin...
Your Product Is Great. So Why Isn’t It Selling? 5 Retail Mistakes Founders Make
Getting your product onto a retail shelf is a huge milestone, but what happens when the product isn't selling once it gets there?In this solo episode of Shelf Talks, Roberta Townes, retail buyer and host of Shelf Talks Podcast, breaks do...
Retail Readiness Round: Wendy Kushel, Founder of Wendala's
In this Retail Readiness Round, Wendy Kushel, founder of Wendala's shares practical advice for founders who want to get their products onto retail shelves.Wendy breaks down one of the biggest mistakes founders make before pitching retail...
No Big Budget. No Big Team. Just Scrappiness: How Wendy Kushel Built Wendala’s
What does it really take to get a product from farmers markets to major retailers? For Wendy Kushel, founder of Wendala’s, the answer is being scrappy, staying persistent, listening to your customers, and simply getting in the game.In th...
FOUNDER'S FLASHBACK: From Kitchen Creation to Thousands of Retail Shelves with Harken Sweets Founder Katie Lefkowitz
We’re continuing our Founders Flashback series by revisiting my conversation with Katie Lefkowitz, founder of Harken Sweets, a better-for-you candy brand that is changing the way consumers think about indulgence.When I originally intervi...
FOUNDER'S FLASHBACK: How to Get Your Brand Seen with PR Expert Gloria Chou
We’re continuing the Founders Flashback series on Shelf Talks with a conversation that every product-based founder should revisit.In this episode, I’m bringing back my conversation with Gloria Chou, award-winning Small Biz PR Coach, to t...
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...