.png)
Retail Edit | Actionable Advice to Grow and Scale Your DTC Retail Business
The essential podcast for founders who refuse to guess their way into retail.
Hosted by Kristin Engen, former Fortune 50 retail buyer, 15 years managing a $4 billion portfolio, now Chief Commercial Officer getting brands onto shelves.
Someone who's been on both sides of the table.
Each week: retail strategy, brand positioning, buyer psychology, the metrics that matter, the operational realities no one mentions, and the commercial intelligence that separates serious brands from hopeful ones.
No mythology. No sanitized theory. No advice from consultants who've never sat in the buyer's chair.
Just the unfiltered strategy that elite brands pay a pretty penny to access.
This is where branding meets buying power.
Retail Edit | Actionable Advice to Grow and Scale Your DTC Retail Business
15. Retail Readiness for 2026: How to Position Your Brand for Long-Term Growth
As we wrap up 2025 and step into a brand-new year, this special Festivus episode is your permission slip to exhale, reset, and remember that you are exactly where you’re supposed to be in your business journey. After 21 years in retail and 15 of them as a Costco and Amazon buyer making make-or-break decisions for hundreds of brands—Kristin is pulling back the curtain to remind you that success never happens in a straight line.
In this uplifting end-of-year conversation, Kristin shares why setbacks are not signs you’re failing, why your timeline doesn’t need to look like anyone else’s, and the real truth about what separates the brands who make it from the ones who stall out. (Hint: it’s not luck, virality, or a unicorn moment that can’t be recreated.)
Whether you’re heading into 2026 feeling energized, exhausted, or somewhere in between, this episode will help you ground yourself, redefine what success looks like for you, and move forward with clarity, confidence, and strategy.
In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
- Why you’re not behind—no matter what Instagram is telling you
- The real stories behind “overnight” retail success
- Why your unique path, timeline, and circumstances matter
- The mindset shift every founder needs before pitching retail
- What buyers actually value (and it’s not luck or viral moments)
- How challenging seasons can shape you into a stronger leader
- Why 2026 is full of possibility—no matter how 2025 went
This is your reminder that retail success isn’t magic. It’s momentum. It’s consistency. It’s competence. And it’s yours for the taking.
Grab your holiday drink (spiked or not), settle in, and let Kristin send you into the new year with the clarity and confidence your brand deserves.
Resources & Links
🎓 Ready to grow your retail business? Check out Kristin’s freebie → Get Retail Ready Course
If this episode made you think "finally, someone who gets it"—you def need my Retailish newsletter in your life.
📲 Hang out with Kristin on Instagram → @kristinaengen