Saying “no” might just be THE most powerful move you can make in retail.

In this episode, Kristin dives deep into the art of knowing when and how to walk away from a retail deal that doesn’t serve your brand. Drawing from 21+ years of experience with giants like Costco & Amazon, she shares why strategic compromise is necessary, but blind agreement can destroy your margins, team morale, & reputation.

You’ll learn:

• How to identify your non-negotiable margins before saying yes
• The difference between smart compromise & financial suicide
• How to spot red flags like one-sided relationships and scope creep
• Why trusting your operational gut can save your business
• The exact language to use when you need to walk away gracefully

Whether you’re prepping for your first retail pitch or navigating a holiday promo gone sideways, this episode will help you protect your profits, your peace, & your partnerships.

Make margin, not excuses.

And remember, retail doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does require strategy.

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

Your product might be incredible but if you’re tracking the wrong metrics, it won’t stand a chance in retail.

In this episode, I pull back the curtain on the exact data that separates retail dreamers from retail winners. After 15 years as a Fortune 50 retail buyer managing a $4B portfolio, I’ve seen too many DTC brands crash and burn—not because their products weren’t great, but because they were focused on the wrong numbers.

You’ll learn:

• The real metrics retail buyers care about (hint: it’s not your follower count)
• How to set up your data tracker for clear, strategic insights
• Why context—year-over-year, month-over-month, and week-over-week—matters more than any single number
• How to connect events to outcomes so you can make informed, confident decisions
• A simple, no-fluff system to start tracking your sales velocity toda

If you’re ready to stop guessing, start winning, and speak the language retail buyers actually understand, this episode is your blueprint.

🎧 Tune in now and learn how to use data to turn your retail dreams into actual purchase orders.

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

Everyone loves to whisper sweet nothings about “building your brand,” but let’s cut the crap.

Retail buyers? They don’t give two hoots about your carefully curated brand vibe or how your logo makes people feel. They want to know if your product’s going to sell. Full stop.

Because retail buyers aren’t betting on your mood board. They’re betting on your numbers.

In this episode, I’m spilling the kind of truth that gets me uninvited from brunch with brand coaches:

→ Why “community” & “culture” sound good on paper but don’t move product off shelves

→ What cash really means in retail (and no, it’s not just about having it—it’s about proving you deserve it)

→ The backroom conversations buyers are having while you’re obsessing over your font pairings

→ How to walk into a retail pitch like you’ve already made them money

→ The heartbreaking reality of what happens when your dream product doesn’t sell—and who pays the price (spoiler: it’s you)

Listen, I’m not here to rain on your rebrand parade—I’m here to make sure you get paid. So if you’re ready to stop building castles in Canva and start building cash flow that gets you stocked, sold, & scaling?

Then let’s talk about what buyers actually want because it’s not your Pinterest board.

Resources & Links
🎓 Ready to grow your retail business? Check out Kristin’s freebie → Get Retail Ready Course

📲 Hang out with Kristin on Instagram → @kristinaengen

You’ve got the perfect pitch deck, a compelling founder story, and a mission to change the world but retail buyers aren’t biting. Why? Because you’re missing the one thing that matters most.

In this episode of Retail & Shiz, Kristin pulls back the curtain on what really drives buyer decisions: consumer intelligence. Forget the fluff—buyers want proof that your customers already exist, are loyal, and are shopping where you want your product to land.

Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:

• Why your brand story alone won’t seal the deal in a buyer meeting
• How to leverage DTC data to prove demand and reduce buyer risk
• The 3 steps to building a customer profile that makes buyers lean in
• How to position your customer base as a strategic asset
• The immediate benefits of leading with consumer intelligence in your pitch

If you’re ready to stop hearing “we’ll be in touch” and start hearing “when can we place the first order?”—this is the episode you can’t afford to skip.

👉 Grab Kristin’s free mini-course Get Retail Ready to dive deeper into her 3C Framework and position your brand for retail success.

Resources & Links
🎓 Ready to grow your retail business? Check out Kristin’s freebie → Get Retail Ready Course

📲 Hang out with Kristin on Instagram → @kristinaengen

So you’ve built a successful DTC brand and now retail feels like the next logical step but every buyer pitch feels like a dead end. In this episode of Retail & Shiz, Kristin Engin (former Fortune 50 retail buyer turned DTC scaling strategist) breaks down what it really takes to move from direct-to-consumer to store shelves without the sugarcoated advice.

Kristin shares:

• Who this show is really for (and who it’s not)
• Why your founder story alone won’t land you a purchase order
• The buyer’s love language (hint: it’s not Instagram aesthetics)
• Why retail is “war without the blood” and grit matters more than glamor
• The common mistakes founders make in buyer meetings and how to avoid them
  
  

If you’re ready to trade the “hope as a strategy” approach for data-driven decisions, this episode will help you speak the buyer’s language, come prepared with the right metrics, and finally crack the retail code.

Resources & Links
🎓 Ready to grow your retail business? Check out Kristin’s freebie → Get Retail Ready Course

📲 Hang out with Kristin on Instagram → @kristinaengen

Welcome to the very first episode of Retail & Shiz—the no-BS podcast that reveals what really happens when DTC brands step into the retail arena. I’m your host, Kristin Engen, a former Fortune 50 retail buyer who spent 15+ years managing a $4B portfolio at Costco and Amazon. I’ve said yes (and no) to hundreds of brands across every category, and now I’m pulling back the curtain so you don’t get crushed by the retail game.

In this episode, I’m sharing the story behind this show - why I launched it, the myths I’m here to bust, and the hard truths every DTC founder needs to hear before scaling into retail. You’ll learn why brand stories alone don’t get buyers excited, what buyers actually care about, and the mindset shift required to move from DTC success to retail domination.

If you’re tired of fluffy “six-step retail success” advice and want proven strategies from someone who has been on the other side of the table, this podcast is for you.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Why most retail advice online is misleading (and sometimes dangerous)
• The real difference between selling DTC vs. selling into retail
• What retail buyers are truly looking for (hint: it’s not your founder story)
• How to start thinking like a strategic retail partner, not just a brand owner
• My mission to level the playing field for DTC founders ready to scale
  
  

👉 Subscribe now and join me every week for insider strategies, tough love truths, and the playbook you actually need to win at retail.

Resources & Links
🎓 Ready to grow your retail business? Check out Kristin’s freebie → Get Retail Ready Course

📲 Hang out with Kristin on Instagram → @kristinaengen

Welcome to Retail & Shiz—the podcast for DTC founders who are ready to cut through the sugarcoated BS and learn what it really takes to scale into retail. After 15 years as a Fortune 50 retail buyer, Kristen is pulling back the curtain on the brutal truths, the metrics that actually matter, and the insider strategies big brands pay millions to access.

If you’ve built a DTC brand that’s crushing it and you’re ready to take the leap into retail, this is your wake-up call: retail will eat you alive if you don’t know the rules. Each week, you’ll get no-fluff, battle-tested advice to help you go from hopeful entrepreneur to strategic retail partner.

The first episode drops September 30th—get ready, because it’s going to sting a little (in the best way). Subscribe now and let’s make some shiz happen in retail.

Resources & Links
🎓 Ready to grow your retail business? Check out Kristin’s freebie → Get Retail Ready Course

📲 Hang out with Kristin on Instagram → @kristinaengen