Shelf Talks
by Roberta Townes
2 Years of Shelf Talks: 5 Lessons from 70 Female Founders on…
About this podcast
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
The newest 20 of 184 episodes
- 2 Years of Shelf Talks: 5 Lessons from 70 Female Founders on Building a Successful Brand · 21 min · Season 2 Episode 88Send us Fan Mail Two years. 70 episodes. Countless founder journeys. And so many lessons about what it really takes to build a successful product-based business. In this special…
- Retail Readiness Round: Dana Bly, Founder of Pardon My Fro on Standing Out to Retail Buyers · 4 min · Season 2Send us Fan Mail In this retail readiness round with Dana Bly, founder of Pardon My Fro, shares practical insights for product-based founders who want to grow their brands and…
- From $5 Art Prints to a Hair Care Line on Walmart Shelves: Dana Bly of Pardon My Fro · 1 h 7 min · Season 2 Episode 87Send us Fan Mail Hello, hello, and welcome back to Shelf Talks Podcast! What does it take to turn a creative vision into a retail brand that stands out on shelves? In this…
- Retail Readiness Round: Erica Haft, Foujder of Sweeter Collective · 3 min · Season 2Send us Fan Mail What does it really take to grow a product-based business and expand into retail? In this Retail Readiness Round, Erica Haft, founder of Sweeter Collective…
- From Lawyer to CPG Founder: Erica Haft’s Journey With Sweeter Collective · 31 min · Season 2 Episode 86Send us Fan Mail What does it take to turn a big idea into a product on retail shelves? For Erica Haft, founder of Sweeter Collective, it started with a sweet tooth, a gap in the…
- Retail Readiness Round: Cory Varona, Co-Founder of OCOA Beauty · 2 min · Season 2Send us Fan Mail 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…
- Cory Varona, Co-Founder of OCOA Beauty: From Kitchen Formulation to 461 Ulta Stores · 50 min · Season 2 Episode 85Send us Fan Mail 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…
- Why Sampling Could Be Your Secret Weapon in Retail · 27 min · Season 2 Episode 84Send us Fan Mail 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…
- 10 Questions Every Founder Should Ask a Retail Buyer Before Saying Yes · 20 min · Season 2 Episode 83Send us Fan Mail 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…
- Your Product Is Great. So Why Isn’t It Selling? 5 Retail Mistakes Founders Make · 21 min · Season 2 Episode 82Send us Fan Mail 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…
- Retail Readiness Round: Wendy Kushel, Founder of Wendala's · 4 min · Season 2Send us Fan Mail 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…
- No Big Budget. No Big Team. Just Scrappiness: How Wendy Kushel Built Wendala’s · 50 min · Season 2 Episode 81Send us Fan Mail 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…
- FOUNDER'S FLASHBACK: From Kitchen Creation to Thousands of Retail Shelves with Harken Sweets Founder Katie Lefkowitz · 39 min · Season 2Send us Fan Mail 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…
- FOUNDER'S FLASHBACK: How to Get Your Brand Seen with PR Expert Gloria Chou · 26 min · Season 2Send us Fan Mail 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…
- FOUNDER'S FLASHBACK: 10 Reasons Why Starting in Local Stores Builds Stronger Brands · 19 min · Season 2Send us Fan Mail 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…
- FOUNDER'S FLASHBACK: From Harvard to Retail Shelves, Keta Burke-Williams of Ourside · 34 min · Season 2Send us Fan Mail 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…
- FOUNDER'S FLASHBACK: Candace Wu, Co-Founder of Wonder Monday · 28 minSend us Fan Mail 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…
- The Real Reason Retail Buyers Reject Great Products (It's Not What You Think) · 14 min · Season 2 Episode 80Send us Fan Mail 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…
- Retail Readiness Round: Alysa Seeland, Founder of Fond Bone Broth · 4 minSend us Fan Mail 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…
- How Alysa Seeland Built FOND Regenerative from Farmers Markets to National Retail · 53 min · Season 2 Episode 80Send us Fan Mail 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…







