The 5 Problems Growing Retail Businesses Don’t Expect (But Almost Always Face)

If your retail business looks successful on paper but feels far harder than it should behind the scenes, this episode is for you.

With thanks to this episode’s sponsor SumUp.

Get 10% off SumUp hardware with the code GamePlan10 at https://sumup.co.uk

I’m Catherine Erdly, and this is Resilient Retail Game Plan — practical product business advice with a healthy dose of reality.

This isn’t about fixing beginner mistakes or chasing the next growth tactic.

It’s about what happens once your business has momentum, and instinct alone stops being enough.

After working with hundreds of established product businesses, I see the same problems come up again and again.

Not because founders are doing things wrong, but because the business has outgrown the way it’s being run.

In this episode, I walk through the 5 problems growing retail businesses don’t expect (but almost always face).

These include:

1. Why growth often creates chaos instead of clarity
2. What it really means when you don’t trust your numbers
3. Why being busy doesn’t always mean you’re moving forward
4. How everything living in your head turns you into the bottleneck
5. What to do when your business no longer fits your life

We also talk about why structure isn’t restrictive, how it creates freedom, and what it looks like when a business is designed to support the person running it, not drain them.

If any of this feels familiar, it doesn’t mean you’re failing.

It usually means you’ve outgrown the stage you’re operating at.

Chapters

00:00 Why growth starts to feel heavy

01:36 When success creates chaos

06:09 Learning to trust your numbers

08:26 Busy versus real progress

11:06 Everything living in your head

15:25 When your business stops fitting your life

18:10 Retail by Design

Links

Retail by Design: https://www.resilientretailclub.com/retail-by-design

Resilient Retail Club: https://www.resilientretailclub.com

Listen on your favourite podcast app: https://www.resilientretailclub.com/podcast

Enjoying the show?

DM your takeaways or questions to @resilientretailclub on Instagram.

And if the podcast’s useful, please follow, rate, and review — it helps more product businesses find us.

Mentioned in this episode:

Get 10% off with SumUp - Use code GamePlan10

https://www.resilientretailclub.com/RRGPsumup

Sum Up - 10% off hardware - use code "Game Plan 10"

This podcast uses chapters

Retail By Design

Go to https://resilientretailclub.com/

Freebie download

If you’ve been told that online retail growth means more ads, more automation, and more noise — this episode will quietly challenge that.

With thanks to this episode’s sponsor SumUp.

Get 10% off SumUp hardware with the code GamePlan10 at https://sumup.co.uk

I’m Catherine Erdly, and this is Resilient Retail Game Plan — practical product business advice with a healthy dose of reality.

This isn’t about scaling fast or chasing the latest ecommerce tactic.

It’s about building an online business that actually works for the people running it.

In this episode, I’m joined by Sarah Simonds, founder of Artichoke and winner of Online Shop of the Year at the Boutique Star Awards.

Sarah runs an online fashion business in a way most people would say doesn’t scale.

She calls every new online customer.

She designs systems to protect customer service, not replace it.

And she focuses relentlessly on a demographic the industry largely ignores.

After 25 years working with retailers, I see this pattern again and again.

The businesses that perform best long term aren’t always the loudest or the most automated. They’re the clearest.

In this conversation, we explore:

1. Why slowing down parts of the online experience can increase profit
2. How calling customers dramatically reduces returns and boosts lifetime value
3. What good systems actually look like in a small retail business
4. How Sarah uses AI to support decisions without losing human judgement
5. Why community, service, and clarity still outperform “best practice”

We also talk about the less glamorous side of growth — becoming the bottleneck, building resilience into the team, and creating structure so the business doesn’t rely on one person holding everything together.

If you run a product business and want online sales that feel sustainable rather than exhausting, this episode will give you a lot to think about.

00:00 Why “more marketing” isn’t always the answer

03:10 Serving an ignored customer demographic

06:20 Calling every new online customer

10:45 Reducing returns and increasing lifetime value

15:30 From pop-ups to online growth

21:10 Removing the founder bottleneck

27:40 Systems, structure, and ClickUp

33:30 Using AI without losing the human touch

41:50 Community, collaboration, and long-term growth

Artichoke: https://www.artichoke-online.co.uk

Retail by Design: https://www.resilientretailclub.com/retail-by-design

Catherine’s book — Tame Your Tiger: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1912300096

Resilient Retail Club: https://www.resilientretailclub.com

Enjoying the show?

DM your takeaways or questions to @resilientretailclub on Instagram.

And if the podcast’s useful, please follow, rate, and review — it helps more product businesses find us.

Mentioned in this episode:

Retail By...

Why Retail Business Growth Starts to Feel Heavy at Six Figures

If your retail business is doing well on paper, but somehow feels heavier than it used to, this episode is for you.

With thanks to this episode’s sponsor SumUp.com.

Get 10% off hardware with the code GamePlan10.

I’m Catherine Erdly, and this is the Resilient Retail Game Plan — product business advice with a healthy dose of reality.

This isn’t about chasing more sales or adding more tactics.

It’s about the moment growth stops feeling exciting and starts feeling risky.

When decisions feel heavier.

When stock, cash flow and planning won’t switch off in your head.

And when everyone assumes you’re doing brilliantly, but you’re quietly feeling stretched.

After 25 years in retail, I’ve seen this pattern again and again. Hitting six figures doesn’t magically make things easier. For many founders, it’s the point where relying on instinct stops working and structure becomes essential.

In this episode, I talk through why growth often starts to feel heavy at this stage, why it’s not a motivation problem, and what actually helps founders move from reacting to leading again. I also explain how Retail by Design and Stock Doctor work together to bring clarity, calm and confidence back into growing product businesses — without overwhelm or fluff.

If you’re tired of winging it, second-guessing decisions, or carrying everything in your head, this episode will help you understand what’s really going on — and what support should look like at this stage of growth.

00:00 The 'Heaviness' Struggle for Product Retailers

05:42 Stock & Strategy Solutions

06:49 "Retail Growth Through Stock Insight"

10:06 "Retail by Design Program"

Website: https://resilientretailclub.com

Retail Sales Game Plan: https://www.resilientretailclub.com/retailsales/

Enjoy the episode?

DM me your takeaways or questions @resilientretailclub on Instagram. And if you find the show useful, please follow, rate and review — it helps more product businesses find us.

Mentioned in this episode:

Get 10% off with SumUp - Use code GamePlan10

https://www.resilientretailclub.com/RRGPsumup

Sum Up - 10% off hardware - use code "Game Plan 10"

Retail By Design

Go to https://resilientretailclub.com/