288. Become the CEO Your Retail Business Actually Needs in 2026
Creative Shop Talk with Wendy Batten
Release Date: 11/24/2025
318. Navigating the “Messy Middle” of Business Growth
Creative Shop Talk with Wendy Batten
With host retail coach Episode Overview In this episode, I’m sharing a behind-the-scenes look at what it feels like to be in the messy middle of making big, important changes in a business. My friends, I am in the middle of it! So let’s talk about it: In this episode, I’m sharing the challenges (and major wins) I’ve been facing while upgrading my own business, from competing priorities and projects taking longer than expected to learning new things and asking for help. I also share what has helped me move through the mess. I’m reminding myself to take action, invest...
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317. Take Control of Your Time as a Business Owner
Creative Shop Talk with Wendy Batten
With host retail coach Episode Overview Of course you love what you do - and that’s why you started your business. But perhaps you also took this leap because you wanted more control over your schedule and more freedom to do the things you love outside of work. This episode centers around answering a question that has come up countless times in my years as a retail coach and that I have even grappled with in the past as a business owner: where should I be spending my time? As business owners, we have three major resources to manage: time, money, and capacity or energy. Time...
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316. How to Build a Business That Works for Your Life
Creative Shop Talk with Wendy Batten
With host retail coach Episode Overview I’m back after taking a longer-than-expected summer pause from the podcast! That pause gave me space to think about what I want next for my business, what I want my life to look like, and how those two things fit together. After years of building, coaching, and running a business, I’ve been thinking a lot about what deserves my energy and what no longer needs to come along for the climb. In this episode, I’m sharing some of the questions I’ve been working through with clients and myself. I talk about business seasons, celebrating...
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315. What Really Happens at a Mastermind Retreat and Why It Matters for Business Growth
Creative Shop Talk with Wendy Batten
With host retail coach A profitable, smooth holiday season is not a lucky accident. It’s what happens when someone who actually prepared gets to execute. And the best time to prepare? July. Camp begins with a fireside chat (opening coaching) on July 13th. Grab your sit-upon (fellow Girl Scouts unite!) and join me! Episode Overview I recently hosted my Level Up Mastermind members for a retreat in my town of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. I received so many questions about what actually happens during a retreat like this so I’ve decided to pull back the curtain and share...
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314. The Memento Generation: Creating More Meaningful Buying Experiences in Retail
Creative Shop Talk with Wendy Batten
With host retail coach Episode Overview Fresh off my Level Up Mastermind retreat with retailers from around the world, I'm reflecting on something that feels increasingly important in retail right now: experiences. Your customers are looking for connection, meaning, and events they can remember. In this episode, I’m sharing my thoughts on some of the findings from a research report from the Portas Agency titled “”. The concept explores how many younger consumers are placing greater value on memories, shared experiences, and stories over simply acquiring...
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313. Why Community Is the Future of Retail with Guest Expert Mark Schaefer
Creative Shop Talk with Wendy Batten
With host retail coach Episode Overview In this episode, I sit down with best-selling marketing author and speaker Mark Schaefer to talk about what matters most for independent retailers in a world that’s being increasingly shaped by AI. While technology continues to change how customers find the places they love to shop, Mark makes a compelling case that the strongest advantage for brick-and-mortar retailers is still something AI cannot replicate: a completely human experience. We talk about the role of personal branding, community, experiences, and transcendent...
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312. Midyear Business Review: Are You Building a Business or a Passion Project?
Creative Shop Talk with Wendy Batten
With host retail coach Episode Overview We have officially reached the middle of the year, and now is the perfect time to pause for just a few minutes to take an honest look at what we're building. Beyond reviewing numbers and planning for the months ahead, I want to pose a bigger question: is your business becoming a valuable asset, or have you simply created a job (that you love!) for yourself? In this episode, I share my thoughts around long-term business value. Could you sell your business right now? Whether selling your business feels years away or not something...
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311. Why Real Connection Matters More Than Ever in the Age of AI with Deanne Fitzpatrick
Creative Shop Talk with Wendy Batten
With host retail coach Episode Overview In this episode, I sit down with my friend Deanne Fitzpatrick of for an honest and raw conversation about AI, authenticity, and what it means to run a meaningful business. We talk about the parts of AI that feel helpful, the parts that feel icky, and why trust and real connection matter more than ever for small business owners. As business owners who have both embraced technology over the years, neither Deanne nor I are anti-AI. But we are cautious and curious about how it’s changing what feels like pretty much everything. We...
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310. 7 Things That Might Be Holding You Back in Your Retail Business
Creative Shop Talk with Wendy Batten
With host retail coach Episode Overview In this episode of the Creative Shop Talk Podcast, I’m sharing seven common patterns I see repeatedly with independent retailers who are working hard but still feeling stuck. These are habits, mindset patterns, and blind spots that can keep us from reaching the goals we truly want. As I was making this list from conversations with clients, I realized I’ve experienced every one of these things myself throughout my years in business. Some of the highlights: vague goals, overthinking, avoiding difficult conversations, staying...
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309. From Good to Great: Dream Bigger Now
Creative Shop Talk with Wendy Batten
With host retail coach Episode Overview In this episode, I’m sharing details of a conversation that challenged me to think differently about what’s possible in business and life. I’ve been reflecting on the ways we can reach a point where things feel “good” so we stop stretching toward what could feel even better: more alignment, more joy, and being more fulfilled. Through personal stories and examples from my clients, I’m exploring the idea that growth is not always about doing more: sometimes it’s about raising our standards, reimagining what is possible,...
info_outlineWith host retail coach Wendy Batten
https://wendybatten.com/podcast-intro/
In This Episode:
Ready for a truth bomb? Your business can only grow if you do.
In this episode of the Creative Shop Talk Podcast, I’m diving deep into what it really takes to step into the CEO identity your retail business needs in 2026 and beyond. From letting go of the “do-it-all shopkeeper” mindset to making braver, clearer decisions rooted in vision rather than fear, this episode is your invitation to level up.
I’ll share real stories of retailers who shifted their identity, embraced discomfort, built supportive systems, and created more profitable, life-friendly businesses proving that leadership growth isn’t optional…it’s transformational.
Retail Leadership Strategies to Elevate Your Business
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How to shift from shopkeeper to CEO mindset
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The difference between operational decisions and visionary decisions
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The real impact of stepping into bigger, bolder thinking
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Why removing unprofitable tasks or categories can accelerate growth
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How identity work fuels better planning, profitability, and joy
“You cannot plan a visionary year without first stepping into the identity of a visionary.”
Your Next Steps:
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Ask yourself and really think about this question: Who do I need to become next year?
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Take some time to journal through some of the other prompts in this episode.
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If you aren’t an Inner Circle member, you can still plan alongside us for your Best Year Ever! Purchase the masterclass here and join us (members and non-members alike!) on January 16th at 12pm ET for a live Q+A.
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If you are looking for high-level support in your retail business, I’d love to see you inside my Level Up Mastermind. You can apply for the 2026 cohort here. This is where the magic happens, my friends.
Related podcasts we think you’ll like:
Episode 178: 3 Top Success Mindset Musts for Retailer Owners
Episode 183: Fine Tuning Your Retail Business Operations with Business Strategist Gwen Bortner
Episode 285: Avoiding Retail Burnout: Closing Loops and Leaning In to Your People
About your host, Wendy Batten
In case we haven’t met yet, I’m Wendy Batten, retail business coach and founder of the Retailer’s Inner Circle. With over 30 years of experience running successful businesses, I now help independent shop owners grow profitably and sustainably—with more confidence and joy.
I’ve had my own business columns in featured magazines, such as What Women Create and other top publications, worked with some of the top industry brands as retail care manager, and I’ve supported hundreds of retailers through coaching, speaking, my programs, and this podcast.
For more support from Wendy
Retailer’s Inner Circle - Join Wendy inside the best retailer’s community
Free resources for shop owners
Hang out and connect with Wendy on IG
All of Wendy’s current programs and services for shop owners can be found HERE.
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