On The Shelf: How To Get Your Products Into Big Box Retail!

Are you obsessing over your product, pitch deck, and perfect pricing, but still struggling to land deals with major retailers? The truth is, the most important asset for getting your product on the shelf isn't financial wisdom or a flawless presentation—it's flexibility. In the high-stakes world of retail, deals never go exactly as planned. From rigid container quantity demands to refusing a minor...

Everyone is talking about the death of retail, but one giant stands apart: Costco. With an incredible 88% membership renewal rate, they are one of the best-run retailers on the planet. How do they do it? It comes down to their personnel, their dedication to member value, and their unique, lean business model. But for brand owners, the big question is: how do you get your product into a warehouse w...

Selling into big box retail isn't the static process it once was. If you are relying on strategies from even two years ago, you are already behind, especially with AI bots now scanning buyer inboxes for immediate calls to action. You've landed the initial meeting—you have the buyer's attention. But what happens in that crucial, confusing middle ground where interest is high, but the product launch...

Are you ready to unlock the secrets to landing your product in a major big box retailer? Welcome back to On the Shelf! Today, Tim Bush dives deep into the buyer's mind—understanding what they really want, why they won't tell you, and the critical factors (like margin, category growth, and inventory turn) that make your product an absolute yes . Stop guessing and start pitching with confidence. Tim...

Welcome back, big boxers! It's been a while, but we’re back to guide you through the ever-evolving world of big box retail. Even after a hiatus, the demand for clear, actionable advice on getting your products into major retailers remains immense. And who better to offer that guidance than someone still in the trenches, making deals and navigating the shifting retail landscape every single day? In...

The retail submission process is a critical part of the retail industry. It is the process by which retailers submit their products to be sold in stores. While it may seem simple, there are a lot of steps involved in it. And in this episode, Timothy Bush discusses the different steps involved, from initial contact to product placement, and offers tips on how to make the process go as smoothly as p...

Growing your Ecomm product business in a saturated digital marketplace is no easy task. That's why Carolyn Lowe is here to help! Carolyn is the CEO and Founder of ROI Swift , a digital marketing team helping emerging consumer brands grow their business. She is also the author of Business Growth Do's and Absolute Don'ts: Applied Wisdom from My Work with Dell, Costco, Amazon, and Multiple Start-ups...

Onboarding to a big retailer takes time and effort. It's not difficult, but you need to be dedicated to it because it takes a lot of man-hours for these retailers to get the process all done. So, you got to do your part as well. Join your host Timothy Bush as he goes through the onboarding process from filing paperwork to knowing your product claims. This is all you need to know when it comes to o...

A successful business starts with an idea and the ability to execute the essence of that idea. Celebrity designer and CEO of Sarah Shaw Consulting , Sarah Shaw  is an experienced business owner who has propelled numerous businesses and products into celebrity hands. Sarah sits with Timothy Bush to do what she does best; teach you how to turn your product ideas from concepts to reality. Sarah...

You may have a patentable idea, but if it doesn't solve any problem, then it's useless. Before you patent something, make sure it has value. Do the idea refining and marketing first. This is what  Russ Krajec  believes in as a recovering patent attorney. Russ is the CEO of  BlueIron , where he provides patent-related financing for small businesses. Join your host, Timothy Bush, as h...

Managing your website would benefit you in the long run. Timothy Bush talks with Andy Seeley , the CEO of Creatively Disruptive , about healthy diversification and how you quiet the noise and make your product sales grow. He shares different aspects in his entrepreneurial journey and how he grew his business through effective marketing strategies, email marketing, Facebook Ads, and other social me...

Many retailers get too excited in bringing their products in front of buyers only to have that conversation not go well. While having that initial talk with buyers can be exciting, it is important not to dive headfirst but instead prepare. In this episode, Timothy Bush is back to take us deep into the ways we should be approaching buyers. He lays down the three things you can do before, during you...

Your brand may be important, but when it comes to real life, a lot of what gets your product off the shelf is your packaging. You can either be strategic about it or leave everything to chance. If you don’t want to do the latter, then you definitely have to start investing in packaging more than you’re probably doing now. As we have repeatedly stressed in this podcast, packaging is not a DIY proce...

For a lot of people who want to take their product to retail, they need to create and develop a company for retailers to partner with. However, one of the things they're probably not building is business credit. On today’s podcast, Timothy Bush is joined by Stephen Wible , a Marine Corps veteran with a deep background in real estate sales, flipping property management, print manufacturing, and bui...

Getting into retail and securing a spot in the retail big leagues is something many entrepreneurs dream about. Have you ever imagined seeing your products on the shelves of a big box retailer but wondered just how to get your product ready and get placement for them? You probably have all these scenarios in your mind about what could go wrong. On today’s podcast, Timothy Bush examines what scares...

Creating thoughts, ideas and possibilities is the very essence of an inventor. However, turning those ideas into tangible reality is what separates the doers from the dreamers. Helping inventors from all over the world do just that, Tim invites 3X patented toy inventor, Women in Toys Wonder Woman Finalist and one of the 100 most influential women in Toys and Games for 2020 ,  Azhell...

Business is, by nature, unstable, and entrepreneurs recognize that dealing with setbacks is just another facet of their job. Entrepreneurs live in a world of constant flux, and things can change on a monthly, weekly or even daily basis. If you’ve been in business long enough, you would know failure and disappointment like the back of your hand. Yet entrepreneurs, by virtue of being entrepreneurs,...

Things will never be as they were before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and marketing is no exception. With a lot of people staying at home, digital marketing is making its way to the mainstream at an unprecedented and unforeseen pace. For the longest time, however, the industry has been dominated by the bigger players, and smaller businesses are having a hard time making their voices heard i...

Whether you’re an inventor wondering how to manufacture your product and expand into sales or an Amazon seller looking to expand into retailers, the fact is the ability to sell product right now is big. On today’s show, Timothy Bush talks to Steven Selikoff of the Product Development Academy , a company that teaches everything you need to know – from unique product concept, through factories and m...

The world can be a scary place. We never know how many bad people are lurking out there. As fathers, we can’t help but be scared for the lives of our children who are out on their own. Departing from talks about products, Timothy Bush goes in-depth into a necessary topic that we must all learn, especially in these uncertain times: self-defense. Timothy invites over an expert,  John Frederick&...

Whether you’re out and about or if you are sequestered at home still, everybody has their own way of dealing with opening back up. As stores and establishments are creating their own standards – which they have every right to do – all kinds of crazy sentiment are going on out there, especially on social media. On today’s show, Timothy Bush answers some questions from the On The Shelf Now community...

Let’s face it. The post-COVID-19 world will not be a return to normal, but a pivot to a “new normal.” It is in times like this when the entrepreneurial spirit comes into play and distinguishes those who hunker down and wait for everything to level out from those who see opportunity in the middle of adversity and capitalize on it. In the retail business, this entails a significant pivot to new sell...

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced a fundamental shift in the entire international landscape, and businesses are working overtime to adapt to the so-called “new normal.” In this new atmosphere, businesses have been figuring out – to varying degrees of success – new ways to continue doing business that still preserve the safety and wellbeing of their employees. Tom Hazzard is the Chief Technology Off...

No matter how great you are at what you do, if you don’t know how to apply a value to it for others to see, then you remain in the shadows. This is what today’s guest sees that is lacking among businesses and entrepreneurs and that ad agencies tend to miss out. Timothy Bush introduces us to  Zahra Cruzan , owner of  Brand Author  where she works with local agencies, retailers, and p...

Sales number is the bottom line statistic for practically every existing business—that much can’t be denied. If you’re not growing your sales, then your company, at the end of the day, isn’t really growing, and no one wants that kind of stagnation to occur for their business. Mike Carroll uses his experience as a Growth Strategist at Nutshell as the company’s Head of Growth. He speaks to Timothy B...