The Inventory Genius Podcast

I know so many of you—especially those running e-commerce stores—are constantly looking for ways to get more eyeballs on your products. That is exactly why I am thrilled to bring you today's guest. Tara Zirker is the absolute queen of ad experts, highly recommended to me by people I deeply trust. She is the founder of the Successful Ads Club, and today, she is breaking down the exact rules of digi...

I am thrilled to sit down with a very special guest: Rachel Lien, a yarn shop owner from the Pacific Northwest who is officially graduating from the Inventory Genius Operating System Program this month! One year ago, Rachel found herself trapped on the classic retail hamster wheel. Despite bringing in massive revenue from a local yarn crawl event, the cash quickly vanished, leaving her with mounti...

With this episode, I'm prepared to ruffle some feathers. I hope you have thick skin, but this conversation is absolutely necessary, and I am incredibly passionate about it. Lately, everywhere I look on social media, I see small business owners posting Reels, TikToks, and memes making fun of how frustrating, exhausting, or annoying their customers are. They complain about customers asking too...

Welcome back to part two of our Money Mindset Conversation! Today, I’m sitting down once again with endurance and mindset coach Jennifer Vollmann to dive deep into a topic that so many of us try to avoid: our relationship with debt. Debt can feel like a heavy, nasty word that gets instantly tangled up with our personal identity and self-worth. In this episode, Jennifer breaks down why numbers on a...

Are your thoughts setting a ceiling on your business’s financial success? In this special session, I'm sitting down with resident mindset coach Jennifer Vollmann to unpack the psychology of money. Whether you find yourself stalling on financial tracking, overspending, or avoiding your numbers entirely, the root cause usually isn't a lack of business skill—it’s your money identity. Jennifer br...

In this episode of the Inventory Genius Podcast, I’m serving up a major wake-up call for product-based business owners: revenue does not equal profit. If you’ve ever had a record-breaking sales month but still feel completely broke, or if you're making major business decisions based on a gut feeling rather than actual data, this episode is for you. I break down the massive misconception that growi...

We’ve all heard the classic business cliché: "You have to spend money to make money." But honestly? I’ve never really loved that phrase. It leaves out the most crucial part of the equation. What if we rephrased it to: You have to spend money to make money, but you also need to know if the money you’re spending is actually working. In this episode, I’m challenging product-based business owners to s...

Today we’re digging into a topic you might not have considered before: the importance of clean financial data. We talk about numbers constantly—how to focus on them, why they matter, and what you should be looking at. But we haven’t truly discussed why having clean information is the absolute backbone of successful decision-making in a product-based business. The Danger of Dirty Data I recently sp...

I am so excited to dive into today’s topic because it is the heartbeat of everything we do here. We’re talking about the Inventory Genius Operating System (IGOS). As a podcast listener, save $500 when you click here and enter code PODCAST2IGOS at checkout. I believe—no, I know—that every single product-based business owner needs this system. Why? Because I built it out of the ashes of my own failu...

I have been looking for someone like Cassidy for years. Seriously. I can’t even count how many times you all have asked me, " Ciara, who do you recommend for Shopify help? " and I never had a name I felt 100% comfortable sharing—until now. Today, I’m sitting down with Cassidy from Simply Lynn’s Creative. What makes her different? She isn't just a tech person. She grew up in the retail world, helpi...

Are you selling more but keeping less? If you’ve ever found yourself asking, "Is this actually worth it?" or "Why is my line of credit maxed out when my sales are growing?", you aren't alone. In this episode of The Inventory Genius Podcast, I'm sitting down with special guest Susan Bradley, founder of The Social Sales Girls. We're pulling back the curtain on the financial battle scars we...

We often obsess over our personal credit scores, but how much thought do we give to our business credit? In this episode, I’m joined by Gerri Detweiler from Nav to demystify the world of business credit. We explore why most of us are in the dark about our business scores, how these scores impact our ability to secure supplier terms and loans, and the simple steps we can take to monitor and bu...

In this episode, I’m diving into a platform that many of us love as consumers but find totally intimidating as business owners: Pinterest . I’ll be honest—I’ve personally dipped in and out of Pinterest for years, but it always felt like a heavy lift. However, for my clients with visually stunning products—like jewelry, home decor, or design services—it is a goldmine. Joining me today is Julia Rene...

I'm sitting down with subscription box expert Sarah Williams (founder of Launch Your Box) to debunk the myth that subscription models are dead. We're diving into why recurring revenue is the ultimate safety net for retail owners and how to transition from a struggling local shop to a thriving national brand. Key Takeaways The Introvert’s Growth Strategy: Sarah shares her journey of hitti...

Are you tired of feeling like your marketing budget is just a black hole? In this episode, I’m sitting down with the team from Pie to talk about a game-changing tool that actually drives foot traffic into your brick-and-mortar store without breaking the bank. If you’ve ever been burned by an ad agency or felt overwhelmed by keywords and algorithms, you need to listen to this. We’re breaking down h...

In this final episode of our series on debt, I'm chatting with executive mindset coach, Jennifer Vollmann. Jennifer is the newest resident coach in the Inventory Genius Mastermind, and today she breaks down why the "stories" we tell ourselves about our finances are often the only thing standing between us and a zero balance. Episode Highlights Numbers are Neutral: A $50,000 debt is...

Are your cash flow problems actually just "thinking" problems? In this episode, I'm exploring the connection between mindset, leadership, and the bottom line. Learn how to stop making frantic, scarcity-based decisions and start leading your business with the intention required to thrive. In This Episode, You’ll Learn: The Decision-Numbers Link: How every financial result in your business...

When your business is bogged down by debt, every bill feels like an emergency and every slow sales day feels catastrophic. This creates "noise"—a cycle of anxiety, reactive decision-making, and overwhelm that keeps you stuck. In this episode, I'm breaking down why debt is almost never a sales problem and revealing the single most important metric you need to track to climb out of the hole and...

Is your debt a strategic tool or a heavy burden? In this episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on a topic many entrepreneurs avoid: Debt Management. Debt isn't inherently "bad," but for inventory-based businesses, the wrong type of debt can quietly choke your cash flow and restrict your freedom. Let's break down the six common types of business debt—from traditional SBA loans to the predatory...

Debt is a heavy word, and for many business owners, it’s a source of silent shame. If you feel like your "debt mess" is too big to fix, this episode is your invitation to breathe again. We’re stripping away the complexity and the guilt to look at the cold, hard truth of how debt works—and how you can escape it. In this episode, we explore: The Debt Trap: Why we’ve been told debt is a "solution" wh...

What does it mean to truly steward your wealth? This week, CFP Mark Willis shares his unconventional approach to financial planning. Tune in to discover why Mark’s philosophy stands apart from the crowd and how you can apply his unique insights to your own financial journey. Work with Me  -  https://www.ciarastockeland.com/work-with-me Visit the Bookstore  -  https://www.ciaras...

What does it actually look like to outsource your inventory fulfillment? Today, 3PL founder Alia Oneal joins us to navigate this new territory for the podcast. Tune in as we break down the benefits of 3PL and how it can help your business grow. Work with Me  -  https://www.ciarastockeland.com/work-with-me Visit the Bookstore  -  https://www.ciarastockeland.com/bookstore Sign Up...

Today we're talking about why complexity is the enemy of profitability and what the hidden costs of complexity actually are. I'm going to give you some real life examples and break down what this idea really means. Work with Me  -  https://www.ciarastockeland.com/work-with-me Visit the Bookstore  -  https://www.ciarastockeland.com/bookstore Sign Up for Free Weekly Tips and Trai...

Today, a guest is returning who's been so popular on this show. Jennifer Allwood is talking about women getting stuck in their business, feeling like they can't gain traction, and how to break through this tricky spot. You don't want to miss this conversation. Work with Me  -  https://www.ciarastockeland.com/work-with-me Visit the Bookstore  -  https://www.ciarastockeland.com/b...

I’m chatting with two incredible women from the Inventory Genius C-Suite Program about the financial side of employees and marketing. We dive into how these key areas affect business growth and talk through ways to spot and fix issues early—before they become bigger problems. Get started now with the Inventory Genius Academy. Click here to save $250! Work with Me  -  https://www.ciarasto...