Explore by Topic
Start with the challenge you’re working through or the category you know best. Explore selected Road2Retail conversations with founders, retailers, investors, and subject matter experts.
Your listening list
Latest episodesCompare brands and specialists on the financial, operational and consumer-demand work needed to expand beyond direct sales.
Try a guest’s name, a different search, or browse all episodes.
Clear your search and topicNeil Foster explains how a soft launch can expose business-model problems, why early awareness and trial matter, and how shopper fit and measured growth support a move into stores.
Why it’s here Start with soft-launch learning and when to consider retail.
Brooks Powell shares Cheers Health's origin, its route to US sale, and why marketing focus and a profitable DTC business mattered before entering brick-and-mortar retail.
Why it’s here Study Cheers’ emphasis on profitable DTC before stores.
Rob Clemons describes how Wonderbelly used its online launch to understand its consumer, established product differentiation, approached retail growth and sought investors who could add practical value.
Why it’s here See Wonderbelly validate its consumer online.
Marie Mount describes how SneakPeek adapted packaging and marketing for stores, used consumer insights to build a category and demonstrated incremental sales potential to retailers.
Why it’s here Follow SneakPeek’s use of insights in the retail transition.
Todd Matherly outlines what digital-first brands must prepare before entering stores and how outside commercial support, differentiation and an authentic brand story can support growth.
Why it’s here Consider the capabilities needed beyond DTC and Amazon.
Raj Shah explains Obvi's retail transition, including slotting, trade spend and deductions, manufacturer selection, and treating brokers as close working partners.
Why it’s here Explore Obvi’s financial and operational transition.
Luke Schneider discusses choosing retail partners, managing SKUs and pricing across channels, working with brokers, and finding investors who contribute more than capital.
Why it’s here Apply channel, assortment and partner choices through Fire Department Coffee.
Jesse Bartley describes how Scent Beauty selects and builds fragrance brands, tailors digital marketing, and matches each brand to appropriate retail partners.
Why it’s here Matched automatically from the episode title and discussion notes.
Chris Stanton discusses connecting brands with retail decision-makers, trade relationships, celebrity founders, and using online sales to learn before approaching physical stores.
Why it’s here Matched automatically from the episode title and discussion notes.
Allison Ball explains why retail expansion needs a strategy, how buyer selling differs from DTC, what she sought as a buyer, and how to follow up professionally.
Why it’s here Matched automatically from the episode title and discussion notes.
Patty Post describes the time, cost and persistence involved in developing an at-home strep test, choosing brick-and-mortar retail and attracting investors before revenue.
Why it’s here Matched automatically from the episode title and discussion notes.
Gaylord VanGuilder explains Buddle's upfront research and pricing work, online launch, expert team, community ambitions and criteria for future retail partners and investors.
Why it’s here Matched automatically from the episode title and discussion notes.