252. Creating a Culture of Hospitality in Your Retail Business with Guest Expert Stephanie Miller Vincent

252. Creating a Culture of Hospitality in Your Retail Business with Guest Expert Stephanie Miller Vincent

Author: Wendy Batten, Creative Retail Mentor March 17, 2025 Duration: 38:40

 With host retail coach Wendy Batten

 

https://wendybatten.com/podcast-intro/

 

Are you ready to simplify your marketing strategy and boost your retail sales? Join me and a small group of driven retail business owners for my 6-week, hands-on program: The Sales and Marketing Accelerator! Each week, you'll receive a short video with an actionable tip followed by a live, interactive strategy group coaching session. We'll work together to create a simple, repeatable marketing plan tailored to your business. No fluff, no wasted time—just practical strategies you can implement right now. Spots are limited, and we start on April 23rd. Join us!

 

In This Episode: 

 

Hospitality isn't just being nice to your customers. It's about genuinely caring for others and in retail, it starts with your team!

 

Join me and my guest expert Stephanie Miller Vincent as we chat about bringing hospitality back to its roots: caring about others. Stephanie has worked in hospitality in the US and in Canada for years. She now runs her own business, SMillerVision, where the goal is to help her clients empower their employees, leading to increased satisfaction for the employees and guests alike, company growth, and increased revenue. Win win win!

 

"Hospitality is not an industry. It is the core of who you are and how you take care of people." -Stephanie Miller Vincent

 

In this episode, you'll learn at its core what "hospitality" means and what we mean when we say "you can't run a business from a checklist!" 

 

Key Takeaways:

  • You must lead your staff by example. The days of telling staff "because I said so" are over!

  • Your staff needs to understand the vision of your retail business and why exuding high levels of hospitality to their customers/guests matters

  • Being an "employer of choice" isn't always all about money. Have in-person conversations with your staff to find out why they work for you: what your strengths as an employer are, what they might change, what might make them leave.

  • Think about your team the same way you would think about your customers.

  • The "Peak-End Rule": people remember an experience based on how they felt at its peak and at its end, rather than a sum of every detail of the experience.

  • The "Third Place": people are craving a "third place" beyond home and work. How can you make your shop that place for them - and how does hospitality fit in?



Need more?

Join me and our supportive community of retailers in my Retailer's Inner Circle! March is the PERFECT time to join - Coaching Week starts in one week from today! Every day next week we will meet for group coaching. This only happens once a year so don't miss it. On top of that, you'll get a monthly marketing and operations playbook, monthly group coaching, countless on-demand masterclasses and access to a vibrant community of retailers like you - and so much more. Check it out HERE.

 

Not ready to join but want to purchase the stand-alone Foot Traffic Made Simple masterclass? You can purchase it on demand HERE.

 

Most impactful: Join the small group 6-Week Sales and Marketing Accelerator course.

We start in April! More information HERE.

 

Related podcasts we think you'll like: 

Episode 243: Behind the Counter: Creating Customer Joy in Retail with Kim Williams of The Polka Dot Press

Episode 244: Behind the Counter: From E-Commerce to Brick and Mortar with Chris Waddy

 

About your host, Wendy Batten

In case we haven't met yet, I'm Wendy, a small business coach and founder of the Retailer's Inner Circle, where I help other independent shop owners learn how to gain the right business skillsets to see more profits, paychecks, and joy as they navigate running their retail business. 

Through online classes, business coaching programs, speaking, and a top-ranked podcast, I've helped hundreds of retailers around the globe reclaim their dreams and see the success they want from their beautiful shops. My signature private coaching community, The Retailer's Inner Circle, has helped retailers around the world build their retail business skill sets and confidence. 

I am proud to have been featured in several major publications, including my own business column in What Women Create magazine. I have been privileged to be a guest on top-ranked podcasts and sought-after as a guest speaker and teacher for several brands, associations, and communities that are passionate about the success of independent retailers.

When I'm not coaching, you will find me either DIYing and renovating my very imperfect old crooked cottage by the sea in the UNESCO World Heritage town of Lunenburg, NS, or blogging about our travel and RVing adventures and the weird fun things we get up to in our coastal village. I'd love to invite you to check out one of my free resources for real retailers at https://wendybatten.com/free-resources/ 

 

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 programs and services for shop owners can be found HERE. 

Subscribe & Review on iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you're not, I'd love you to consider it. Subscribing means you won't miss an episode! Click here to subscribe to iTunes!

If you want to be more of a rockstar, I'd love it if you could leave a review over on iTunes as well.  Those reviews help other retailers find my podcast and they're also fun for me to go in and read. Just click here to review, select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. So grateful to you! Thank you!

 


Running a creative retail business often means juggling a hundred questions at once, from attracting the right customers to filling workshops and making social media feel less like a chore. Creative Shop Talk with Wendy Batten is where those pressing, daily questions meet practical, real-world answers. Hosted by creative retail mentor Wendy Batten, this podcast draws directly from her work with shop owners globally and conversations with industry leaders. Each episode feels like a focused coaching session, breaking down the complexities of modern retail into actionable steps. You’ll hear honest discussions about gaining control over your marketing, streamlining operations, and building a shop that thrives not just survives. The dialogue is grounded in the reality of running a physical creative business, offering strategies that are both thoughtful and immediately useful. Tune in for a blend of Wendy’s direct mentorship and insights from peers who understand exactly what you’re building. This isn’t about vague theory; it’s a resource for turning your unique vision into a sustainable, bustling enterprise. Find clarity and confidence for your creative shop by following the podcast wherever you listen.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

Creative Shop Talk with Wendy Batten
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