About Shelf Talks
Why Product Founders Listen to Shelf Talks
If you're building a product-based business and dream of seeing your products on retail shelves, Shelf Talks is the podcast designed for you. Hosted by Roberta Townes, a retail buyer with more than 15 years of experience, Shelf Talks features inspiring conversations with successful founders who have built brands sold in retailers across the country. Every episode delivers practical retail strategies, real-world lessons, and actionable advice to help you confidently grow your business.
Whether you're preparing for your first buyer meeting, launching into retail, or looking to increase sales in stores, Shelf Talks provides the knowledge, inspiration, and confidence you need to move your brand forward.
Every episode is designed to help you become more retail-ready. You'll learn how successful founders got their products into retail stores, what retail buyers look for before saying "yes," how to prepare for buyer meetings with confidence, strategies to increase sell-through and keep your products on the shelf, common retail mistakes and how to avoid them, marketing ideas that drive awareness, trial, and in-store sales, and behind-the-scenes stories from founders who have built nationally recognized consumer brands.
Shelf Talks is created for ambitious product founders across every consumer category, including food and beverage, beauty, wellness, baby, pet, lifestyle, and other consumer packaged goods brands. Whether you're launching your first product or expanding into national retailers, every episode is packed with insights you can apply to your own business.
Hosted by Roberta Townes, a retail buyer with more than 15 years of experience evaluating products for retail, Shelf Talks combines industry expertise with authentic founder stories to give listeners an inside look at what it really takes to succeed on the shelf. Every conversation goes beyond the highlight reel, sharing honest lessons, practical strategies, and actionable advice you can implement after every episode.
Roberta's work has been featured by CanvasRebel Magazine, She Owns It, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Daily Grind Podcast, and Creatorwood, where she shares her passion for helping product founders build stronger brands and navigate the retail industry with confidence.
Your next retail breakthrough could start with one conversation. Whether you're preparing to pitch your first retailer or looking to grow an established brand, Shelf Talks is here to help you learn from founders who have successfully built retail businesses and the experts who know what it takes to win on the shelf. Because when founders win, we all win. ♥
