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What does it really take to be ready for a national retail opportunity?
In this Retail Readiness Round, Cory Varona, co-founder of OCOA Beauty, shares three important lessons every product-based founder should know before pitching a national retailer.
Cory talks about:
Why your product and packaging need to be retail-ready before you pitch
Why having a manufacturer that can scale with you is critical
How mentors, accelerators, and retailer programs can help open doors
Why researching your retail peers can make your pitch stronger
And the retail lesson she learned the hard way: supply chain is expensive
Cory also shares how Ocoa Beauty launched at Ulta Beauty through an accelerator program and why preparing before the opportunity comes can make all the difference.  
If you're a founder hoping to get your product into retail, this quick Retail Readiness Round is packed with practical advice you can use before your next buyer pitch.
🎧 Listen now and get retail ready.
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Event Partner: Nourish Summit & Expo (Oct. 5-7, 2027 | Baltimore) - Use code SHELFTALKS10 for 10% off full registration https://bit.ly/4sx0Zba

Looking for more? Visit our Linktree for the latest episodes, free resources, retail tips, and ways to connect with the Shelf Talks community.
https://linktr.ee/shelftalkspodcast
Love what you hear on Shelf Talks? You can now support the podcast. Every contribution helps bring more indie voices to the mic. Thank you for being part of this journey! ✨
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2411532/support
Contact us via email: Hello@shelftalks.com 

Reach out if you know of a female founder with an impactful brand and retail story and leave a review if you found value in this episode! Hello@shelftalks.com

Purchase the book Shelf Talk: A step by step guide to launching your product in Retail Stores by Roberta Townes Buy Book

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What does it really take to go from an idea in your kitchen to getting your product on the shelves of 461 Ulta Beauty stores?
In this episode of Shelf Talks, Roberta sits down with Cory Varona, co-founder of OCOA Beauty, the sister-founded curly hair brand inspired by their Dominican heritage and their own journey of learning to embrace their natural curls.
Cory and her sister Nicole didn't come from the beauty industry. Cory was an accountant and Nicole worked in financial services and marketing. But after discovering cleaner hair care options and realizing there was a gap in the market, Cory decided to educate herself in formulation and began developing OCOA's first products.
What followed was a journey filled with persistence, mistakes, a major rebrand, accelerator programs, and plenty of lessons about what it takes to become retail ready.
Cory shares how they:
• Created their first formulas themselves before partnering with a lab
• Found a manufacturer by refusing to give up
• Launched with one hero product instead of trying to launch five
• Learned the importance of branding and packaging before entering retail
• Rebranded from D N Organics to OCOA Beauty and connected the brand more deeply to their Dominican heritage
• Used accelerator programs to learn the retail business
• Prepared for and pitched Ulta Beauty
• Differentiated OCOA by identifying white space on the shelf
• Prepared their supply chain for a 461-store retail launch
• Learned the difference between selling DTC and supporting a retail business
• Track productivity and rebuys to understand retail performance
• Built community as a small brand without a huge marketing budget
Cory also gets candid about the challenges of growing a small CPG brand, knowing when to invest in education, building a business with your sister, leaving a corporate career, and trusting your intuition when the next opportunity appears.
If you're a founder trying to get your product into retail, this episode is packed with lessons on persistence, retail readiness, differentiation, community building, and knowing when your brand is ready for the shelf.
This is a conversation about more than getting into retail. It's about building a brand that is ready to stay there.
OCOA Beauty Website
OCOA Beauty Instagram
Support the show

Event Partner: Nourish Summit & Expo (Oct. 5-7, 2027 | Baltimore) - Use code SHELFTALKS10 for 10% off full registration https://bit.ly/4sx0Zba

Looking for more? Visit our Linktree for the latest episodes, free resources, retail tips, and ways to connect with the Shelf Talks community.
https://linktr.ee/shelftalkspodcast
Love what you hear on Shelf Talks? You can now support the podcast. Every contribution helps bring more indie voices to the mic. Thank you for being part of this journey! ✨
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2411532/support
Contact us via email: Hello@shelftalks.com 

Reach out if you know of a female founder with an impactful brand and retail story and leave a review if you found value in this episode! Hello@shelftalks.com

Purchase the book Shelf Talk: A step by step guide to launching your product in Retail Stores by Roberta Townes Buy Book

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Getting your product onto a retail shelf is not the finish line. It’s the beginning.
In this solo episode of Shelf Talks, host Roberta breaks down one of the most powerful ways product-based brands can turn their retail presence into real consumer connection: sampling.
If you sell an experiential product that customers can taste, feel, use, or experience, sampling gives you the opportunity to connect with shoppers at the exact moment they are making purchasing decisions. But Roberta explains why the value goes far beyond getting someone to try your product.
You’ll learn how sampling can help you:
• Build trust and loyalty with consumers
• Turn product claims into real proof through firsthand experience
• Gather valuable feedback on your product, packaging, pricing, and positioning
• Create content from real customer reactions and conversations
• Show retail buyers that you are invested in growing your business once you’re on the shelf
• Turn retail associates into brand advocates
• Drive incremental sales and add-to-basket purchases
• Start sampling strategically, even when you have a small budget
• Create an in-store experience even if your product can't be physically sampled
Roberta also shares examples from founders featured on Shelf Talks, including SEEQ and Loonen Water, and explains how brands can start small with one store, one activation, and a clear strategy.
Whether you're already selling in retail or preparing for your first retail launch, this episode will help you think differently about what you do after you get on the shelf.
Because getting on the shelf is just the beginning. The real question is: what are you going to do with the opportunity?
Listen now and start thinking about how you can turn your retail shelf presence into an experience customers remember.
Support the show

Event Partner: Nourish Summit & Expo (Oct. 5-7, 2027 | Baltimore) - Use code SHELFTALKS10 for 10% off full registration https://bit.ly/4sx0Zba

Looking for more? Visit our Linktree for the latest episodes, free resources, retail tips, and ways to connect with the Shelf Talks community.
https://linktr.ee/shelftalkspodcast
Love what you hear on Shelf Talks? You can now support the podcast. Every contribution helps bring more indie voices to the mic. Thank you for being part of this journey! ✨
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2411532/support
Contact us via email: Hello@shelftalks.com 

Reach out if you know of a female founder with an impactful brand and retail story and leave a review if you found value in this episode! Hello@shelftalks.com

Purchase the book Shelf Talk: A step by step guide to launching your product in Retail Stores by Roberta Townes Buy Book

Send us Fan Mail
Getting your product onto a retail shelf is exciting, but getting the yes is only the beginning.
In this episode of Shelf Talks, Roberta Townes shares 10 smart questions every product-based founder should ask a retail buyer when discussing a potential retail partnership.
From understanding what success looks like and how your launch will be measured, to uncovering promotional opportunities, customer demographics, category resets, and what happens if your product doesn't perform as expected, these questions will help you walk into buyer conversations prepared and informed.
You'll learn how to:
 Understand what success looks like to the retailer 
 Identify the biggest opportunities for your brand within the assortment 
 Determine whether your target customer aligns with the retailer's customer 
 Understand the scope of your initial launch 
 Clarify what support the buyer expects from you 
 Uncover promotional and retail media opportunities 
 Know which metrics will determine your success 
 Understand what happens if your product underperforms 
 Learn from brands that have already succeeded in the retailer 
 Identify upcoming category resets, seasonal opportunities, and initiatives 
Because getting on the shelf isn't the finish line. The goal is building a partnership between two businesses that can actually win on shelf. 
Grab your pen and pad. These are questions you'll want to have ready for your next conversation with a retail buyer.
Support the show

Event Partner: Nourish Summit & Expo (Oct. 5-7, 2027 | Baltimore) - Use code SHELFTALKS10 for 10% off full registration https://bit.ly/4sx0Zba

Looking for more? Visit our Linktree for the latest episodes, free resources, retail tips, and ways to connect with the Shelf Talks community.
https://linktr.ee/shelftalkspodcast
Love what you hear on Shelf Talks? You can now support the podcast. Every contribution helps bring more indie voices to the mic. Thank you for being part of this journey! ✨
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2411532/support
Contact us via email: Hello@shelftalks.com 

Reach out if you know of a female founder with an impactful brand and retail story and leave a review if you found value in this episode! Hello@shelftalks.com

Purchase the book Shelf Talk: A step by step guide to launching your product in Retail Stores by Roberta Townes Buy Book

Send us Fan Mail
Getting your product onto a retail shelf is a huge milestone, but what happens when the product isn't selling once it gets there?
In this solo episode of Shelf Talks, Roberta Townes, retail buyer and host of Shelf Talks Podcast, breaks down 5 reasons a great product may not be performing as expected in retail. From unclear packaging and pricing to weak marketing, poor shelf placement, and not understanding your retail metrics, Roberta shares the buyer perspective every product-based founder needs to know.
You'll learn how to:
• Make sure consumers can understand your product in seconds
• Evaluate your pricing against the competition and perceived value
• Create demand instead of relying on the retailer to do all the marketing
• Evaluate your shelf placement and merchandising
• Understand key retail metrics including sales velocity, inventory, weeks of supply, sell-through, and promotional performance
• Understand why a reorder is more powerful than an initial purchase order
• Look at your product through the eyes of the consumer, retailer, and buyer
Whether you're preparing to pitch your first retailer or your product is already on shelves and you're frustrated with slow sales, this episode will give you a practical retail checkup you can use immediately.
Because getting into retail is only the beginning. The real goal is winning on the shelf.
Support the show

Event Partner: Nourish Summit & Expo (Oct. 5-7, 2027 | Baltimore) - Use code SHELFTALKS10 for 10% off full registration https://bit.ly/4sx0Zba

Looking for more? Visit our Linktree for the latest episodes, free resources, retail tips, and ways to connect with the Shelf Talks community.
https://linktr.ee/shelftalkspodcast
Love what you hear on Shelf Talks? You can now support the podcast. Every contribution helps bring more indie voices to the mic. Thank you for being part of this journey! ✨
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2411532/support
Contact us via email: Hello@shelftalks.com 

Reach out if you know of a female founder with an impactful brand and retail story and leave a review if you found value in this episode! Hello@shelftalks.com

Purchase the book Shelf Talk: A step by step guide to launching your product in Retail Stores by Roberta Townes Buy Book