You don't know
why it's not working.
But I might.
You don't know
why it's not working.
But I might.
You don't know
why it's not working.
But I might.
As a maker, you put heart, soul, time and money into your work.
But attracting shopkeepers who want to stock it has been…frustrating.
You research stores, write pitch emails, send samples, maybe even approach retailers in person.
You’re doing everything you’re “supposed” to do.
But it’s not working.
Now you’re disappointed, confused, running out of confidence and ready to throw in the towel.
But hang on...
There are reasons it's not working and they can be uncovered and fixed.
Often, those reasons are caused by misunderstandings and mistakes you don't even know about.
As a maker, you put heart, soul, time and money into your work.
But attracting shopkeepers who want to stock it has been…frustrating.
You research stores, write pitch emails, send samples, maybe even approach retailers in person.
You’re doing everything you’re “supposed” to do.
But it’s not working.
Now you’re disappointed, confused, running out of confidence and ready to throw in the towel.
But hang on...
There are reasons it's not working and they can be uncovered and fixed.
Often, those reasons are caused by misunderstandings and mistakes you don't even know about.
As a maker, you put heart, soul, time and money into your work.
But attracting shopkeepers who want to stock it has been…frustrating.
You research stores, write pitch emails, send samples, maybe even approach retailers in person.
You’re doing everything you’re “supposed” to do.
But it’s not working.
Now you’re disappointed, confused, running out of confidence and ready to throw in the towel.
But hang on...
There are reasons it's not working and they can be uncovered and fixed.
Often, those reasons are caused by misunderstandings and mistakes you don't even know about.
Instead of giving up, how about a leg up?
Success in wholesale isn't set-and-forget for any maker. And it's not like they teach you this stuff at art school or on the Etsy seller forums.
No wonder you need straight answers, a simple list of things to work on and a confidence boost from knowing what you're doing well.
Book an advice call for feedback and support.
Straight answers, actionable ideas and gold stars as well as pointers.
Help with wholesale
If shops won't buy, let's figure out why.
$99 for 50 minutes
You can have your
happily ever after.
Selling to shops can unlock years of regular, repeat income for makers.
So if you dream of owning a flourishing creative business that takes care of you,
here's what I can help you do.
STARTING
Figure out if wholesale is right for you.
Understand pricing for wholesale.
Set your terms and conditions.
Design a linesheet or catalogue.
Identify the right stores for your work.
Decide how to approach stores.
Write a persuasive pitch email.
Feel prepared, whatever happens.
GROWING
Get more stores placing orders.
Get more stores placing repeat orders.
Optimise your terms and conditions.
Turn your line sheet into a catalogue.
Get better results from your catalogue.
Make stores increasingly loyal to you.
Maximise the benefits of a trade show.
Tailor your wholesale set-up to suit you.
TROUBLESHOOTING
Diagnose why stores aren't buying.
Fix your catalogue or linesheet.
Fix your pitch email.
Fix your website.
Improve your strategy for finding stores.
Reduce churn.
Handle tricky situations.
Boost your confidence.
You can have your
happily ever after.
Selling to shops can unlock years of regular, repeat income for makers.
So if you dream of owning a flourishing creative business that takes care of you, here's what I can help you do.
STARTING
Figure out if wholesale is right for you.
Understand pricing for wholesale.
Set your terms and conditions.
Design a line sheet or catalogue.
Identify the right stores for your work.
Learn how to read a shop.
Write a persuasive pitch email.
Feel prepared, whatever happens.
GROWING
Get more stores placing orders.
Switch to wholesale from sale or return.
Optimise your terms and conditions.
Turn your line sheet into a catalogue.
Get better results from your catalogue.
Make stores increasingly loyal to you.
Maximise the benefits of a trade show.
Tailor your wholesale set-up to suit you.
TROUBLESHOOTING
Review your pitch email.
Review your catalogue.
Review your line sheet.
Review your product photos
Review your website.
Handle tricky situations.
Boost your confidence.
Diagnose why stores aren't buying.
"I could cry for how good and helpful this is. You've saved me from trying to find bandwidth I don't have."
GILLIAN GAMBLE
Illustrator
You can have your happily ever after.
Selling to shops can unlock years of regular, repeat income for makers.
So if you dream of owning a flourishing creative business that takes care of you,
here's what I can help you do.
STARTING
Figure out if wholesale is right for you.
Understand pricing for wholesale.
Set your terms and conditions.
Design a line sheet or catalogue.
Identify the right stores for your work.
Learn how to read a shop.
Write a persuasive pitch email.
Feel prepared, whatever happens.
GROWING
Get more stores placing orders.
Switch to wholesale from sale or return.
Optimise your terms and conditions.
Turn your line sheet into a catalogue.
Get better results from your catalogue.
Make stores increasingly loyal to you.
Maximise the benefits of a trade show.
Tailor your wholesale set-up to suit you.
TROUBLESHOOTING
Review your pitch email.
Review your catalogue.
Review your line sheet.
Review your product photos
Review your website.
Handle tricky situations.
Boost your confidence.
Diagnose why stores aren't buying.
"I could cry for how good and helpful this is. You've saved me from trying to find bandwidth I don't have."
GILLIAN GAMBLE
Illustrator
When you're ready,
Help with wholesale
When you're ready,
Here's how we fix those reasons
Help with wholesale
#1
Get on my calendar.
Click the booking button, complete your checkout and reserve a time slot.
#2
Tell me what's not working
Open up your client questionnaire to tell me what's happening - and what you WANT to happen.
#3
Let's make it work better.
We'll talk through your catalogue, line sheet, pitch email or website and make a simple action plan for you to follow.
#1
Get on my
calendar.
Click the booking button,
complete your checkout
and reserve a time slot.
#2
Tell me what's
not working
Open up your client questionnaire to tell me what's happening - and what you WANT to happen.
#3
Let's make it
work better.
We'll talk through your catalogue, line sheet, pitch email or website and make a simple action plan for you to follow.
#1
Get on my
calendar.
Click the booking button,
complete your checkout
and reserve a time slot.
#2
Tell me what's
not working
Open up your client questionnaire to tell me what's happening - and what you WANT to happen.
#3
Let's make it
work better.
We'll talk through your catalogue, line sheet, pitch email or website and make a simple action plan for you to follow.
Help with wholesale
If shops won't buy,
let's figure out why.
$99 for 50 minutes
If shops won't buy, let's figure out why.
$99 for 50 minutes
Are you getting ready for a trade show?
Because there's an advice call package for that.
You get two advice calls. The first is about your catalogue or linesheet. This is what retailers take away after visiting your stand so I'll give you feedback to make it as punchy and persuasive as possible.
In your second call, we'll talk about welcoming retailers, handling unexpected questions, how not to look awkward, what to do when your stand is quiet and how to follow up after the show.
Are you getting ready for a trade show?
Because there's an advice call package for that.
You get two advice calls. The first is about your catalogue or linesheet. This is what retailers take away after visiting your stand so I'll give you feedback to make it as punchy and persuasive as possible.
In your second call, we'll talk about welcoming retailers, handling unexpected questions, how not to look awkward, what to do when your stand is quiet and how to follow up after the show.
Are you getting ready for a trade show?
Because there's an advice call package for that.
You get two advice calls. The first is about your catalogue or linesheet. This is what retailers take away after visiting your stand so I'll give you feedback to make it as punchy and persuasive as possible.
In your second call, we'll talk about welcoming retailers, handling unexpected questions, how not to look awkward, what to do when your stand is quiet and how to follow up after the show.
Help with wholesale
Squeeeeeeze the maximum
benefit from exhibiting.
$175 for 50 minutes x 2
Squeeeeeeze the maximum
benefit from exhibiting.
$175 for 50 minutes x 2
INDIE RETAIL ACADEMY CLIENTS HAVE EXHIBITED AT
Frequently Asked Questions
And the answers you're looking for.
Indie Retail Academy is where makers, artists and designers learn to sell their work to independent retailers.
It's run by me, Clare Yuille. I've been an independent retailer since 2009 and have been teaching creative people about wholesale since 2012. More about me here.
In addition to all the free articles I share in the Knowledge Hub and the resources available in the store, I also work one-on-one with clients.
Indie Retail Academy serves a particular niche of creative entrepreneurs very well, but it’s not for everyone. You won’t learn how to sell your work to big department stores or multiples, anything to do with licensing, sales reps, manufacturing or the magic formula for overnight wealth and success.
No leprechauns here, I’m afraid. But if you want to learn how to sell to independent boutiques and galleries, this place is for you.
Stationery makers, ceramicists, painters, illustrators, furniture makers, skin care makers, jewellery designers, glass makers, fashion designers, lingerie designers, swimwear designers, photographers, papercut artists, book binders, leather workers, stone carvers and sculptors, weavers, textile designers, print makers and chocolatières have all used my resources, classes and consulting to sell their work to shops.
If you make a lovely thing and you want to sell it to independent retailers, Indie Retail Academy is for you.
Yes. There are Indie Retail Academy students in the UK, the US and Canada, South America, India, Scandinavia, Australia, Indonesia and countries all around the world.
You may have to make small adjustments depending on your industry and location, but the principles you'll learn are universal.
Yes! I'm an introvert too and I know how hard it can be to call up someone you don't know.
Here's how we fix that:
We'll talk via Zoom - just click a link to join my meeting room.
Choose audio-only if you like - that's fine with me.
You get to say "Here's what would help me get the most out of our call." There's a space for that on your client questionnaire.
I've worked with hundreds of creative people and I am one myself. I'll take good care of you.
Yes. We only ask that you use your call within 18 months of purchase.
Yes - there's a link to cancel your call and choose another time slot at the bottom of your invitation email.
Or shoot Anthony a line at anthony@indieretailacademy.com and he'll take care of you.
You have 18 months to use your advice call.
Occasionally, the tech gremlins come out and cause trouble when it's time for us to talk.
You'll receive step-by-step instructions on how to log into my Zoom meeting room when you book. If something isn't working, try closing Zoom and start again by clicking the link in your invitation email. That often does the trick.
If not, no need to panic. Just email me at clare@indieretailacademy.com, let me know what's happening and we'll figure it out.
If you don't show up for our advice call and I don't hear from you, I'll wait in our Zoom meeting room for 30 minutes. I know unexpected situations can come up, especially when you're juggling lots of responsibilities.
If you miss our call completely but would still like to talk later, we can rearrange one new appointment - please email Anthony at anthony@indieretailacademy to set this up.
Over the years I've discovered that advice calls work best when we start with one simple question. When you book, I'll ask you to answer a short questionnaire to help you figure out what that question might be.
It's okay if you're not sure. Makers often come to me because their wholesale business (and their feelings about their wholesale business) = a big ball of snakes.
That's fine. All you have to do is pick one snake. As we go along, you might find the others start to untangle themselves.
In terms of the general topics we can talk about, have a look at the "What can I help you do?" section on the Book An Advice Call page.
That's normal!
If you're nervous because you have a question that isn't covered here... email me or open the chatbox and we'll take care of it.
If you're nervous because you feel like you're in a big mess... I can help you clear it up.
Also I've seen (and been in) some big messes in my time. They ALL got fixed by doing one small thing at a time.
If you're nervous because you're worried you'll get bad feedback about your linesheet, catalogue, pitch email or website... I'll tell you what I think could use some work, but I'll also tell you what you're doing brilliantly.
I'll be straight with you about areas for improvement, for sure, but I'll be just as straight about what's already good.
If you're nervous about spending money on consulting... you know your financial situation. If now's not the time, bookmark this page. I'll be here when you're ready.
If spending the money is possible, however, remember this is about helping you make more money from selling to shops. There are no guarantees, of course, but that's my goal for you.
Sure. If that's the main thing you want to accomplish with your advice call, you can tell me that in your client questionnaire.
I'll get it up on my screen and we'll talk it all through.
We'll talk via Zoom for 50 minutes. You'll receive instructions on how to join our call using your computer when you book.
Choose to chat via audio-only if you prefer - that's completely fine by me.
Just your computer or phone. It's pretty simple and intuitive - all you have to do is click the invitation link in your booking email and follow the steps.
If you'd like a walkthrough, find one here.
Advice calls happen on Tuesdays and Thursdays. When you book your call, you'll see the next available slot in your local time zone.
If our time zones conflict or you're in a hurry to talk, just let Anthony know when you book and he'll do his best to accommodate you.
Yes, absolutely.
If you're preparing for a trade show, you can book a package of two advice calls here.
But otherwise, let's keep it simple and start with one. If you'd like to book more calls, Anthony will send you the link to do that after we talk.
Yes. I'll check it's okay with you to record the call at the start. If you'd like a copy of the recording, Anthony will whizz it over after we wrap up.
No. I'm not a lawyer, accountant or financial advisor. An advice call is not a substitute for the legal or professional advice provided by your own lawyer, accountant or financial advisor. More on that here.
Interested in booking an advice call but there's a question you need answerered first? Click the purple button on the right to open a chat with me - I monitor the chatbox personally.
