The Footwear Retailer
Running a footwear store isn’t easy—you’re juggling inventory, managing staff, keeping customers happy, and trying to stay profitable. The Footwear Retailer Podcast is here to help you simplify the chaos, grow a business you love, and step confidently into your role as a leader.
Hosted by Pete Mohr—a seasoned footwear retailer, business coach, and proud owner of two Shoetopia stores in Canada—this biweekly podcast delivers actionable strategies and inspiring stories from industry experts, successful retailers, and next-generation leaders.
From inventory headaches to team dynamics, from profit margins to leadership growth, every episode is packed with practical insights you can act on right away.
Whether you're navigating daily frustrations or preparing for long-term success, this podcast is your guide to building a thriving footwear business that doesn’t just survive—it thrives.
Because at the end of the day, “You own your business, it shouldn’t own you!”
Subscribe now and take your next step toward clarity, growth, and freedom
The Footwear Retailer
Introduction - How to Simplify Retail Chaos and Build a Profitable Shoe Store
In this very first episode of The Footwear Retailer Podcast, host Pete Mohr dives into the challenges of running a shoe store and how you can take back control of your business. Learn how to simplify the chaos, implement proven strategies, and reclaim your time and profits. This episode introduces the Business Value Blueprint, focusing on foundational strategies, growth techniques, and legacy building.
Whether you're managing inventory, leading a team, or growing your customer base, this episode delivers actionable advice to help you turn your store into a thriving and enjoyable business.
Key Takeaways from This Episode:
→ Discover the 6 Ps of Retail Success: Promise, Product, Process, People, Promotion, and Profit.
→ Learn why your business should work for you—not the other way around.
→ Explore strategies for scaling operations without breaking your systems.
→ Understand how to plan for succession and build a lasting legacy.
→ Get one actionable step to free up your time and focus on growth.
Who This Episode is For:
→ Independent footwear retailers struggling with overwhelm.
→ Family business owners navigating succession and leadership changes.
→ Store owners specializing in running shoes, leisure footwear, or family footwear.
→ Entrepreneurs who want practical, proven advice to grow their businesses.
Mentioned in This Episode:
→ Follow on Instagram for updates and tips: @TheFootwearRetailer
→ Visit the official website for resources and podcast updates: TheFootwearRetailer.com
→ Book a chat with Pete Mohr: SpeakToPete.com
Actionable Step from Pete:
Take 10 minutes to identify one task you’re currently doing that someone else on your team could handle. Start documenting the process or delegating the task to free up your time for high-level strategy.
Looking Ahead:
This podcast will feature solo episodes with actionable insights, guest interviews with industry experts, and relatable stories to inspire and equip you for success. Don’t miss out on strategies to simplify, grow, and enjoy your journey as a footwear retailer.
Join the Conversation:
→ Got a question or story to share? DM Pete on Instagram or book a chat at SpeakToPete.com.
Follow & Subscribe:
Subscribe to The Footwear Retailer Podcast and never miss an episode! Hit the like button, leave a comment, and share this episode with fellow footwear retailers looking to grow their businesses.
P.S. Feeling like your business is running you instead of the other way around? Reply to this email, and I’ll share one simple step to help you take back control and scale with confidence.
PLUS: Whenever you're ready, here are 3 ways I can help you move from the Operator’s seat to the Owner’s seat in your business:
1. Take the Value Builder Assessment to better understand the areas of your business that add the most value to your business - Click Here
2. Uncover your Kolbe. Whether just for you, or for your full team, better understand leadership strengths and ways you can advance your People - Click Here.
3. Listen my other podcast Business Owner Breakthrough podcast as well for quick tools and tips - Click Here
Welcome to the very first episode of the Footwear Retailer Podcast. You know, whether you're listening from your store, maybe on your commute, or during a rare quiet moment, I am absolutely thrilled you're here. Because running a shoe store isn't easy. But you don't have to do it alone. This podcast is here to help you simplify the chaos, grow with clarity, and most importantly, it's about enjoying the journey as a footwear retailer. Let's face it, running a shoe store can feel pretty overwhelmed, overwhelming at given times. You know, there's inventory headaches, there's team management struggles, there's customer demands and the constant pressure, of course, to stay profitable. On top of all that, it's easy to feel like you're glued to your business with no time for yourself or your family. But here's the truth. You own your business and it shouldn't own you. And that's a premise of the podcast. It's all about giving you the tools and the strategies and the insights to take back back control. Not only control of your business, but control of your life. Every episode will bring you some practical advice, some relatable stories, clear, actionable steps. Make the business work for you. You know, throughout this podcast, we're going to follow a proven framework that I call the Business Value Blueprint. It's really built on three key pillars and the first one is called the foundation pillar. You know, every good thing is built with a strong foundation, right? Building strong operational system and leadership skills. And I've got two sort of frameworks that we'll dig into along the way. One is called the six Ps and just to lay them out briefly, it's your promise, your product, your process, your people, promotion and your profit and communicating effectively, which is the leadership part of it, all around better communication, management and accountability. So those are the key pillars that, that we are going to talk about in that first foundational one. Then we're also gonna talk about growth, right? It's hard to carry on if you're not growing. So we'll talk about scaling operations without breaking your systems. We'll talk about innovating to improve customer experiences. We'll talk about tracking key performance indicators. And then we'll get into legacy. Because it's one thing to grow revenue, it's another thing to grow your legacy and the profit and the value of your business, right? So, so we'll talk about planning for succession, we'll talk about preserving wealth and knowledge and building long lasting brand legacy. Every episode will touch on one or more of these pillars along the way, whether it's me doing a solo episode or with our guests. But we'll be talking about inventory management, leadership, team building, or maybe growing your customer base. So if you're an independent footwear retailer, whether you specialized in run store running shoes, leisure footwear, maybe family footwear, this podcast is for you. And if you're part of a family business, navigating succession, or stepping into a leadership role as the next generation, you're in the right place no matter where you're at in your footwear journey. Whether you're a seasoned store owner or just starting out, this podcast is designed to support your journey. So what can you expect in future episodes of the Footwear Retailer Podcast? Well, first of all, some solo episodes focused on insights and frameworks and actionable strategies. And then we're going to do guest interviews, conversations with industry experts, successful retailers and next generation leaders, wholesalers, anybody that's around the business, the footwear business that can help you move the ball, right? We'll talk with real stories, honest discussions about challenges and wins and losses too, and the lessons learned along the way. Always my goal is to have some practical takeaways for every episode that will leave you with something you can act upon immediately. It's not just about theory, it's about real, actionable advice that you can use to improve your business and your life today. Speaking of actionable steps, here's something I'd love you to do this week is take 10 minutes to write down one thing you're doing right now that someone else on your team could handle. Think about how you can either delegate it or at least get started in documenting the process so someone else can take it over down the road. It's small steps like this that add up, and every task you remove from your plate creates more space for you to focus on the big picture strategy of your business. If you found today's episode valuable, hit that subscribe button if you want to hear a little bit more. Don't miss out on future episodes. It's going to be all around you. The Footwear retailer. You can follow us on Instagram at the Footwear Retailer for updates, tips and behind the scenes content. Or you can head on over to the footwear retailer.com and if you have a specific challenge or story that you'd like to hear or share on the podcast. Or maybe you'd like to be a guest on the podcast, let's chat. You can DM me on Instagram or simply book a chat with me@speaktopeat.com that's speaktopete.com drop me a line there and we will hop on a chat@speaktopeat.com where you can book in an appointment with me and we'll have a chat all about it. Thanks for joining me on this very first episode of the Footwear Retailer Podcast. I'm so excited to be on this journey with you. Remember, you own your business and it shouldn't own you. Now go and make it a great day.
