Reference, all weeks
- Retail Terms Glossary
- Retail Financing Options
Drawing schedule
Eight weeks, in the order a buyer checks them.
Tuesday, January 12th, 2027 to Thursday, March 4th, 2027. Two live sessions a week, fifteen founders. Each week teaches one part of getting retail ready, and you finish it with something built for your own product.
Week 01
The Site Survey
Understanding the retail landscape
What you learn
- The different kinds of stores, and what each one looks for
- How a decision gets made inside a retailer, and who makes it
- Where your product fits today
You leave with
A clear map of the retail landscape and an honest read on where you stand today.
Tools this week
- Retail Landscape Guide
Week 02
Sightlines
Trend forecasting and buyer personas
What you learn
- How to spot a real trend, and how to prove it
- What a buyer is looking for, and how to speak to it
- Who your shopper is, so your product is priced and packaged for her
You leave with
A trend story with evidence behind it, and a profile of the buyer you will be pitching.
Tools this week
- Trend Forecasting Template
- Buyer Persona Builder
Week 03
Breaking Ground
Product development and vendor onboarding
What you learn
- How to turn your idea into a product a factory can make the same way every time
- The safety tests your category needs, and when to do them
- The paperwork a store asks for, started early so it never slows you down
You leave with
A product plan built for the shelf, your onboarding paperwork started, and a vendor agreement you can read without a lawyer.
Tools this week
- Product Development Workbook
- Onboarding Workbook
- Annotated Vendor Agreement
Week 04
The Build Team
Sourcing and manufacturing partners
What you learn
- How to find a supplier and check that they can grow with you
- The questions that reveal a supplier who cannot keep up
- What your product really costs at 500, 2,000 and 10,000 units, and how payment terms change that
You leave with
A supplier you have checked out, and real unit costs and payment terms at 500, 2,000 and 10,000 units.
Tools this week
- Supplier Evaluation Checklist
- Unit Economics Calculator
- Payment Terms Calculator
Week 05
The Margin Blueprint
Pricing for retail
What you learn
- Your true cost, not the factory's quote
- The fees stores take off the top, and how to plan for them
- The price the shelf will bear, worked back to the margin you keep
You leave with
A price that works for the store and for you.
Tools this week
- Retail Pricing Calculator
Week 06
The Facade
Branding and packaging that sells
What you learn
- Packaging that gets picked up in three seconds
- Barcodes, labels and the other rules your package has to follow
- A simple style guide so every product looks like it belongs to you
You leave with
Packaging that sells itself and meets every requirement, settled before production.
Tools this week
- Packaging Workbook
Week 07
The Walkthrough
Winning the buyer meeting and sealing the deal
What you learn
- What to put in front of a buyer, and what to leave out
- How the meeting goes, and the questions that come every time
- How to get the meeting in the first place, and how to handle the terms
You leave with
A line plan, a pitch deck, a meeting prep sheet and a plan for getting the meeting in the first place.
Tools this week
- Retail Line Plan
- What Goes in a Winning Pitch Deck
- Buyer Meeting Prep Guide
- How to Get a Buyer Meeting
Week 08
Ribbon Cutting
Fulfillment, relationships and graduation
What you learn
- How to choose a fulfillment partner and ship a big order without paying penalties
- How to fund and fill an order when the store pays in 30 to 120 days
- How to earn the reorder and keep your spot
You leave with
A fulfillment partner you have checked out, a pre ship checklist, a sell through target, a purchase order you understand and a plan for the relationship after the first order.
Tools this week
- 3PL Partner Checklist
- Chargeback Prevention Workbook
- Sell-Through Calculator
- Ladder Plan
- PO Template
- How to Fill Out a BOL
- Sales Reporting Templates
- Industry Insights and Relationship Cadence
Session schedule
Sixteen live sessions.
Teaching sessions are Tuesdays at 7:00 PM Central, 90 minutes. Office hours are Thursdays at 7:00 PM Central, 60 minutes.
- Tuesday, January 12th, 2027Week 01 teaching
- Thursday, January 14th, 2027Week 01 office hours
- Tuesday, January 19th, 2027Week 02 teaching
- Thursday, January 21st, 2027Week 02 office hours
- Tuesday, January 26th, 2027Week 03 teaching
- Thursday, January 28th, 2027Week 03 office hours
- Tuesday, February 2nd, 2027Week 04 teaching
- Thursday, February 4th, 2027Week 04 office hours
- Tuesday, February 9th, 2027Week 05 teaching
- Thursday, February 11th, 2027Week 05 office hours
- Tuesday, February 16th, 2027Week 06 teaching
- Thursday, February 18th, 2027Week 06 office hours
- Tuesday, February 23rd, 2027Week 07 teaching
- Thursday, February 25th, 2027Week 07 office hours
- Tuesday, March 2nd, 2027Week 08 teaching
- Thursday, March 4th, 2027Week 08 office hours
Drawn by
Two sides of the same desk.
Buyer
Jasmine Hudson
I was a buyer at Walmart. A long career in merchandising put me in that chair, and hundreds of founders sat across the table from me. I said yes to some of them. Then I became one of them.
As co founder and Chief Merchant of Black Paper Party, I have priced the products, signed the contracts and lived with the paperwork. I know what the person across the table is thinking, because I was her.
Builder
Madia Willis
I am a designer first. I built products inside Target, Walmart and Five Below, including a children's brand at Walmart that grew to a billion dollars in sales.
Then I co founded Black Paper Party and took our own line from sketch to shelf. I know how to make something a store can sell, and I will teach you every step.
Take a seat in cohort 01.
$2,500 in full, or two payments of $1,500 with the second charged Tuesday, February 2nd, 2027. Cart closes Friday, January 8th, 2027.