My story
I've been deep in the numbers and out on the sales floor.
I'm Megan Rodriguez — entrepreneur, creative director and coach. I've spent the last thirty years learning what it really takes to build a successful retail business, and a fair amount of that learning was expensive.
How it started
It started with the numbers.
I spent nearly a decade in finance at PwC in New York City, where I learned to scrutinize the numbers, prepare for the downside, and always ask, “What happens if this doesn't go according to plan?”
Then I did what a lot of people told me not to do. I left a stable corporate career and opened a retail store.
That decision changed my life.
Over the next twenty-plus years, I owned and operated brick-and-mortar and online retail businesses, built a specialty retail brand from the ground up, opened a destination retail location in Grand Central Terminal, launched mobile retail concepts, and eventually began helping others build and curate retail experiences across fashion, beauty, hospitality, and health & wellness.
What it cost to learn
I learned a lot of great lessons — but some were very expensive.
My first store taught me that location can make or break a business. When I chose the location for my second store, it generated ten times the revenue of my first. Same operator, same instincts, same work ethic. Different structure.
When the housing market collapsed in 2009, I learned that downturns don't just create problems — they can create opportunities. While others were pulling back, I was able to move into spaces that were once out of my reach.
Hurricane Sandy taught me what happens when something completely outside your control disrupts your business — and you discover too late that your insurance doesn't cover what you thought it did.
When COVID forced me to close my store, I didn't give up, I pivoted. I put the store on wheels and took it directly to our customers.
Every one of those lessons is now a section of the master class, because the point of teaching is to hopefully save someone else the tuition.
Where I've been
Real experience. Real results. Real lessons.
Years across finance & retail
From nearly a decade in finance at PwC to almost twenty years building, operating and advising retail businesses.
Years as owner & operator
Investing my own money, signing leases, buying inventory, hiring teams, managing cash flow — and living with every decision.
Sales per square foot
Built a specialty retail business and expanded into one of Grand Central Terminal, NYC's premier retail destinations.
Product margins
Maintained margins above 70% through private label programs, disciplined buying and sell-through optimization.
Revenue growth
My first store taught me the power of location. The second time around I applied the lesson — and the result was ten times the revenue.
Retail models operated
Brick and mortar, shop-in-shop, mobile and e-commerce — not to mention experiential and private label programs. The goal isn't to pick the “best” model. It's to find the “right” model for each situation.
Choosing the retail model that is right for you is what matters most. Let's get your dream going — and make sure it never turns into a nightmare.
Megan Rodriguez
How I work
I don't tell you, I show you.
I don't believe there's one right way to do retail, and I'm suspicious of anyone who says otherwise. The model that's perfect for one person would be miserable for another.
So the work starts with you — your capital, your appetite for risk, your experience, and the life you actually want to be living in three years. Then we find the structure that serves it.
My finance background saved me many times over the years, and so our program deals in real numbers rather than encouragement. You will have a real plan when you complete our master class.
See what's inside the master classLet's find your model
Thirty years of lessons, structured into a process that ends with a plan built for your concept.