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What is the NRF (National Retail Federation) and what do they do? Today’s guest, Katherine Cullen, is the senior director of industry and consumer insights for the National Retail Federation’s research team. That means that she leads NRF’s research on consumer spending and emerging retail trends. What does that information tell us about retail today? […]

Over recent years, there have been many changes in what people expect from retailers. People want to shop locally, but they also want the convenience afforded to them by big retailers. SpotOn helps smaller retailers achieve that. Today, you’ll hear from Doron Friedman, co-founder of SpotOn. Listen to the episode to hear more about Doron […]

Has the definition or expectation of convenience changed over time? The people who might best know the answer to this are people in the convenience store business – people like today’s guest. Pervez Pir is the President of Retail at Loop Neighborhood Marketplace, and he has an important perspective on the value of convenience and […]

When you’re a business operator, how can you make sure you’re on track, gather the information you need, and keep up with what your team needs and what they’re doing? The answer is good operations management. And that’s what today’s guest’s business does – operations management and analytics. Tommy Yionoulis is the founder of OpsAnalitica. […]

Retail has undergone a lot of changes over the past few years. In today’s episode, you’ll hear from Dan Goldman, strategic consumer and retail industry executive who explains what’s changed for the retail industry during the pandemic, the importance of focusing on creating closer relationships with customers and appealing to their motivations, and what Dan […]

You can’t think about brick-and-mortar retail without considering franchises. Is a franchise right for you? Will a specific franchise work in your region of the US? How much work does it take to maintain a franchise? These are some of the important questions that a person must consider when thinking about franchising. In today’s episode, […]

White Castle isn’t as big as some other hamburger chains, but it is the oldest chain in the United States, and it remains family-owned even after 100 years, which is a big feat. In today’s episode, you’ll learn more about White Castle and why it remains a success so long after its initial appearance. Jamie […]

What is different about selling your brand in a multi-brand, brick and mortar store? Is this a good idea for a direct-to-consumer brand that wants to add a brick and mortar option for customers? How does it work? Today’s guest is Matt Alexander, the co-founder and CEO of Neighborhood Goods, a department store that sells […]

How do robotics function in the retail world now, and how will they play into retail settings in the future? Today’s guest is working in the cutting edge of autonomous robotics and will explain a lot of the thinking around robotics in the retail space. Josh Baylin is the Vice President of Product and Marketing […]

Having a great idea for a business doesn’t necessarily mean you understand how to best manage your money, make a financial plan, or handle cash flow. So where does an entrepreneur turn when they need to learn how to manage the financial end of their business responsibly? They can turn to someone like today’s guest, Tracey Bissett. Tracey provides her clients with coaching. She prefers to frame it as teaching them how to become financially fit, rather than focusing on financial literacy. She helps her clients succeed by making sure that they understand how to manage their money in a smart way. Listen to the episode to hear Tracey explain what her clients are looking for and how she guides them, the biggest mistakes she sees, and what main ideas she wants her clients to walk away with.   Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: ✔ Tracey’s history and the company she runs ✔ The types of clients Tracey works with ✔ What clients reach out to Tracey for ✔ What Tracey means by financial fitness ✔ What are the “whys” Tracey gives clients to think about ✔ Some of the biggest mistakes Tracey sees ✔ Whether entrepreneurs know they are making mistakes by the time they come to Tracey ✔ What most business owners are successful at when managing their money ✔ Whether most business owners understand their financial statements ✔ Whether Tracey has a few main components she wants clients to walk away with ✔ Differences in how Tracey coaches from a geographic standpoint ✔ Tracey’s process with clients ✔ Why cash flow planning is important and how to set the price ✔ Advice for growing a healthy and sustainable business   Resources: Tracey Bissett Money Meeting Agenda   QUOTES: “I do have quite a few people reach out and start wanting to plan for a future-oriented business so they’re getting their business plan together.” “Most people don’t decide to start their business not to get a paycheck.” “It’s not that we’re solving all the problems immediately, but we’re quantifying them, and then they’re able to move forward with action steps to actually solve things.” “If we’re trying to understand what they can or can’t afford, what I find is the easiest way to do that is build out a cash flow forecast.” “If

Is the Great Resignation just a buzzword, or is it real? Either way, employees are quitting their jobs and looking for new roles. And research shows that workers who are engaged in their work and workplace can actually be more likely to outperform competitors. It’s time to start rethinking employee management and come up with new strategies for improving the employee experience. Here to talk about this subject today is Vikas Bhambri, SVP, Sales & CX at Kustomer and Devon Mychal, Director of Product Marketing at Talkdesk. In their conversation today, they’ll be exploring ways for companies to have a truly employee-centered workforce with top-down advocacy for employee wellbeing. Listen to the episode to hear them discuss why it’s more difficult to sustain engagement in the workforce, especially for deskless employees, how to address staff shortages and reductions, and what ripple effects a workforce experiences from high turnover.   Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: ✔ What Vikas does at Kustomer ✔ What Devon does at Talkdesk ✔ Why has it become more difficult to build and maintain an engaged workforce ✔ The perfect storm of legacy concepts, remote working, and bring-your-own-device ✔ Addressing staff shortages and reductions ✔ How to set up workers for success ✔The ripple effects of high turnover rates in a company ✔ Hits to morale due to turnover ✔ Training and updates due to new technology ✔ How recognition plays a role and how companies should manage it ✔ Trend changes that are going to have a future impact on workforce management   Resources: Devon Mychal Vikas Bhambri Talkdesk Kustomer   QUOTES: “The staffing shortage is real and companies are getting creative in terms of how they’re approaching these things.” –Devon Mychal, Director of Product Marketing at Talkdesk “Even for very large legacy brands and companies, you’re seeing how a change in leadership can not only have an impact on the employee brand but ultimately the bottom line and the share price.” –Vikas Bhambri, SVP, Sales & CX at Kustomer “Any individual leaving a company has a profound impact.” –Vikas Bhambri, SVP, Sales & CX at Kustomer “Companies that aren’t investing in a strong customer experience brand and really making that a priority are having trouble attracting agents and keeping agents because they don’t want to be a part of something that doesn’t value the work that they do. –Devon Mychal, Director of Pro

No matter what’s going on in the world, people will still fall in love and want to get married. For that reason, businesses like David’s Bridal are always going to be important, in the midst of COVID or during any other time. In today’s episode, you’ll hear from Kelly Cook, EVP and Chief Marketing and IT Officer for David’s Bridal. Listen in to hear what she has to say about how she ended up at David’s bridal, what changes she’s seen in the behavior of consumers who are using David’s bridal, and what David’s has coming in the future in terms of technology and omnichannel experiences.   Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: ✔ Kelly’s background ✔ What David’s Bridal is about ✔ What brought Kelly to David’s Bridal initially ✔ What “transforming” means to Kelly ✔ Changes Kelly has seen in consumer behavior ✔ Key omnichannel experiences that David’s has adopted ✔ What David’s is seeing on the horizon that they want to do ✔ Technology decisions that are important for David’s Bridal ✔ The elements that make the loyalty program at David’s successful ✔ Metrics that David’s is held to ✔ Best in-location experiences Kelly has had with other brands ✔ Kelly’s advice for retailers Resources: Kelly Cook   QUOTES: “Loving the love business, which is what we’re in at David’s.” “It’s really about pulling back and looking at every single way we serve her, and figuring out better ways to do that given the way she lives her life today.” “One of the things that we’re really going to be focused on this year is digitally transforming the entire wedding planning process for her.”