Expanding internationally is an important lever for value creation, but it’s also a complex challenge. Here are 10 questions to consider as you prepare for global expansion: Is your business ready for international growth? Global expansion demands significant resources — financial, operational, and human. Are your current operations stable and efficient? Will your product resonate...
After returning from a magical trip to Machu Picchu and taking my usual three-mile hike in Montclair with my dog, Bear, I started reflecting on how hiking impacts the way I lead. Here’s what I’ve learned: 1. 🧠Gain perspective. Hiking gives me a deeper understanding of my surroundings — and my place in the...
I’ve had three pivotal experiences working directly with consumers: During college, I worked at Gap and Abercrombie & Fitch (yes, the days of pumping perfume into the store and rolling up shorts). This experience gave me firsthand exposure to retail operations and customer interactions. Later, I partnered with cultural anthropologists, conducting in-home visits to observe...
I’ve led three companies (both public and private) from predominantly wholesale business models to global omnichannel companies (where direct to consumer — e-commerce and/or retail stores — made up single digits). I’ve also led two private companies from predominantly DTC businesses (with no or little wholesale) to omnichannel companies. Based on these experiences, here is...
I recently spoke at Columbia Business School’s “Designing Customer Experiences” program, exploring questions such as, “How do you define and design for customer experience? What are the challenges?” These questions may seem simple, but leaders know the answers are complex. My definition of customer experience (CX): At a macro level, CX involves thinking expansively and...
Effective retail and e-commerce merchandising weaves a narrative, eliminates shopper confusion, influences consumers to choose your brand and, crucially, converts more visitors into loyal customers. Here are 10 reasons why brands and retailers should prioritize merchandising in 2024: Curation simplifies purchases. Telling a compelling story about a product collection enables consumers to quickly immerse themselves...
One of the aspects I love most about business is evolving organizational structures to position the company for exponential growth. For me, it’s about thinking at a high level about how a business can reconfigure itself with minimum disruption and maximum impact. Early in my career, I had the opportunity to work on two McKinsey...
I’ve always been passionate about creating loyalty programs for brands. It’s a valuable way to connect with and learn from your customers while delivering concrete business results, especially as customer acquisition costs rise. Before implementing a loyalty program, my team and I spend significant time contemplating these essential questions: Customer value proposition: Why would our...
In examining the integration of personal and business brands, it’s crucial to recognize three distinct types of CEOs, each with unique approaches. Having assumed the role of the second type of CEO, I can provide insights within this category. Here are the three CEO types: the namesake CEO; the non-namesake CEO who is open to...
I have had several CEO friends reach out to me and ask me these three questions on artificial intelligence, so I wanted to share my thoughts. What is Generative AI? Essentially, generative AI is a branch of computer science focused on creating machines and software systems with the goal to simulate human cognitive processes through...
