Howdy, ya’ll!

I’m writing this letter from the inaugural Total Retail Tech event in Dallas, and couldn’t be more excited! The first full day of the event kicks off today, and things are already heating up (literally … it’s about 100 degrees here!).

Before I arrived in the Lone Star state, last week I had the opportunity to attend the Shop.org conference in Las Vegas and loved seeing many past Women in Retail honorees and speakers on the main stage! Below are just a few of my favorite pieces of advice shared by them.

Miki Beradelli, CEO, KIDBOX: As far as being a CEO, and a woman CEO — there are still too few of us — it’s been a new challenge for me. When I was a CMO, it was fun, and I had a chance to think about about the customer more. As CEO, I’ve had to pivot. It’s a healthy tension and pressure that serves as a compass to make decisions” — On the change in moving from a legacy brand to a startup

Jen Rubio, Co-Founder, President and Chief Brand Officer, Away: You have to put in the hard work. I never wanted to be an entrepreneur, and never set out to be a founder. Sometimes, it seems very glamorous to be a founder, but I lived on my co-founder’s couch that first year we were starting. She missed her finals at Columbia to visit factory tours. It’s long hours and a great team that helped us grow.” — On growing a business from the ground up

Ali Weiss, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Glossier: “It’s incredibly important to make sure there aren’t hard lines between teams. We offer great customer service to meet our customer where she is. It comes down to sincerity and empathy.” — On connecting with Glossier’s audience

Tell us, what are some of your best pieces of advice? Let us know by commenting on our social pages at @WIRLeadership on Instagram and Twitter.

Until next time!

Caitlin Sullivan
Senior Content Strategist
Women in Retail Leadership Circle