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 foresees for the future of retail.

TOPICS DISCUSSED IN TODAY’S EPISODE:

- Dan’s career and how he got in the clothing industry

- Fun things Dan does in his current role

- How things have changed for retailers during the pandemic

- How to create a closer relationship with customers

- Different motivators that are driving consumers these days

- How store environments and associates interact with customers to build connections

- Common mistakes that brands make

- Dan’s definition of a great retail brand in 2022

- Focusing on ways to connect with new customers

- Dan’s suggestions for retail brands of the future

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, you’ll hear from Lance Graulich, founder and CEO of ION Franchising. Listen to the episode to hear what Lance has to say about assessing whether a potential franchisee is ready, which industries are fun, challenging, or lucrative, and common mistakes that new franchisees make.

TOPICS DISCUSSED IN TODAY’S EPISODE:

- Lance’s background

- What Lance does

- Whether Lance has to assess whether people are ready to own a franchise

- The most fun franchise brands Lance has been part of

- When do you know whether to look into a franchise or start your own business

- Whether some ideas only work in certain regions of the United States

- How to test something that works in one region to see if it will work in other parts of the US

- The most popular franchise categories

- The most difficult franchise categories

- Industries that are lucrative but challenging to get into

- The right time to start franchising

- Problems that up-and-coming franchisees encounter

- Common mistakes of franchisees

- Advice for new franchisees

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 Richardson is the Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations at White Castle. Over the years, he’s also worked as a Regional Marketing Supervisor, Director of Marketing, and the VP of Public Relations, so he knows a lot about the company. Listen to the episode to hear what Jamie has to say about why he works at White Castle, why White Castle has stood the test of time, and why White Castle is a great place to work.

TOPICS DISCUSSED IN TODAY’S EPISODE:

- Jamie’s role

- What brought Jamie to White Castle

- What Jamie’s day to day looks like

- Why White Castle has stood the test of time

- Why the White Castle footprint is smaller than competitors

- White Castle’s frozen food products in the grocery store

- Initiatives that White Castle has been focused on

- Changes to the brand over the last few years

- The keys to a great dining experience

- Advice for restaurants to grow and last as long as White Castle has

- Why White Castle is a great place to work

- How to keep a multi-location restaurant a desirable place for employees to work

- White Castle’s new Strawberry-Swirl Cheesecake on a stick

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 a variety of different brands that fit the store’s guidelines and meet their customers’ needs. In today’s episode, you’ll learn about what led Matt to create a department store and how it works for brands.

Listen in to hear Matt talk about changes to the department store model, why a brick and mortar aspect is important for a brand, and how brands can build a better experience within a department store setting.

TOPICS DISCUSSED IN TODAY’S EPISODE:

- What Neighborhood Goods sells and how they work

- How Matt started Neighborhood Goods

- Use cases for brands that work with Matt

- Why Matt thinks the department store model needs to change

- Why online retailers are adding brick and mortar concepts to their strategies

- Helping brands build experiences within the locations

- The formula that makes brands successful in multi-brand stores

- Matt’s advice for brands or people trying to get started in brick and mortar

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 at Brain Corp, a company that makes software that transforms manual machines into robots. Listen to the episode as he discusses how customers utilize Brain Corp products and who those customers are, what the use cases for Brain Corp’s products are, and what the future holds as more robot technology makes its way into the retail space.

TOPICS DISCUSSED IN TODAY’S EPISODE:

- Josh’s role at Brain Corp

- Josh’s background

- Brain Corp’s vision

- Whether people are buying software, robots, or both from Brain Corp

- Customers that utilize Brain Corp’s products

- What the use cases for Brain Corp’s products are

- Whether use cases have changed over the past few years

- Things retailers should be thinking about when considering robot use

- What the future holds for the adoption of robot technology in retail

- What Josh has seem retailers hold in the front of their minds when thinking about robots

- Misconceptions about robots

- Initial challenges customers might have in implementing robot technology at their locations

- How Brain Corp can provide a better in-store experience with robots

- Whether Brain Corp has standard pricing, or if it’s more custom

- What Josh sees for the future of robotic technology

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

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

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

See’s Candies is a retailer that hardly needs an introduction, because it’s so widely known. And what could be better than working for a popular candy manufacturer and retailer? In today’s episode, you’ll hear from Pat Egan, the CEO of See’s Candies. Listen in to learn about what brought Pat to the brand from the energy field, how to keep employees happy and providing great experiences for customers, and how to balance innovation with the essence of an established, historic brand.

TOPICS DISCUSSED IN TODAY’S EPISODE:

- Pat’s background

- What brought Pat to the brand

- Changes Pat has seen in consumer behavior

- The secret to happy employees and good in-location experiences

- Balancing innovation and keeping the brand essence intact

- What customers enjoy about the brand and store location experiences

- Advice Pat would give to other retailer

- See’s company culture

- Keys to keeping customers happy

- What brick and mortar retailers can learn to make them better

- Celebrating See’s centennial

- See’s plans for the future

- Pat’s favorite in-store locations outside of See’s

What is driving the demand for self-service technologies inside store locations? That’s one of the things that you’ll hear about in today’s episode. Joining the podcast today is Samuel Mueller of Scandit, a company that provides technology that facilitates better communication between retailers and consumers. Listen to the episode to hear what Samuel has to say about how he began Scandit, what changes he’s seen in consumer behavior, and what he sees in the future of the retail industry.

TOPICS DISCUSSED IN TODAY’S EPISODE:

- What Scandit is all about

- What led Samuel to start Scandit

- How retailers use Scandit technology

- Changes in consumer behavior and the use of technology

- Whether there will be more technology changes in the near future

- Samuel’s advice for retailers

- Influencing factors that drive demand for self-servicing technology

- The future of the retail industry and physical store locations

- Samuel’s favorite places to visit in Zurich