Remarkable Retail Podcast

“If failure is not an option then neither is success.”

- Seth Godin

We discuss the final component in Steve's 8 Essentials of Remarkable Retail framework: "Radical" with guests Pier Fawkes and Scott Lachut from PSFK, a leading retail experience design and innovation firm.  Being "Memorable" is what's what's needed to become the signal amid the noise in creating a remarkable growth strategy, whereas becoming "Radical" is a big part of how to do it by building a culture of experimentation and developing innovation as core capability and organizational habit. In unpacking this essential we discuss how Walmart, Amazon and others fight what Steven Pressfield calls "The Resistance," why quitting is underrated and how we can find beauty in imperfection.

Piers Fawkes

PSFK Founder | Trends Researcher | Futurist

Since his early career, Piers Fawkes has driven the adoption of progressive ideas to impact the global community. It began with the first Dotcom boom, where he led the London office of one of Europe’s top agencies. He also pioneered the use of digital video at a scrappy start-up a few years before YouTube came about. He is best known for establishing the progressive think-tank PSFK.

Today, he continues to give talks, support the companies he owns and advises, and provide a mix of inspirational services to help businesses realize their potential.

Scott Lachut, Partner/President of Research & Strategy at PSFK

In my current role, I'm tasked with studying the shifting context of the consumer, culture and marketplace to understand what that means now and in the future. I look at both the big picture and emerging signals of change to identify opportunities and develop strategies to take advantage of them. I've had the pleasure of working with a great roster of companies across industries, including Facebook, American Express, Nike, BMW, Marriott and Apple, helping them to innovate their retail, marketing, product and customer experience.

Learn more and register for PSFK's Retail Innovation Week here. 

Related Reading

Steve Dennis, "Misteaks Were Made," "Quitting is Underrated," and "Wabi-Sabi."
Seth Godin, The Practice

Steven Pressfield, The War of Art

Steve Dennis is an advisor, keynote speaker and author on strategic growth and business innovation. You can learn more about Steve on his     website.     Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption was recently named the best retail book of all time by BookAuthority. It's available in hardcover, audiobook or as a ebook at     Amazon or just about anywhere else books are sold. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a     Forbes senior contributor and on     Twitter and     LinkedIn. You can check out his speaker "sizzle" reel     here.
 

Michael LeBlanc  is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice.   He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience, and has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career.  Michael is the producer and host of a network of leading podcasts including Canada’s top retail industry podcast,     The Voice of Retail, plus      Global E-Commerce Tech Talks  and     The Food Professor  with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois.  You can learn more about Michael     here  or on     LinkedIn. 

About Us

Steve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling author of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.

Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail, The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast. He has been recognized by the NRF as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2026 and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.

"Great brands don't chase customers; customers chase great brands."

- Gary Friedman, CEO Restoration Hardware

We are on to #7 ("Memorable") in Steve's 8 Essentials of Remarkable Retail framework. Being Memorable is critical to not simply offering a slightly better version of mediocre and competing relentlessly on discounts. Done right, it is the key to long-term growth, profits and customer loyalty.

In unpacking this essential we discuss how to own the "real estate of the mind," and what we mean when we talk about "experience" as something other than the latest bright shiny object. Drawing on key take-aways from Steve's book we define the six characteristics of memorable and discuss case studies that illustrate the various ways leading retailers are implementing memorable strategies including mega-brands like RH, Nordstrom, Nebraska Furniture Mart and Amazon, along with "special not big" retailers such as Franklin BBQ and Blue Star Donuts.

Steve Dennis is an advisor, keynote speaker and author on strategic growth and business innovation. You can learn more about Steve on his     website.     Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption was recently named the best retail book of all time by BookAuthority. It's available in hardcover, audiobook or as a ebook at     Amazon or just about anywhere else books are sold. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a     Forbes senior contributor and on     Twitter and     LinkedIn. You can check out his speaker "sizzle" reel     here.
 

Michael LeBlanc  is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice.   He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience, and has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career.  Michael is the producer and host of a network of leading podcasts including Canada’s top retail industry podcast,     The Voice of Retail, plus      Global E-Commerce Tech Talks  and     The Food Professor  with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois.  You can learn more about Michael     here  or on     LinkedIn. 

About Us

Steve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling author of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.

Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail, The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast. He has been recognized by the NRF as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2026 and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.

We move on to the 6th Essential ("Connected") in Steve's 8 Essentials of Remarkable Retail framework, discussing how an abundance of connection and the erosion of boundaries between consumers and brands has fundamentally redefined marketing communications and created entirely new business models. We also investigate why attention doesn't guarantee engagement, the role of social proof and the concept of a "Fourth Place." 

With our special guest Mitch Joel, we explore the 3 C's of Connection, striking the balance between direct response marketing and story-telling and what we misunderstand about about the role of digital and physical retail. We also discuss the growing power of social media and it's undeniable and profound effect on an individual's ability to create and share an idea instantly and for free to their network (or the world). Lastly, we unpack how services are becoming the new experience.

Mitch Joel is Founder of Six Pixels Group - an advisory, investing and content producing company that is focused on commerce and innovation. Prior to Six Pixels Group, Mitch spent close to two decades building, running and (eventually) selling Twist Image/Mirum – a global marketing agency that still operates in 25 countries with close to 3000 employees.

Mitch's first book, Six Pixels of Separation, named after his successful blog and podcast is a business bestseller. His second book, CTRL ALT Delete, was named one of the best business books of 2013 by Amazon. He speaks frequently to diverse groups like Wal-Mart, Starbucks, Microsoft, Procter and Gamble, Twitter, Unilever and every organization and association in between. 

Steve Dennis is an advisor, keynote speaker and author on strategic growth and business innovation. You can learn more about Steve on his     website.     Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption was recently named the best retail book of all time by BookAuthority. It's available in hardcover, audiobook or as a ebook at     Amazon or just about anywhere else books are sold. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a     Forbes senior contributor and on     Twitter and     LinkedIn. You can check out his speaker "sizzle" reel     here.
 

Michael LeBlanc  is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice.   He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience, and has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career.  Michael is the producer and host of a network of leading podcasts including Canada’s top retail industry podcast,     The Voice of Retail, plus      Global E-Commerce Tech Talks  and     The Food Professor  with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois.  You can learn more about Michael     here  or on     LinkedIn. 

About Us

Steve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling author of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.

Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail, The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast. He has been recognized by the NRF as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2026 and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.

"Without data, you are just another person with an opinion.”

- W. Edwards Deming

We move on to the 5th Essential ("Personal") in Steve's Essentials of Remarkable Retail framework, delving into the criticality of defining our core customer (including who are offering is NOT for), why the "1 to 1 future" envisioned by Don Peppers and Martha Rogers in the mid-nineties took so long to manifest, importance realizing that no customer want to be average and what it means to be data-led.

With our special guest Bridget Brennan, we explore ways deeper customer insight can help brands win, grow & keep the world's most powerful (and valuable) customers, the reason "pink is not a strategy" and why gender-balanced leadership teams and Boards are not only the right thing to do, but smart business.

Bridget Brennan is CEO of the strategic consultancy, Female Factor, and author of the groundbreaking books, Why She Buys: The New Strategy for Reaching the World’s Most Powerful Consumers (Crown Business) and  Winning Her Business: How to Transform the Customer Experience for the World’s Most Powerful Consumers (HarperCollins Leadership, 2019). She is the world’s most sought-after speaker on engaging women as customers and decision makers. 

Brennan is a contributing writer on marketing to women for Forbes.com and was named a “Woman to Watch in Retail Disruption” by the Remodista think tank. She serves on the Vikings Women Advisory Board of the Minnesota Vikings NFL team, and is a member of the National Speakers Association, the Network of Executive Women and the Economic Club of Chicago. Learn more about Bridget here.

Steve Dennis is an advisor, keynote speaker and author on strategic growth and business innovation. You can learn more about Steve on his    website.    Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption was recently named the best retail book of all time by BookAuthority. It's available in hardcover, audiobook or as a ebook at    Amazon or just about anywhere else books are sold. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a    Forbes senior contributor and on    Twitter and    LinkedIn. You can check out his speaker "sizzle" reel    here.
 

Michael LeBlanc  is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice.   He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience, and has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career.  Michael is the producer and host of a network of leading podcasts including Canada’s top retail industry podcast,    The Voice of Retail, plus     Global E-Commerce Tech Talks  and    The Food Professor  with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois.  You can learn more about Michael    here  or on    LinkedIn. 

About Us

Steve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling author of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.

Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail, The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast. He has been recognized by the NRF as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2026 and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.

“We no longer go online, we live online”

- Google

In our discussion of the 4th Essential ("Mobile") in Steve's Essentials of Remarkable Retail framework we probe how smart devices have created a world where we can always be shopping and the new best location for our brand is wherever the customer happens to be with their smart device. Mobile is the ultimate silo-buster, allowing for an increasingly blended shopping world where the lines between physical stores and e-commerce are blurred.

Adding to our conversation of how mobile is becoming the new front door to the store is online shopping pioneer and serial entrepreneur Stephan Schambach, who has been front and center in the evolution of e-commerce as the founder of multiple groundbreaking companies. He's also the author of Makeover: How Mobile Flipped the Shopping Cart. 

A few of Steve's related articles:

The Customer is the Channel

Omnichannel is Dead: The Future is Harmonized Retail.

Stephan Schambach has been changing the commerce world since 1992. From founding Intershop and building the first standard software for online shopping, to putting retail in the cloud with the founding of Demandware (which was acquired by Salesforce for $2.8 billion dollars), Schambach has seen it all in retail. The visionary who brought the retail industry online shopping and cloud service solutions is laying the foundation for the future of digitally-influenced retail once again as the founder of NewStore, an Omnichannel-as-a-Service platform that allows brands to run their retail stores on iPhone. He's also the author of Makeover: How Mobile Flipped the Shopping Cart. Learn more about Stephan and NewStore here. You can also follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Steve Dennis is an advisor, keynote speaker and author on strategic growth and business innovation. You can learn more about Steve on his   website.   Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption was recently named the best retail book of all time by BookAuthority. It's available in hardcover, audiobook or as a ebook at   Amazon or just about anywhere else books are sold. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a   Forbes senior contributor and on   Twitter and   LinkedIn. You can check out his speaker "sizzle" reel   here.
 

Michael LeBlanc  is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice.   He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience, and has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career.  Michael is the producer and host of a network of leading podcasts including Canada’s top retail industry podcast,   The Voice of Retail, plus    Global E-Commerce Tech Talks  and   The Food Professor  with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois.  You can learn more about Michael   here  or on   LinkedIn. 

About Us

Steve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling author of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.

Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail, The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast. He has been recognized by the NRF as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2026 and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.

“Silos belong on farms.”

- Bob Thacker, former, Sears VP Marketing

We're moving on to the 3rd of the "8 Essentials of Remarkable Retail": Harmonized, which revolves around the idea that we must drop our channel-centric thinking, processes and metrics, embrace the blur that is shopping today and see the customer as the channel.

"Harmonized" retail moves us beyond omni-channel. It's not about being everywhere--or simply providing a seamless experience--we have to show up in remarkable ways in those moments that matter the customer journey. When we not only resolve discordant notes, but focus on "amplifying the wow" in our customer's experience, we can orchestrate an intensely relevant and memorable set of outcomes.

With our special guest, Rob Mills, part of the senior leadership team at Tractor Supply Co. we talk about the success Tractor has had defying the retail apocalypse narrative by continuing to open stores (they now have over 1,900) and delivering both legendary customer service and superior financial performance. We also dig deep into their ONETractor strategy, which is all about meeting their customer anytime, anywhere, anyway.

A few of Steve's related Forbes articles:

Tractor Supply Proves Physical Retail is Very Different But Far From Dead.

Omnichannel is Dead: The Future is Harmonized Retail.

Curbside Enthusiasm

********************************
Rob Mills  is the EVP, Chief Technology, Digital Commerce and Strategy Officer at Tractor Supply Company.  He is an Executive Committee member and charged with guiding the technology, digital/eCommerce and corporate strategic/ business development functions for a publicly traded, fastest growing retailer with 1900+ stores and 30K+ employees in 49 states.

Steve Dennis is an advisor, keynote speaker and author on strategic growth and business innovation. You can learn more about Steve on his  website.  Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption was recently named the best retail book of all time by BookAuthority. It's available in hardcover, audiobook or as a ebook at  Amazon or just about anywhere else books are sold. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a  Forbes senior contributor and on  Twitter and  LinkedIn. You can check out his speaker "sizzle" reel  here.
 

Michael LeBlanc  is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice.   He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience, and has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career.  Michael is the producer and host of a network of leading podcasts including Canada’s top retail industry podcast,  The Voice of Retail, plus   Global E-Commerce Tech Talks  and  The Food Professor  with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois.  You can learn more about Michael  here  or on  LinkedIn. 

About Us

Steve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling author of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.

Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail, The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast. He has been recognized by the NRF as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2026 and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

- Maya Angelou

We're moving on to the 2nd of the "8 Essentials of Remarkable Retail": Human-Centered, where we open the aperture on concepts of customer-centricity and explore why they might be limited. We consider the criticality of empathy and right-brained thinking when it comes to unlocking the why behind the buy and how we can create brands stories that spread. 

We are also joined by famed business strategist Rishad Tobaccowala, who shares insights from his bestselling book Restoring the Soul of Business: Staying Human in the Age of Data and a 30 year career advising clients on change, innovation and growth. We explore how companies like Costco and Starbucks balance math and meaning to deliver remarkable results, as well as what it takes to consistently create fresh, insightful connections as part of an innovation agenda.

*********************************
Rishad Tobaccowala is an advisor, author, educator and speaker with four decades of experience focused on change, innovation and re-invention. He is the former Chief Growth Officer at the Publicis Groupe. His new book is Restoring the Soul of Business: Staying Human in the Age of Data. Learn more about Rishad on his website, LinkedIn and Twitter. "The Great Reinvention" is one of several articles of his that are definitely worth your time.

Steve Dennis is an advisor, keynote speaker and author on strategic growth and business innovation. You can learn more about Steve on his website. Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption was recently named the best retail book of all time by BookAuthority. It's available in hardcover, audiobook or as a ebook at Amazon or just about anywhere else books are sold. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior contributor and on Twitter and LinkedIn. You can check out his speaker "sizzle" reel here.
 

Michael LeBlanc  is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice.   He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience, and has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career.  Michael is the producer and host of a network of leading podcasts including Canada’s top retail industry podcast, The Voice of Retail, plus  Global E-Commerce Tech Talks  and The Food Professor  with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois.  You can learn more about Michael here  or on LinkedIn. 

About Us

Steve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling author of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.

Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail, The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast. He has been recognized by the NRF as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2026 and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.

This episode we begin the journey to remarkable by digging into Essential #1 in Steve's "8 Essentials of Remarkable Retail" framework. And we've gone global with a great panel of joining us from New York City, Montreal and London.

Our panel of experts, includes UNTUCKit CIO/CDO Lockie Andrews, digital strategist extraordinaire Carl Boutet and retail transformation consultant Oliver Banks.

We unpack the profound shift towards digitally-driven customer journeys during the past decade and the great acceleration brought about by the COVID crisis. We also discuss how to strike the right balance between the analog, more human world and being digital-first--reminding everyone that no consumer buys technology.

Lockie Andrews is the Chief Information Officer and Chief Digital Officer at UNTUCKit and the CEO of Catalyst Consulting, a digital transformation consulting firm. You can learn more about Lockie here and check out Lockie’s latest thought piece on why the combination of digital and physical commerce is optimal for retailers and brands.  Follow Lockie on LinkedIn and  Twitter.  

Oliver Banks,  in addition to being a podcaster himself with The Retail Transformation show is experienced at leading, managing and coordinating large, complex change programmes and projects. These initiatives may be targeting improvement to operational processes, people and HR, technology and tools – or a combination of them all.

As the founder of StudioRx, Carl Boutet advises retailers, business leaders,  b2c solution providers, companies and researchers on how to tailor their solutions according to consumers’ evolving needs and build effective commercial strategies at the intersections of technology, design and data. He is also acting managing director for the Quebec centre for commercial innovation and presently working on a book titled The Great Acceleration

*********************************

You can learn more about Steve on his website   here . His new best-selling book is available in hardcover, audiobook at ebook at   Amazon or just about anywhere else books are sold. Steve shares his insights in his role as a   Forbes senior contributor and on    Twitter and    LinkedIn. You can check out his speaker "sizzle" reel   here.
 

You can learn more about Michael here ( www.meleblanc.co) or here on LinkedIn 

About Us

Steve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling author of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.

Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail, The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast. He has been recognized by the NRF as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2026 and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.

"The problem is, you think you have time."

- Carlos Castaneda, Journey to Ixtlan

As we transition to the second part of our inaugural season, we take a brief look back at the core principles behind why even very good is not good enough any more and why we must choose remarkable. As the pace of digital disruption accelerates, consumers are faced with a plethora of choices, creating ever more pressure for retailers to be the compelling, intensely customer relevant signal amid all the noise.

We also delve into four key questions companies need to answer as they embark on transforming themselves for the COVID economy and ponder why it takes a crisis for so many retailers to take action.
 

In the second part of the episode, we lay out the strategic choices companies are compelled to make, the importance of decisively picking a lane and why it's so critical to choose remarkable. Then it's a quick overview of Steve's "8 Essentials of Remarkable Retail" framework, before we dig deep into each in subsequent episodes. We also discuss how to best apply the framework and prioritize turning ideas into action. 

You can learn more about Steve on his website   here . His new best-selling book is available in hardcover, audiobook at ebook at  Amazon or just about anywhere else books are sold. 

Steve shares his insights in his role as a   Forbes senior contributor and on   Twitter and   LinkedIn. You can check out his speaker "sizzle" reel   here.

You can learn more about Michael here (   www.meleblanc.co) or here on LinkedIn (   https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeleleblanc/ )

About Us

Steve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling author of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.

Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail, The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast. He has been recognized by the NRF as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2026 and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.

"How did you go bankrupt?" Bill asked.

"Two ways," Mike said. "Gradually, then suddenly."

- Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Arises

Why do so many companies defend the status quo even when it becomes increasingly obvious that their business model is losing customer relevance and remarkability? Why do others think they can cost cut and store close their way to prosperity? In this episode we look at the roots causes of how and why retailers sink into irrelevance and risk a mass extinction event. Then we flip these questions on their head to explore ways to defy conventional wisdom and create a culture of experimentation. Along the way we touch on why "the opposite is risky" and why quitting is often underrated (hint: it has to do with understanding opportunity cost). Nordstrom's Local strategy gets a shout-out, as does Apple's new Express concept. We also dub JC Penney the "world's second longest liquidation sale."

Our special guest is Deborah Weinswig, one of retail's leading analysts and thought leaders, and the founder & CEO of Coresight Research. Deb enlightens us on on how "New Retail" has challenged the status quo in China, what separates the winners from the losers when it comes to innovation, and how shopping festivals (or "Festivization") is bringing fun, joy and excitement back to retail at just the right time.

Learn more about Deborah here. Her firm-- Coresight Research--is a tremendous resource for all things retail and innovation, including industry deep dives and the legendary store tracker.

Steve's written a Forbes article that touches on "optimizing to extinction" and a blog post pointing out that quitting is underrated.

You can learn more about Steve on his website   here . His new best-selling book is available in hardcover, audiobook at ebook at  Amazon or just about anywhere else books are sold. 

Steve shares his insights in his role as a   Forbes senior contributor and on   Twitter and   LinkedIn. You can check out his speaker "sizzle" reel   here.

You can learn more about Michael here (   www.meleblanc.co) or here on LinkedIn (   https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeleleblanc/ )

About Us

Steve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling author of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.

Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail, The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast. He has been recognized by the NRF as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2026 and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.