The traditional model of brick and mortar is taking a beating from well-executed e-commerce. This comes as no surprise. You saw it coming. Probably even lost sleep about its eventual arrival. Well, here it is. So stop complaining and get used to it. The internet is (at least partially) responsible for a decrease in sales and for the lack of customers through the door. Still, … Continue reading Things and Feelings: Retail Innovation
AUDIO OF THIS BLOG POST: What do you want to do every day until you die? Do you want to write books? Teach kindergarten? Hike the Mongolian steppe? Do you want to lead bike tours? Collect Care Bears? Make short films in México City? Photograph steaming cups of espresso in the American midwest? Seriously, what’s your thing? That one thing that, if you did it, would … Continue reading Your Thing
AUDIO OF THIS BLOG POST Not too long ago my girlfriend and I went to a local pizza joint in Carrboro called Pizzeria Mercato. It’s been in town for about a year now, and on any weekend night there’s a line out the door. We’ve been there maybe a half-dozen times, and each visit has been a better-than-average experience. And I’m not just talking about … Continue reading Gorgeous and Beautiful
AUDIO OF THIS BLOG POST I’m not a big fan of business books. I read them on occasion, but generally find them to be a couple hundred pages of stories and anecdotes used to reinforce a few main ideas, at most. I’ve currently got my nose in a couple, and they’re doozies (Reinventing You and Little Bets). But frankly, I’m zipping through them so I can … Continue reading Minor Inspirations
AUDIO OF THIS BLOG POST My undergrad degree is in Anthropology and for a short time in my life I worked as an archaeologist. Not an Indiana Jones type, but an archaeologist nonetheless. I guess you could say I still dabble in discovery. Right now I’m reading a 1200-page book on the history of the British Isles, prehistory to present. This morning I was struck … Continue reading Meaning is the Magnet
Just imagine…you visit a café for the first time and the entire experience, from start to finish, is top-grade. Not just better than usual, not merely a stand-out or interesting one-off, but a genuine moment in time loaded with connection, authenticity, and professionalism. Feels good, huh? You leave the place with a feeling of joy. One you might even downplay because…how can a retail shopping … Continue reading You Love When it Happens
AUDIO OF THIS BLOG POST Seems everything I read these days (or do, for that matter), feeds into the major themes I am working on for my business. And right now, my big five are: authenticity, vulnerability, artistic expression, genuine human connection, and the importance of storytelling. When everything seems to vibrate on the same web, I know I’m on the right track. It’s a … Continue reading What You Do is Your Art
AUDIO OF THIS BLOG POST 1 I have to admit I was a little intimidated by GU‘s invitation to work with their sales team. As a long-time retailer, I worried my one-sided experience would make my messaging less relevant to vendors. Part of me was expecting the room of fifty-plus sales reps from across the country to like at me like, “What the heck could … Continue reading GU-phoria
Back in June, barely two weeks after starting my retail education business, I ran into Mark Sullivan at Fleet Feet Sports’ conference in Huntington Beach. Mark runs Formula4 Media and organizes the biggest trade show in the industry, The Running Event (TRE). I half-jokingly asked him what a greenhorn like me needed to do to get a speaking gig at his big show. I remember … Continue reading Why You Do What You Do
Tom Griffen 