Why the Smartest Global Retailers Are Headed to Africa for Growth

When Jack Ma first visited Africa in 2017, he was struck by the massive economic potential of the continent. Late that year, Alibaba and the UN invited 25 African entrepreneurs to participate in the eFounders Fellowship Program at Alibaba’s headquarters in China. One of those entrepreneurs was Jessica Anuna, CEO and Founder of Klasha, the first online marketplace to offer affordable fast fashion to millennials…

Read More

Going Commando with CEO Kerry O’Brien

Kerry O’Brien quit her corporate PR job in NYC after 9/11 and moved to Vermont with her husband to start a new chapter in life. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do, but she’d always loved fashion and had long been frustrated that there wasn’t an intimates brand that seemed to understand what she wanted—garments that were comfortable and gave her confidence. In…

Read More

Why 70% of Men and Women Lie on their Online Dating Profiles…and How Personal Branding Can Be Deceptive

A whopping 70% of online daters lie in their dating profile, mostly about height, weight and age, says relationship and online dating expert Dr. Jess Carbino. But only major exaggerations seem to matter much to people using the platforms. Dr. Jess, a PhD sociologist, has researched how people create their own personal storefront and romantic brand to attract the attention of potential mates on dating…

Read More

Christine Hunsicker Is Bringing the Sharing Economy to the Fashion World

Christine Hunsicker had an idea to bring the sharing economy to apparel. Airbnb’s success had convinced her that consumers would embrace clothing rental: if people were willing to lay their heads on strangers’ pillows, she thought, they’d certainly be willing to wear clothes someone else had worn. Tuxedo rental had long been the norm, and women had always passed along maternity wear and kids’ hand-me-downs….

Read More

Mindy Grossman on Profound, Radical Change in Business

What She’s Learned from Working with Oprah Winfrey, Ralph Lauren, Barry Diller and Phil Knight Before Mindy Grossman joined WW International as CEO, she took a day to visit board member Oprah Winfrey to see if their visions for the company’s future were aligned. Grossman knew consumers were focusing more on community and living a meaningful, healthy life than they had in the past. She’d…

Read More

How Dani Beckerman Used Instagram to Build a Thriving Dessert Business from Scratch

“When did you realize that Instagram could be your store?” That’s one of the questions host Matt Rubel asked Dani Beckerman when they sat down to talk about the business Beckerman unwittingly launched nearly six years ago with a single Instagram post. Beckerman was in culinary school at the time, and often experimented in her kitchen at home, creating pretty, layered desserts in glass jars….

Read More

CBD Beauty: Where Beauty, Wellness and Cannabis Intersect

CBD is one of the most exciting new trends in beauty and wellness since retinols. A natural molecule found in cannabis, CBD is different from THC, the chemical that produces a “high.” A federal law passed in December made it legal in every state to make products containing hemp-derived CBD, essentially opening up space in the US market for a whole new category of products….

Read More

Shoptalk Series, Part 4 Need Supply Co. and Wayfair: Setting the Standard for Next-Gen Shopping

What if you could virtually “feel” a fabric swatch when you’re shopping for a sofa on your smartphone? That tech isn’t available yet, but the team at Wayfair is already imagining how it would work. Meanwhile, the company is making online shopping more lifelike by letting customers use their live camera feed and the Wayfair app to visualize how furniture would look in their own…

Read More

Shoptalk Series Part 3: Zola and Lightspeed – A Marriage Built on Shared Values

Just like marriages, relationships between retail companies and investors often fail, but Zola and Lightspeed have one of those strong partnerships that’s based on shared values and a common vision. For the third episode of our four-part “Retales From the Frontline” Shoptalk series, presented by Mastercard, host Matt Rubel sat down with Zola CEO Shan-Lyn Ma and Nicole Quinn of Lightspeed Venture Partners to talk…

Read More

Shoptalk Series Part 2: Reimagining The Mall

Malls today must become stages, where retailers and ideas can come to life, offering new experiences and content that draw consumers together to socialize, eat, be entertained and discover new brands. In the second episode of our four-part “Retales From the Frontline” Shoptalk series, presented by Mastercard, host Matt Rubel spoke with two mall experts from different sides of the world to talk about reinventing…

Read More