Neighborhood small businesses are a large part of what gives a neighborhood its character. Consider the various neighborhoods in your favorite city. You may think of a seafood shop that sells the best scallops or the pocket-sized wine bar that plays boy band hits for sing-alongs. …

When I was leading a CPG business several years ago, I had both consumers — the end users of the products in my portfolio — and customers — the retailers who sold those products to consumers. It’s sometimes referred to as B2B2C and it was the primary business model for…

Gorpcore is officially a trend for 2020. Unfamiliar with Gorpcore? It’s a preternatural enthusiasm for outdoor activities clothing. Here’s a good explainer from Grailed if you want to dive into the details. The seeds of this movement started circa 2017, when I noticed Timberland boots started gaining traction among the…

For retailers, 2020 was either the stuff of nightmares or an exhilarating roller coaster ride ending on a hopeful note, or both. While we struggle to contain the virus and distribute vaccines to the populace, 2021 will be as unpredictable as ever. …

Like most Americans who grew up in the 80s and 90s, Gap holds a special place in my memories. The mall stalwart was where we went to buy our favorite jeans, hoodies, and polos. It’s where a lot of our friends worked their first jobs. It defined casual cool for…

During the e-commerce boom of the last 15+ years, online grocery shopping has been the holdout. The final bastion, the ultimate obstacle to the tipping point. The tipping point has now arrived. Bank of America card data from May 5, 2020 indicates e-commerce is now at 30% of all retail…

Originally published February 13, 2018 here. When scaling a business, lessons from one industry can often apply to another. They can spur new, creative solutions to problems; solutions that may not have occurred to you otherwise. As an exec with experience across CPG, fin serv, digital media, and SaaS, I’ve…

Originally published April 27, 2017 here. Bloomberg discusses Piper Jaffray’s latest results from their bi-annual “Taking Stock with Teens” survey where the findings state despite low unemployment and high consumer confidence, teens reduced overall spending by (2.4%) vs YA. More importantly, teens spent only 19% of their total budget on…