Everyone wants to build a brand. But few people actually know how.For most, a brand is a logo and a vague mission statement - and little more.And you can really blame them. Creating a unique brand identity - and articulating it so that others (ideally customers) understand what you stand for - is a lot bigger undertaking than it seems.I'm Jane Singer, and welcome back to A Seat at the Table. In each episode, we sit down with some of the smartest and most innovative people who join...

AI has become one of the most talked about technologies. A lot of the hype makes AI seem like a magic wand that can do anything or an evil demon that will leave massive numbers of people without jobs. While it's unlikely, at least for now, that these extreme cases are true, there is little doubt that AI is a technology we need to understand. For most companies, the challenge is identifying what are practical use cases for AI in their organizations. I'm Jane Singer and welcome ...

The apparel industry is being forced to re-imagine itself in the face of pressure to meet new green standards.Suddenly, what we thought was sustainable turns out to be merely a ‘good try’ - but not enough.While apparel needs to now recycle, be circular, reduce carbon emissions and lower water usage, it also has to appeal to consumers - who want clothing that is eye catching, comfortable, high quality and personalized.That’s a big ask for any industry, let alone an industry that runs on razor ...

Retail sales continue to outperform expectations - in both the US and in key European markets. Yet analysts are still waiting for that slowdown that was supposed to be driven first by inflation - and then by higher interest rates.Yet, consumers are proving resilient - but for how long?Long term a lot is likely to come down to the retailers themselves. Those with the right products - and the right retail formats are likely to keep growing sales.So the question is which retailers are set ...

It seems we live an age of documentation. There are increasing levels of regulations around everything - and the supporting documentation around those regulations keeps getting more complex. Paper work that used to be handled by one or two people now requires a department with a hierarchy of staff - just to understand the regulations - let alone do all of the necessary documentation.This is becoming a serious challenge for HR departments in a world where company staffing can incl...

Telehealth got a serious toehold into healthcare during the pandemic. Now it looks set to be a massive disrupter to the healthcare industry, powered by greater digitization and the use of AI.   If it comes to its full potential, more people will be able to get better healthcare - at more affordable prices. The opportunity here is so massive that Amazon has been betting heavily on digitized health care with its One Medical service. But there is more to it than digitization.  A lot...

After decades of being counseled to become specialists - to find our niche - to be known as an expert in a specific field - it seems now the pendulum might be shifting in the opposite direction. Are we at the cusp of a new era that favors generalists? And if so, why the change? And just as importantly, we do we need to do to get ahead of the curve? Today we are joined by Ed Fidoe, founder and CEO of the London Interdisciplinary School, which offers an innovative, interdisciplinary...

One of the biggest supply chain concerns right now is materials costs. While most stakeholders would like to see costs go down, everyone would at least like some clarity on what prices might be like - especially for cotton, which plays a key role in the apparel supply chain. While nobody has that proverbial crystal ball that can see the future, there are people who have the kind of first hand market knowledge that helps them to make more accurate predictions. Today we are joined by Dr....

After decades of wanting bigger and more, people have been starting to recognize the benefits of downsizing. It’s not just about buying less stuff or finally clearing out the closets, garage or basement.  Over the past decade there has been a clear and growing trend towards to choosing smaller houses - much smaller. The most recent iteration of this development has been the growing popularity of Accessory Dwelling Units or ADUs as they are called.  It’s a new take on a historic way that...

I just sat down with Brian Librach to discuss his new book "The Retail Leaders Roadmap" and the conversation was powerful! A lot to unpack! Some of the key insights you're going to get from Brian include: 1. The five practices of building character, and their significance in career development. 2. Strategies for career advancement within a retail environment, including the importance of aligning with leadership and seeking feedback from mentors. 3. The crucial role of prioritization in...

Competition is fierce these days.  The solution, according to marketing experts, is to create a ‘brand story’ for your company or your product. Sounds simple.  Until you actually try to do it. And then, well, suddenly you feel like a stranger in a strange land. Staring at blank piece of paper or screen  - or brainstorming with colleagues only to come up with something that by anyone’s assessment is pretty generic.  Not exactly what you were hoping for. Today we’re talking with Deevo...

In this episode of A Seat at The Table, I sit down with Nick Bond, founding partner and head of product at Apex, an AI-driven solution focused on customer research and business strategies. Nick shares valuable insights on how AI is changing the face of marketing, emphasizing the importance of leveraging customer data to drive innovation and strategy. From understanding customer expectations to turning them into brand ambassadors, Nick provides practical advice for companies to create...

In a market that gets increasingly competitive, “get more sales” is a directive that’s coming from more than just the sales manager. The concept is easy.  Achieving it is a bit more challenging. Everyone is after everyone else’s markets - and customers.  While persistence is still the foundation of success, to win in today’s market we also need to be a bit more strategic.  And that leaves the question of “How do we do this?” Meet Karl Becker, the CEO of Improving Sales Performance and...

A growing number of companies are looking for new supply chain opportunities.   In some cases, they are looking for new capabilities.  Others are targeting risk reduction.  And of course, there’s the ongoing demand for better prices. One of the fastest developing links in the global supply chain is Southeast Asia.   The region originally was just another source of cheap labor and in some cases raw materials.   That’s changed as more nations are moving up the value chain.   Yet often...

Managing an apparel supply chain has never been easy - but in recent years its got far more complicated.  The combination of greater uncertainty- and increased demands to be faster, better - and more transparent - has made it almost impossible to rely on old models.    While everyone sees the situation from a different perspective - just about everyone agrees things are not likely to go back to what is wistfully referred to as ‘normal’. That has left a lot of global sourcing directors and...

Suddenly everyone is talking about India.  And if you are working in India - or thinking of doing so - then this is episode is for you! After years of being in the shadows of China, Vietnam, Bangladesh and other key sourcing nations, India is finally taking center stage. India has always had the right stuff - a huge population, domestic cotton, a strong textile sector for yarns and fabrics and of course a legacy in apparel manufacturing.  However, the nation hasn’t been able to pull all...

One of the most frustrating  things a parent can face is watching their child struggle in school. Yet many children hit speed bumps during their early school years.  For some children it’s trying to master math. For others it could be tackling spelling and grammar - or reading.  What seems like something that should be easy to achieve ends up being a source of daily angst for both the students - and their families.  For most parents and teachers the advice is to push the child to try...

For nearly 4 years I’ve had the opportunity to host so many fabulous leaders and innovators on this show. And help share their stories, their wisdom and their expertise with our audience in 133 countries. But in this episode I’m passing the mic to the phenomenal Kenz Soliman, a legend on Udemy where she has a following of nearly 150,000 students. She is also the organizer of a game changing co-working program, a visionary entrepreneur and a masterful course creator. Oh, and on top of that,...

If you’re like most of us, sooner or later you face times when you’re just burnt out.  You hit a wall.  There’s nothing left in the tank. Yet we still need to keep going and moving ahead at work and in our personal lives.  In this podcast we’re going to be talking about practical ways that anyone can help prevent burnout so that they can be more productive and live their best life.  Today we are joined by Eric Recker, founder of Win The Now.  Eric knows what it’s like to battle burnout...

Supply chain management has become both an art and a science, with executives tasked with building more  resiliency, while also increasing flexibility, reducing lead times, and jumping through hoops to comply with increasingly complex regulations - which, adding to the confusion, are different in different markets. No wonder one most people talk about improving supply chains - but very few actually do.  Realistically, it’s difficult enough to simply manage existing systems, without having to...

The years of companies staffing up as they sprinted towards what they believed was going to be the next unicorn - or at the very least years of strong growth - have suddenly reversed course. One by one, banks, consulting firms, retailers - even the tech sector - started announcing cutbacks.  With tens of thousands of jobs being axed. That’s led to massive layoffs during the past two years with a sharp focus on downsizing headquarters and R&D departments - in other words mid career...

Sometimes just when everything seems to be stable, we get blindsided. It happens to everyone sooner or later. We can’t control some of the challenges that life throws at us, but we can control how we react to them. That was certainly  the case for many businesses when the pandemic hit.  Not all were easily parlayed into remote work.  And one of the hardest hit was the travel industry. Welcome to Launch to Legendary, where we meet people who have turned the ordinary into the...

Customer service is often talked about but not often delivered.  In fact, it is one of the biggest complaints that both businesses and consumers have. Most say that the companies they do business with offer poor service - or even no service at all. Companies are looking to cut costs and customer service is typically the first department to get hit. Yet customer service might be the key to growing your business - particularly in highly competitive markets. In this episode we’re joined by...

For nearly two decades most investors’ attention was focused on the stock market.  Then suddenly central banks began raising interest rates and investors began to rethink their strategies. That’s given rise to growing interest in a range of alternative investment vehicles, including CEFs, internal funds, ETFs, UITs, and commodity pools. However, until now most of these investment vehicles have only been available to institutional investors.    I’m Jane Singer and welcome back to A Seat...