Startups

The Startup Challenge | Total Retail Tech 2023
October 11, 2023 at 2:36 pm

This video features the startup challenge session from Total Retail Tech 2023 in Denver. Startup presenters include Chelsie Hall, CEO, ViralMoment and Madisen Dewey, head of product marketing, TYB (Try Your Best). Judges include Jessica Coogan, vice president of digital commerce, James Avery Artisan Jewelry; and Jeff Haddox, chief digital officer, RuffleButts; Alexandra Mason, vice president, portfolio…

Post-DTC Boom: Fashion Founders Embrace Agility and Collaboration to Thrive
September 20, 2023 at 8:31 am

As the dust settles on the direct-to-consumer (DTC) boom, a new era of fashion entrepreneurship emerges, characterized by an innovative approach to company building within a transformed industry landscape. There are many remarkable journeys of these visionary founders exploring the uncharted avenues they tread upon to achieve growth, while also seeking insights from agencies deeply entrenched…

How Startups Can Build Footfall, Influence and Trust Through Retail Partnerships
March 9, 2023 at 10:48 am

Swedish fintech Klarna changed how consumers — particularly younger consumers — buy and pay for goods. Its model, which countless other rivals have since replicated, is simple. Rather than pay the entire sum upfront, the consumer pays a portion, and Klarna fronts the rest, which the consumer repays in manageable bi-monthly or monthly installments. At…

Volcanica Coffee's Founder and CEO on the Impact of Authentic Brand Storytelling
January 19, 2023 at 8:14 pm

Maurice Contreras is founder and CEO of Volcanica Coffee, a specialty coffee roaster that imports 150-plus exotic coffees from volcanic regions around the world. While at the National Retail Federation Big Show in New York City earlier this week, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan spoke with Contreras about the company and his career background, the online shopping…

Inside Bean Box’s Holiday Strategy and Partnership With Walmart
January 4, 2023 at 11:54 am

 Since 2014, Bean Box has helped consumers discover and develop a love for gourmet coffee, sourced from some of the world’s best specialty coffee roasters. Its products focus on discovery, curation, and the tasting experience, and while it has reached a wide audience through its direct-to-consumer (D-to-C) model, until late 2021, the brand hadn’t really…

Indie Retailers Take Note: End-of-Year Checklist
December 1, 2022 at 3:28 pm

The New Year is fast approaching, and for a retail business, that means it's time to start thinking about closing out the year and preparing for the next. While it's a great time to reflect and set goals, it's also a time of year that creates a lot of “to-dos” for retailers. The holiday season…

5 Keys to Growing From Side Hustle to Top National Retail Leader
November 16, 2022 at 4:54 pm

Wholesale is a hugely competitive space, with thousands of new and long-established brands constantly vying for partnership and prime placement with top national retailers such as Walmart, CVS and Target. I’m proud to say that the company I founded in 2014, pH-D Feminine Health, now offers products at all these retailers (and many more). However,…

The Startup Challenge | Total Retail Tech 2022
September 29, 2022 at 2:45 pm

This video features the Startup Challenge session from Total Retail Tech 2022 in Nashville. Startup presenters included Chris Silver, Co-Founder and CEO, BambuMeta; Ileana Del Risco, CEO, Modi; and Nicole Phillips, Co-Founder and CEO, Qatch. Judges included Vanathy Lakshmi, Vice President, Product and Experiences, JCPenney; Erica Fortune, Senior Vice President, E-Commerce, Big Lots; and Kaitlin Hutchinson,…

Collars & Co. Founder on TikTok's Marketing Power
January 10, 2022 at 5:26 pm

In episode 331 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Justin Baer, founder of Collars & Co., a direct-to-consumer (D-to-C) brand that’s flipping the switch on elevated dresswear with a comfortable twist. Listen in as Baer discusses his entrepreneurial background, the inspiration behind Collars & Co. shirts' unique design, and and rapid growth of…

The New Next Gen: Melisse Shaban, Founder and CEO, Virtue Labs
April 29, 2021 at 5:07 pm

Women in Retail Leadership Circle, sister brand of Total Retail, is excited to announce the release of its latest report, New Next Gen: Meet the Women Who Have Transitioned Their Careers for Successful Second Acts. This report spotlights entrepreneurial women who have reinvented themselves and their careers after the age of 40. Through in-depth interviews, you’ll…