Recent Episodes

June 29, 2022

EP 51: MEETING THE DIVERSE NEEDS OF BUYERS & SELLERS

Show season is upon us and we are so excited to have Cindy Henry, Vice President of Buyer Engagement, who leads the team that is responsible for bringing retailers to all IMC markets: Atlanta Market, Atlanta Apparel, High Poi...

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June 22, 2022

EP 50: ART CAN CHANGE THE WORLD

This week’s guest is Tyler Tolson, CEO and Founder of Denik , a designer notebook and lifestyle product company that uses a portion of its funds to build schools and support artists. He started the company in 2011 as a …

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June 15, 2022

EP 49: BIGGER IS NOT ALWAYS BETTER!

Born and raised in 29 Palms and having always dreamt of creating a unique place for other locals to grab a last minute outfit or gift without stressing on breaking the bank or making the inconvenient drive out of town, …

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June 8, 2022

EP 48: RETAIL ISN'T FOR EVERYBODY

This week we welcome Sean Jimenez / Director of Sales & Marketing for Socksmith. Sean, a former retailer, now turned wholesaler, who’s been in the industry for over 25 years. He now manages 40+ sales reps for a great, multi …

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June 1, 2022

EP 47: SUPPORTING OTHERS THROUGH JOB CREATION

After living in Haiti for five years, Tara moved to Minnesota. When she left Haiti she wanted to make sure she stayed connected to the country and bring the beauty she saw there to the world, thus Cedar and Cypress …

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May 25, 2022

EP 46: GRASPING THE BRASS RING

Dallas Market Center is the most complete wholesale trade resource in the world. Products include home, gift, lighting, apparel & accessories, and more. We are so excited to have Cole Daugherty, SVP, Exhibitor Marketing for t...

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May 18, 2022

EP 45: CONNECTING PEOPLE, FAMILY & COMMUNITY THROUGH FOOD

This week’s guest, Yunnie Morena Kim, Digital Food Content Creator Restaurateur for KimChiAvocado is a lover of food (making it, eating it, sharing it), daughter of Korean immigrants, a wife and mother of two sons, who grew u...

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May 11, 2022

EP 44: UNITEDOTHER. A COMING TOGETHER, A CONNECTION, A UNION.

This week’s guest is Ellen Nguyen, founder/creator of the UnitedOther — a spiritual goods company based in Los Angeles. Coming to America from Vietnam with very little money, Ellen was taught to be self made and to create fin...

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May 4, 2022

EP 43: SAVING ONE AT A TIME!

In honor of May being National Pet Foster Care Month, this week’s guest is Gwenn Vallone, CEO of Pug Nation Rescue of Los Angeles , a non-profit dedicated to the rescue, care and placement of abandoned, neglected, unwanted an...

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April 27, 2022

EP 42: FABIAN NAVEJAS & MELISSA HESSE – LIFE AFTER Z GALLERIE

This week’s episode is part of our Life After Z Gallerie series. Michelle worked closely with both Fabian & Melissa during her time at Z Gallerie. Fabian was born and raised in LA, is a self-taught creative leader and a …

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April 20, 2022

EP 41: MISSY LIVINGSTON FOUNDER/CEO TWISTED WARES - PUTTING THE FUN I…

When Missy lost everything in the 2008 recession, she almost lost all hope. She was broke, had 3 kids, and had just moved again. One day, her youngest was running through the kitchen and playfully yanked on the dish towel …

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April 13, 2022

EP 40: ALLISON CARTER / CEO - CELEBRATES!

This week’s guest is Allison Carter. Allison is a Seattle mom of two and believes that every occasion, big or small, deserves to be celebrated. As the founder and CEO of Allison Carter Celebrates , she helps make busy moms’ …

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April 6, 2022

EP 39: HUSTLER OF THE WEEK!

This week's guest is CEO & founder of Swanky D's, Nadiyah Gulley. Established in 2016, Swanky D’s is a company dedicated to mentoring and coaching businesses on how to creatively succeed in a competitive industry through visu...

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March 30, 2022

EP 38: FOREVER FUN!

This week’s guest is Nathan Waldon, Founder of Everything for Nathan & Co . After a bazillion plus years of product development for the big guys, nothing ever scratched his retail itch like opening his own eponymous shops. He...

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March 23, 2022

EP 37: SIMPLIFY BUSINESS. IMPROVE LIVES.

This week’s guest is Kurt Beeken, Owner & President of Retail Dimensions (RDi). Kurt is a veteran of the retail and technology industry having worked in retail technology since 1985. He has written and implemented inventory m...

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March 16, 2022

EP 36: A LOVE LETTER TO LA

This week’s guest is Jeannine Braden / Creative Director & Co-Founder / Le Superbe California . From long time Los Angeles fashion insider Jeannine Braden, stylist, consultant and former owner of the much-loved Santa Monica b...

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March 9, 2022

EP 35: FAILURE IS YOUR BEST INSTRUCTOR

We have all dealt with what we perceive as a failure. Failure can be useful. We can learn from it, gain new insights, and do better next time. The right kind of failures give us new information & teach us …

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March 9, 2022

EP 35: FAILURE IS YOUR BEST INSTRUCTOR

We have all dealt with what we perceive as a failure. Failure can be useful. We can learn from it, gain new insights, and do better next time. The right kind of failures give us new information & teach us …

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March 2, 2022

EP 34: CHAXEL

We LOVE a #hustler and this week’s guest Brea Menees, owner of Chaxel certainly falls under that header! Brea is a 31-year-old California native, married for 4 years with 2 frenchie babies and has a Fashion Degree from Sacram...

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Feb. 23, 2022

EP 33: HUMANIZING RETAIL WITH STELLA ADENA OF RANCHO RELAXO

Stella grew up in Ohio and studied Economics and Japanese at Princeton University. Stella made a career change at 30 from investment banking to fashion. She moved from San Francisco to New York where she worked her way up at …

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Feb. 16, 2022

EP 32: KITTY MEOW BOUTIQUE. WITTY. SWEET. FIERCE.

This week’s guest is Catherine (Cat) Hildner, creator, designer and heart & soul behind Kitty Meow® Boutique ( @kittymeowboutique ). Michelle & Cat will be discussing, among other things, the beauty of 'F' Bombs, Cat’s blogs,...

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Feb. 9, 2022

EP 31: ETIQUETTE & GRATITUDE

After 3 weeks of doing setups & buying at both the Las Vegas Winter Market & LA Mart Winter Market , Michelle has had time to decompress and reflect on the do’s and don'ts of how to act in someone’s …

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Feb. 2, 2022

EP 30: LITT CONCEPT HOUSE — 'CREATING CONNECTION THROUGH RETAIL'

A family who travels together, stays together. The Litt family has traveled the world for fifty years, antiquing in over 35 countries! As direct importers, they went on too many buying trips to count. With weekly shipments co...

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Jan. 26, 2022

EP 29: DIPPING YOUR TOE INTO THE ECOMMERCE POOL

Web Studios West has been building websites, e-commerce solutions, social media platforms, and custom software for over two decades. This week's guest is Shiloh Pettyjohn is Co-Founder and Senior Vice President of Sales for W...

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