Zuckerberg's Hoodie

I’ve watched with interest the controversy in recent weeks regarding Mark Zuckerberg’s continued wearing of ‘hoodies’ during the lead up to the IPO of Facebook. The question was raised – is what he chose to wear disrespectful to financial institutions?

I choose to wear red in my capacity as Founding Director of RedBalloon – some would say that it has become my ‘trade mark’. (Quite frankly it makes it really easy to shop for work clothes – it is simply a uniform.) Is the offending hoodie merely a uniform, as was Steve Jobs – black polo necks and jeans?

I think a more interesting trend that this ‘simple dress sense’ by entrepreneurs may well be part of the ‘dematerialization’ and ‘demonetization’ trend as discussed in the book Abundance- Diamandis and Kotler’ s book, (I simply could not put this book down – and it is the sort of book I want to read with my teenagers. I can highly recommend it.)

The authors argue that the poorest people in the USA – have more services than were available to the richest person 100 years ago – and that we all have access instantly to more information than the US president did only a decade ago – hence we live in a time of abundance. What this means is there is a massive shift in what the ‘trappings of success’ look like. And many possessions are becoming increasingly less important. The most precious resource of all is time – and no matter how rich you are you get given the same 24 hours as everybody else.

Recently an article appeared in CBS news describing ‘The 10 behaviors of the hyper successful.’ To para phrase if you are ‘successful’ you:…..

• Carry less things. Perhaps just a phone or two…
• Return phone calls less often. Someone else does that for them.
• They are difficult to reach. Someone else does that for them.
• They spend little time at a computer. Someone else does that for them.
• If they do write an email it is short. Or someone else does that for them.
• Social media is not their thing (except for celebrities – which their publicists use).
• They are not interested in pop culture or gossip (again, except for celebrities).
• They watch less TV
• The more non-leisure stuff they do that’s not directly related to their business (charities, boards, outside investments).
• They read the papers or someone else does that for them – and they get the summary.

Much of these traits are all about ‘saving time’.

This further supports the notion of dematerialization. Zuckerberg has signed up to the Gates-Buffet plea to have all American billionaires give away at least half of their wealth for the greater good of the planet before they die. (Apparently 69 of the 1000 billionaires in the US have so far agreed to participate) – for the first time in history we have people with the resources to tackle solvable problems that governments (need to be re-elected) corporates (shareholder returns) or NGOs (fundraising) cannot achieve. (read more about this)

I see the ‘hoodie’ as a representation that there is a new way of looking at success… it is not about what we have – but what we give (our time being the most important of all) – and that material possessions will continue to become less important – as the ‘average’ person screams out ‘I’ve got too much stuff’.

Peter Diamandis co-author of Abundance speaks at TED.

Trust takes Time... and also the ability to be oneself at work - The RedBalloon corporate team - I wonder what teenagers would say if this was their first experience of work.

I have teenagers – their friends are beginning to get part time jobs… I am fascinated to watch them learn and discover the world of work. The experience that they have with these businesses my well determine what ‘work’ looks like for them.

Trust is paramount in every employment relationship – without it, it is really difficult to achieve great things.

So imagine a young person – his first work experience job – 5 days in total he has been told that he will receive $20 per day. He is happy with this because it covers the cost of his bus and lunch. At the end of the week no one mentions it – he leaves with out his $100… feels unable to say something to someone… and is quite hurt that they said one thing and did another. To a 15-year-old $100 is a lot of money. What is his impression of work so far?

Simon Sinek told us at his presentation this week that the biggest abusers of trust are organizations. (And large organizations the worst.)

“Trust is a feeling, it is a human experience” he said – our instincts tell us when things are not right. So much of business is now conducted ‘online’. The Internet is an amazing tool to connect people around the planet (and locally) to spread the word quickly and also to massively increase the speed of transactions…. but what it is not good at is building relationships. And an employment relationship is one of trust. Negotiations for instance are emotional activities – and as are better done face to face. Let’s not confuse technology for a relationship builder – email is ideally used to confirm the facts rather than a vehicle for emotional thoughts.

Trust takes time – as do all relationships. It is something that is given not earned. I said recently to all RedBallooners – “you have my trust – it is not something you need to earn – it is implicit” – that is I trust my choices in those leaders around me, I trust those leaders to fulfill on and live and honor our values – and that everyday they encourage and develop those around them…. first of all you have to trust yourself and your choices. There is no power in blame.

As employers though our role is to lead by example. I was saddened that one of my children’s friends, who had been so excited when they got an interview and then two ‘trial shifts’ at the local store… was not only not paid for their time – but the employer did not even give them feedback if they were good enough… they simply never called with another shift. What is that young persons experience of work… how easy it is to create a ‘them and us’ attitude. At $12.50 per hour for the sake of a total of $50 this young person would have respected, and perhaps even trusted the employer…  Now some other employer at some other stage is going to have to rebuild that persons trust in authority.

Trust is the very premise of all relationships – and the first employment relationship is critical. Leaders please give your people a reason to trust.

I'm sure Mrs Tomlinson will not be cooking his dinner tonight

Townsville is a long way physically from where I sit at my workplace in Sydney – but when I read a news article headed ‘Comments on Women create Furor’ which appeared in the Townsville Bulletin – I thought it is not just 2000kms away – more like a century a way.

“TOWNSVILLE identity Max Tomlinson is in hot water after declaring most women do not possess the drive and determination men ‘innately’ have.”

There are 7 billion people on the planet – half of which are female, and the ‘enlightened’ Max Tomlinson lumps every woman into one box – and states every man as a ‘go-getter’. I have met my fair share of ‘nurturing warm hearted’ men in my time – as well as ‘hard nosed’ women. If there is one thing that is sure – hormones alone do not predetermine a human-beings disposition.

Surely this man cannot be serious… has he not read anything about the changes in our community and the value different people bring to business. I wonder what he would think of  ‘The End of Men’ article.

I suspect that this must be a publicity stunt of some sort. (And I have probably just furthered his cause by highlighting it.) Simply it does nothing to add to the debate. Whilst we will all have a bit of fun naming Tomlinson as a Luddite – what it does do is distract from the real issues that need debating.

Who in our community is taking a bigger view of what the world could be like if we shifted our thoughts about how our post industrial revolution society is constructed.

I pose the question ‘what growth opportunities would be available to our economy if we could attract more women back to the work force in any capacity (ie flexible hours) because childcare was readily available and community based? What would happen if there was free childcare available to all Australian families?

Let’s be outrageous ourselves – (given that the Luddites are) – and challenge our governments to consider the idea of free childcare. . (Though I do note that I have been invited by Tanya Plibersek to a public forum on 3 May at Annandale Public School to debate current issues in childcare in Sydney, I’m only invited because I live in her electorate and she is inviting all residents)

I am in the privileged position of meeting many people – and whether male or female – as soon as the conversation turns to children, the juggle and struggle stories are shared. I think it is time that we let others know what it is really like; that is the cost to the community and the growth of the economy of having to battle with childcare.

We are about to launch a website so that people have a place to leave their story – when people unite to become one large voice – those in power will listen to that voice.

If you have a moment and a story you would like to share about how you manage childcare – Please add it the FreeChildcareAustralia site.

We cannot let the Luddites keep us in the last century.

The sounds of silence - means you have space to listen

I was recently with a group of start up businesses; this small group of founders was excitedly debating the best way to promote their businesses using social media. Each was bemoaning that they were not getting much traction on their twitter and Facebook page… and one was asking me if it was ‘worthwhile’ to start a blog.

Here’s the thing: Only blog, tweet and FaceBook if you have something worth saying that might be of interest and value to someone else. They are not promotional tools they are listening tools…

It is the same inside your business – as leaders we don’t have all the answers – sometimes we are just so much better off to not say anything. I was recently in a planning meeting and because I am the founder of RedBalloon and have been hanging around for 11 years – I found that if I spoke in the planning meeting then a disproportional amount of attention may have been attached to my thoughts.

As a leader my job was to listen, both inside and outside the business.

Silence works.

The documentary the Inside Job named Goldman Sachs two years ago

Greg Smith’s open letter of resignation from Goldman Sachs that appeared in the New York Times last week has been devastating on many levels. Only with time will the real impact be revealed, however already billions of dollars have been wiped off its stock price, with clients deserting at a fast pace. It has been a public relations fiasco. The questions I ask are: what about the colleagues and co-workers who remain at Goldman Sachs, and what of its employer brand?

Mr Smith, after 12 years at Goldman Sachs, writes that he could no longer participate in an institutionalized ‘toxic culture’ that he considered ‘moral bankruptcy’. This is strong language – and his allegations are directed at the most senior leaders the business.

I remember when I was at Ansett years ago (clearly) a colleague in his farewell speech chose to sledge his peers and superiors. He was young and thought it would be ‘insightful’. Whilst many of us may have concurred with his insights it was completely inappropriate to diminish others efforts publicly– quite frankly he came off as smug and superior… nothing was gained.

So what might be the outcome for Mr Smith’s colleagues at Goldman Sachs? His intention may well have been for the ‘greater good’, however for those people at Goldman Sachs who work hard and show up every day believing that they are doing some good work for their clients, they will be feeling angry and bewildered. Only time will tell if this letter is a catalyst for change, but the workaholic culture of this institution makes me suspect it will struggle to change its behaviour. Will Goldman Sachs employees dismiss or disregard his comments? Will they deny there is any truth in what he says? After such a damning public letter, would you admit that you were working in such a place with such a value system? It’s hardly the best employer brand to say you’re associated with. So will employees take a stand and agree with Mr. Smith. Or will they dismiss it as sour grapes?

Let’s look at employer brand for a moment: the reputation of an organization is critical to its ability to recruit and retain the best of the best. Goldman Sachs woos young smart graduates trying to attract them to a life of long hours and sacrifice. Will graduates think twice about what they want their CV to look like? Will they vote with their feet and not want to apply to work there? Without the best and brightest will Goldman Sachs be able to stay competitive? On the flip side, those current employees who have worked there for a long time may well have their career choices limited. Smith’s letter may well tarnish their reputations by association.

Last year in the GFC documentary Inside Job, Goldman Sachs was named as being culpable in the share crash and mortgage debt pyramid. Was than not warning enough that their business practices could not continue? Yet – going by Mr Smith’s letter – nothing has changed culturally. Is there a way Goldman Sachs will be able to lift and reinvent itself after 143 years?

There is a difference between a disgruntled employee leaving under a cloud and looking for revenge; and someone who is prepared to make a stand for integrity. History will show which camp Greg Smith is in – in the meantime, the question remains whether the Goldman Sachs employee brand can ever recover?

As leaders, we can learn a lot about our own organisations from the Goldman Sachs affair. Take a moment to think about your business values. Are they aligned and cascading through every level of your business? Our values are everything at RedBalloon. It’s who we are. What and how we do.  Letters like Mr Smith’s are a great reminder to stop, breathe, and take the pulse of your business.

My children at the time that RedBalloon began - they are very much part of the journey

I found myself part of a panel at the Australian British Chamber of Commerce International Women’s day event. I look around me: Ticky Fullerton of ABC Lateline is interviewing Cathy Harris AO PSM – Chairman Harris Farm Markets, Helen Conway, Director of the Equal Opportunities for Women in the Workplace Agency… and myself. We have been asked to share our views on how we see the world of women in business. I feel privileged and humbled to be part of the group.

Just before I was heading to the stage Mr David Slessar OBE (Chairman of the ABCC) said to me – “There are not that many people who create something from nothing – and there are even less who are women. This group just wants to know how you made it happen.”

The discussion is rigorous – Ticky wanting to stay away from the women on boards issue until we had discussed some more fundamental things – I noted the similarity between Cathy Harris and myself – her mother Mary Rossi, having 10 children and building an amazing business now run by daughter, Claudia Rossi Hudson. My mother had a 30 year career in IT, starting on the first computer in Australia (in the Maths department of Monash University) in the 1960s… my grandmother too had been a book keeper for Coles.

It occurred to me as we were talking that Cathy and I never knew any other way. I always thought that I would have a fulfilling career – I watched my mother every day go off and create interesting things (For almost two decades she worked for Lindsey Cattermole’s AM Aspect computing.)

I had great role models around me – so did Cathy Harris. It never ever occurred to me that I could not do, be or have anything that any bloke had.

We discussed the notion of ‘life balance’… asked how do we juggle being a parent and running a business. The reality is that life is chaotic – I don’t necessarily have it sorted out. Family and business are still a juggle (life seems like one long negotiation on logistics)… however there is a big difference between my life and those women in corporate life.

By nature an entrepreneur’s family is likely to be involved with the business. My daughter in the early days would fold envelopes and blowup balloons before school… we worked from home in those days. There were vivid and robust discussion around the dinner table about business. As a tiny tot my son would invent new experiences and offer to test them all out. The kids were often in the corner of the office playing games on a computer or helping out. Life was hectic but it was ‘all in together’.

I think now to those early days – I never had to compartmentalize my life. I was both mum and CEO – I was the same person – and my children always have seen me working and contributing.

They are now teenagers and making their own life choices about what they will do. I’m sure they are in no doubt that they can do anything that they wish to put their energy to. As my daughter discusses which university course she would like to do – it looks that she will be the fourth generation of working women in our family – this is our normal.

One of the guests Suzy Jacob shared that Whoopi Goldberg famously said – “Normal is nothing more than a cycle on a washing machine”

There is no normal – we all just muddle through doing the best we can – and being truly present to where we are… the one thing I can say is that the moments we have with our children are the most precious of all… and I have been very fortunate to have had them included in my journey.

In Central Park - reviewing other great legacy's

It was my birthday this week , and it is always a good time to reflect. I have taken a break  (everyone at RedBalloon get’s there birthday off)… but I have taken 11 days for this birthday, (justifying that this is my eleventh year at RedBalloon) to travel back to the place where my career began. My first job after finishing my undergraduate degree was with IBM in New York. I had my 21st birthday at the restaurant ‘Windows of the World’ at the top of the World Trade Tower.

As I go back to places that I went to 25 years ago, I marvel at how the city has changed – I reflect on what I have achieved in the past quarter of a century. But more importantly what am I yet to do.

I was given “The Gospel According to Coco Chanel – life lessons from the worlds most elegant woman” for my birthday and as I began to devour it I was completely in awe of a woman totally committed to style and beauty. She did not rest, she was tireless in her pursuit of excellence – in her 88 years on the planet she changed they way women dressed forever.

Well beyond her death the brand that she created in business partnership with the Wertheimer family (Chanel is still privately held by the family). As Lagerfeld took over design and whilst many areas of the business were modernised, the simplicity of this woman’s vision continues on.

Gabrielle Chanel known as Coco knew implicitly what she stood for: style, self-invention, survival; with a passion, drive and spirit that meant she never considered anything else. Single minded in her pursuit created the legend and the legacy we now have.

25 years ago as a young graduate I did not know what I stood for: I simply worked hard and believed in what I was doing. It took years for me to learn how I could make a difference. As human beings all we really want to do is to do something worthwhile – something that does make the planet a better place for others.

I visited the Cindy Sherman exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art yesterday – here is another woman that from a young age at university in Boulder NY had already begun to explore what has become her life’s work. Her commitment to truth and discovery has been her passion and as a result her photographs are some of the most expensive ever sold.

These women remind me that true greatness is not created in a few days – it takes years of commitment, and single mindedness to really do something worthwhile. My legacy is not yet determined but I am driven to continue to create a truly great Australian business.

What will your legacy be?

It's about choice for our children

I considered that perhaps it was a cultural thing. But after listening to her TED talk on the topic (view below) I have to concur that much of what she says does translate to Australia.

This generation we will barely make a dent on the number of women in board rooms around Australia – nor in senior leadership roles – but the point she raises is what do we tell our daughters… and our sons. What lessons do we impart to inspire them to make the choices they want without fear of failure.

Sheryl gives us three insights.

1. ‘Sit at the table’ – this means women need to really participate, make a statement, stand up for themselves – don’t underestimate your own ability. ‘Own your own your success.’ This could be viewed as slightly pushy however how often do women not apply for the job that they don’t have every skill for – whilst their male equivalent would put himself forward.’

There will be sacrifices that we make for playing a bigger game… and these are sacrifices that our brothers wont have to make.

I was having dinner with my daughter (16) and son (14) over the holidays – and my son asked me if I would prefer to be a man or a woman… I instantly responded ‘A woman’ – when he asked the same question of my daughter, after some deliberation she said ‘A man’ when I questioned why she said – ‘they just get everything easier.’ – This saddened me. At such a young age my daughter is already seeing limitations…

2. ‘Make your partner a real partner’ – Sheryl laments that in fact there has been more progress with equality in the workplace than on the domestic front. She said workingwomen work twice as hard on domestic chores and do three times the childcare than their male counterparts.  She wonders if it is because from a very young age society puts more pressure on males to succeed. We need to make it easier for males to stay it home – too. Men are not always welcomed at playgroup.

Interesting that a number of years ago I was called up to see the vice principal of my daughters school – as the spirited girl she is she had pushed the boundaries and they wanted to discuss it with me specifically rather than my husband who was the primary after school carer.

This successful female educator said ‘Your daughter just needs to see more of you – you travel a lot for work and she misses you terribly’ – I responded – ‘she does have a parent with her every night of the week; her father…’ She realized what she had just said. Here was one successful career woman telling another that the role model I was being for my daughter was not appropriate. And this was from a leader of a girl’s school – at that point I did ask what they were teaching the girls about financial independence and fulfilling careers…

Stereo typing is very, very hard to change

3. ‘Don’t leave before you leave’ – Sheryl said that in planning for a pregnancy and to have ‘children’ fit neatly into a career often means that women are planning to take time out of their career long before they need to. In fact they might even hold back on a promotion or responsibility because they think ‘I might not be here next year’.

From the moment women think about having a baby…they might be less career focused as such their job may become far less fulfilling. Yet once you have a child at home to return to work is a massive sacrifice. So your job better be rewarding, challenging and you really need to be making a difference because otherwise it is too hard and simply not worth the cost (both financially and emotionally).

If you took your foot off the ‘gas’ too early in your career ie you didn’t take a promotion for instance then this might mean you don’t have the ‘best’ job to return to. I wrote a blog about this very thing some months ago.

I concur with Sheryl – we want to teach our children to make powerful choices on what they want to do. Not what they think is prescribed for them – because that is how it has always been.

L to R - Michael Fertik, Jeff Taylor, Russell Simmons, Karen Beattie, Martha Stewart, Muhammad Yunnis, George Clooney

On Monday I had the fortune of participating in the Growth Faculties Leadership Summit. Six leaders, with different styles and methods took to the stage to share what they had learned about leadership.

Martha Stewart at 70, gave an energetic and passionate insight into her life and the creation of her personal brand. She did speak of how her role now is about rebuilding the business after the decline following her incarceration. Though she believes that her brand remains what it was. (I understand that in the US not all would agree with her).

Her story is engaging and fascinating and there was much to learn.

Martha said:
“Without an open mind you can’t be a great success”
“I’m fundamentally curious”
“If you write a book you become an ‘expert’”
“Never ever talk down to the customer & we need to be where our customers need and want us to be”
“Everyone needs to believe in what they are doing.”

She started her career as a model, then moved into stock broking, before starting her catering business. There is no doubt that this is a woman who has been completely driven since her childhood and at 70 she is equally driven. The question I was left with is “Does she define her success in dollars – or in the contribution to others, I was unclear on this.”

Muhammad Yunnis

How different the next speaker was… Muhammad Yunis, Nobel peace prize winner (who I had seen in September). He shared with the group the notion of Social Business – a new business model. Businesses that are created solely to solve a problem. Not to provide dividends – but also not a charity or not for profit.

Muhammad said:
“I asked myself the question can I make myself useful for other human beings?”
“I try to solve problems by creating a social business”
“It is easy to undermine the value of others if you are disconnected.”
“Crisis is in the conceptual construct in the theory of economics.”
“Most business is based on selfishness – and this is not sustainable as we are now seeing with the economic crisis’s.”
“Charity dollars only have one life as it goes out, it does not come back – social business dollars go around to be self funding.”
“Human creativity is endless but often we cannot see.”
“You can change the world if you can solve the tiny problems that then get replicated.”

Then we had the father of hip hop speak, Russell Simmons, who discovered the music and poetry of the streets back in 1972 – and it took him years to bring that culture to light, in music, film, clothes and TV. He too has influenced culture – it has been altered forever. Here is a man that is consumed by his passion for art, expression and poetry. He believes that you cannot create greatness with a commercial outcome in mind. Commercial outcome will come when greatness is created.

Russell said:
“Some people say keep your eye on the prize – but I don’t agree. If you keep looking at the prize you are likely to bump into things along the way.”
“Most industries are blind to new things coming.”
“I aspire to a post racial America – we are a long way from that – and Hollywood is really blind, it is not inclusive.”
“I believe that people will see what is cool in each other – this is aspirational.”
“My passion gave me a different life, I found a way to express myself – most of those I grew up with are either dead or in jail – every person needs to find their purpose.”
“If you want a long career then you need to make sure that your life’s work is the expression of what you really are – not what you think people think they want you to be.”
“No matter how rich you are you can only sit at one seat at a time.”
“Wealth comes from making your work meaningful – it is a state of consciousness.”
“Business often starts from a pure vision of creative expression this often gets lost. Come back to it.”
“I believe in economic justice in the US – a bigger conversation must take place about equality.”

George Clooney

Then we had actor George Clooney speak about his work in Sudan.

[It is interesting to note that for this session the organizers had sold seats just for this speaker – so the numbers in the audience swelled to double – so we have a nobel peace prize winner with a lifetime of changing the world – but who people want to see and hear from is the celebrity. This paradox was not lost on George Clooney.]

George said:
“I now have the ability to use my celebrity to shine the light on areas that only have darkness – I can bring these issues to the world.”
“When people try to discredit your intentions – simply know more than they do about the issue.”
“You have to be involved – see it, feel it, be there, understand, know the facts, the people.”
“It is easier to be in advocacy than politics – you don’t have to compromise and you can stay truly focused on the issue.”
“Success I understand to be just for a mere moment in time. – That moment I need to use to turn it into something worthwhile.”
“I don’t take myself seriously – but I do take my work seriously.”
“The role of the leader is to say ‘Put down your pencils and hand in your work.’ – to know when to bring the plan together.”
“Leaders need a clear voice that says ‘This is what we are going to do.’ As well as robust diplomacy, individual belief and an understanding of the power of shared voice.’”=

Jeff Taylor founder of monster.com took to the stage to admit that Australia was the only place where he had failed in creating his job board business. However he did succeed in 50 countries with 6000 employees. Jeff gave his view on why each person needs to be his or her own CEO. That is ‘you are the CEO of your own life’ and he shared his ‘FAME’ concept.

Jeff said:
“F:  Create a workplace where people can be a Free agent”
“A: Train like an Athlete, ready to play the game of your life.”
“M: Prepare like a Marketer, know your key message.
“E: Engage like an entrepreneur.”

The final speaker for the day was Michael Fertik speaking on reputation. As a marketer of course I have understood always that as individuals and as a business the only thing we really have is our reputation. Michael shared with us how volatile social media has made reputation – and that we have no control.

72% of employers apparently look at social media as part of their recruitment strategy – and 49% have changed their intentions of employing an individual based on what they learned.

Face recognition software will mean that we have no privacy and that anywhere anytime our image can be ‘tainted’. This is true for companies and individuals – and bad stories whether true or not hang around online forever.

What a special day… A day of learning, being in the presence of greatness, inspiration and debate. I was most fortunate to attend a dinner with 60 others at the Shangri La with the speakers. This is where I had the chance to ask the questions that I had wanted to during the day.

Well-done Growth Faculty for putting together such an event…

Customers look different now

This week we have seen the demise of Fletcher Jones and the opening of Top Shop. My 15 year old daughter texted me, saying ‘I’m even more excited than when Zara opened – it is British and I love it – when can we go?”

Many Australian retailers are left thinking “what happened – where did our customers go?”. We are in the peak of Christmas season and there is not one retailer in Australia who is not holding their breath and ‘hoping’.  As we know however ‘hope’ is not a strategy.

From the online world I can see so clearly what is likely to happen over the next few years. But I don’t have a massive infrastructure or team – I don’t have to move a mammoth organisation into the position of competing against global players.

Think of the traditional retail customer experience: we battle the traffic, search for a parking spot, deal with lousy weather – and then try to find someone to serve us– when we finally do find someone to assist we discover that the retailer does not have the color, quantity or size you need. No wonder people are choosing online… it is soooo easy.

I’d hate to be in the business of having to have all the right stock in all the right places at all the right times – being served by all the right people… how hard is that?

What can retail businesses learn from the entertainment business?

What if retail outlets became show rooms – where as a buyer once your color and style are determined you have your item delivered at no extra cost direct to you the very next day. Not schlepping your purchases from store to store – wasting hours, with hurting feet – that would be an experience.

Retail in Australia is about to make a massive shift and not all will make it. I hate to say it – but it is all about the experience. In speaking to the MD of  Chanel Australia he says that their concept stores go from strength to strength – people love being immersed in the brand – and you just simply cannot achieve the same experience in a department store.

Fletcher Jones did not grow with it customers. I have just come from a business lunch in the city – half the attendees were wearing jeans….

Please retailers – wake up  – listen to your customers and give them something worth fighting for. I understand that the reason why Top Shop is opening stores here – is because they have been shipping so much product here via their website they realised what a fantastic market it is.

Bring innovation back to retail… for instance young Eliza Roberts (11) has started her first business  – in the northern beaches of Sydney she has started a Pet Birthday cake business… in the first month she sold 30 cakes. She knows her market, she provides fab service – and people are very much getting the ‘entertainment value’ of being able to talk about the experience of their purchase.

Retailers it is time you gave your customers a ‘good time.’