how to mackgyver

howdy friends!

i’ll start by admitting & apologizing for the vagueness of my return to retail announcement last week.

this was partially due to me procrastinating on writing that post.

i’ve been going through my fair share of existential questioning & usually i fight this procrastination with discipline. but last week i decided instead to follow the advice of my june newsletter on procrastination, i shifted from doing more to feeling better. in the long run this was the right move, but it still left me scrambling to get the newsletter out.

the other reason was because i’m still figuring it out.

i know i plan to focus my energy back on retail for the foreseeable future, but how exactly that looks is very subject to change. i’ll be centering this newsletter around retail, but format, content, & subjects are up in the air. my actual work situation - consultant, employee, or business venture buffet extraordinaire - is tbd too.

i don’t have it all figured out,
but i’m ready to figure it out along my merry way,
including in today’s edition which is part reflection & part retail.

life’s improv

let's be real: nobody has all the answers.

if someone tells you they do, they're either lying, trying to sell you something, or a combo of both.

i’m SO over of all the self-proclaimed gurus peddling their “foolproof” methods. but i can’t blame them because its much harder to sell a course that admits life is basically one big improv show.

we feel safer pretending that life & biz aren't 90% making it up as we go.

but guess what?
they totally are.

so here's your permission slip to pick a direction & go for it. even if you're not 100% sure. even if you might change your mind later. taking messy af action beats the hell out of being paralyzed by indecision.

not making a choice IS a choice
& usually not a good one.

win(g)ing it

the real key to “success” is not having all the answers. it's having the courage to commit, learn, & figure sh!t out as you go.

quick reminder:

• you’re allowed to change your mind.

• you’re allowed to make mistakes.

• you’re allowed to be wrong.

none of the above is failure — it’s growth, baby!

future you will thank present you for taking that leap of faith even if you faceplant a few times along the way.

winging it is how you win it.

macgyver the way

this philosophy is true across all aspects of life: working, writing, dating, traveling, parenting, hiking, moving, & so much more then we realize.

it’s the hidden magic behind the retail curtain too.

i can confirm from firsthand experience that even the biggest retailers are often just making it up as they go along. & you know what? that's part of what makes shopping so damn special.

the best retail employees are like improv ninjas, coming up with genius solutions in half broken systems for complex customer drama on the fly (a topic that deserves im saving to discuss in many future issues).

today i’m serving up the surprising origin stories of 3 successful retail brands that started with a whole lot of "fake it 'til you make it" energy.

#1. from stationery shop to bling empire

in 1837 in lower manhattan, two young men started a stationery & tchotchkes shop. while this story sounds like the origin of hallmark, this is the founding story of the purveyors of the most beloved little blue box, the tiffany & co.

tiffany’s wasn’t a destination for diamonds until 1848.

oh & did you know that tiffany’s blue book was the first direct mail catalog to be published in the us in 1845?!

#2. from outdoorsy hunter vibes to teen dream

decades later in 1892 also in lower manhattan, an elite outdoor equipment & apparel store opened & became known for its expensive shotguns, fishing rods, & tents. a go to spot for customers like theodore roosevelt, ernest hemingway, & amelia earhart.

a story you’d guess would belong to rei or cabela’s,
but instead belongs to abercrombie & fitch.

a&f wasn’t a destination for youth fashion until almost a century later in 1988 when it was purchased by l brands — the now dissolved company that split into victoria’s secret and bath & body works.

most people also don’t know that a&f was once bankrupt. they filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1976 & closed their doors for a couple of years until they were bought by a sporting goods retailer for $1.5M in 1978. talk about a turnaround story!

#3. from record store cool to normcore discount heaven

meanwhile in 1969 in san francisco, a couple with three young children opened a store to sell records & levi’s of all sizes.

a story that sounds like the beginnings of urban outfitters, but actually belongs to the gap, which was named by the wife after the generational gap.

the first gap label products didn’t appear in their stores until 1974.

fun fact: after successfully opening 25 stores in 3 years, the couple opened a second venture that was a discount pants store called “Pants%ff!” 🥴 

i hope these stor(i)es from the tiffany & co, abercrombie & fitch, and the gap help remind you that life isn't a multiple-choice test where there's only one right answer.

life is much more like a choose-your-own-adventure book, where each decision opens up new possibilities, many of which have yet to be written.

so together let’s turn the page to see where we go!

p.s. i’d love to hear what you thought of today’s issue! will you please write me a quick reply with your thoughts? i appreciate you so so very much!