Jewels & Jeans: "Don't be Paralyzed with Fear"

As a student at Florida State University, I am blessed with many great opportunities to learn from and network with some extremely talented retailers. Last week, following the career fair we had an opportunity to attend a new event, The Retail Focus Event panel discussion, put on by the hospitality, marketing and RMPD programs. And I must say, it was awesome! All of the panelists had different stories and advice on how to become successful in the retail industry. One panelist, regional general manager and senior director of Walmart, Lee DeVille, is very passionate about his job, and that was evident in everything he shared. Lee kept telling us how important it is to not be paralyzed with fear in life. He told us one of his favorite things was that he has the ability to give people new tasks that will challenge them and make them better employees. Even if these people are fearful, he provides them with new tasks that better themselves and help them to make more money through his company. He went on to tell us that he loves working for Walmart so much that he puts in 85-90 hours a week. I'm not even sure if that is possible! But, he obviously loves his job enough to desire to work that much to make Walmart a better company. Typically, Walmart is associated with a more negative connotation, but Lee truly made it sound like a wonderful company to work for.

One of the biggest take aways I got from the panelists was the importance of networking. They each had unique stories about how networking has helped them to get to where they are today. Such as, Lisa Metheny, training and recruiting manager of E&J Gallo Winery. She explained to us how she knew nothing about wine and had never anticipated working for a winery until she met one of their executives at a party. Without that connection Lisa would not be where she is today and possibly not as successful.

Kim Williams owner of The Polka Dot Press, a local Tallahassee store, shared some informative dos and don'ts on owning your own business. The interesting thing about Kim was that she started her company online and then after it was successful she decided to open up her store front. She explained to us how she had previously owned a children's boutique with thousands of dollars of inventory and only the best of the best for boutique decor. It was just as any boutique owner would start out, which was the problem. The company struggled to thrive and once her company had reached the black zone, clear of debts, she closed up shop. Years later, she started a card making business, which began as on online business. A few years after its start, as the business was really flourishing, she decided to open up her own brick and mortar store. The difference between this store and the first one is the lack of risk involved. She only has to provide samples of all of her cards and other items. She also purchased a lot of her furniture and decor through vintage stores and refurbishing some of her own stuff. Genius!

Obviously, there are many aspect to the retail industry and almost all of the panelists play a different part as vital components to the companies they work for. I was immediately curious to hear more from Alex Hancock, Senior Manager in eCommerce Merchandise Planning for Carter's Inc. He explained to us what he was responsible for and how he got there. Alex deals with a different type of merchandising as he deals with only the Carter's and OshKosh online stores. He uses excel on a daily basis to analyze size and color analysis among many other aspects that are vital to inventory and selling of products. So, uh, I kind of want to be just like him!

Other speakers we heard from were, Lisa Mergel owner of Kanvas Beauty, and Dana Dagostino, a corporate buyer for an exclusive Dillard's label, called Cremieux Apparel.

Overall, the panel discussion was very informative and exciting, there should definitely be more in the future! Hearing from all of the panelists, that have taken the same path as I am, inspires me to become as successful as them so I can come back and be a role model as well.